Jolene Khor is an award-winning composer, orchestrator, arranger, conductor and pianist from Malaysia.  Known for her whimsical and fantasy-driven compositions, reminiscent of the style popularized by Studio Ghibli in Japan, Jolene blends her passion for Japanese and Chinese aesthetic with her extensive knowledge of both popular and orchestral instrumentation to create a compelling blend of East and West.  Jolene is currently composing epic orchestral fantasy and whimsical scores for HighRollers DnD, Nomnivores Games, TTRPG podcasts like The Writer's Room 7th Sea, DistalsPlace and The Storyteller Squad, and an audiobook by Lemon Mouse Press.

​

Her compositions span orchestral, chamber, and solo works, including A Dream Land of ShaYuan 莎韻的夢鄉, where she served as composer, arranger, and orchestrator, commissioned by Taiwanese composer Hung Yuean Chung. Her chamber music includes Dawn of Winter, a Euphonium, Tuba, and Piano Trio performed at the University of Northern Iowa’s Amplify Inclusivity recital, and Prince of the Forest, a string quartet performed by the Morassi String Quartet at Strings for Ukraine. In 2021, her piano work Dance of the Kitsune was featured in Tchaikovsky: 180 Seasons Later, performed at the Russian Embassy in London and the Royal College of Music. As an orchestrator and arranger, Jolene has contributed to large-scale productions such as Taiwan’s NSO Our Lives in Song concert. Alongside her writing, she is an active performer, providing keyboard accompaniment and improvisation for events like Amplify Her live music and networking sessions.

 

Jolene has conducted orchestras and chamber groups as part of her work in recording sessions. She was hired to conduct the Queen Charlotte Orchestra during the Netflix organised promotional concert at Covent Garden on the 13th of May 2023. She is also hired as a pianist to perform and record for professional singers like Sonia Elisheva, Sejel Bodereau, Kathy Muir, Ira Luzina and Andrea Dee.  Jolene is a founding member of the Composers in a Jukebox podcast where she and her colleagues discuss composition, orchestration and conducting with industry professionals like Eric Whitacre, Nicholas Hooper, Borislav Slavov, Alistair Kerley, Matt Dunkley, Christopher Tin, Morgan Kibby, Mike Ladouceur, Matthew Slater, Christina Liang, and Lindsay Jones.

 

Growing up in Penang, Malaysia, Jolene started piano lessons at the early age of 3, and honed her skills as a piano accompanist at her church at the age of 12. Her love of music led her to study composition  at Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan, and at the Royal College of Music in London. She has studied under composers Francis Shaw, Dimitri Scarlato, and Mike Ladouceur. She has recorded her music at Air Edel, Angels Studios and the Budapest recording studio.