In the music industry, standing out from the rest isn't just about creating striking melodies - it's about understanding how music serves the story. Xiaoyi Ying (应孝毅) has found the balance of making sounds that amplify emotion without overwhelming the narrative. In every composition, there's a clarity of intention - a precious quality that reflects years of refinement, discipline, and self-awareness.
A Voice Formed by Observation and Emotion
Ying’s musical journey began with a quiet instinct. Growing up in Shenzhen, he was a reserved observer, drawn more to internal reflections than external noise. Music became his first language of expression - long before words could fully capture what he felt.
“For me, music wasn’t just a career choice - it was how I processed emotions and connected with people,” he shares.
This emotional connection with music is the foundation to Ying’s career. It allows him to compose, arrange and mix melodies that are not merely supportive but emotionally connective. For each and every project, he approaches it with empathy - listening deeply to what the story needs rather than what he wants to make.
A Career Built on Trust in Craft
Ying’s formal training includes degrees and certifications from top music institutions of the world, including Berklee College of Music, the University of Southern California, and University of California, Los Angeles.
However, his true learnings have come through collaboration - with directors, musicians, producers, and orchestras across China, the U.S., and Europe.
Some of the examples from his portfolio includes:
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Film Scores: All These Years, Lemon and Coffee and Many Thousands Lost
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Game Music: RPGs like AFK Journey and Infinity Nikki
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Television & Streaming: Rufu Guards and Jiu Xiao Han Ye Nuan (iQiyi productions)
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Live Broadcasts: CCTV’s Industrial Heritage Innovation Festival Gala
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Musical Theatre: I Want You and Tomorrow’s Trouble, where he worked as arranger, orchestrator, lyricist, and producer
In addition, he has contributed to numerous distinguished live productions, showcasing his versatility across composition, arrangement, and mixing engineering. He served as the composer and arranger for the 2024 Grand Gala of the Industrial Heritage Innovation and Creativity Festival. His expertise as a mixing engineer was featured in Fireward Feast, a contemporary orchestral piece composed by Yihan Chen and commissioned by the China National Centre for the Performing Arts. His scores have also been brought to life by world-renowned orchestras at premier venues including the Newman Scoring Stage at FOX Studios, performing alongside the Hollywood Studio Symphony, as well as at Warner Bros. Studios, Village Studios, and the Shanghai Shangyin Opera House with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. He also worked with the renowned Budapest Scoring Orchestra, underscoring his ability to lead high-calibre productions across global music hubs.
Ying’s impactful work and critical contributions to the aforementioned productions have not gone unnoticed. His work has garnered prestigious international recognition and awards, solidifying his reputation as a leading figure in his field. In particular, he earned Second Place in the Game Music Composition Competition at the International Digital Music Festival hosted by the Shanghai Conservatory, a global event judged by esteemed professionals in digital composition.
His winning piece, Dreamville, distinguished him in the highly competitive Professional Composer Category. Earlier accolades further underscore his excellence: he was awarded the esteemed BMI / Jerry Goldsmith Film Scoring Scholarship, one of the most respected honours for transformative musicians, and he was selected as a finalist in the Call for Scores by the European Academy of Fine Arts. In 2023, he received an Excellence Award in the Shanghai Conservatory and miHoYo’s Game Music Composition Competition, affirming his continued innovation and influence in interactive and cinematic music productions.
Together, these honours reflect a consistent record of artistic distinction and affirm his standing as a creative leader in the international music composition, arranging, and engineering community.
Ongoing and Upcoming Projects
Talking about Ying’s current projects, he continues to evolve his identity and broaden his genres through collaborations and personal projects that showcases his range of abilities to its fullest.
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Pop R&B Album with Tong Yubo
Producing and Arranging a series of singles and an EP with Chinese Pop R&B singer-songwriter Tong Yubo, blending 80s and 90s nostalgic textures with modern edge. -
Recording Engineer for Carla Patullo’s New Album
Contributed as a recording engineer and editor on a new ambient - choral album by Carla Patullo, Grammy-winning composer and artist. -
Hybrid Orchestral & Electronic Compositions
Developing personal compositions - one orchestral, the other hybrid-electronic - that blend classical arrangements with ambient and modular synthesis scheduled for release in late 2025 and early 2026.
Why His Work Resonates
Ying’s music is deeply human. Taking inspiration from artists like Ryuichi Sakamoto, who embraces restraint and subtlety as techniques for emotional storytelling. “There’s a stillness in Sakamoto’s work that feels like a quiet conversation between the listener and the world,” Ying reflects.
He often says that composing is about service, not display: “When I compose, arrange or engineer a piece, I’m not trying to show off my musical voice. I’m trying to serve the story.” This humility - paired with his skill - is precisely what makes him a trusted collaborator in a variety of formats, roles, cultures, and production settings.
More Than a Composer, Arranger and Mixing Engineer
Ying is not easily defined by genre or geography. His contributions to the music industry are not just measurable in awards and credits, but in the emotional impact his work creates. That belief in storytelling through music makes him not just a musician, but a listener and collaborator in the industry.
His work has earned the attention and drawn audiences in through layered emotion and careful craftsmanship. With his ever-growing portfolio, Ying remains determined to use music as a bridge - connecting cultures, deepening narratives, and crafting soundscapes that speak when words cannot.
You can explore more about his work from below: https://youtube.com/@xiaoyiyingmusic?si=1CmTMX6-ZjKV01up
Website of Source: https://www.xiaoyiyingmusic.com/
Source: Story.KISSPR.com
Release ID: 1604003