Born and raised in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Hugo Lee joined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as Second Oboe in 2018. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Elaine Douvas.
Hugo began taking oboe lessons at age 10 with Wendy Bornstein in Richmond Hill, and later continued his studies under TSO Associate Principal Oboe Keith Atkinson. Hugo is a graduate of the Arts York program at Unionville High School, and an alumnus of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra.
Prior to joining the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Hugo performed as a soloist in New York City and across Canada. He has appeared as a soloist with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Juilliard Orchestra, and the New Juilliard Ensemble with performances reviewed by The New York Times, Musical Toronto, and the New York Classical Review. He has also performed as a chamber musician with Jeunesses Musicales du Canada, along with cellist Cameron Crozman and pianist Philip Chiu, embarking on a 13-concert tour across Eastern Canada to critical acclaim.
Outside of music, Hugo enjoys computer programming, and drinking lots of coffee.