Classical Music News

Fundraiser Launched for Homeless London-based Cellist

January 6, 2022

2 MIN READ

Cellist Yuri Lee launched a GoFundMe after herself and her family lost their home to a fire

Last month, cellist Yuri Lee's and her family had to flee their home during a fire that made it uninhabitable.

Due to her family's dire situation, she set up a GoFundMe page to help with the many financial burdens they must now endure.

On the fundraising page, Lee wrote:

"Never in my life did I think I would end up homeless, especially in a pandemic... We have been in and out of hotels, living out of suitcases. We are physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. Some days are worse than others. Just when we thought we would be able to move into a longer-term accommodation in the new year, things fell through, and yet again we will be living out of our suitcases for at least a month. The insurance company will be covering the costs of the accommodations but unfortunately, that is as far as it goes."

The money raised will help go toward helping with food, laundry trips, storage, and extra expenses caused by the incident. Additionally, Lee and her family members have lost days of work to deal with the situation.

You can donate here.

A cellist of Japanese and Hong Kong-British descent, Yuri Lee graduated from London's Royal Academy of Music. She co-founded Trio Mazzolini together with violinist Jack Greed and pianist Harry Rylance, serving as the Chamber Music Fellows at the Royal Academy of Music and Britten Pears Young Artists.

Lee was also a member of the Kirkman Quartet from 2016-2019, with whom she won First Prize at the Wolfe Wolfinsohn String Quartet Prize in 2017.

This season's highlights include a collaboration with the Nash Ensemble at the Wigmore Hall where she will be performing Julian Anderson’s “Sky Piece” for solo cello amongst other works.