Distinguished international organist Shin-Young Lee gave a solo recital at St. Anastasia’s Cathedral in Zadar on 22 August 2026 as part of the 3rd International Festival “The Organ of St. Anastasia’s Cathedral”.

Before the concert, an interview with Shin-Young Lee was held at Hotel Bastion, during which she spoke about her artistic journey, concert career, love of the organ and transcriptions, as well as the programme she had prepared for the Zadar audience.

Known for her strong musical personality, expressive interpretations and originally conceived programmes, this exceptional artist presented the Zadar audience with works from the organ repertoire spanning the Baroque to the late Romantic period, alongside attractive transcriptions of major orchestral and operatic works.

https://shinyounglee.com/en/biography/

The programme featured the following works:

Louis Marchand (1669–1732)
Grand Dialogue

Nicolas de Grigny (1672–1703)
Tierce en taille

Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759)
Passacaglia

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major, BWV 552

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)
Samson and Delilah
– Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix
(transcription by Shin-Young Lee)

Alexander Borodin (1833–1887)
Prince Igor
– Polovtsian Dances
(transcription by Shin-Young Lee)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
The Nutcracker
– Dance of the Mirlitons
– Characteristic March

Louis Vierne (1870–1937)
Carillon de Westminster

The audience followed the concert with great interest and was delighted by Shin-Young Lee’s exceptional musicianship, technical virtuosity and the richness of sound she produced on the grand organ of St. Anastasia’s Cathedral. Particularly impressive were her own transcriptions, through which she demonstrated the organ’s magnificent possibilities and the orchestral richness of its tonal palette. At the end of the official programme, the audience rewarded the artist with prolonged and enthusiastic applause. Shin-Young Lee responded by performing an additional piece as an encore, bringing this exceptional evening of music to a memorable close.

Shin-Young Lee has performed in major concert halls across five continents, including the Philharmonie de Paris, Auditorium de Radio France, Berlin Philharmonie, Göteborgs Konserthus, Müpa Budapest, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Maison symphonique de Montréal, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Zaryadye Concert Hall in Moscow and the Gulangyu Organ Museum in China.

She also frequently appears as a soloist with orchestras. At the American Guild of Organists National Convention in San Francisco in June 2024, she performed Samuel Barber’s Toccata Festiva and Emma Lou Diemer’s Organ Concerto. She has also appeared at numerous international festivals, including the Lahti Organ Festival, Festival Musica, Bødø Festival, Festival International de Chartres, Reykjavík Sacred Arts Festival, Festival Bach de Montréal, Haarlem Festival and Toulouse les Orgues.

In addition to her concert career, Shin-Young Lee regularly serves as a jury member at international organ competitions and gives masterclasses, sharing her experience and love of music with future generations. In the autumn of 2024, she was a visiting artist at Yale University. Transcriptions for the organ occupy a special place in her artistic work. She has transcribed works by Bach, Saint-Saëns, Borodin, Ravel and Prokofiev. Her transcription of Saint-Saëns’s The Carnival of the Animals was published by the renowned publishing house Schott and was also featured in a video recorded on the organ of Radio France.

Born into a musical family, Shin-Young Lee began her musical education at an early age. After completing her undergraduate music studies at Yonsei University, she continued her education at the Schola Cantorum and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, where she achieved outstanding results and graduated with the highest honours.

With Shin-Young Lee’s appearance, Zadar once again welcomed an artist of international renown, while the audience of the 3rd International Festival “The Organ of St. Anastasia’s Cathedral” had the opportunity to experience a concert distinguished by exceptional artistry, virtuosity and musical refinement.