Michelle Lee has been accompanying for the past 30 years. She had her early start playing for school orchestras and choirs, accompanying instrumental entries at the Clark County Solo and Ensemble festival, and numerous student recitals at the Las Vegas Academy and Nevada School of the Arts. While attending college at Utah State University, she also worked as the rehearsal and performance pianist for the Utah State Opera program, under director Cindy Dewey. She performed piano renditions to Suor Angelica by Puccini, Hansel und Gretel by Humperdinck, and five operas by Menotti.
Michelle Lee has been collaborating heavily with the vocal department at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada for the past 8 years. She is comfortable playing both arias and art songs. She was the UNLV Opera Production Rehearsal and Performance Pianist from 2007 - 2009, under director Christine Seitz. During that time she performed the opera scores to La Boheme, Alcina, and Cosi Fan Tutte.
Ms. Lee accompanies regularly for graduate vocal recitals, repertoire and studio classes, masterclasses with guest clinicians, the NATS and NATSAA vocal competitions, and AIMS auditions. Ms. Lee is also in demand at local middle school and high school choirs as a pianist for choir festivals, recordings, and bi-annual school concerts.
Michelle has been a staff accompanist at the Nevada School of the Arts since 2005. She works closely with string students at this school, especially the violin studio of Mary Straub. She collaborates with the students at various local and state competitions (including the Silver State, Bolognini, Nevada All-State, Las Vegas Philharmonic Young Artists, Henderson Symphony Orchestra Young Artists competitions) and yearly recitals.
Michelle Lee has traveled to Hawaii, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah to accompany students from NSA as well as flute students from the studio of Cynthia Man for the MTNA Divisional competitions. Her experience as a collaborative pianist has brought her to the Big Bear Lake Song Festival in California where she was a faculty pianist from 2010-2012. Additionally Michelle Lee joined the Desert Suzuki Institute in 2013 and 2014 as a faculty accompanist.