Deanna H. Choi is a Korean-Canadian composer and sound designer based in Toronto/T’karonto. She composes original music for film, TV, dance, and multimedia, and has scored the television espionage thriller series GRAY (starring Patricia Clarkson), the feature sci-fi comedy RELAX, I’M FROM THE FUTURE (starring Rhys Darby), and numerous nature documentaries. She creates sonic landscapes and designs sound systems for live theatre, dance, concerts, and installations, and has collaborated on over 100 productions across Canada and the U.S. on stages including the Kennedy Center, Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Mirvish Productions, Soulpepper, and many others. She is equally at home in intimate black box studios pioneering experimental new work and in 1000-seat houses showcasing dazzling spectacles. She has been featured in conversation twice in the journal Canadian Theatre Review, and is the recipient of the Pauline McGibbon Award for Theatrical Design. Deanna has served on numerous artist residencies including with the Canadian Film Centre’s Slaight Music Residency, fu-GEN Theatre, and the Banff Centre. Deanna, along with her artistic partner Maddie Bautista, won 2 Dora Mavor Moore Awards for their cabaret show LOVE YOU WRONG TIME, which will tour across Canada in the spring of 2024.

Fortuitously named after a Star Trek character, Deanna was initially drawn towards a career in the sciences rather than music. She pursued a degree in behavioural neuroscience with a theatre minor at Queen’s University, trading her white lab coat during the day for stage blacks at night. Her findings were published in peer-reviewed journals such as Frontiers in Psychology and Neuroplasticity, and her TEDxTalk on music’s effects on the brain has been viewed over 300K times. The study of human perception and behaviour continues to inform her artistic practice, to develop a deeper understanding of storytelling and a relationship with the audience. Her audio company, SPLIT BRAIN SOUND, is named as an ode to the dual conscious and unconscious functions of the brain. 

Also a classically-trained violinist, having performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player across Canada, Deanna highlights strings and orchestral textures in her work. Her influences range from Beethoven-era string quartets to the experimental likes of Mica Levi, Kronos Quartet, and Caroline Shaw. She won the gold medal in violin performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music and toured twice with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

Deanna is committed to teaching sound design, in particular advocating for gender minorities and racialized individuals. She teaches at the National Theatre School of Canada and actively mentors students and apprentices. She is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada (IATSE ADC 659), the Society of Composers and Lyricists, the Screen Composers Guild of Canada, the Canadian Federation of Musicians, and the Association of Sound Design and Production (UK).

In her spare time, Deanna loves running, reading, backcountry camping, and swing dancing.