Esther Dong

Composer | Arranger | Erhu Player | Sound Artist

Esther Dong is a half-Chinese, half-Korean jazz composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and sound artist. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, with a major in Jazz Composition and a minor in Creative Coding, where she also studied jazz Erhu performance under Grammy-nominated jazz violinist Sara Caswell. She has performed with Grammy-winning musicians including Edward Perez, Mike Block, and Wu Man. Her playing has been recognized by Marcus Printup, trumpeter for Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

She has performed at numerous high-profile events, including the Harvard CAMLab Resonance of Rivers concert, the 2024 Harvard Ivy League Spring Festival Gala, and as a guest artist at the CRLS Multicultural Night and AAPI Heritage Month Assembly. Her performance experience spans renowned venues such as the Boston House of Blues, Berklee Performance Center, Boston Symphony Hall (BSO), and Jordan Hall. She is a recipient of multiple awards, including recognition from the Singapore International Erhu Competition and a Gold Prize at the 12th Hong Kong International Youth Performing Arts Festival. She has also received several scholarships, including the 29th SeolBong Scholarship, the 2024 Youngnak Scholarship, and the 2024 Inland Church Scholarship. She was invited by composer, educator, and founder of the New Praise Festivals, Dr. Praise Kim, for a solo performance tour across multiple cities in Korea, beginning with a featured appearance at the Seoul Kwanglim Arts Center BBCH Hall.

She encourages human creativity by exploring new possibilities in sound. She enjoys live coding for music and visual arts.

In her free time, she enjoys running, cycling, surfing(riding the real waves), reading, and journaling.