Dongryul Lee, D.M.A.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Dongryul Lee is an Assistant Professor at Loyola University Chicago where he serves as the Coordinator of the Theory and Composition program. Dr. Lee began writing music using a computer when he was 13. After exploring all kinds of music for 10 years while leading rock bands, analyzing Bach and Final Fantasy, and writing atonal music without formal knowledge of serialism, Lee finally came to the US in 2008 to study at the Eastman School (BM in composition) as a 29 year old freshman. To prepare for this late embarkation, he studied music and practiced piano privately for five years while working as a software engineer, after earning a degree in computer science and industrial systems engineering (BS) from Yonsei University. He completed his MM and DMA degrees in composition-theory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Lee was the 2020-21 CCCC Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Chicago’s Center for Contemporary Composition. He previously taught at North Central College, Harper College, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
He was awarded the Kate Neal Kinley Memorial Fellowship, which supported his study with Jukka Tiensuu (2020); the third prize in the first Bartók World Competition (Hungary, 2018); the Special Prize Piero Pezzé in the Composition Competition Città di Udine (Italy, 2018); Second Prize in the 3rd GMCL Competition (Portugal, 2017); and Second Prize in 2017 Busan Maru International Music Festival Competition (South Korea). The performance of his Unending Rose by the Kairos quartett (Berlin, 2020) was supported by the Theodore Presser Foundation, Arts Council Korea, and Kultur Büro Elisabeth Berlin. His compositions have been performed by ensembles such as the Avanti!, Grossman, Kairos, Contemporanea, Jupiter, MIVOS, Callithumpian Consort, Axiom Brass, S.E.M., Conference Ensemble, Paramirabo, and Illinois Modern Ensemble among others. His A finite island was premiered at the Fromm Players Concerts at Harvard by Miranda Cuckson in April 2021. His bell-inspired TimeStory (2021), based on his dissertation, A Thousand Carillons, was performed by the Grossman Ensemble at the Logan Center for the Arts in Chicago (2021), with its research also presented at the IRCAM Forum Workshop (2021) and the TIMBRE 2026 Conference in Montréal.
Highlights of recent seasons include the premiere of Missa Laudato Si’, an hour-long choral-sinfonietta work inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical on ecology. Commissioned by the EcoVoice Project, it was premiered at Loyola University Chicago in March 2025, conducted by Kirsten Hedegaard and featuring Chungho Lee as piano soloist. Other recent works include The Ci(r)cadian Tree, commissioned by Benjamin Sung and David Kalhous for their Extension Project, with premieres at Florida State University and later in Chicago and Urbana in 2025; Mu-ak: Soul Unbinding (2026), premiered by Ensemble .thrum at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest 2026 in Incheon, with subsequent performances at the National Flute Association Annual Convention in Portland and the University of Virginia’s Faculty Artist Series; Autumnal Equinox (2025) for violin, cello, and piano, commissioned by the Illini Piano Trio and premiered at Purugio Hall in Seoul; Lessons on Lights and Darkness, premiered by Ensemble TIMF at Ilshin Hall in Seoul (2026); and Le Tombeau de Harvey (2022) and the deep-learning-based On a Winter’s Night a Traveller (2024), both premiered at the New England Conservatory by pianist Ariel Mo, a long-standing collaborator.
He studied composition with Jukka Tiensuu, Reynold Tharp, Heinrich Taube, Stephen Andrew Taylor, Erin Gee, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, David Liptak, and Tae-hoon Kim, and conducting with Brad Lubman and Mark Davis Scatterday, and piano with Tony Caramia, Ji Yun Lee, and Yoon Jeong Kim. He also studied rock vocal techniques in 1999 with Myungki Kim, a renowned Korean underground heavy-metal vocalist.
Described as “positively apocalyptic” (Chicago Classical Review), “sounding like dense reefs of exotic corals” (The Strad), and “alluring, sparkling, thoughtful, and carefully crafted” (Augusta Read Thomas), Chicago-based composer Dongryul Lee (이동렬, Korean pronunciation: [iː doŋ ɾjəɾ], pronouns: he/him) crafts music that entwines the acoustical nature of sounds with clarity, pathos, and reinvented classical expressions. Sometimes with the joy of rendering ludic permutations or interstellar sonic fables, he tries to touch the human spirit in epistemic ways. The dual aspects of his background—a Korean immigrant living in the United States, a born Catholic and learned Buddhist thinker, and a composer with a computer science degree—greatly influence his musical language. He finds inspiration in spiritual, literary, and scientific ideas, encompassing a diverse range of topics from Borgesian poetics and Jungian philosophy to number theory, deep learning, and engineering campanology, often employing year-long interdisciplinary research.
Teaching Statement
I strongly believe students learn best when they are interested. Therefore, drawing a connection between their experiences and environment and their learning is essential in motivating them to learn. To achieve this, I prioritize exploring students’ diverse cultural backgrounds, experiences, and personal interests. I encourage them to develop skills and crafts that suit their preferences as they cultivate their own voices and identities. I demonstrate openness with my students, value listening to them and their music, and work to solve problems together. I am patient and willing to explain again or try different methods or suggest diverse resources until they understand, learn, practice, or improve. My belief is that teaching is the reciprocal process of working together rather than a one-sided transfer of knowledge.
As a latecomer to the field of music who experienced structural barriers to formal musical training, I have witnessed how explicit and implicit biases, along with unequal access to resources, can shape students’ opportunities in music education. While we agree that every student should have equity in opportunity, we also know that not everyone is on equal footing. I understand the challenges of competing with talented young musicians and the importance of developing inclusive and accessible teaching methods. My experience as an out-group learner and my background in Computer Science have uniquely shaped my approach to music education, enabling me to create a supportive and nurturing environment for students at all levels. I understand the barriers that learners may face, and I am committed to dismantling these barriers through innovative teaching and other supportive strategies. To cater to different learning styles and skill levels, I have formulated broadly accessible methods that have proven to be effective across the spectrum of students.
Before my classical training, I worked for seven years in South Korea as a singer-songwriter, a film and game music composer, and a leader and vocalist in metal bands. My experience in popular and game music have shaped my strong commitment to the field of education. Now, it is very common to meet students who are motivated by their love of popular music to study it academically, and I can empathize with their perspectives, challenges, problems, and expressions–many of which are similar to those I encountered in my undergraduate years.
As a lifelong learner myself, I inspire my students to embrace continuous growth and development in their musical journeys. I believe that true music teachers do not merely transfer information; they facilitate opportunities for students to explore and persevere through music, helping them discover their own truths and identities.
Education
B.M. Eastman School of Music
B.S. Yonsei University
M.M. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
D.M.A. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
CCCC Postdoctoral Researcher, The University of Chicago (2020-21)
Courses Taught
MUSC 144: Music Theory I
MUSC 344: Music Teory III