Juhi Bansal

Described as “radiant and transcendent” (New Classic LA), the music of Juhi Bansal takes its inspiration from a disparate set of elements. As an Indian composer brought up in Hong Kong, her pieces draw subtly on those traditions, entwining them closely and intricately with the gestures of classical music. Expressive and emotive, much of her music begins with extramusical origins: visual stills from nature, poetry, or prose.

Her works have received numerous awards, including the Five Colleges New Music Festival Competition, ASCAP Lotte Lehman Foundation Art song Competition, Boston Metro Opera International Composers Competition, and multiple ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer awards. She has been awarded fellowships by the Douglas Moore Fund for American Opera, the Atlantic Music Center, Seasons Music Festival, Oregon Bach Festival Composer’s Symposium, and the Pacific Music Festival. Recent commissions include Sirens, in collaboration with Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre and LA Opera; Begin, commissioned by the LA Philharmonic Association; Where Shadow Chases Light, commissioned by the Oakland East Bay Symphony; and I’ve Looked For You, commissioned by the AIDS Quilt Songbook 20th Anniversary project.

An active conductor as well as composer, Juhi often premieres works of other composers as well as her own. She is currently on the faculty of Pasadena City College.