Recent works

(for strings orchestra and ocarina)

for Mr. D & the Siwanoy Sinfonietta

“Bald Eagle...is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly...[he] is too lazy to fish for himself. [While a turkey is] a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America...He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage.” - Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin’s letter to his daughter reveals his criticism of the original eagle design for the Great Seal, saying that it looked more like a turkey. So what if the turkey was our National Bird?

Performed by the Siwanoy Sinfonietta at the Tuckahoe Strings “American Voices” Concert 2022.

(for voice, violin, harmonica, and guitar)

lyrics by Jessi Kaufman & music by Yuri Lee

Written, 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 burly but child-like migrant; George, a companion and care-taker of Lennie; Slim, a skilled worker and omniscient figure; Candy, an aging ranch handyman; Crooks, an African-American stable-hand; Curley, a confrontational, aggressive young man; and Curley’s wife, the only female character in the story, desperate for company.

(for clarinet, violin, and piano)

Inspired by Edith Wharton’s novella Ethan Frome, this piece explores the theme of inverted fairytale. The bright, playful beginning reflects the somewhat untroubled life of the Frome household and the light-hearted interactions between Ethan and Mattie. But as Zeena’s jealousy of her husband and cousin’s budding romance begins the chain reaction of events that eventually lead to a dangerous sleigh ride aimed at a big oak tree, leaving Ethan crippled, Mattie paralyzed, and Zeena even more miserable than before.

Performed @ Juilliard Pre-College Chamber Music on May 7, 2022, with Gabriel Paley (clarinet), Yuri Lee (violin), and Andrew Gu (piano).

(for violin and piano)

Millions of people’s bright futures were extinguished, leaving their families and friends behind to suffer the aftermath of sudden tragedies. Many lives, dreams, opportunities, loved ones, and happiness were lost due to COVID-19. Even without a pandemic, we sometimes encounter moments where we forget how to smile, where the colorful world is soiled by gloom, where we blindly stumble through life and wonder if we will ever see again.

This piece is dedicated to those of us who are stranded in darkness, to serve as a reminder that no matter how long or cold the journey may be, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Performed at The Juilliard School Pre-College Composition Recital on Nov. 13, 2021 @ Morse Hall, with Ethan Fisher-Chaves (violin) and Yuri Lee (piano).

Winner of the National YoungArts competition 2022.

(for flute, horn, and piano)

With COVID-19 safety reasons, concerts and other events have taken place in the outdoors during the summer, giving everyone a wonderful time dealing with mosquitos. Sparked by a friend’s words, “I wish mosquitos disappeared from Earth; they benefit no one”, this piece illustrates the annoyingly energetic mosquitos that transform into beautiful stars as they float upwards to decorate the sky.

Ensemble Winner of the National Young Composers Challenge 2021; performed by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra members @ Steinmetz Hall in April 2022.

(for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano)

Here’s a new version of Sherlock Tango, this time with a new instrumentation and protagonist. Who’s Nyarlock? He is my version of the genius.

Performed and recorded by International Contemporary Ensemble in July 2021.

Tribeca New Music Young Composers Competition 2022 Honorable Mention

(for bandoneon, violin, cello, and piano)

Inspired by the world’s beloved Sherlock Holmes, this piece begins with a creepy carousel-like music that the mischievous Moriarty, the arch-enemy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s mastermind detective. Holmes intervenes before the situation becomes too perilous, looking for clues and solving the puzzle before humanity suffers great destruction. The love-hate relationship between the consulting detective and the consulting criminal progresses throughout the wild, maniacal tango.

(for violin, guitar, bassoon, and percussion)

The giant finger-eating hamster is back, but this time as a quartet!

Recorded by International Contemporary Ensemble in May 2021.

(for solo violin)

This piece is the self portrait of my brain—precisely, the 5% of it that is conscious, and the thoughts I am willing to share with the listener. It depicts the feeling of confinement that I often experience as a struggling trilingual. From the fast approaching fog that clouds my memory and steals away words and phrases of Korean and Japanese was born the notion of a glass box, an invisible force fencing me in from recalling what I once considered as basics of my native languages. It is merely a fun coincidence that my name in Korean means “glass”.

The G to A pizzicato motif is a key component that becomes the foundation of the piece, similar to breathing being the foundation of human beings.

What does the self portrait of your mind look like?

(for violin and classical guitar)

This piece was inspired by a weird dream I had, which involved getting chased by a 9 feet tall vicious hamster that indulges in eating human fingers - specifically thumbs. The rapid strumming of the guitar illustrates the victim desperately trying to shake off the hamster off of their hand. The melancholy theme introduced by the guitar makes the listener wonder, does the hamster have a sad history? Or has it always been, and will be, a masochistic fluff ball?

