Ben Yee-Paulson

Benjamin Yee-Paulson (b. 1994) is an internationally recognized American composer. Born in Boston MA, his music has reached many countries like the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and the United States. His music has premiered in many prestigious places like Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, Harvard University, Curtis Institute of Music, Warwick Castle in England, La Schola Cantorum in Paris, and the world opening of Microsoft’s flagship store in New York City. For national composition competitions, Yee-Paulson was awarded first place in the Costello Competition, first place in 2019 NEC Contemporary Ensemble Competition, “Emerging Composer” status twice from the Tribeca New Music Festival, third and fourth place from Pikes Peak Young Composers, an honorable mention from the Charles Ives Concert Series, and finalist position six times from ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers. Internationally, Yee-Paulson received honorable mention in the Future Blend Project Composition Competition, and was a semi-finalist in the Tampa Bay Symphony’s Composition Competition. 

Yee-Paulson studied with NEC composition chair Michael Gandolfi. Previous mentors include Kati Agócs, Justin Dello Joio, and Rodney Lister. He was selected for composition master classes with Joan Tower, Samuel Adler, Nico Muhly, and the late Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. Yee-Paulson attended the European American Musical Alliance in 2013 and 2014, an international music program in Paris. Yee-Paulson was a member of the New York Youth Symphony’s Composition Program, leading to several premieres by NYYS instrumentalists. Yee-Paulson’s music has been played by groups like the American Modern Ensemble, the American Modern Orchestra, and the New York Youth Symphony. He has also worked with prominent artists like cellist Thomas Mesa, violinist Ilana Zaks, violinist Leonard Fu, violinist Chelsea Kim, harpist Abigail Kent, flutist Min Hee Kim, soprano Andrea Wozniak, and horn player Robert Fant. Other premieres occurred at the Bard Conductor’s Institute, Atlantic Music Festival, Zodiac Music Festival in France — where he was a composer-in-residence, the Mostly Modern Festival, and the International Horn Symposium in Belgium.

Yee-Paulson is an active solo and collaborative pianist as well, frequently performing his own and other composers’ music. In 2019, he played in Carnegie Hall as an accompanist for the Garden Wall Duo at the American Protégé Competition. As a pianist, he has also played in Jordan Hall, Boston’s historic Old South Church, and Harvard University. Yee-Paulson holds his own private piano studio. Yee-Paulson is also an active film composer, and has written numerous short-film soundtracks and commercial music. His film music was given an Award of Merit for “Best Post-Production” at the Best Shorts Competition.

Yee-Paulson’s music is melodic and contrapuntally driven, taking influence from composers of “new tonality.” While his music has influence from neo-romanticism and impressionism, his style is also sensitive towards and inspired by genres like jazz and traditional Chinese music. Yee-Paulson is a Doctor of Music student at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. He has a Master of Music from New England Conservatory, and Bachelors of Music from New York University.