Bodam Lee Receives the Franz Liszt Prize

For the 11th time, the Rotary Club organized the Rotary Summer Course at the State Music Academy in Sondershausen, Thuringia. The summer course’s theme is “Music bridges the world,” and it offers selected musicians between the ages of 11 and 19 the opportunity to receive a week of first-class training on their instruments. Musical instruction is provided by faculty members from the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar. Participants are nominated by Rotary Clubs, and—upon successful application—their participation is (co-)funded by the Rotary Clubs. The Rotary Club of Marburg nominated 16-year-old Bodam Lee, a student at Steinmühle School, for the program. Even the application process is demanding. Applicants must not only list any music awards they have won to date but also submit a DVD showing them performing.

78 applicants were selected, including Bodam Lee, who spent the second week of September at the music academy, where she received instruction at the highest level.

At the end of the course, five prizes were awarded; one of these went to the participant from Marburg, who, at the final concert and the presentation of the Franz Liszt Prize winners—the annual highlight of the Rotary Summer Course —with a flawless performance of the first movement of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s Violin Concerto in E minor.

Bodam Lee took her first violin lessons at the age of 4. She came to Germany in 2011 and has been attending Steinmühle ever since. She practices her instrument for two to three hours every day. She also plays the piano, guitar, and ukulele.
What matters most to her is enjoying life, spending time with family and friends, and finding joy—even in the little things that help her progress in her musical career. And when that path leads to success—such as winning the Franz Liszt Prize—she enjoys the journey all the more.