May 2022 (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.

Nov. 2021 - April 2022 (for full orchestra)

Inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, this piece illustrates the eloquent, stirring story of Hester Prynne, a resident of the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony who conceives a daughter through an affair and is forced to suffer through a life of social degradation, repentance, and loneliness. Each movement focuses on a major character of the novel and explores the themes of sin, knowledge, the nature of evil, human identity, and female independence.

Scarlet Symphony Mvt. 1 - Hester, the Adulterer

Yuri Lee

Hester, the Adulterer: The town awakes, restless and anxious as the people gather to watch Hester Prynne emerge from the prison and make her way to the scaffold, where she will be publicly condemned. Women in the crowd squawk and complain about the embroidered badge of a letter “A”, a symbol of her crime as an adulterer, beautifully stitched in gold and scarlet. It is as if the first violins are singing: “Hester Prynne, the adulterer, there she is up there. Look at her with her red dress and gold thread” (m.24-26). Hester’s inner thoughts, represented by the solo violin, are overwhelmed by the surrounding turbulence of shaming and alienation.

National YoungArts 2023 Finalist Winner

Orchestra Winner of The National Young Composers Challenge 2022.

Winner of the Juilliard Pre-College Composition Competition 2022.

Performed by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra at the National Young Composers Challenge Composium on April 2nd, 2023.

illustrated by Satoko Kitagawa

Jan. 2021 (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.

illustrated by Satoko Kitagawa

May 2020 (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.

Sept. 2019 (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.

Short ver.

May 2019 (for string orchestra)

Last Spring is a piece originally written for my 5th grade graduation, and later arranged (or 85% re-written) for my 8th grade graduation, where we reflected on our middle school journey. It represents the many friendships that we have all come to cherish, a reminiscence of our experiences together - good, bad, surprised, melancholic, fun, annoyed, content, all of the feelings that we felt these past several years. And it wraps up our story together as people, our friends and teachers, walk away from our lives. After looking back to and learning from these memories, this piece ends with us beginning a new chapter with more to come.

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