Grace Ann
Lee
Instructor, Music Theory & Composition
329, Swope Music Building
JLee304@wcupa.edu
Education
- D.M.A., University of Michigan
- M.M., Rice University
- B.M., Indiana University
Curriculum Vitae
The music of composer Grace Ann Lee is based on everyday sounds, imageries, and experiences like raindrops, refracting light, and traffic jams recreated into dynamic and emotive soundscapes. Her recent projects explore Korean identity, weaving cultural memory and personal narrative into storytelling deeply rooted in traditional folklore, melodies, and rhythms. Newly appointed Composer-in-Residence of the Korean National Symphony Orchestra for the 2026/2027 season, she has been described in the press as “a composer who elegantly realizes Korean identity through Western orchestral techniques.” Learn more
A two-time recipient of the ASCAP Morton Gould Award, Lee has developed her music through residencies at MacDowell and Yaddo, and has previously held fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, and Copland House’s CULTIVATE program. Her recent orchestral highlights include the April 2026 world premiere of Tiger’s Pipe by the Korean National Symphony Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center and the July 2026 New York City premiere of Beyond Violet with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. In August 2026, the Korean National Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert Orchestra will present the world premiere of Empress Rising at the Seoul Arts Center.
Lee’s music has been presented by ensembles and organizations including the American Composers Orchestra, Korean National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Mycelium New Music, Louisville Orchestra musicians, Buffalo Chamber Players, Front Porch, and Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, among others. She has received commissions from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Korean National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New World Symphony, Sound Mind, United States Air Force Heritage of America Band, Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, Music from Copland House, and Michael Karsher’s Young New Yorkers’ Chorus.