(for brass quintet)

Inspired by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the brass quintet tells the story of a group of British schoolboys marooned on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempt to govern themselves. First, the scar—the plane crash site—and the key players of the novel are introduced. The conch is blown by Ralph to summon the other boys from the plane, but organization is proven to be difficult, as most of them are still too young and unprepared for independence and maturity. Their efforts to build a signal fire to affect a rescue ends up putting a whole forest on fire. A boy gets lost in the midst of the chaos, and the battle against savagery begins.

(for full orchestra)

From the Darkness is based on my favorite artist’s painting from 2008 and poem, which she exclaimed that the words rushed to her immediately after she finished the artwork, and it was written to celebrate her 80th birthday. The piece takes place in a dark, ominous forest filled only with the barely-audible chirps of insects, and the sudden arrival of three witches instantly brings magic and wonder. Their serenade is a soothing and remedying force that heals a trembling, lonely soul, and when their job is done, they vanish into thin air—perhaps to find the next fragile soul in need of comfort.

Selected as the apprentice composer of National Youth Orchestra of the USA (NYO-USA)2022.

Merit Winner of the National YoungArts Competition in composition (2022).

1st Prize Winner of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Emerging Composers Competition Division 1 (2022).

Read by The Juilliard School Pre-College Symphony on May 7th, 2022.

(for orchestra & voice)

lyrics by Jessi Kaufman & music by Yuri Lee

Taking 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 poor. By gloating, complaining, and gossiping, the sassy queen brings the listener back to the major social upheaval in the 18th century.

The lyric video, with Nora Schell Podoll as Antoinette, was premiered in the virtual holiday concert video in Music Around Us Project (MAUP #16).

Special thanks to all of the wonderful singers and the awesome lyricist!

(for piano quintet)

“Avast, Ye!” illustrates a pirate captain and the crew's adventure in search of the ancient tree rumored to hold the sap of salvation, which can heal any type of injuries and wounds. With the energetic opening, the ship sets sail and endures the wild, untamable waves in desperation to claim the magical power of the tree. As the sea calms down and the rain clouds roll away, the sun shines upon the colossal tree branches that bring hope and delight to the pirates. The celebration of their success filled with drinks, music, dancing, and laughter around the fire lasts forever - until of course when they become greedy for more.

Now, imagine yourself as the captain aboard your pirate ship. What treasure are you looking for? What is your adventure?

(Pirate Glossary: “Avast, ye!” means “Pay attention and check this out!”)

Premiered in MCM’s New Composers livestream 2020.

(for two violins)

Everyone knows the importance of practicing 40 hours a day, thanks to Brett and Eddy’s teachings of the Ling Ling ways. However, we must also remember that by playing our instruments, we are fulfilling their essence and dreams.

This violin duet illustrates the story of one lonely violin, waiting and waiting in its case to be played. Will the case ever be opened? Or will it forever remain in its quarantined state? Let us explore the antsy, flustered, dejected mind of the forgotten violin.

(for solo violin)

Flutter is based on Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, a dark fantasy novel about secret societies in Yale. This piece illustrates a particular moment when the protagonist first encounters magic. She is introduced to a magical moth species that can drink or suck up ink from any surface by beating their wings, and she comes to a shocking revelation that the world is not what it seems when the moths completely erase her full sleeve tattoo by drinking the ink on her arms. The beginning of this piece conveys waves of anxiety, the protagonist’s initial reaction to the moths - not only because she experiences magic for the first time, but because she has a phobia of butterflies. Then, with a “plink” of the tremolo and pizzicato double stop half way throughout the piece, the music illustrates the wonder, curiosity, and awe that soon overwhelms her.

(for full orchestra)

Hey Warrior, Keep Going was originally a brass quintet about overcoming obstacles in sports and other aspects of life. However, with the COVID-19 outbreak that brought many people in the world hardships and pain, I decided to orchestrate this piece to give energy and hope to everyone - the frontline workers, struggling laborers, the jobless, overworked parents - and to show appreciation towards those who are risking their lives to save others.

(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 rhetorical questions regarding the existence and the audacity of God. It is a good representation of a crisis of faith, which may have been affected by a traumatic event in 1787 (which was when his beloved brother died from tuberculosis at the age of 24. This poem actually goes hand in hand with another poem Blake wrote called “The Lamb”, which is kind of like paying tribute to God and the creation of the world. So I began the piece with a sweet “lamb” motif that progresses into dark, twisted music to illustrate the change in his view of God. I hope you enjoy, The Tyger.

