JUNYI CHOW

Chow Jun Yi (JunYi Chow) began studying piano and music theory at the age of 5. Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Chow studied at Central Conservatory of Music in China and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in USA. Chow now lives in the New York City.

Chow's music has been lauded by Financial Times for its "skilful contrasts in both volume and texture". Chow in his music compositions explores the indefinite possibilities of tone colour and sound. Chow’s thorough knowledge of skills and characteristics of both Chinese and Western instruments has made him a leading figure in merging music of East and West.

Among the awards Chow has received include Finalist for United States ASCAP Morton Gould Prize. Grand Prize of Best Original Orchestra Work from Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra International Composition Competition. Chow has received commissions from Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra, Georgetown Festival in Malaysia, Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Sound of Arts Festival in New York, among worldwide performances of his compositions in Malaysia, Singapore, Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, United States, and Canada.

Chow’s multimedia live production “Stillness in Queens” in collaboration with Karen Y. Chan (USA) premiered at Flushing Town Hall in New York in 2017 has received support from Queens Council of Arts. His album “A Traveler’s Portrait” in collaboration with Seungmin Cha (South Korea) was nominated for Global Music Awardin 2018. Other productions and concert series include - Shan.Shui (w. Chatori Shimizu, Miyoko Satoh & Satoshi Haga), Borderless (w. Steve Hui) and Tango Night (w. Lance Low).

Chow is composer-in-residence for The TENG Ensemble in Singapore, a critically acclaimed group with Chinese traditional and electronics that “rework, innovate, update and redefine traditional music and to spark a passion for Singapore music for generations to come.” (The Strait Times) and released their album “Stories from an Island City” in 2016.

As an active researcher in the music for Chinese Orchestra, Chow’s The TENG Guide to the Chinese Orchestra (co-author with Samuel Wong and Chenwei Wang) serves as a one-stop guide for composers, scholars and enthusiasts alike.

Chow is currently the music conductor of New York Chinese Music Ensemble. As a pianist and cellist, Chow plays classical repertoire as well as free improvisations.