The Lee University School of Music will present pianist Dr. Muen Vanessa Wei in a faculty recital on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. The performance will take place in Squires Recital Hall, located in the Humanities Building on Lee’s campus.   
 
The recital, “Finale in C,” is the final recital in Wei’s “Complete Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas Concert Series,” which showcases all 32 of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas over two years. The performance will feature Sonatas No. 5, Op. 10, No. 1; No. 8 Op. 13 “Pathétique;” and No. 32, Op. 111. 
 
“This recital brings together three of Beethoven’s powerful works in C minor,” said Wei. “This key followed him through every stage of his life. It is full of drama, struggle, and transformation. By the end of Op. 111, the music moves into radiant C major, a place of acceptance and peace. Performing these sonatas together feels like tracing Beethoven’s journey from turbulence to transcendence. This recital also marks the conclusion of my multi-year Beethoven Sonata Cycle, a project that began in 2021 and has explored all thirty-two sonatas across several seasons at Lee University.”  
 
Wei joined Lee’s School of Music in 2021 as an assistant professor of piano and teaches courses such as applied piano, piano seminar, and piano for ministry. Prior to Lee, she served as a guest professor at China West Normal University and piano faculty at New Tampa Piano and Pedagogy Academy. She has collaborated with renowned artists such as Lynn Harrell, Ian Hobson, Peter Lloyd, and Joel Smirnoff. Wei also has a debut album titled “Im 3/4 Takt” that was considered “one of Centaur’s finest releases to date” by Fanfare.   
 
Wei earned a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana, a Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Bachelor of Music from the China Conservatory of Music.   
 
The recital is free, non-ticketed, and open to the public. Livestream viewing will be available at leeu.live.   
 
For more information about the recital, contact the School of Music at [email protected] or call (423) 614-8240.