Joel Pae

Joel Pae is a U.S. composer, pianist and violinist currently based in South Korea. He is a junior at Korea International School, where he studies classical music and composition in addition to academic coursework. He enjoys exploring orchestral and chamber works particularly in the Romantic or early-modern era, which he seeks to incorporate in his own compositions with an individual style. His compositions include Nihilestro e il Fulmine (a piano sextet), a Triple Concerto, a Symphonic Poem (Zeitvogel), and many more. He is currently working on orchestrating a Bortkiewicz Prelude and creating a piano concerto inspired by Henselt and Liszt. Joel's music has been recognized in competitions such as the Debussy International Music Competition and his school's composition festival (KIMEA). He has also received offers of interest from the Southern Symphony Orchestra based in Missouri, which is considering his music for future programming. Joel seeks to combine traditional tonality with personal narratives, themes, and innovative structures. Outside of composition, he is captain of his school's Quiz Bowl team, where he specializes in science and classical music. He can be reached at joelpae0@gmail.com or +82 10 5449 9259.