Performed remotely on zoom by Duo Cortona on May 9th, 2020

(for bandoneon, two violins, cello and bass)

Mystery Tango is based on the concept of an escape room, which is a thrilling adventure inside a room full of riddles. A series of clues are discovered as you uncover the mystery to the plot, but you must piece together the puzzle pieces before it is too late. This piece illustrates the thrill and enigma of solving the case. 

Performed by Rodolfo M. Zanetti, Lucie Gelinas, Yuri Lee, Devree Lewis, and Pedro Giraudo at MCM Live Tango Music Winter Night on February 7th, 2020.

(for string quartet)

Look Up was inspired by a car ride to NYC for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with my parents. Surrounded by soft music, I was nodding off, until the car jolted over a bump. Ahead, above, and all around us, I saw the beautiful tints of orange, yellow, and pink being painted on the light blue canvas. The sky was glowing with vibrant, breathtaking intensity, and coincidentally, the well-known song “What a Wonderful World” was being played at that moment. I quickly shook my mom awake and asked her to take pictures from the front seat, refusing to forget this stunning scenery. However, I knew that I had to enjoy the moment, for nothing gold can stay. So, don’t forget to look up and take in the beauty of nature around you from time to time; life is too short to miss out on the simple, pure joys that you can experience in this world. 

Performed by Mivos Quartet on Jan. 19th, 2020.

(for brass quintet)

The playoff game on Halloween of 2019 - fighting for the goal to break the tie that had all of us on edge throughout the whole 80 minute game, plus the 20 minute overtime. Recalling August 19th, the beginning of all of the running, the practices in the rain, the kicking of the ball on mud, and the coming together of the team began, we fought for victory, forgetting the fact that we would have already been trick-or-treating by the second 10-minute overtime that we were in. And as the final whistle was blown with the ball at the back of our net, my soccer season ended with literal blood, sweat, and tears. Players and teams like mine, who work hard but only have had four wins (if you count the two by forfeits), sometimes need the push to propel them forward. Countless emotions - pure joy, exhaustion, frustration and surprise - are involved with sports; this is a piece written to remind them of their love and passion for what they do.

(for full orchestra)

Based on Bradbury’s short story “The Day It Rained Forever”, which takes place in a ghost town hotel on a burning desert. Three old men await the January rains, having to live there for three decades with lack of passion for life. A musician comes to visit, who has set out in determination to find an audience who would truly appreciate her music. After the old men’s hospitality, the old woman repays them by playing music on her harp, bringing rain - the symbol for transformation and regeneration.

Orchestra finalist for the National Young Composers Challenge 2019.

(for two violins, piano & snare drum)

Chess is a board game of strategic skill for two players, played on a checkered board. Each player begins the game with sixteen pieces that are moved and used to capture opposing pieces according to precise rules, with the object of putting the opponent’s king under a direct attack from which escape is impossible. In this piece, the two violins fight for victory with the piano and snare drum illustrating the tension in the dry air of a battlefield.

Chess is based on a real chess game I played with my friend, and it directly represents the flow of the game. First, the chess game was notated and a motif was written to illustrate the movement of each chess piece. Then came the composition process of putting these two together; motifs are introduced and varied throughout the piece in the order based on the chess game notation. Which violin do you think claimed victory?

Solo Piano Version

Chess was later arranged into a solo piano version, where it zooms out of the same chess match, not being too specific about every move made but focusing on the tension and suspense on the battlefield. 

Winner of NYSSMA’s Call for Composers & Songwriters in 2020, and performed by Annbritt duChateau at NYSSMA’s Winter Conference Young Composers Showcase Livestream.

(for brass quintet)

The energy of the brass instruments motivated me to write a lively piece, and when I was trying to decide on the theme, I thought of ostriches and their spirit. Ostriches are fascinating animals; they are the largest birds in the world with long legs and necks and cannot fly. I watched as many ostrich videos as brass quintet repertoires to prepare for this piece. Did you know that ostriches can make no vocal noise? They make “booming” noises by inflating their necks. 

In Ostrich March, an ostrich takes a wild journey and explores the life of “chaotic happiness.” During the piece, it falls asleep and dreams about flying through the clouds, and later participates in a race, sprinting with its ballerina-like legs as if getting chased by a cheetah. And at the end, the ostrich makes the unique “booming” sound of wrapping up its journey.

Written in Luna Composition Lab 2018-19 and performed by FTM’s brass quintet at Merkin Hall.

Performed by the 8th grade advanced strings at the Tuckahoe Middle School Graduation 2019.