Patricia (Pat) Lee, principal second violinist in the Symphony of the Hills, might aptly be described as a poster child for perseverance as she has often refused to be discouraged by obstacles and has continued toward goals with patience and courage.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, the youngest of four children and the only girl, Lee's mother was widowed before she was born. Her mother moved the young family back to Brooklyn, New York, where her mother's family lived. Pat's maternal grandfather, an apartment builder in Brooklyn, was a Russian refugee who spoke no English, and her great-grandfather was apparently a musician and violinist in the old country. She grew up and went to schools in Brooklyn, New York.
Lee desired to join the choir during elementary school; however, according to Lee, she was “not allowed to sing in the choir because the teacher said I couldn’t carry a tune.” Another opportunity presented itself in sixth grade when she was given the choice to play an instrument. Lee’s first and second choices were the oboe and the flute; instead she was handed a violin and instantly fell in love with the instrument. In seventh grade she auditioned for the Brooklyn Borough Youth Orchestra, and was accepted.
During the ninth and tenth grade, Lee’s mother became seriously ill, and Lee and one brother were sent to live with her oldest brother in Massachusetts. Due to the financial family constraints, Patricia (Pat) had no private lessons but she continued to play her violin and was invited to play in the orchestra at Philip's Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Several professors at the school also played in the orchestra and arranged a summer camp scholarship to send Lee to Merrywood Music School in the Berskshires near Tanglewood. The experience of studying with a great music faculty and attending the concerts at Tanglewood with Leonard Bernstein conducting are life-long memories.
Unlike many professional musicians, Pat Lee did not, at an early age, ever imagine that she would major in music in college and devote her time and talents to that end. Actually, she had thought seriously of majoring in history.
For the final two years of high school, Lee moved back to Brooklyn. This was during the near-financial bankruptcy of New York City in the early 1970’s and since the orchestra programs had been done away with, she played the bassoon in the band. She auditioned and was accepted to the Manhattan All-City Orchestra during her junior year and at this time finally began private violin lessons, traveling by subway from the Coney Island/Bensonhurst area of Brooklyn for nearly two hours each way and financing her own lessons with money she earned working in a fast food restaurant.
Lee graduated from high school early, and spent the days working and practicing her violin. It was during this time, according to Pat, that "I knew I wanted to major in music". Upon making this decision, her teacher told her, "Don't do this unless you can't imagine doing anything else." She auditioned for admission to three music schools, one of which was the Manhattan School of Music, from where her teacher had graduated.
While Pat was standing in line waiting to audition for admittance to the Manhattan School of Music (MSM), she met a soft-spoken young Texan, Brad Lee, who was also auditioning, and according to her, they soon began dating, and "it was love at first sight."
In addition to earning a scholarship at MSM, Lee also had summer scholarships with string quartets at the California Music Center, and she played in an all-girl disco band called "The Nobles". “This was a hot little band in the late 70's and we played four nights a week until 2:00 am," said Lee. The other nine girls were all Julliard students. Because Brad, her Texan boyfriend and soon-to-be husband, was concerned for her safety, he would meet her at 2:00 a.m. and ride the subway back with her to the apartment she shared with a cello student from Texas.
After graduation, the girl from Brooklyn and her Texas husband moved to San Antonio, where Brad was a conductor of the Youth Orchestra of San Antonio, and where Pat started an orchestra program in a junior high school, and they had the first of their four daughters.
Following two years in San Antonio, the Lees moved to Houston where Brad had a fellowship to Rice University and played with the Texas Opera Theater and Houston Grand Opera. It was during their eight years in Houston that the other three daughters were born. Pat taught strings in the performing arts magnet schools in the Houston Independent School District as well as performing in local and regional orchestras. Eventually both Pat and Brad became affiliated with an Association International Montessori School. The "oil bust" of the early 1990’s brought tough times to Houston, and with it came the demise of the Texas Opera Theater and the positions with the Montessori School, so Lee and her family moved back to San Antonio where she taught orchestra for the next eleven years in the Northeast Independent School District.
Looking for a more nurturing environment for their youngest two daughters, the Lees moved to Kerrville in 2004. Pat and Brad had already played with the Symphony of the Hills for a couple of years, and heard about job possibilities here. She was subsequently hired by the Kerrville Independent School District to begin a strings program in the public schools. She currently teaches in five of the district's schools. She also was hired by the Hill Country Youth Orchestra and currently holds the position of Kathleen C. Cailloux Director of Education and Hill Country Youth Orchestra Conductor Chair.
Lee is also the String Education Coordinator of the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, teaches private string instrument lessons, and along with her husband, is a founding member of the Oak Leaf String Quartet.
Her youngest two daughters both attended school in Kerrville, and were members of the Symphony of the Hills. Both Jessica and Karen were featured as soloist in "Rising Stars" concerts with the symphony orchestra.
Of her musical involvements in Kerrville, Lee said, "This is the most inspiring place to be on earth." In working with students in both the Hill Country Youth Orchestra and in the public schools, she stated that the community support is wonderful and "the children here have not been overwhelmed with negative cultural influences that detract from their natural instincts to be musical. They are ready and waiting to be nurtured."
Reflecting on her experience as principal second violinist with the Symphony of the Hills, Lee said, "It is a musically mature group with a loyal following, and we have a beautiful concert hall in which to perform."
Patricia Lee has surely left a legacy of the love of music to not only her own daughters, but also to the many students she has taught and is now teaching. Perseverance has truly paid off for Patricia Lee.
Look for Patricia Lee when the Symphony of the Hills begins the new 2008/2009 Season on September 28, 2008.