Yunfei Li is a Kansas City–based composer whose work explores new sonic possibilities through both traditional instruments and cutting-edge music technology. Deeply inspired by the natural world, many of her compositions transform environmental sounds into a distinctive musical language. Grounded in both Eastern and Western classical traditions, her music also draws from contemporary genres including pop, electroacoustic, and film music. Her versatility has led to collaborations with filmmakers, writers, choreographers, and multimedia artists, resulting in a rich and interdisciplinary body of work.
Yunfei’s music has been featured at numerous festivals and conferences worldwide, including CampGround 24, LunArt Composer Hub, ClarinetFest, June in Buffalo, the National Flute Association Convention, International Women’s Brass Conference, Electronic Midwest Festival, Women Composers Festival of Hartford, Kansas City Contemporary Music Festival, Atlantic Music Festival, SCI Region V Conference, CMS Central, Great Lakes, and Southwest Chapter Conferences, International Double Reed Society Conference, International Duo Symposium, North American Saxophone Alliance Region 4, SHE Festival, and many others.
Her works have been performed by leading ensembles and orchestras such as the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Meridian Arts Ensemble, SPLICE Ensemble, Cassatt String Quartet, Del Sol Quartet, Hub New Music, Plaza Winds, NewEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, Chamber Project St. Louis, Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, University of Michigan Wind Ensemble, Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble, and wind ensembles at UMKC, Texas Tech University, Manhattan School of Music, UMass Amherst, and institutions across North America.
Yunfei is the recipient of numerous honors, including a fellowship from the Ucross Foundation, a prize from the MUSICACOUSTICA–Beijing International Electronic Music Composition Competition, and an award from the Denver International Electronic Music Composition Competition. Her work has been featured by media outlets such as KCUR 89.3, Classical WSMR, News & Record (NC), and the Johnson County Library (KS).
An active and innovative composer, Yunfei was selected for the Come As You Are program organized by No Divide KC and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, premiering a micro-opera in June 2024. Her duo piece Circling (2019) was recorded on Duo Entre-nous’s debut album (2021), and her woodwind quintet 24/7 (2020) was selected for the 35th volume of the SCI CD Series (2024). Her wind octet Five Elements (2021) was commissioned by Steven D. Davis and Anya Pogorelova and premiered by the UMKC Wind Symphony with support from the UMKC Women’s Council and 42 consortium members across North America.
Beyond composition, Yunfei is also a social entrepreneur and the Founder and Artistic Director of Crescendo Arts Collective, a Kansas City–based nonprofit music organization dedicated to inclusive, community-centered music making. At Crescendo Arts Collective, she leads initiatives that produce concerts and festivals, foster collaboration among composers and artists, and provide high-quality music education for students of all ages. The organization offers private and group instruction, a youth choir, summer camps, and community music events that support artistic growth at every stage. Guided by the belief that every voice, every note, and every stage of musical growth matters, Crescendo Arts Collective is committed to nurturing confidence, creativity, and connection through music.
Yunfei Li is a doctoral candidate in Music Composition at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, where she studies with Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Yotam Haber, and Paul Rudy. She holds a Master of Music in Composition from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Production from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
For more information, please visit www.yunfeilimusic.com and www.crescendoartscollective.com.