Jan. 2025 (for countertenor, violin, and piano)I was intrigued by the flowing and dreamy quality of James Russell Lowell’s poem “The Sirens” and decided to set an excerpt from it to music. The wave-like obstinato of the piano sets the scene of tranquil water as the violin chimes in with sometimes alluring and vocal, and other times bird-like chirping lines above it. And the countertenor joins in…

Sept. - Dec. 2024 (for narrator, clarinet, typewriter, violin, percussion, bass guitar, and piano)In the fall of 2024, I took a class called Opera without the Singing: Fables, Fairy Tales and Narrated Musical Theater, co-taught by Steve Mackey and guest professor and author, Adam Gidwitz. Directly inspired by Prof. Mackey’s recent piece, Memoir (2024), we were tasked with writing a chamber piece…

March 2022 (for voice, violin, harmonica, and guitar)lyrics by Jessi Kaufman & music by Yuri LeeWritten, performed, and produced for an 11th grade English assignment, Bindlestiff Blues narrates the story of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men about two migrant workers who move from place to place in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression.The song explores the lives of Lennie, a…

Oct. 2020 (for orchestra & voice)lyrics by Jessi Kaufman & music by Yuri LeeTaking advantage of a global project that allowed for creativity to shine through, I collaborated with my friend, Jessi Kaufman, in writing Madame Deficit, which tells the story of the French Revolution through Marie Antoinette’s perspective. This song merges music of the two parties in dispute: the royal family and the…

April 2020 (for mezzo-soprano and violin)“The Tyger” is a famous poem by William Blake who was a pious man and an accomplished painter before he became interested in poetry. He frequently incorporated biblical themes in his paintings and poems, since he was extremely religious during the earlier part of his life. But, this particular poem contains a dark undertone as the speaker asks a series of…