Cellist Seonhwa Lee was born in Daejeon, South Korea. She began her musical education at the age of four, studying piano and cello, and started vocal lessons at six. At seven, she won first prize as a cellist in her first competition in South Korea, and at nine, she won first prize in a vocal competition. She made her debut as a soloist at eleven, performing Haydn’s C Major Concerto in her hometown.

Seonhwa has won numerous prizes in international competitions in South Korea, Poland, Denmark, and the USA. She has performed in many notable concerts, including at Carnegie Hall in New York, as a soloist with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, and as principal cellist with the Mannheim Philharmonic. She has been awarded several scholarships, including the Müller Foundation Scholarships, the Theodor-Rogler-Stiftung, and the Deutschlandstipendium.

Seonhwa graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the Mannheim University of Music with top marks and highest honors under the guidance of Professor Michael Flaksman. She began her master’s studies with Professor Danjulo Ishizaka at the Dresden University of Music and continued at the Basel University of Music, where she successfully completed two Master of Arts degrees in Music Performance and Music Pedagogy. Additionally, she completed the Konzertexamen with highest honors under the guidance of Professor Francis Gouton at the Mannheim University of Music.

Seonhwa is currently pursuing her PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in the »European Doctoral College for Musical Interpretation and Artistic Research Glarean« under the supervision of Professor Dr. Natasha Loges and Professor Elena Cheah at the Freiburg University of Music in collaboration with the University of Strasbourg and Haute École des Arts du Rhin.