My son Jonathan started his musical journey with the piano at the age of four. In 4th grade, he started playing the cello through his elementary school’s strings class. In middle school, he continued to play the cello through orchestra class. Then in the latter half of 8th grade, he decided to continue with orchestra in high school. Jonathan and I assumed that many of the high school orchestra students had taken private lessons since elementary school. We knew he would need to work hard to catch up. I looked into private cello lessons and signed him up. At the start, Jonathan’s primary goal was to work towards making the top orchestra at his high school. Who knew that he would achieve so much more over the next four years?
After starting private cello lessons, Jonathan’s passion for the cello blossomed. The more he learned and played the cello, the more he realized there was more to learn. He would spend hours studying YouTube videos and practicing relentlessly in the basement until 2:00 AM, only to stop because I would yell at him to go to bed. Jonathan quickly progressed, performing his first cello concerto after just 9 months of cello lessons. A year later, Jonathan was one of more than 80 student cellists who auditioned for the Northern Virginia Senior Regional Orchestra. He was selected as 9th chair cellist and was eligible to audition for the All-Virginia Orchestra. Despite his best effort, he was not selected for the All-Virginia Orchestra that year, but that setback only made him more determined to become a better cellist. He set higher goals and did not want to stop until he got there. I knew I needed to find a teacher who could further nurture his unique gift of curiosity and passion for the cello and help him to further develop his cello “voice.” At the end of 10th grade, God directed our steps to Dr. Eunice In Hwa Lee’s studio.
I still vividly remember Jonathan’s trial lesson with Dr. Lee—how friendly and welcoming she was, how carefully she observed and listened to him perform, how she sang while accompanying Jonathan on the piano, how I was so moved by the beautiful sound of her cello playing, and how amazed I was by all that Jonathan learned in just that one hour! During the car ride home, he and I talked nonstop about the lesson. That trial lesson was the start of Jonathan’s amazing two years as Dr. Lee’s student.
During the first few months after joining Dr. Lee’s studio, she reshaped his technical foundation so much so that he felt like a beginner again. However, Jonathan and I trusted Dr. Lee and her expertise. She was very patient and encouraging. In just several months, Jonathan’s technique and musicality significantly improved. His cello voice matured dramatically under her tutelage. Jonathan became equipped with the skills to perform with confidence and passion. During the two years with Dr. Lee, Jonathan was selected as 4th chair cellist of the All-Virginia Orchestra (2025 and 2026). He was co-principal cellist of the American Youth Philharmonic for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 seasons. He was also selected to attend the 2025 Summer Residential Governor’s School for the Performing Arts where he was principal cellist of the orchestra. Jonathan could not have achieved all these accomplishments without the excellent guidance, unwavering support, and encouragement from Dr. Lee.
Dr. Lee is an outstanding cellist and a phenomenal cello teacher! She is a true professional with a genuine love and enthusiasm for music and teaching. Her tireless dedication to teaching her students, commitment to excellence, and ability to inspire excellence in her students are clearly evident by the many achievements of her students. During the 2025-2026 season, half of the American Youth Philharmonic’s cello section consisted of her students. Three of the eight cellists selected for the 2025 Summer Residential Governor’s School for the Performing Arts were her students as well. Dr. Lee was the cello teacher with the most students selected for the 2025 North Eastern Virginia Senior Regional Orchestra and the 2026 All-Virginia Orchestra, for which auditions are blind.
Dr. Lee gives her all in supporting each of her student’s unique musical journey and works with each student and his/her parents in setting goals. She is very organized and detailed. Her lessons are well-structured. She gives clear demonstrations and explanations. I was always amazed by how efficient she was. At each lesson, no time was wasted. She was able to cover a great amount of material in just one hour. Private lessons require an investment of time, energy, and money. Dr. Lee is fully aware and always strives to give each student a high quality music education. Whether Jonathan was preparing for a concerto competition or an orchestra audition, Jonathan and I fully trusted her guidance to help him achieve his goals. She provided additional mini online lessons between in-person lessons to check on his progress. With her many years of experience in performing and teaching, Dr. Lee shared a lot of wisdom and practical advice with Jonathan.
For parents looking for a private cello teacher, I encourage you not to hesitate in reaching out to Dr. Lee. I cannot recommend her highly enough. She inspired and nurtured Jonathan’s love for music and helped him to develop his cello voice. Jonathan significantly improved his technique and learned to play the cello with confidence from his heart. It always warms my heart to watch and listen to him perform. On a personal note, Dr. Lee went out of her way over the past year to show her care and support to me and my family during my cancer journey. I am forever grateful to her! She is so very kind, compassionate, empathetic, and generous. I am thankful that through Jonathan’s cello journey, I also made a dear friend. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Dr. Lee!
- Christine Lee
I studied with Dr. Eunice In Hwa Lee for two years, and in those two years, I grew tremendously as a cellist. She is very detailed and has high standards, but her patience and encouragement helped me meet those standards. Dr. Lee is an incredible teacher. She always went above and beyond to prepare me for auditions and competitions. She would even listen to and provide helpful feedback on my practice recordings throughout the week between lessons.
