JingYuan Li: Composing at the Crossroads of Culture, Story, and Sound

JingYuan Li, also known as John Li, has carved out a distinct space for himself as a composer, orchestrator, and guitarist. His creative range spans film, television, games, and concert stages, where he consistently leaves a mark with his emotionally attuned compositions. Born and raised in China, and later trained in Australia and the United States, Li’s journey reflects a rare combination of cultural depth and professional rigor. From an early age, he showed a strong inclination toward music, dedicating himself to honing his craft.

This global background naturally shaped his ability to blend traditional orchestration with modern digital tools, making him a versatile and adaptable voice in today’s evolving media landscape.

Training and Artistic Development

Li’s formal education began with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Composition with honors from the University of Melbourne. He later pursued an MFA in Music Composition for the Screen at Columbia College Chicago, where he refined his expertise in orchestration, sound design, and production.

He further enhanced his skills through specialized workshops and fellowships, including the Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive (LAFCI) and Joy Music House’s Score Production Workshop. At LAFCI, he trained as a conducting fellow and led live recording sessions at Warner Bros’ Eastwood Scoring Stage—an opportunity reserved for only a select group of composers. These experiences enhanced his sensitivity to ensemble writing as well as his proficiency with digital audio workstations such as Logic Pro, Cubase, and Pro Tools.

Composing Across Film, Television, and Interactive Media

Li’s body of work reflects his dedication to storytelling across a wide range of platforms. In television, he has contributed additional music to productions such as Yorkshire Great and Small with Dan and Helen (BBC) and Under Investigation in the UK, as well as high-profile Chinese dramas including The Story of Rose (玫瑰的故事), which premiered on CCTV-8 and Tencent Video in 2024, and White Castle (白色城堡), which aired on Hunan TV in 2023.

His contributions extend to animation and short films, where he has composed nuanced scores for projects like So You Remember To Miss Me and Shameless Geese. These works have screened at festivals including the New York Lift-Off Film Festival, Tokyo International Short Film Festival, and the Beijing Queer Short Film Festival. Notably, his score for So You Remember To Miss Me was recognized at the 2025 Rome Prisma Film Awards.

Li’s versatility also extends into interactive media, where he has composed music for titles such as Torchlight Infinite (XD Entertainment), Conqueror’s Blade: Three Kingdom Season, and Matchington Garden. His ability to merge cinematic orchestration with interactive scoring techniques allows him to enrich gameplay with emotional resonance.

Current and Ongoing Projects

In 2024, Li joined Slurme, a leading music and audio production company founded by Epson Wu. Since then, he has contributed to several major international projects. Currently, he serves as one of the lead composers for 星门 (“Stargate”), an animated adaptation of a popular Tencent sci-fi series with over 170 million views. The project, which began in May 2025, has given him a platform to contribute an expansive and cinematic score.

Alongside this, Li collaborates with Score Addiction, producing cinematic works for their global music library represented by BMG Production Music.

A Distinctive Artistic Voice

What sets Li apart is his ability to translate his diverse cultural and educational experiences into music that resonates universally. His compositions often balance Eastern and Western traditions, acoustic instrumentation with electronic synthesis, and structured storytelling with experimental textures.

More than technical mastery, Li’s work reflects a sensitivity to emotion and narrative. His professional journey demonstrates not only artistic growth but also a dedication to service: listening carefully, interpreting emotion, and supporting the stories his music accompanies.