Matthew Lee is an active freelance musician in the Chicago area. In addition to his duties as principal trumpet of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, he is a member of the critically acclaimed Millar Brass Ensemble and the Chicago Brass Quintet. He frequently performs as an extra and substitute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago.

As a soloist, Lee has performed with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He was the winner of the Civic Orchestra concerto competition and performed the Concerto in D by G.P. Telemann in Orchestra Hall. Howard Reich of the Chicago Sun Times praised the performance as "light, bright.........a real tourde force

Lee was also a semi-finalist in the Maurice Andre International Trumpet Competition held in Paris, France and has also been in the final rounds of the New York Concert Artists Guild competition.

In addition to his active career in Chicago as a performer, Lee teaches at DePaul University and Elmhurst College. He has been a guest clinician at many schools including Baylor University, Sam Houston State University, Western Illinois University and Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Abroad, he has given recitals and masterclasses in Germany and Norway.

Lee attended Western Illinois University receiving a bachelor of music degree studying with William DeJong. He received his master's degree in performance from Northwestern University studying with Vincent Cichowicz. His other principal teacher is Adolph Herseth. He has recorded several times with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra including live performances at Carnegie Hall with Sir George Soiti, Kiri Te Kanawa and Luciano Pavarotti. He also can be heard on seven compact discs with the Millar Brass Ensemble on the Crystal, Koss and Delos International Labels.