Wen-Pin Hope Lee (; born 1967) is a Hoklo Taiwanese

contemporary music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

and

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

. His works comprise a variety of genres, including symphonies,

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ' ...

works,

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

computer music Computer music is the application of computing technology in music composition, to help human composers create new music or to have computers independently create music, such as with algorithmic composition programs. It includes the theory and ...

, and

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to traditi ...

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

. In 2004 he began his Taiwan Series of compositions: a body of work inspired by Taiwanese culture, including Indigenous peoples and

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhe ...

melodies, sung texts in Taiwanese, and the ambient sounds of Taiwan locales. Lee is the winner of the 2006

Golden Melody Award The Golden Melody Awards (), commonly abbreviated as GMA, is an honor awarded by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and Formosan-languages popular and traditional music i ...

for Best Composer of Traditional and Artistic Music and a nominee for the 2007

for his recording of his five-act theatre dance piece ''Hsiahai City God through Water of Mengjia''. In 2013, Lee won an award for his collaborative work with Radio Taiwan International on “''Happiness on March''” at 48th Golden Bell Awards. Lee resides in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

, where he teaches composition at his alma mater, the

National Taiwan Normal University National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU; ), or ''Shīdà'' is an institution of higher education and normal school operating out of three campuses in Taipei, Taiwan. NTNU is the leading research institute in such disciplines as Education and Lin ...

. he has served as the head of the pop-songwriting department since 2016. He is also active in the leadership of the Sonare Symphony Orchestra in Taipei.

Education

Lee first experiences with music were as a child under the tutelage of pianist Chiu-chin Lai (賴秋鏡). At the age of 17 he began studies in composition and music theory with Prof. Chin-yow Lin (林進祐). He entered the bachelor's program at the

(NTNU) the following year; his teachers were Shing-kwei Tzeng (曾興魁), Mao-shuen Chen (陳茂萱) and Shu-shi Chen (陳樹熙). Upon graduation Lee moved to

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

for graduate studies in composition and music theory at the

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

. His teachers in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- m ...

were

Lukas Foss Lukas Foss (August 15, 1922 – February 1, 2009) was a German-American composer, pianist, and conductor. Career Born Lukas Fuchs in Berlin, Germany in 1922, Foss was soon recognized as a child prodigy. He began piano and theory lessons with J ...

, Theodore Antoniou and Marjorie Merryman. Lee was awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition in 1999. Lee received his doctorate of musical arts (D.M.A.) in January, 1999.

Academic work

He return to Taiwan as the composition teacher at the NTNU, also teaches music at the Affiliated Senior High School of NTNU. In 2015, he was charge as director of "Master's Program in Pop Music", his notable students are and Ying-Ke, this course was discontinue in 2019, which later transformed to The "Digital Media Center Music Interactive Laboratory". He is active as the artistic director of the Sonare Symphony Orchestra and as executive of Music Dimensions, an ensemble devoted to the performance of new Taiwanese music. In 2021, Wen-Pin Hope Lee, Chien-Te Fan (National Tsing Hua University Professor) and Gwan-Hwan Hwang (another NTNU professor) founded the Inciting International Intellectual Property Company, which actively focuses on the intellectual property right of Blockchain technology management and protection. In November, 2021, Lee’s work of “The Song of Tunnel-Taipei Impression” NFT was bidden for more than one million NTD, which marks the beginning of integration between Asian classical music and NFT marketplac

Musical works

Lee’s works consist of a variety of solo music, chamber music, symphonies, theater dance, film scoring and popular music. In recent years, Lee has been active in cross-disciplinary art, combining interactive images with all kinds of theatrical productions of dances, drama, and musicals. Lee has also written a great number of works in musical, popular music, and commercial scoring, establishing himself as one of the most important composers of crossover music in Taiwan. Since 2004, Lee has pivoted his work around the theme of ''Taiwan Series'' and his latest representative works include the following:

