5.10.26 - Happy Mother's Day!

To all moms in the world, may this wonderful day bring you love and happiness as we celebrate this International Mother's Day! Ms. Lee will harvest some lilies and gladioli from her yard today.

5.7.26 - Happy Birthday, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky!

Born in 1840, Tchaikovsky was the most famous Russian composer ever. His works included 7 symphonies, 3 ballets, 3 piano concertos, one (very difficult) violin concerto, 11 overtures ("1812") , cantatas, other choral works, and much more.

5.7.26 - Happy Birthday, Johannes Brahms (1833)!

Following JS Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann, Brahms was considered a Romantic composer. He preferred the Classical Period of music and composed many pieces in the Classical style, but using Romantic harmony and chord progressions.

4.23.26 - Rest in Peace, MTT!

With deep sadness, we share with you that the San Francisco Symphony’s beloved Music Director Laureate, Michael Tilson Thomas died at home on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Through his illness of brain cancer, he continued to make music, a testament to his legacy as a musician and communicator.

4.22.26 - Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It is now supported by over one billion people in more than 193 countries. Some ways to celebrate Earth Day: Biking or walking – instead of driving , and planting trees, flowers, and recycling. Ms. Lee is planting tomatoes now!

4.9.26 - Congratulations to The Lion King!

This Disney musical is the only show in history to generate six productions worldwide running 15 or more years. Performed in eight different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese). It has grossed more than $8 billions worldwide and is the third longest running show.

3.31.26 - Happy birthday, Franz Joseph Haydn!

While some people celebrate JS Bach's birthday today, Austrian Haydn was actually born on this day in 1732. With 10 concertos, 12 masses, 14 operas, 18 piano sonatas, 22 string quartets, and 104 symphonies, he was a very productive composer. He is regarded as the "father of the symphony" and the "father of the string quartet." Can you guess why?

3.21.26 - Johann Sebastian Bach, the Father of Music

Born in 1685, Bach's music is still played every day now. His Brandenburg Concertos did not get him the job in Berlin, but after Weimar and Köthen, his last job at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig lasted 27 years. Some of his famous works include: St. Matthew Passion, The Well-Tempered Klavier, Christmas Oratorio, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, and The Art of Fugue.

3.20.26 - Happy Spring, everybody!

First day of Spring 2026, Spring Equinox, starts at 6:46am today! Here are some Spring music for everyone to share: Vivaldi's "Four Seasons-Spring", Mendelssohn's "Spring Song", Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite: Morning Mood", Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra", and Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring."

3.16.26 - The Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra Concert

Interested in a FREE concert at the Segerstrom Concert Hall tonight? The Orange County Girl Scouts will be there. Ms. Lee will be there to give a pre-concert presentation. The program includes: Elgar's Polonia, Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3, 1st Movement, and Dvo?ák’s The Golden Spinning Wheel, conducted by the new assistant conductor, Pola Benke.

3.16.26 - Congratulations to Ms. Lee's Piano Students!

The annual Music Teachers of California's Certificate of Merit exam results are in. All of Ms. Lee's piano students passed the exam that earned them the State Honors, and each of them with high marks on the theory portion of the exam. It takes lots of patience and practices to get to the CM exam level ten. They will move onto Achievement Celebration and Senior Recitals next.

3.14.26 - The Final Performance of Pavarotti at the NY MET

In 2004, Luciano Pavarotti performed his final role as Cavaradossi in Tosca. He sang more often at the Met than at any other opera house in the world. New productions with him as the lead tenor were on a regular basis: I Puritani, La Bohème, La Favorita, Un Ballo in Maschera, Idomeneo, Ernani, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, L’Elisir d’Amore, I Lombardi, and Andrea Chénier.

3.2.26 - Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American children's author, illustrator, animator, and cartoonist. His work includes "The Cat in a Hat", "The Lorax", and "Green Eggs and Ham", and many other popular children's books.
p.s. Happy Birthday to Ms. Lee's sister, Kitty!

2.27.26 - Happy Birthday, Morten Lauridsen!

Composer, performer and educator, Lauridsen, a National Medal of Arts recipient, has spent his lifetime listening in deep silence to the 'inner song', bringing forth choral works of radiant beauty for the world to hear and sing, such as "Sure on this Shining Night", "O Magnum Mysterium", and "Lux Aeterna."

2.23.26 - Happy Birthday, George Frideric Handel!

Handel was a German composer whose father forbidden him to play any musical instrument as a child. Later he learned to play harpsichord, violin, organ, and oboe. He moved to Italy first, and live in England since 1712. The "Water Music" and "Messiah" were two of his most famous works.

2.19.26 - Alysa Liu wins Gold at Olympics!

