“I consider humanity’s essential gems to be humanity itself”: composer James Lee III

What is essential in our time when there is so much disruptive and uncertain in the world around us? Is it only our basic human needs like food, shelter or health care, or is it the things that seem like luxuries, but are growing increasingly important like connection, community? And is equitable access to the arts also essential to us?

Humanity’s Essential Gems, a new work by composer James Lee III, seeks to provide clarity for this question.

Admired for his “bright, pure music” (The Washington Post), with compositions described as “atmospheric and endlessly inventive” (Cincinnati Business Courier), James Lee III is the composer of more than 80 works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, piano, vocals, choral ensemble and more.

Lee’s statement is “I want to compose music to reach to the inner soul of the listener that elevates them regardless of race and religious affiliation.” His work Humanity’s Essential Gems is a chamber music piece that is inspired by the programming at the Peoples’ Symphony Concerts series.

Lee weaves a love for history and his faith into his dynamic and captivating works. Well-versed across multiple classical music genres, his catalog of over 80 works has placed him in high demand for collaborations with ensembles and organizations across the world.

Through these collaborations, Lee has maintained a theme of working with Black classical musicians including Anthony McGill, Jonathan Heyward, and Karen Slack. This, in combination with using his craft to tell powerful stories, amplifies the poignancy of his work.

Among his career honors, Lee has been recognized with a Charles Ives Scholarship and the Wladimir Lakond Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Lee’s compositions have been performed by major orchestras and solo performers across the United States as well as Europe and Latin America.

They can be heard on ten recordings including pianist Rochelle Sennet’s 2024 album Bach to Black: Suites for Piano, Vol. III (Albany Records). His works are also featured on Anthony McGill and the Pacifica Quartet’s GRAMMY Award-nominated American Stories, cellist Inbal Segev’s 20 for 2020 and the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony led by Marin Alsop.

During the 2025-2026 season, Lee will experience seven world premieres after an initial August 2025 premiere of his new work Connected Perceptions, commissioned by the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center and conductor Jonathon Heyward.

The first world premiere of the 2025-2026 season was his work Pitch In for the Colorado Children’s Chorale and the Pacifica Quartet in September. Later in September 2025, Fanfare for Universal Hope was premiered by Stéphane Denève and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. October 2025 brought the world premiere of Concerto in A/Piano Concerto No. 2 by Jeffrey Biegel and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

In March 2026, soprano Angela Brown will premiere Phenomenal Queen: Coretta Scott King with Anthony Parnther and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Later that spring in March, saxophonist Tim McAllister and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra will premiere Lee’s saxophone concerto with Tito Muñoz conducting. Finally, in May, Eric Jacobson and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra will premiere Lee’s new work The Enduring Crucible.

Some amazing details about how Lee’s work Humanity’s Essential Gems was born. One day, Lee was approached by People’s Symphony Concerts (PSC), an organization dedicated to providing high caliber classical music performances to their patrons who are on a budget. PSC was originally hoping for an arrangement of Lee’s clarinet concerto for clarinet and string quartet to celebrate their 125th season, but instead, Lee proposed a new work that highlighted the beauty of attending PSC concerts. The stories he heard from the PSC audience members included words like “essential” and “gem.” People shared that PSC provides access to music they would not usually be exposed to, which inspired Lee’s creative process when writing Humanity’s Essential Gems. In December, 2025 clarinetist Anthony McGill and the Isidore String Quartet premiered Humanity’s Essential Gems.

Lee is often asked where he sources his inspiration, and how he works through the current social and political climate. He says that as an artist, he sources his inspiration from various aspects of biblical imagery, history/historical figures, languages and different cultures. “Despite what is happening in the current social and political climate, I choose to stay motivated and compose.”

When asked what he means by ‘humanity’s essential gems’, Lee answers, “In the way I conceived the work and from what I read regarding various concert attendees’ responses regarding the programs, “humanity’s essential gems” are the concerts themselves. The concerts that are offered at a price that the public can afford are seen as essential to the cultural life of the community. In a broader sense, I consider “humanity’s essential gems” to be humanity itself. As a person of faith I know that the scriptures state that we are made in God’s image and the Lord commands us to “love our neighbor as ourself.” Therefore, considering humanity as our brother or sister informs how I/we treat and respect them. I have always felt that everyone is entitled to be respected, loved, and be in good health, regardless of ethnicity or nationality.”

Speaking about his compositional process, Lee says, “As a person of faith, I usually pray for inspiration before I start composing. During the initial process of a new piece, I plan the form and when various musical events will unfold. Then I think more about harmony and derive various melodies from those harmonies. My music also tends to have a narrative quality. When I compose a concerto for solo instrument and orchestra, the orchestra does not simply serve as an accompanist to the soloist, but an integral partner.”

When asked how the music of his faith influences his art, Lee answers, “On numerous occasions, it has been more that a biblical text has been the inspiration of my art especially earlier in my career. The music of my faith has been a part of my life more during an actual worship service and not necessarily as part of my own compositions, which tend to have a different harmonic language. It is more of the biblical imagery of books of Daniel and Revelation that inform my art when I seek to communicate certain ideas and concepts from those books into music.”

His advice to composers and artists who dream of the level of success and affirmation he has is “I would encourage young composers to continue to listen to a lot of music, especially classical art music, and become familiar with the composers and their style. As young or up-and-coming composers continue to write music and develop their own voice/style, I believe it is very important to network with many conductors and artists to obtain opportunities to have their music performed and recorded.”

He says he would like to encourage composers to as much as possible compose music on subject matters for which they are really convicted (for which they really believe in) because it is in those moments that the inner depth and beauty of their musical voice will most likely emerge.

By Gilbert Castro | ENC News