Charmaine Lee (b. 1991) is an Australian vocalist based in New York. Using the voice, feedback, and live processing, Lee's practice is primarily concerned with risk-taking, playfulness, and improvisation. She has been recognized as “extraordinary” by New Yorker and has been featured in New York Times, Washington Post, and Wire Magazine. As a composer, Lee has been commissioned by leading institutions including the International Contemporary Ensemble, Wet Ink Ensemble, and HBO Max. Lee is an Emergent Ventures winner (2024) and was an Artist-in-Residence at ISSUE Project Room (2019) and a Van Lier Fellow at Roulette (2021). Her long-standing collaborators include Conrad Tao and Ikue Mori (MacArthur Fellow). Lee frequently guest lectures at undergraduate and graduate-level composition programs including Columbia University, Princeton University, Stanford, and the New School. Lee runs a record label & distribution platform, Kou Records, dedicated to pioneering artists in music & sound.
In conjunction with her music, Lee has worked on the operations, strategy, and development of talent programs such as Rise (Schmidt Futures) and the Asian Cultural Council. She currently serves on the Board of ISSUE Project Room and is a Vice Chair on the National Annual Giving Committee at Princeton University.
Lee completed her B.A. from Princeton University and has a Masters in Music from the New England Conservatory.