Thanks to her guidance, I was fourth chair in the All-Virginia Orchestra for two years, co-principal cellist of the American Youth Philharmonic for two years, and principal cellist at the Summer Residential Governor’s School for the Performing Arts.
My lessons were very productive and fun. I enjoyed making music with Dr. Lee, whether she was playing a cello duet with me, accompanying me on piano, or improvising a harmony. Dr. Lee is not only an incredible teacher but also an amazing cellist. She truly makes her cello sing. Studying with Dr. Lee will always be an unforgettable part of my musical journey, and her artistry and dedication will continue to inspire me.
– Jonathan Lee
(University of Virginia, School of Engineering & Applied Science ‘30)
I still remember peeking over the couch, rolling around, waiting for Dr. Lee’s car to roll up on my front lawn, then her taking a few minutes to prepare before popping over her trunk, grabbing her cello, and walking up to my front door. That was how our first lessons began: an hour drive from Baltimore. As a 5th grader, I was barraged with her highly structured practice routines: finger exercises, bow exercises, etudes, position pieces, Suzuki, all neatly written for me into a weekly homework sheet (with blank spaces for hours of practice every day that I dreaded filling out). And yet it was that very meticulous, detailed, and caring approach to cello playing that would eventually help me reach new heights in not only cello, but in every other aspect of my life aswell.
As I look back, when I hit high school, her patience and high levels of tolerance against my adolescent choices were astonishing. I remember completely disregarding advice to work on solo repertoire and going all in for All State Orchestra in sophomore year just to get plucked out by the All State Audition and left with nothing to show for that entire years worth of playing. Nevertheless, she was still beside me throughout all of that, and even more motivated to help me succeed. From helping me test 20 different instruments to making me send daily sight reading and excerpts before every audition, to checking in on me at 8 am, then 1 pm, then 4 pm, then 7 pm, to make sure I was practicing the whole day before my competition, she has truly proven to me of her love and care for her students and her relentless pursuit to help us achieve our dreams.
She possesses better cello technique than most professionals, but it is her perseverance for her students and her dedication to our success that spoke to me the most. I can confidently attribute that it was only because of her that I was able to perform Dvorak with the McLean Symphony, play in the Regional Orchestra as fourth chair, All States as fifth, American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras (AYSE, AYCO, AYSO as co-concertmaster, AYP, AYP), and next to the U.S Army Band Orchestra. Even now, playing duets and sight-reading new pieces with her always brings me joy, and hearing her play always inspires me to become better. Studying with Dr. Lee has been the best part of my musical journey, and as I move forward into college, her figure in my life will forever change how I live.
- Vincent Ji
(VMTA, NVMTA Competitions Winner)
When I first met Dr. Lee, she had just moved to the DMV area and came to our home to teach my son. It was immediately clear that she is an experienced and dedicated cello teacher. She provided a well-structured learning plan, including appropriate practice books and weekly homework assignments to keep my son progressing.
Dr. Lee encouraged parent involvement by inviting me to sit in on lessons, and when I couldn’t attend, she suggested recording sessions so I could stay informed. Her thoughtful and organized approach reflects a highly effective system for teaching children.
Over time, I saw significant improvement in my son’s skills and confidence. More importantly, he developed great respect for Dr. Lee. Like many teenagers, he doesn’t always listen to his parents, but he consistently listens to her guidance.
From 5th through 12th grade, my son grew into a fine young musician under Dr. Lee’s mentorship. Our family is truly grateful for the lasting impact she has had on his musical journey and personal growth.
- Han Liang
My name is Kevin Xu, Junior student in Syosset high school of New York. I followed Ms. Lee to learn cello when I was 8 years old.
I won many international competitions, All State, All Eastern and All National. All the achievements I had will absolutely thanks to my teacher Ms. Lee.
Ms. Lee is the best teacher I have ever seen before. She is a very responsible teacher, and care about student very much. She always teach me patiently and strictly with high standards, she never give up me until I reached the goal. Ms. Lee has a very efficient and effective teaching method, so my skill improved dramatically. I even took relatively less time to practice but still got great results.
In a word, I’m so grateful to Ms. Lee. Her professional dedication impressed me a lot. So I’m strongly recommend Ms. Lee as a cello teacher for everyone!
- Kevin Xu
(NAfME All National Honor 2019)
Thank you for all that you have done for me. I know that you care a lot and I truly appreciate all the time you used to help me. You taught me a lot and I will always be thankful for that. You helped me achieve a lot of things.
-Vivian Lin
(NAfME All National Honor 2016)
My son followed Ms. Lee to learn cello when he was 8 years old. She is a very responsible teacher, and care about student very much. she has a very efficient and effective teaching method, so his skill improved dramatically. He even took relatively less time to practice but still got great results.
Kevin won many international competitions, American protege, All State, All Eastern and All National. All the achievements he had will absolutely thanks to his teacher Ms. Lee. She is the best teacher I have ever seen before.
She always teach Kevin patiently and strictly with high standards, she never give up him until he reached the goal.
In a word, I’m so grateful to Ms. Lee. Her professional dedication impressed me a lot. So I’m strongly recommend Ms. Lee as a cello teacher for everyone!
- Annie Shi