Orchestral music

*''NTNU Master: Symphonic Capriccio Academic Festival Overture for Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor, Baritone, Mixed Choir, and Orchestra'' (2019, commissioned by the National Taiwan Normal University) *''Legends from the South Seas: The Southern City of Anping'' (2019, commissioned by the Taipei Chinese Orchestra) *''That's the World but ME Concerto for Viola and Orchestra'' (2017, commissioned by the Sun Taipei Philharmonic) *''Classical Series on Nature : Taiwanese Mountains Summit Images of Taiwan'' (Orchestra, 2012, commissioned by the National Culture and Arts Foundation, 2012) *''Summit Images of Taiwan'' for the ''Classical Series of Taiwan’s Mountains and Nature'' (2011, commissioned and supported by Taipei City Government Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Culture and Arts Foundation, 2008) *''Taiwan March: Five Orchestral Pieces'' (commissioned and supported by 21st Summer Deaflympics, The 21st Summer Deaflympics, Taipei, 2009) *''Nine Tones and Eighteen Tunes (The Formosa Series: Orchestra), tunes from various regions of Hakka in Taiwan, inspired by Six Hakka Folk Tunes, Concerto for Solo Violin and Orchestra'' (commissioned and supported by Taipei City Government Department of Cultural Affairs, 2007) *''Hakka Ballad Expressions (The Formosa Series: Orchestra)'' (2007) ''Three widely-spread Hakka tunes originated from Kaohsiung County'' (commissioned and supported by Council for Hakka Affairs, Executive Yuan, Republic of China (Taiwan), 2007) *''Mahakaruna Dharani'', ''Symphonic Poem For Mixed Chorus (Soloists) and Orchestra'' (2005, commissioned by the Dharma Drum Mountain Foundation)

Chamber music

* ''Pestles: Tribal Fables Sonata No. 1 for Cello and Piano'' (2018) * ''Piano Quintet: A Castle between Light and Shadow'' (2018) * ''Chanting, Enchanted, Six Melodies from Taiwanese Songs for violin and viola'' (2017) * ''Indigenous and Unbeatable for Flute, Cajon, and String Orchestra'' (2017) * ''For Piano Quintet: A Castle between Light and Shadow'' (2017) * ''Legend of Goldenwoodwind'' (2017) * ''Cantabile Moderato, the Theme for the 2012 Kaohsiung International Audio Show'' (2011) * ''Taiwan: Four Seasons'', ''Octet for Strings'' (2011) * ''The Formosa Image: Taiwan Series, Twelve Preludes for Piano'' (2010) * ''The Formosa Image, Three Concert Pieces for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo'' (2010) * ''Three Ballads from Taiwanese Aborigines'', ''Sonata No. 1 for Viola and Piano'' (2007) * ''Tunes from Various Regions of Hakka in Taiwan, Six Hakka Folk Tunes for Quartet-Clarinet, Violin, Violoncello and Piano'' (2007) * ''Tunes from Various Regions in Taiwan'', ''Six Fu-Lao Folk Tunes for Violoncello Duet'' (2006) * ''Taiwan is Formosa, Six Fu-Lao Folk Tunes for Violoncello Quartet'' (2006, the 17th Golden Melody Award-winning piece) * ''Water of the Field in June, Six Fu-Lao Folk Tunes for Solo Violin and Strings'' (2005) * ''Three Scenes of the Pei-Gang, Three Fu-Lao Folk Tunes for Violin and Violoncello'' (2005)

Dance music

* ''The Drifting Fate of Hakka, A Hakka Dance Drama in Four Acts'' (2014) * ''Hsiahai City God Through Water of Mengjia, A Digital Music Theater of Five Acts'' (2006, nominated by the 18th Golden Melody Award for both the Best Album Producer and the Best Performance) * ''All Rise when the Wind Blows,'' ''A Dance Drama in One Act'' (2005, commissioned by National Taichung Physical Education Academy) * ''The Ghost Comes! A Dance Drama in Four Acts'' (2005, commissioned by Culture Development Foundation Committee sponsored team in 2005)

Interdisciplinary Digital Art Creation

* ''Association of the Raindrop, Transformation and Interaction'' is an audiovisual interactive presentation that depicts the ecological environment in Taiwan. * ''Dimensions'' is a digital art creation that visualizes religious rites with the means of digital virtual music theater. * ''The Ghost Comes'' is a digital art creation that presents the musical theater performance with the means of digital virtual images; * ''The Legend of the Fiber of Taiwanese Legend Series'' is a musical theater that integrates literature, Taiwanese folk legend, drama, dance, and interactive images. * ''Feint-and-Parry Misdirect'' of the Taiwanese Nursery Rhyme Series, combines with children’s literature, computer music, and interactive images. It is presented as an image-interactive virtual musical theater, including human voices, prepared piano with amplified effect, and percussion quartet.

