2026 Adjudicators

Canadian pianist Dr. Joy Lee leads a vibrant and multifaceted career as a collaborative pianist, teacher, vocal coach, soloist, and adjudicator. Guided by a deep passion for music and education, she has performed at prestigious events and venues across North America, including the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. during President Barack Obama’s inauguration celebration, the Banff Centre for the Arts, and concert halls, institutions, churches, and communities throughout Canada, including Inuvik and Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.

Dr. Lee holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Toronto, where she studied with renowned pedagogue Professor Marietta Orlov. Her love for vocal repertoire and chamber music led her to pursue a second Master of Music in Collaborative Piano Studies at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) with Professor Martin Katz, followed by a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Toronto under the guidance of Professor Steven Philcox.

As Assistant Professor of Music and Worship Arts at Tyndale University, Dr. Lee is dedicated to teaching and mentoring the next generation of musicians while fostering a vibrant performance community where students and professional artists can collaborate and grow. She is also highly sought after as an adjudicator and clinician, having adjudicated performances and led workshops for organizations such as the Arcadia Academy of Music, OMFA Provincial Finals, Peel Music Festival, ORMTA Eastern Zone Competition, Sudbury Music Festival, and the Toronto Kiwanis Festival. In 2026, she will join the adjudication panels for Beckettfest, the Pickering GTA Music Festival, and Yip’s Music Festival.

Dr. Lee’s artistry has been recognized with numerous accolades, including second prize at the 2017 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition and the 2018 Gwendolyn Williams Koldofsky Prize for Excellence in Collaboration. In April 2023, she made her Carnegie Hall debut as part of the Canada at Carnegie concert series. Later that year, she and soprano Stéphanie McKay-Turgeon presented the works of French composer Henri Dutilleux at the Maison Dutilleux-Joy in Candes-Saint-Martin, France.

A passionate collaborator, Dr. Lee served on faculty at the University of Toronto Choral Conducting Symposium in 2022 and 2023. She currently collaborates with the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, the Graduate Choral Conducting Seminar and MacMillan Singers at the University of Toronto, as well as Tyndale Singers and the Tyndale Community Choir. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors for the North Toronto Songbirds, reflecting her ongoing commitment to community engagement and the celebration of the arts.