Muse Lee 이비
writer & composer
NEW EP COMING SOON
CREATOR of online sensation aristos: the musical
& OTHER ASSORTED PROJECTS
ABOUT ME
Muse Lee / 이비 (I Bi) is a Korean-Chinese artist based in Los Angeles, California.
Muse’s writing, theatre, and nerd pursuits collided when he (accidentally) created ARISTOS: the Musical, a queer Iliad adaptation that has gone global despite his best efforts to become a monk. For his work with ARISTOS, Muse was appointed a 2021-22 Harvard University Center for Hellenic Studies Visiting Artist.
He cherishes his experiences teaching the arts in schools, prison, and juvenile hall, as well as his plethora of concerning stories from his many weird jobs. (Don’t ask about the cat incident.)
Most recently, Bi was seen playing Friar Laurence in More Life Theatre Group’s Romeo & Juliet, and presenting his paper “Strange New World That’s a-Comin’ Along: Bob Dylan, Star Trek, and the Final Frontier” at the World of Bob Dylan 2025 Conference. He is a begrudging recipient of a BA in English from Stanford University.
He apologizes for the bathroom selfie, but the walls were a cool color and he quite likes the jacket.
LATEST Projects
THE GOSPEL OF ORPHEUS
A Novella
The roar of a distant train. A landscape traced in black ink. Hands gripped tight and not letting go.
In this queer speculative fiction Western, California wildfires have grown so devastating that a deadly pipeline has emerged from the state’s overstuffed prisons to its beleaguered and exploited fire crews. Inmate firefighting is noble work, according to those in power–an act of reparation and a path to redemption. But there are those who see through the narrative and dare to tell a different story.
Follow the journey of Jin, an inmate who ventures into the burning mountains carrying a notebook, a memory, and a secret hope he won’t let die.
Commissioned, developed, and exhibited by More Más Marami Arts and Soundplay Media (2021)
THE THREE ORPHANS
A Play Trilogy
In the depths of a long-abandoned lunar mine, a resistance blooms in darkness.
During a funeral expedition to the surface of colonized moon Mugung-am, Mugung resistance fighter Baram saves occupying Yuri soldier Aro and spirits him underground, where the record-keepers protect their stories and bide their time. Little does Baram know that they are initiating an alliance that will intertwine two revolutions, three worlds, and persecuted peoples throughout the galaxy.
Over dustpans of rainwater and platters of kimchi, The Three Orphans weaves the ancestral threads of Korean geopolitical history into a mythic science fiction epic.
Developed by Pothos Arts and Theater House (2022)
Reading at East West Players’ David Henry Hwang Theater (2023)
ARISTOS
The Musical
”the new worldwide musical sensation” –The Pear Theatre
In the tenth year of the bloody Trojan War, legendary hero Achilles deserts–saving himself from a deadly prophecy, but leaving his comrades to certain doom. Anguished by Achilles’ choice, watching his friends fight and die, his lifelong companion Patroclus seeks out an unlikely advisor. And, on the eve of a devastating battle, Patroclus makes a reckless, brilliant decision that changes the lives of both his loved ones and his reluctant allies, turning the tide of the war for good.
Sung through a tender pop/rock score with classical sensibilities, Aristos is a love story, a sharp reimagining of a classic, and an ode to the transformations that occur through a relationship and a lifetime.
Developed at HaoExpression Studio (2020 production cancelled)
Featured by California Junior Classical League (2019), California Classical Association (2021), National Junior Classical League (2021), and Harvard University Center for Hellenic Studies (2022)
Staged reading at The Pear Theatre (2023)
Quarantine demo album on all streaming platforms (2023)
Full libretto available to purchase internationally (2024)
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In the news:
WHALE FALL
An EP
A folk EP about mundane and mythic reincarnations, whether that’s gender transition, leaving your hometown (again), or dutifully reenacting your friends-to-enemies arc in every universe.
Produced by Pete White.
Stream:
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Muse Lee 이비 