Biography

Sophia Kunxu Dou (b. Dec 2007) is a composer who aspires to write music that shares her emotions and moves others, the same way that she is moved by music. With colorful and folksong-driven melodies, her music brings the audience on an emotional journey. Creating a sound world both beautiful and bizarre, and full of action. She is often inspired by visual art and poetry, and blends together music of different genres and cultures.

Sophia currently studies at Juilliard Pre-College with Dr. Daniel Felsenfeld. She is a winner of 2023 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, The American Prize in Composition--Orchestra, high school division 2024, The 2025 First Commission Award, and a finalist for 2023 & 2024 National Young Composers Challenge, The American Prize in Composition--Instrumental Chamber, high school division 2024 and From the Top’s Fellowship.

Sophia received commissions from Composers Now, Inc. and YouTube creators for electronic underscore. She is a member of New York Youth Symphony since 2022 and the recipient of honorable mentions from Luna Composition Lab 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. She participated in 2024 Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Composition Program  and will participate in 2025 Yellow Barn Young Artists Program. She was accepted by 2025 Young Composers Program of The Dolphins Quartet. Her new piece will be performed by and workshopped with The Dolphins. 

Besides being performed in Juilliard concerts, Sophia’s works have been recognized and performed by Grammy Award-Winning conductor David Miller with Little Orchestra Society in eight concerts, Avec Quartet at Dongnae Cultural Center Grand Theater as part of 14th Busan Maru International Music Festival, New York Youth Symphony, BUTI Young Artist Orchestra, The Parhelion Trio and Sharon Harms; received readings from Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra,  The International Contemporary Ensemble, Aizuri Quartet, Emily Levin, Coriolis Duo, etc. Recently, her works premiered at the Kennedy Center as part of the Sounds of US Festival, at National Sawdust as part of 2025 Composers Now Festival, etc. She is so honored that her piece will be performed by The Harlem Chamber Players at the event “An Evening with Tania León” in May 2025. She also aspires to be a film composer and composed electronic music for 8M subscribed YouTube-Channel. 

Aside from composition, Sophia has received awards in piano, violin, vocal, visual arts, poetry and Mathematics.