Brian Lee
Instrument & Bow Restorer
Brian joined the workshop at Triangle Strings in 2023. He received his training as a violin maker at the Chicago School of Violin Making, where his teachers included Antoine Nédélec, Kristin Siegfried Ballenger, Dan Gillespie, and Jeff Phillips.
Brian is also a trained violinist. He pursued his undergraduate studies at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Mikhail Kopelman, and graduate studies at Montclair State University, where he studied with Weigang Li and Lilit Gampel, while also serving as graduate assistant to conductor Ken Lam. His other most influential teachers and coaches include Kurt Nikkanen, Juliana Athayde, Jonathan Strasser, Jean Dane, and Boris Kucharsky.
Growing up in New York City, Brian started violin lessons at an early age, and he was fortunate to meet and frequently visit world renowned violin makers and bow makers, restorers, and experts, which fueled his interest in joining the trade. He also had the privilege to examine and play numerous examples of instruments and bows by important classical makers, as well as leading contemporary makers.
After his college education, he worked as a freelance violinist, and taught violin at the Fort Lee School of Music. He subsequently relocated to Chicago to study violin making, before moving to Raleigh to join the team at Triangle Strings.
Brian continues to make instruments, which are occasionally available for sale at Triangle Strings.