Commercial Music

* ''LP33 Buttermilk Commercials (Advertisement Music)'' * ''Republic of Chocolate Commercial (Video Soundtrack)'' * ''Familyshoes Anniversary Sales Commercial (Advertisement Music)'' * ''EDA Theme Park-Amazing Show Commercial (Theatre Soundtrack)'' * ''2012 Golden Melody Awards Best Indigenous Album (Soundtrack)'' * ''Mercuries Life Insurance Promotional Video (Soundtrack)'' * ''Gaming Spirit: Video Game Live (Composer and Producer of Online-Game Music Orchestral Soundtrack)''

Productions

* (CD) ''First Taiwanese Cello Quartet'', a CD recorded by Ling-yi, Ouyang (includes ''Taiwan is Formosa: Six Fu Lao Folk Tunes for Violonello Quartets'') Awarded the 17th Golden Melody Award for "The Best Composer for Traditional and Artistic Music." * (CD, DVD) ''Hsiahai City God Through Water of Mengjia'' ("The Best Album Producer and the Best Performance for the 18th Golden Melody Award, 2007) * (CD) ''Telltale: Beginning with Formosa'' (includes ''Tunes from Various Regions in Taiwan, Six Fu-Lao Folk Tunes for Piano Quartet'') * (Book) ''Discovering Formosa: Series of Taiwanese Contemporary Composers.'' A Series of Autobiographies.

Digital arts

In recent years, Lee has turned his attention to collaborative works employing

digital arts Digital art refers to any artistic work or practice that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process, or more specifically computational art that uses and engages with digital media. Since the 1960s, various names ...

. Works that have resulted from this include: ''Association of Raindrops, Transformation and Interaction'', a depiction of ecological systems in Taiwan; ''Dimensions'', a visualisation of religious rites using the techniques of digital virtual music theater; ''The Ghost Arrives!'', a music theater piece using digital images; and ''Fabric Legend'' from the Taiwanese Legend Series, a music theater piece encompassing elements of

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to includ ...

, folk tale,

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode ha ...

, and interactive images. ''Feint-and-Parry Misdirect'', from the Taiwanese Nursery Rhyme Series, incorporates elements of children’s literature, computer music, and interactive images in a work of image-interactive virtual musical theater; the piece is scored for voices,

prepared piano A prepared piano is a piano that has had its sounds temporarily altered by placing bolts, screws, mutes, rubber erasers, and/or other objects on or between the strings. Its invention is usually traced to John Cage's dance music for '' Bacchanale ...

with amplification effects, and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

.Book: "Autobiography: Wen-Pin Lee", ''Discovering Formosa: Taiwanese Contemporary Composers''. Taiwan Composers Series. (Mandarin Chinese, n.d.)

Publications

Print

Lee's autobiography has been published in book form in a collection entitled ''Discovering Formosa: Taiwanese Contemporary Composers''. Lee regularly publishes scholarly research and presents lectures as well as compositions. The topics usually relate to his creative work, as when the ArtsIT 2009 Conference in Taiwan featured him in a panel discussion of "An Interactive Concert Program Based on Infrared Watermark and Audio Synthesis."

Recordings

*Audio CD: ''Rondo Capriccio: NTNU Symphony Orchestra Tour Concerts 2004'' (2004). Produced by the

. Includes ''Narcissus Flower'' and ''Dream of Spring at the River''. *Audio CD: ''Adventures of Four Cellos'' (2006). Produced by Ling-yi Ouyang. Includes ''Taiwan is the Formosa: Six Cello Quartets of Fu Lao Folk Tunes''. Winner of the 2006

. *Audio CD, Video DVD: ''The Banga City God'' (2007). Nominated for 2007 Golden Melody Award for Best Album Producer for Traditional and Art Music. *Audio CD: ''Telltale: Beginning with Formosa''. Includes ''Taiwanese Melodies: Six Piano Quartets from Fu Lao Folk Tunes''.

References

External links

* https://www.wen-pinhopelee.com/
Biography at NTNU (English)

Biography at Love Taiwan Society (English and Chinese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Hope 1967 births Living people Taiwanese composers Pupils of Lukas Foss