Jia Yi Lee

As a composer and musician, I am interested in using sound as a medium of understanding or perceiving the world. My music explores color, space, and embodiment, linking them to larger issues surrounding culture, community, and the environment. In my curiosity-driven work, I challenge traditional notions of sound, creating imaginative, colorful sound worlds that captivate listeners. My work ranges across instrumental music, electronic media, and interdisciplinary collaborations. My music has been performed by various orchestras and ensembles around the world, in North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. I enjoy collaborating with artists of various disciplines, and have worked with visual artists, filmmakers, dancers, and librettists, as well as creating installations and work for specific spaces. 

Apart from being a composer, I am a researcher, curator, and trumpeter. My research focuses on timbre perception in contemporary music as well as Singaporean pop music, and I have presented my work at various composition, music theory, and popular music conferences. I have organized and curated multiple ensemble residencies at Peabody Institute, as well as the Inter-Asian Cultural Expo (2023-2025) at Johns Hopkins University, an inter-campus event showcasing Asian art and music. 

I am also co-founder of the New Uncertainty Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating, performing, recording, publishing, and distributing innovative contemporary music. Growing up in Singapore, I studied composition at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, and pursued my graduate studies at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining Davidson College, I have held adjunct positions in composition and music theory at Shenandoah Conservatory and Peabody Institute. I am always excited to seek out new collaborations, feel free to reach out anytime or visit my website.