James Lee III is an American composer, pianist and educator. Dr. Lee is a Michigan native who earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 2005. In 2020, he composed a 4-part series called PRINCIPAL BROTHERS, with each section dedicated to and inspired by a personal friend holding a principal chair in a US orchestra. Principal Brother #1 is for solo flute, dedicated to Seattle Symphony principal Demarre McGill. Principal Brother #2 is for solo oboe, dedicated to Nashville Symphony principal Titus Underwood. Principal Brother #3 is for solo clarinet, dedicated to New York Philharmonic principal Anthony McGill. And Principal Brother #4 is for solo bassoon, dedicated to Baltimore Chamber Orchestra principal Bryan Young. Dr. Lee explained, “I thought that it would be nice to highlight and honor my African American male colleagues in the orchestral music world. I wanted to celebrate the fact that they are the principal player in the section of their respective orchestras.” He continued, “These works all begin with notes that are representative of their name; D for Demarre, B for Titus (ti in solfège starting on C), A for Anthony, and B-flat for Bryan. There is also a rhythmic figure in the opening measures of each piece, which represent the utterance of their names.” Today’s Beautiful Music features oboist Titus Underwood performing Principal Brothers #2. You can also read more about the careers of Dr. Lee and Mr. Underwood using the links below.
https://www.jameslee3music.com/