Yi-Mei Templeman is a cellist, singer-songwriter, and composer from Los Angeles. She creatively fuses genres, breathing new life into the cello in order to welcome people of all backgrounds into her thoughtful and intimate storytelling. Yi-Mei is the founding cellist of the internationally acclaimed piano trio, Trio Gaia.
Outside of her work as a classical cellist and chamber musician, Yi-Mei moonlights as a singer-songwriter under the artist moniker, “yeemz”. As “yeemz,” she writes, performs, and tours her original music, often strumming her cello like a guitar. Yeemz has performed and toured with bands like Phoebe Bridgers, Jackson Browne, Billie Marten, and American Football. Her original music has been featured on BBC Radio 1 and NPR’s “All Songs Considered”.
At its core, Yi-Mei's work functions to bring the classical and indie music worlds together, and she has collaborated with classical organizations such as Celebrity Series of Boston and A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra to create programs of original music/arrangements that are seamlessly intertwined with contemporary classical pieces.
Yi-Mei is also an avid string arranger, collaborating on original string arrangements for pop artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Madison Beer, Rachel Chinouriri, and many others. She also scores short films.
Yi-Mei earned a B.M. from the New England Conservatory in 2022 with a minor in Cultural Studies, and then became the youngest ever musician to be a part of NEC’s Professional Piano Trio Residency Program, through which she earned a G.D. and an M.M. in Chamber Music with her best friends (Trio Gaia). She studied cello with Lluis Claret, Laurence Lesser, Yeesun Kim, and Mike Block. When not playing cello (sideways or vertically), you can find Yi-Mei baking cookies for friends, reading surrealist fiction, scouring Depop for colorful vintage clothes, or climbing!
