Pianist • Composer • Vocalist
About
Katja Ji began composing before she knew the word for it. As a child, she would hear a melody once and reshape it at the piano, reharmonizing songs instinctively, searching for different emotional colors. Music felt natural. Choosing it as a profession took longer.In Korea, she worked in musical theatre and recorded piano for television commercials to save money to study abroad. She later moved to the Netherlands to study jazz at the Amsterdam Conservatory. During her years there, she supported herself through performance and became involved in various international projects, playing concerts and festivals across Europe.Her musical language is rooted in jazz and shaped by modern classical lyricism and harmony. Rather than directly quoting Korean traditional music, she carries its sensibility in phrasing and space. Improvisation remains central to her work.After stepping away from the stage during Covid and the arrival of her family, she began reassessing her artistic direction. Now based in Chicago, she performs in a trio and develops a songwriting project that revives pieces she wrote long before studying jazz, while exploring new textures with analog synthesizers.
coming soon!
songs
Original voice-led works exploring harmony through structured song forms.
Trio
'Entropy' - Katja Ji Trio
Katja Ji @Cafe Mustache, Chicago March 5 2026 7pmKatja Ji Trio @Whistler, Chicago March 11 2026 9pmKatja Ji Trio @Fulton Street Collective, Chicago April 8 2026 7:30pm