Profile

Xinlei Chu is an emerging composer and music educator currently based in Pittsburgh, PA.



Works

Score

Written for string quintet, Mu Ge is a composition based on quotations of an ancient Mongolian long-song. This piece was recorded by the West Virginia University String Quartet (featuring Dr. Andrew Kohn playing bass) in 2021.

Score

Ecdysis is a choral piece with cello, guitar, and percussion. It is comprised of five movements set to poems by Rhona McFerran. This piece was recorded in 2022.

Score

Composed for saxophone quartet, Time Between Past and Now references the infinitely subjective human perception of time. It premiered in the West Virginia University SCI concert in Fall 2019.

For solo Trombone and electronics, Neon (2022) is the second of a seven-part set of pieces inspired by the seven noble gases. The piece was composed by accompanying a solo trombone with pre-recorded trombone sounds tweaked through extensive digital signal processing.

The Yellow Wallpaper, an electronic piece written for dance, was composed based on the 1892 short story of the same name by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It premiered in West Virginia University’s Electronic Music Recital in Spring 2022.

Work Experience

Assistant Professor
Chengdu Normal University (2022 - 2023)
  • Taught harmony, counterpoint, sight-singing/aural theory, and applied composition courses to undergraduate students.
  • Developed engaging lesson plans and practical exercises to enhance students' learning experience and understanding.
  • Provided feedback and advice for students' weekly homework, final projects, and graduation thesis.
Adjunct Professor/Graduate Assistant
West Virginia University (2018 - 2021)
  • Taught aural theory 1 and 2 courses.
  • Taught introduction to recording technology courses.
  • Recorded and mixed student and faculty recitals.
Music Teacher
South Hills Music Center (2014-2018)
  • Taught one-on-one musicianship, composition, and singing lessons to students of all ages.
  • Developed personalized lesson plans tailored to each student's needs and interests.
  • Prepared students for quarterly student recitals.
Lead Composer
Beijing Kylin Network Co. (2008-2012)
  • Composed, produced, and mixed original scores for a number of popular video games in China including "Ghengis Khan" and "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio".
  • Composed theme songs "Meng Huan Liao Zhai," and "San Jie Chuan Shuo" for video game "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio."
  • Designed and produced sound effects for all projects.

Projects

Education

  • West Virginia University (2018 - 2022)
    DMA – Music Composition
    Dissertation: "Stylistic Changes in the music of Ruth Crawford Seeger"
    Advisor: Dr. Andrew Kohn
  • Duquesne University (2012 - 2014)
    Master of Music – Electronic Composition
  • Tianjin Conservatory of Music (2002 - 2007)
    Bachelor of Music – Electronic Composition

Awards

  • Mary Tiffany Ferer Endowment for Research in Music (2023)
  • Invitations to events (canceled due to COVID-19):
    • Vienna Summer Music Festival - Composer Forum
    • Darmstädter Ferienkurse SÄVELLYSPAJA - the ADVENTURE SPACE 2020
    • Connecticut Summerfest
    • Charlotte New Music Festival

List of Works

Ecdysis (2022)

Helium (2021)

For solo flute and electronics, Helium is the first of a seven-part set of pieces inspired by the seven noble gases. The piece was composed by accompanying a solo flute with pre-recorded flute sounds tweaked through extensive digital signal processing.

The Yellow Wallpaper (2021)

An Unlikely Refuge: Surviving The Holocaust in Shanghai (2020)

Original score for a WQED documentary.

Mu Ge (2020)

Time Between Past and Now (2019)

Jian Jia (2018)

Composed for chamber ensemble with baritone and harp, Jian Jia is set to the Chinese poem Qin Feng Jian Jia from The Book of Odes and Hymns. It was premiered in the West Virginia University SCI concert in Spring 2019.

Contact

If you would like to get in touch, please email Xinlei at [email protected].