Composition

Yiran Zhao started composing at the age of 14. She is one of the five initial composers of “NextWorks” — a new music initiative founded by Jeffrey Douma and the Yale Glee Club alumni board with the goal of making the transformative experience of performing new music and working with living composers accessible to ensembles of all ability levels regardless of their financial resources (other board members include Melissa Dunphy and Coty Raven Morris). She actively receive commissions from students, faculty members and alumni of Yale School of Music, University of Southern California, Central Conservatory of Beijing, China, and Westminster Choir College.

Yiran holds a bachelor’s degree in Theory & Composition from Westminster Choir College (“WCC”), where she received the first place in school-wide composition competitions in 2018, 2019; the third place in 2020, receiving the Franklin Cannon Musicianship award the same year. Her orchestral pieces were also used as procession music for WCC Convocation and Commencement. Yiran has written for choirs, orchestras, chamber groups, solo performers, musical theater, etc. Her works have been performed or recorded by ensembles including Westminster Community Orchestra, Beijing Philharmonic Choir, Yale Recital Chorus, etc. Her works have been performed in Asia, Europe, and America. Yiran studied composition with Joel Phillips, Stefan Young, Jay Kawarsky, Christian Carey, and Yang Hongnian.