Biography

Sangwon Lee is an internationally award-winning composer based in the New York/New Jersey area, specializing in electroacoustic music. Born in South Korea, he studied composition with Sukhi Kang. Lee holds a D.M.A. in Composition-Theory from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he studied electroacoustic music with Scott A. Wyatt, and an M.M. in Composition from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Robert Cogan.

Sangwon’s music has received awards and recognitions in international composition competitions. His honors include First Prize at the 2025 Música Viva International Electroacoustic Composition Competition; Finalist for the Luigi Russolo Award (2023); Winner of the Ars Electronica Forum Wallis Selection (2020); Winner of the Ars Electronica Forum Wallis Selection (2017); Finalist for the ASCAP/SEAMUS Commission Competition (2017); Honorable Mention from The American Prize (2017); Second Prize at the Destellos International Electroacoustic Music Composition Competition (2016); selection for the Alcide Cervi “2 Agosto” International Composition Competition (2010); Winner of the NEC Honors Ensembles Competition (2009); Honorable Mention at the 29th Frederic Mompou International Award (2008); Third Prize at the JURGENSON International Composition Competition (2005); and First Prize at the EACA (East-Asian Composers’ Association) International Composition Competition (2004). His music has been performed and presented at numerous international festivals and conferences across the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America.

Artistic Statement

I focus on the qualities of sound itself rather than on expressing an external narrative or philosophical concept. I do not believe music needs to carry a particular meaning or convey a message. For me, its meaning lies in the listening experience—shaped by timbre, density, texture, and the flow of time.

I compose by creating and exploring the sounds I want to hear. I do not begin with concepts drawn from literature, philosophy, science, or mathematics, nor do I follow a fixed formal plan. Instead, I rely on inner hearing and intuition, making decisions as I listen to and work with the sound. The piece takes shape from one moment to the next.

My experience with electroacoustic music has led me to treat sound as a material I can shape and transform. I work with subtle changes in timbre, shifts in density, and the rise and fall of energy. Rather than directing these elements toward a fixed goal, I explore how they change over time. These changes give the music its own sense of movement and tension.

I want listeners to listen to my music rather than search for a hidden message or symbol. I do not ask them to arrive at a particular interpretation. Instead, I invite them to hear how the sounds change and how they shape the piece.


“The rose is without ‘why’; it blooms because it blooms.”

                                                    — Angelus Silesius