Bonnie Lee Panda

Bonnie Lee Panda has the voice of an angel heard through songs that soar with spirit. A Cheshire, CT native, Connecticut Magazine recognizes Bonnie Lee as one of the new generation of singer-songwriters in Connecticut with a “big voice and telegenic looks.” Her music is a blend of country and folk with soul. When she begins to sing and play her acoustic guitar, “her voice resonates throughout the room until everything else just fades away” (Shannon Becker, Cheshire Herald). In 2006, Bonnie Lee was named a finalist in the prestigious Plowshare’s songwriting contest in Phoenixville, PA. In 2004, Bonnie Lee advanced into the regional finals in the Nashville Star Competition, after winning the local finals. She performed live and interviewed on Hartford’s WWYZ Country 92.5 FM.

Bonnie Lee just released her second CD, “Live,” which Mark Thayer from Signature Sounds Studio recorded at the Vanilla Bean Café in Pomfret CT. After listening to her recording, John Platt (WFUV 90.7 FM, New York City) said "Her voice is supple and expressive, one of the best instruments in the folk world." For the past few years, Bonnie Lee has been touring clubs and coffee shops throughout the Northeast, including The Postcrypt in NYC, Nameless Coffeehouse in Cambridge, MA, and The Space in Hamden, CT. She also hosts the reputable Vanilla Bean’s open mic on the first Friday of every month. She has opened for Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry.

Bonnie Lee has her donated her time and talents in performances at assisted living, hospice and nursing homes, shelters, benefits for recovery centers, for hunger and homelessness awareness, and other events for worthy causes. Bonnie Lee’s says about her passion for singing and her love of songs:

“I love to perform and share my music with others. From the time I was eight I knew my passion was singing. I would spend hours in my bedroom, singing along with the radio with a hairbrush as my microphone. I was shy at first, but my passion helped me overcome that. This is what I’m meant to do!”

Bonnie Lee graduated with honors from the University of Connecticut in 2001 with a BA in Psychology. While at UConn, she co-founded the Chordials, the first thriving a cappella group on campus. Also among her musical experiences are ten years of private classical vocal training, lead singer in a jazz band, rhythm guitarist and vocalist in a country band, and National Anthem performer (2004 & 2005 CT Special Olympics, New Britain Rock Cats baseball and UConn men’s basketball games).