Alicia Lee, Clarinet

Decoda Chamber Music Festival Co-Director
alicia@decodamusic.org

Clarinetist Alicia Lee enjoys a diverse musical life performing old and new works in solo, chamber, and orchestral settings. She is a founding member of Decoda, the Affiliate Ensemble of Carnegie Hall. She also serves as the Festival Director of the Decoda Skidmore Chamber Music Institute, one of ensemble’s flagship educational programs. She is a regular guest with a variety of New York based groups including The Knights, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Alarm Will Sound, and NOVUS NY. Her festival appearances include Lucerne, Spoleto (Italy and US), Yellow Barn, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Marlboro, and Bay Chamber Concerts. She is also a member of NOW Ensemble, a chamber group devoted to commissioning and performing new works by emerging composers. Alicia was formerly the associate principal and E-flat clarinet player of the Santa Barbara Symphony. She has also performed for a season as guest bass clarinetist of the Bergen Philharmonic in Norway. She holds a bachelor’s degree in French Language and Literature from Columbia University, and pursued musical studies at The Juilliard School Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima as a part of the Columbia- Juilliard exchange program. She earned additional degrees from the University of Southern California and The Colburn School, where she was a student of Yehuda Gilad. Born into a musical family, Alicia grew up in Michigan, where she began her early studies on violin and piano and eventually made the switch to clarinet by age 12. She currently resides in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband, bass player and composer, Kris Saebo, their son Jack, and Bonnie the sheepadoodle. She is assistant professor of clarinet at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she also performs with the Wingra Wind Quintet.