

YONGBOM
LEE
composer
BIOGRAPHY
Yongbom Lee is a Leipzig-based Korean composer and interdisciplinary artist. Distorted lyricism and scenic elements with visionary soundscape are characteristic of Lee’s work. His artistic journey unfolds at the intersection of music, neuroscience, and visual art, where he explores the synthesis of these disciplines to create transformative and immersive experiences. His compositions include from instrumental concert music to electronic, film and theatre music. Blending analogue with digital, signal with noise, traditional with experimental, his ambition is to make music that transcends genre and style.
Born in Seoul in 1987, he graduated in composition at the Yonsei University in Seoul (BMus) and in 2016 with distinction at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (Mag. art.). He studied composition with Michael Jarrell, Johannes Maria Staud, Iris Ter-Schiphorst and Cheong-mook Kim, music theory with Gesine Schröder. He was stipendiary composer at the International Ensemble Modern Academy (IEMA) 2017/18 in Frankfurt and fellow artist at the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute 2022 in Scotland, UK.
He has received numerous prizes and grants such as, Ö1 Talentebörse Composition Award 2016, Promotion Award of the City of Vienna for the Music 2018, 1st composition prize at the VII. International Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna, State Scholarship for Composition from the Federal Chancellery of Austria, Working Scholarship for Composition from Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts and GVL Scholarship Program in Germany. In 2022, he was selected for his portrait CD by Edition Zeitgenössische Musik (EZM), which will be released by WERGO. ORF Ö1 (Austria) and Rai Südtirol (Italy) sent portrait radio broadcast about him and his works.
His works are published by viennese publisher Doblinger and Universal Edition. He is composer and founding member of neuro-music collective aiar in Leipzig. Since 2018 Yongbom Lee has been a lecturer at the University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig.
| Prizes, awards and scholarships
2024 Künstlerförderung Auslandsstipendium der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
2023 Residenzförderung in StudioNAXOS / Fonds Darstellende Künste
2023 DMR Stipendienprogramm / NEUSTART KULTUR
2022 Auswahl von Edition Zeitgenössische Musik für Porträt CD / Podium Gegenwart
2022 Fellow Artist Scholarship / Diverse Intelligences Summer Institut, Schottland
2022 DMR Stipendienprogramm / NEUSTART KULTUR
2022 gvl-Stipendienprogramm / Verwertungsgesellschaft für Künstler und Labels
2020 Research Scholarship / Canada Council for the Arts
2019 Residenzkomponist bei der Botschaft der Republik Korea in Österreich
2018 Stipendiat bei der Internationale Ensemble Modern Akademie
2018 Staatsstipendium für Komposition / Bundeskanzleramt Österreich
2018 Förderpreis der Stadt Wien in der Sparte Musik
2017 Arbeitsstipendium für Komposition / Bundeskanzleramt Österreich
2016 Ö1 Talentebörse Kompositionspreis
2016 1. Kompositionspreis beim VII. Internationalen Joseph Haydn Kammermusikwettbewerb in Wien