YunJung “YJ” Lee sees her organ playing as an offering to God and an invitation to listeners to draw closer to the divine.
Lee will give a recital at Bethel College Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Administration Building chapel, or by livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsGwpFQPYI8
Her program will include Toccata and Fugue in F Major, BWV 540 by J.S. Bach, Sonata in B-Flat Major, Op. 65, No. 4 by Mendelssohn, and two movements from Messe de la Pentecôte by Messiaen.
Lee is the permanent organist at Wichita First United Methodist Church and is known for her expressive playing, shaped by her deep faith and desire to create moments of grace and peace in worship.
She began her organ studies in the United States in Dallas at Southern Methodist University with Stefan Engels. She pursued both a Master of Music degree and a Performer’s Diploma.
She also has a degree in church music, studying with Dong-ill Shin, from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea.
Before taking her current position, she served as a church organist in Kearney and Aurora, Neb., and in Arlington and Plano, Texas.
Lee has numerous accolades from organ competitions across the United States and Asia. She received first prize in the International Organ Competition of AGO Taiwan, the Hall Pipe Organ Competition in San Antonio, and the Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition in Syracuse, N.Y., as well as third prize in the International Organ Competition in Shanghai.
In 2025, she was invited to give a solo organ recital at the American Guild of Organists National Convention in Fort Worth, Texas.
Lee is a native of Seoul and part of a family that includes her husband, Rev. Seungli You, the senior pastor at Winfield (Kan.) First United Methodist Church, and their son Teo and beloved dog Joy.
Bethel’s Organ Recital Series is free and open to the public, supported by a generous memorial gift from the family of Kathy Voran.
Bethel is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel is ranked #25 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional College Midwest for 2026. Bethel was the only Kansas college or university to be named a Truth, Community Healing and Transformation (TCHT) Campus Center, in 2021. For more information, see www.bethelks.edu
