Jiyoung Ko is a Korean-born composer whose orchestral, chamber, and vocal works are driven by narrative, emotional transformation, and a deep commitment to communicating lived experience through sound. Her music is shaped by an interdisciplinary curiosity informed by anthropology and psychology, resulting in works that engage questions of identity, place, and human connection. Ko’s compositional language is marked by dense textures, resonant color, and poetic, delicately sculpted melodic lines that balance intellectual depth with emotional accessibility.

Ko’s music spans a wide stylistic range, from experimental and cutting-edge to more traditional idioms, while remaining grounded in clarity and expressive immediacy. Her works have been performed internationally in the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Germany by ensembles and musicians including the Grand Rapids Symphony, La Jolla Symphony, Mivos Quartet, Dal Niente, Brightwork Ensemble, People Inside Electronics (PIE), WasteLAnd, Del Sol String Quartet, Cepromusic Ensemble, Palimpsest, New York New Music Ensemble, Contemporary Music Ensemble Korea, NEC Honors Ensemble, KNUA Chamber Ensemble, Min Kwon, Christopher Adler, and Dan Lippel, among others.
Recent highlights include the Asia premiere of Undulate for khaen at the National Gugak Center in Korea. Her orchestral work Leaf by Leaf, Dream by Dream (2024), commissioned by the La Jolla Symphony, was premiered in February 2025, and boiling/blooming was featured at the HEAR NOW Music Festival in March 2025. Ko has three works scheduled to premiere in early 2026.

Ko’s recognitions include being a finalist in the League of American Orchestras’ Women Composers Readings and Commissions Program supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Her orchestral work Remembrances was selected for the American Composers Orchestra’s EarShot New Music Readings, performed by the Grand Rapids Symphony, and awarded the ArtPrize 10 Public Vote Award. She was also selected for the Civic Orchestra of Chicago New Music Workshop, receiving coaching from the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) at Chicago’s Symphony Center. Additional fellowships include the June In Buffalo Music Festival, Pacific Rim Music Festival, and NONG Music Festival.

Ko holds a Master of Music in Composition from the New England Conservatory, as well as both a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Composition from the Korea National University of Arts. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate (ABD) in Music Composition at the University of California, San Diego.