Biography

Teresa (Naphatraphee) Um, an award-winning jazz composer, arranger, and guitarist from Bangkok, Thailand, 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 compositions have been recognized internationally. Her original work for classical string quartet and jazz trio, "Wheel of Chronicles," received the David Baker Prize as the winner of the prestigious 2025 Bridges Composition Competition at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute. Her arrangement of Wayne Shorter’s “Aung San Suu Kyi” earned a 2025 DownBeat Student Music Award for Outstanding Graduate Big Band Arrangement. Additionally, her big band original, “Phonophobia,” won the 2025 IAWM Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble Prize and was selected to be part of the 7-times Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band’s Lab 2025 album. 

Initially recognized as a dedicated jazz guitarist, 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, a semi-finalist in the 2018 Thailand Jazz Competition, and a finalist in the Overdrive Acoustic Guitar Contest 3. She is also a recipient of the Mahidol University Merit Scholarship.

She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Jazz Composition and Arranging at the University of North Texas under the mentorship of Professor Richard DeRosa, where she is a recipient of the Composition and Arranging Student Scholarship. Teresa continues to build on her impressive background as she develops her unique voice as a composer and arranger.