Biography

Eunmi Lee is a Korean-born, New York-based composer, pianist, big-band leader, and educator. Her music spans intimate small-group settings and works for 17-piece jazz orchestra, bringing together contemporary jazz, personal experience, and cultural memory.

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Lee began her musical career in Seoul, where she studied at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and worked professionally in theater, live performance, and media music. She later moved to the Netherlands as a recipient of the Holland National Excellence Scholarship, completing her Bachelor of Music degree one year ahead of schedule. In 2020, she relocated to New York City and earned her Master of Music degree in Jazz Piano from New York University.

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Her debut album, Introspection (2023), presents seven original compositions in settings that move fluidly from intimate small ensembles to sweeping large-ensemble textures. Featuring Alan Ferber, Ari Hoenig, John Ellis, Jon Gordon, Remy Le Boeuf, and Meg Okura, the album reflects Lee’s interest in rhythmic exploration, improvisation, and richly layered orchestration.

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A member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop since 2023, Lee received an Honorable Mention in the 2023 Ithaca International Jazz Composition Contest. Her work has been supported by the New York State Council on the Arts and the Queens Arts Fund and featured in The Jazz Gallery’s Jazz Composers’ Showcase. In 2026, her composition Enigma won the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble Prize in the 45th IAWM Search for New Music Competition.