Biography

Teresa (Naphatraphee) Um, an award-winning jazz composer, arranger, and guitarist, is passionate about traditional large ensemble composing and arranging. While rooted in tradition, her music continually expands her artistic abilities by exploring new sounds beyond the conventional.

Her work has garnered significant international recognition. Most recently, Teresa was selected as the winner of the 2026 ISJAC Fundamental Freedoms Commission, a prestigious honor presented by the International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers. Additionally, her piece for classical string quartet and jazz quartet, "Wheel of Chronicles," was awarded the David Baker Prize at the 2025 Bridges Composition Competition (Ravinia Steans Music Institute). In the same year, her big band composition "Phonophobia" won the IAWM Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble Prize and was featured on the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band’s album, Lab 2025. She also received a 2025 DownBeat Student Music Award for her arrangement of Wayne Shorter’s “Aung San Suu Kyi.”

Initially recognized as a dedicated jazz guitarist in Thailand, Teresa earned her Bachelor’s degree from Mahidol University on a Merit Scholarship. During this time, she won first place in the solo division of the 2023 Thailand International Jazz Conference (TIJC), where she was also a finalist in the band competition. Her other accolades include being a finalist in TIJC Solo Competitions in 2020 and 2018, a finalist in the Singapore International Jazz Battle's Solo Division in 2018, and a finalist in the Overdrive Acoustic Guitar Contest 3.

She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Jazz Composition and Arranging at the University of North Texas, where she studies under the mentorship of Professor Richard DeRosa. As a recipient of the Composition and Arranging Student Scholarship, she continues to refine her unique voice as a composer.