Fulfilling the vision of a youth orchestra for Montana

Born in South Africa, Ilse-Mari joined the music department at Montana State University in 1989. Her principal teachers included Barbara van Wyk and Adolph Hallis (piano); Betty Pack, Raya Garbousova, Gordon Epperson, and Irene Sharp (cello); Robert Muczynski, Paul Steg, and Jan Bach (composition); and Henk Temmingh and Stephanus Zondagh (organ). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, Masters degrees in Cello Performance and in Theory and Composition from Northern Illinois University, and a Doctorate in Cello Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Arizona.

Dr. Lee is active as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician, and performs regularly at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She recently performed at the Tippet Rise Arts Center and with the Montana Chamber Music Society. She was awarded the Montana Arts Council Individual Fellowship Award and was selected to perform at the American Cello Congress in Phoenix in 1991. She has participated in collaborative performances with the Moscow, Muir and Fry Street string quartets. CD releases include The Duet Album with classical guitarist Stuart Weber, Song of the Cello with pianist Michele Levin, and In Performance at St. Timothy’s with the Muir Quartet.

Dr. Lee founded the MSU Cello Ensemble in 1998. The ensemble toured throughout the Northwest and to Italy, Central Europe and China. Active as a composer, her compositions have been performed in South Africa, the United States, Canada, Europe, Southeast Asia and China. In 2002, Dr. Lee premiered her Cello Concerto Mandela with the Billings Symphony. Her film scores for Certain Green, Forced into Comfort, and Fighting for Apology were awarded gold medals at the Park City Film Music Festival. Dr. Lee served as the Director and founding Dean of the Honors College at Montana State.