Biography

Jia Yi Lee is a Singaporean composer, currently based in the United States, who uses sound as a medium of understanding or perceiving the world. Her music explores color, space, and embodiment, linking them to larger issues surrounding culture, community, and the environment. In her curiosity-driven work, she challenges traditional notions of sound, creating imaginative, colorful sound worlds that captivate listeners.

Jia Yi’s work ranges across instrumental music, electronic media, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Her 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), International Contemporary Ensemble (US), Rothko Quartet (DE), and presented in festivals such as the Asia+ Festival (HK), WASBE International Conference (KR), 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 an Assistant Professor of Music at Davidson College, where she teaches composition and electronic music. She previously taught composition and music theory at Shenandoah Conservatory and Peabody Institute. She holds a DMA and MM from Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, and a BM from Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore. She is a co-founder of the New Uncertainty Collective.