Biography

Jia Yi Lee is a Singaporean composer whose music explores sonic and spatial environments through movement, gesture and choreography. Inspired by natural phenomena and processes, her music challenges traditional notions of sound and create imaginative, colorful sound worlds that captivate listeners.

Jia Yi’s music has been performed by the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, Philharmonic Wind Orchestra (SG), KOU Musik (SG), Duo Tarenna (SG), Ensemble Multilatérale (FR), Trio SurPlus (DE), Ensemble Phoenix Basel (CH), Ensemble Linea (FR), Ensemble Signal (US), Talea Ensemble (US), Alarm Will Sound (US), Ensemble Ictus (BE), Tacet(i) Ensemble (TH), soloists from Ensemble Musikfabrik (DE), Toolbox Percussion (HK), Carton Jaune (EU), Duo Stump-Linshalm (AT) and heard in festivals such as IntAct Festival (TH), Toolbox International Creative Academy (HK), Académie Voix Nouvelles at Royaumont (FR), Mizzou International Composers Festival (US), June in Buffalo (US), Etchings Festival (FR), soundSCAPE Festival (IT) and Asian Composers League Festival (NZ & VN). She has been awarded the Otto Ortmann Prize in Composition (2021), and 2nd and 3rd Prizes in the Prix D'Été Competition (2022, 2020). 

Jia Yi is currently a DMA Candidate at Peabody Institute, Johns Hopkins University. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Composition at Shenandoah Conservatory, as well as an Adjunct Faculty in Music Theory at Peabody Institute. She holds a MM from Peabody Institute and a BM (Honors, Highest Distinction) from Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore. Her teachers include Felipe Lara, Du Yun, Oscar Bettison, Ho Chee Kong, Peter Edwards and Adeline Wong.