James Lee III studies languages, and is now—in addition to English—proficient in German, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Hebrew. But he’s most fluent in the language of music and composes compelling narratives rich in imagery.
Hear it for yourself when the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra debuts Lee’s Resolute Souls—a work commissioned by OPO—in Steinmetz Hall at Dr. Phillips Center on Saturday and Sunday, May 8 and 9. (Also on the program will be Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.)
“I like to take people on this journey, really,” says Lee, a Seventh-day Adventist whose music is often biblically themed. His works—including Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula, which has been performed by numerous major orchestras around the world—often reflect the end-times prophecies of his denomination.
Lee’s love for languages also was inspired in his childhood church in Michigan. He says: “I grew up in an international environment with my church background. I would meet people from all over the world.” How, he wondered, would their stories sound in their native languages?
So he began to study, beginning with German in high school. He continues to study and intends to delve into Mandarin. Music, however, preceded languages by a couple of years when Lee’s father enrolled him in piano lessons at age 12.
“From there I began to have more of a love for music,” he says, which led him to focus on piano performance—and later composition—at the University of Michigan. Today Lee teaches composition and theory at Morgan State University in Baltimore. He is also the composer of more than 80 commissioned instrumental and choral works.
Lee’s intense focus—he leaves scant time for a social life and observes the Sabbath every week—accounts for his productivity. As resident composer for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra last season, he composed both a cello concerto and a concerto for orchestra. He notes: “I think that was a really good achievement.”
For the past four seasons, OPO has performed works by Lee. The world premiere of his Beyond Sensorial Portals celebrated the opening of Steinmetz Hall in 2022. Resolute Souls will make its world premiere in the same hall.
“It’s about this resilience that we have as human beings to overcome challenges,” says Lee. “And that’s what I hope people hear in the journey from the first measure of the piece until the very end.”
Dr. Phillips Center is located at 445 South Magnolia Avenue, Orlando. For more information, visit drphillipscenter.org or call 407.358.6603. You may also visit orlandophil.org.
