Versipel New Music – Executive Director
nF Residency Series – Founder
Batture Contemporary – Artistic Director
Versipel Collective – Percussion
Composer
Mendel Lee (he/him) (b. 1975) is a New Orleans-based composer whose career oscillates between composition and artistic entrepreneurship. Since exiting his long career as Assistant Director of Tulane Bands in 2022, Mendel spearheaded the merger of his founding organization nienteForte with Versipel New Music for which he now serves as Executive Director. Under his leadership, Versipel New Music has expanded its profile as a defining force of new music in Louisiana, including the launch of Batture Contemporary, a Louisiana-focused new music festival. Mendel is also the Board Vice President of Rhythm X where he oversees committees for their alumni relations, finance, fundraising, and overall operations.
As a composer, Mendel’s music explores both the gradual evolution of singular ideas and layered syncopated rhythmic patterns over an underlying groove. His recent music also seeks to grant more equitable agency between the roles of composer, performer, and audience to create a more collaborative experience. Recognized as a VCCA Fellow and an NPN Take Notice Fund grantee, he is committed to using his creative practice and entrepreneurial spirit to show that while not all new music is for everyone, there exists new music for everyone.