Alysa Liu is an American figure skater and won the gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Games 2/19/2026. She is one of her generation's youngest and most accomplished skaters. Currently, she is enrolled in UCLA and her major is psychology.

2.17.26 - Happy Lunar New Year 2026!

It is the Year of the Horse! Let's celebrate those people around us who were born in the year of Horse in the past that are easygoing, witty, honest, and outspoken. However, beware that they can be impatient and impulsive. But, we are here for them!

2.12.26 - Happy birthday, President Abraham Lincoln!

Not recognized as a legal holiday, President Abraham Lincoln's 217th birthday is today. He was born in LaRue County, Kentucky. Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and led the country through the American Civil War. On January 1st, 1861, he signed the Emancipation Proclamation to abolish slavery and free slaves forever.

2.1.26 - Grammy Awards 2026

Trevor Noah hosted the 2026 Grammy for his sixth and final time tonight. Bad Bunny made history for Latin artists with his 2025 album Debí Tirar Más Fotos. Other big winners of the Grammy Awards 2026 including Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Chappell Roan, and ROSÉ & Bruno Mars.

1.31.26 - Happy 45th Birthday, Justin Timberlake!

Justin is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. He was a mouseketeer of Disney's "The All New Mickey Mouse Club", lead singer of NSYNC, an actor in "Trolls", "Shrek the Third", "The Social Network" and more, and is a philanthropy! His wife is actress, Jessica Biel. They have two sons.

1.31.26 - Happy 89th Birthday, Philip Glass!

Philip is an American composer who studied flute in University of Chicago, composition in Julliard School of Music and with Nadia Boulanger in Paris where he met Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar. He is considered a Minimalist in music. He received National Medal of Arts in 2015 and Kennedy Center Honors in 2018. The Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale, including Ms. Lee, were invited to perform his "Passion of Ramakrishna" in Carnegie Hall, in 2018.

1.27.26 - Happy 270th birthday, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart!

Wolfgang Amadeus was born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1756; however, he preferred Vienna when he was older. Many books have been written about the effects of his music and "Amadeus" the movie had portrayed what a genius he was. Ms. Lee had given Teachers Workshops about Mozart for Pacific Symphony in OC, CA.

1.23.26 - Celebrate hard work at UCLA!

Before becoming the Music Department Supervisor for UCLA student-teachers, Ms. Lee was one the guidance teachers at the Irvine Unified School District. For two years, Ms. Lee had her
"A-Team at IUSD" and worked with teachers Abby, Adrianne and Andrea. However, there was a TV show named "The A-Team" that premiered on this day in 1983, staring George Peppard, Mr. T., Dirk Benedict, Melinda Culea, Dwight Schultz, and more.

1.20.26 - Musicals, any one?

Two musicals (movie) premiered on this day in different years with different subjects and audience, but both were hugely successful - "High School Musical" (2006) with Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, now with three more movies followed, and "Hamilton", created by Lin-Manuel Miranda(2015), now a movie and international tours.

1.19.26 - Last of the Volkswagen Beetle (Bug)!

The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW's plant in Emden on this day in 1978, after 11,916,519 units were sold. Beetle production in Latin America would continue until 2003. The New Beetles can still be seen on the streets; however, the final car left the assembly line on 10 July 2019 in Puebla, Mexico.

1.18.26 - Celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observed in all 50 states of the USA for the first time on this day in 1993. And in 2009, "We Are One" concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington prior to Barack Obama's inauguration; performers include: Beyoncé, Jon Bon Jovi, Garth Brooks, Mariah Carey, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, U2, and Stevie Wonder.

1.18.26 - Jazz at the Met?

The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosts a jazz concert for the first time in 1944; performers include Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Lionel Hampton, Mildred Bailey, Red Norvo, Roy Eldridge, Jack Teagarden, and Benny Goodman via remote hookup.

1.6.26 - "Miroirs" anyone?

Maurice Ravel was a French pianist, composer and conductor. His complete five-movements set of "Miroirs" was premiered in Paris on this day in 1906. Movement 4, "Alborada del gracioso", was transcribed for orchestra performance. Ms. Lee played this piece during her graduate recital.

1.3.26 - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Celebrated!

In 1987 on this day, Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Her gospel-trained voice supported her to sing in the styles of jazz, blues, pop, R&B, and rock. One of her famous songs is called "A Natural Woman."

1.1.26 - Another music history to celebrate on this day!

While Antonin Dvorak was vacationing in Spillville, Iowa, he composed a String Quartet, no.12, "The American." The first public performance of it was by the Kneisel Quartet in Boston, Massachusetts, on New Year's Day, 1894. Ms. Lee Loves Dvorak!