Adam Lee

Adam Lee is a Scottish clarinettist, soloist, teacher, and composer, currently serving as Co-Principal Clarinet with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He was previously Principal Clarinet No. 2 of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Adam has appeared as Guest Principal with many of the UK’s leading ensembles; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Aurora Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Orchestra of Opera North, London Mozart Players, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Equally active as a soloist and chamber musician, Adam has performed concertos by Mozart, MacMillan, Grime, Nielsen, Veale, Weber, and Arnold. He has appeared at venues including Wigmore Hall, the 1901 Arts Club, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the Royal College of Music, and in February 2024 was a Woodwind Finalist in the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition.

Adam is deeply committed to music education. He is regularly invited as a guest tutor to conservatoires and music schools around the UK, including the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Chetham's School of Music, delivering lessons, masterclasses, chamber music coaching, orchestral sectional tutoring, and workshops. Alongside his teaching, he serves as an Ambassador for the RCS Woodwind Department and as a Trustee of the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland, supporting and mentoring young musicians across the UK.

Adam’s musical journey began at primary school in Irvine, studying with Rachel Considine, before continuing at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Junior Conservatoire under Alison Waller through the Transitions programme.

He went on to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, graduating in 2021 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance with First Class Honours and the Principal’s Prize for Excellence, having studied with John Cushing, Tim Orpen, Heather Nicoll, and Joe Pacewicz. He subsequently completed his Master of Performance at the Royal College of Music, London, under the guidance of Richard Hosford, Timothy Lines, Peter Sparks, Barnaby Robson, and Bob Hill, graduating with Distinction and receiving the prestigious Tagore Gold Medal.

During his studies and early career, Adam received generous support from the Caird Trust, Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Great Britain, Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Cross Trust, Dewar Arts Awards, Drake Calleja Trust, Hattori Foundation, Help Musicians, Henry Wood Accommodation Trust, Leverhulme Trust, McGlashan Charitable Trust, NYOS Colin McLean Bursary, Rhona Reid Charitable Trust, and the Robertson Trust. He is very grateful to all organisations for their support.

Adam is proud to be both a Buffet Crampon and Vandoren Artist. He performs on Buffet Crampon Festival clarinets, as well as an exclusively Vandoren set-up, including the B40 Lyre Bb Clarinet Mouthpiece (Series 13 Profile 88), B40 mouthpieces for E♭ and bass clarinet, Optimum ligatures, and V12 reeds in strength 3.5 across Bb, E♭ and bass clarinet.