Katrina Lee for Women’s History Month: "Be a Part of the Growing Community of Active Thinkers and Do-ers"

Agency has always been important to me. As a Violinist, curator and educator, my route into music required a lot of it - and these days, activism and advocacy play an increasingly important role in both my day-to-day work, and my creative output.

Currently based in Scotland, I am a first generation British Born Chinese from Yorkshire, and projects around equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) have become a significant part of my work in recent years.

I believe we must all have access to music and the arts

To this day, I owe this career in music to my late sponsor, who supported my journey into music from the very beginning up until I started a BMus course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly, RSAMD).

This immeasurable act of generosity opened doors for my discovery of Classical music in a way that, otherwise, would never have been possible. My world grew as I engaged with music under the tutelage of incredible teachers at the Kirklees Music School, who delivered lessons with such passion and craft, allowing me to embrace the joy of music making (and the sweetie tuck shop!) at Youth Orchestra rehearsals with peers.

All of these experiences during my formative years in music shaped me into the person and musician that I am today, and are the reasons why I believe we must all have access to music and the arts, regardless of socio-economic backgrounds.

My MU journey

As a member of the Musicians’ Union, I have been given opportunities to explore their campaigns and actions via committees and conferences across the UK.

Through these events, I have witnessed how the sense of community and camaraderie nurtured in these spaces can inspire musicians to support each other, and fight on each other's behalf. I attended the MU’s Delegate Conference in 2023, which gave me first-hand experience of the conversations and work that goes on within the MU, and how the impact then filters outwards into the greater musical network.

Each delegate brings their own experiences, expertise and insights from the field - and being a part of the team of positive and daring change-makers is a deeply enriching and valuable experience in this sector.

The MU site offers a plethora of useful links and information, as well as practical services to support members such as offering legal advice, work contract templates, wellbeing sessions, career advice and much more. The MU platform also offers a space for members to address and highlight the challenges that concern the wider industry, as well as discuss how the Musicians’ Union can help to remove barriers currently faced by colleagues across the musical sector.

The number of available committees for specialisms means that members can focus on the categories that align with their own work and/or creative agenda. I’ve so far been involved in the Scotland/Northern Ireland Regional Committee, the Freelance Orchestral Committee and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Hearing each other's lived experiences makes one more compassionate and understanding of differing struggles and issues, as well as reiterating the importance of acknowledging other viewpoints in order to create impactful, sustainable and meaningful change.

Celebrating female composers

My latest album titled Chronicles for Solo Violin, is a celebration of three female composers, with works created between 1899 and the present day. This album encompasses many aspects of work and activism around equality, diversity and inclusion that I wish to address in my output as a musician.

As someone who has come from an atypical classical music background, I feel a sense of responsibility in aligning my values with my output as a musician - and strongly believe that we can address issues that exist in the sector by ensuring that creative voices are shared and celebrated, with acknowledgement that class/social barriers are a key reason why many people cannot access music.

In the case of Chronicles for Solo Violin, systemic, toxic societal narratives about women (such as them ‘simply not being good enough at composition’, ‘women were not writing’ etc), have significantly contributed to why there is a huge discrepancy in the representation of women when it comes to the programming and performance of classical works - a discriminatory legacy which continues to impact compositions that are presented today.

In fact, the Equality and Diversity in Global Repertoire 2024 report stated that of 16,327 compositions from across 111 orchestras and 30 countries, only 7.5% of works performed in 2023/24 were composed by women.

The album showcases the violin in its virtuosity as a solo instrument

My intention with this album is to highlight a lineage of female composers who were prominent during their time, as well as those who continue to create and inspire today.

Sharing unheard and lesser known works, as well as details of the lives of the composers that created them is, to me, far more inspiring than repeating what is already heavily saturated in the canon.

The pieces selected for the album showcase the violin in its virtuosity as a solo instrument: the Ten Caprices by Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté, Sally Beamish’s ‘The Wise Maid’, and a previously unpublished set of 5 Miniatures by Elizabeth Maconchy. Through sharing this album, I hope that people will see how individual purpose and values can steer change by creating art/project/music in alignment.

It’s an album which celebrates the possibilities that can be generated through taking agency, be that as a composer, or as a contemporary musician aiming to unlock an archive of music that deserves to be discovered. To me, this feels like a tangible, autonomous and incredibly exciting way to bring about change - as well as opening up outlets to share and learn from one another.

Be a part of the growing community of active thinkers and do-ers

I hope this project and article makes people reflect on their journeys and experiences as consumers - and for creatives, I hope it sheds light on what is important to them in their own output.

Taking the initiative to move, develop and be a part of the growing community of active thinkers and do-ers, such as The Musicians’ Union, is more important to me than accepting the current status quo. The more this kind of work happens, the more magnified its intentions will become - and this is a responsibility that’s in the hands of us all as individuals, and as musicians fighting for a more representative industry.

The album is due for global release on March 28 2025 with Delphian Records, supported by Creative Scotland and Chamber Music Scotland. Find out more and listen online.