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S’yo Yen is a Taiwanese-Dutch pianist, composer, and arranger whose work bridges the poetic and emotional landscapes of contemporary jazz and modern classical music. His compositions are known for their open and intuitive structures, blending improvisation and form to explore the relationships between sound and narrative, music and poetry, the individual and the collective.
Since 2023, S’yo has been teaching jazz composition at Codarts University of the Arts in the Netherlands, where he is also a key member of the interfaculty composition platform. His work extends beyond the classroom into interdisciplinary curation and artistic collaboration. Recent initiatives include projects with the International Poetry Festival Rotterdam, Ricciotti Ensemble, and the Netherlands Student Jazz Orchestra (NSJO). He has also curated a series of masterclasses and public lectures focused on composition and improvisation, featuring contemporary artists such as Anna Webber, Nubim, and Tomoko Mukaiyama. He also serves as a board member of the Chou Meng-Tieh Poetry Foundation, which promotes the legacy of the renowned Taiwanese poet through cross-disciplinary projects. S’yo’s artistic practice often draws on the quiet depth of poetry to shape resonant musical experiences. As an arranger, S’yo has collaborated with musicians including Tijn Wybenga, Reinier Baas, Theo Bleckmann, Alex Sipiagin, and the Metropole Orchestra. As a composer, he has received the 56th DownBeat Student Music Award in composition and two SONIC Awards from the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers (ISJAC) in 2019 and 2022. His artistic voice is grounded in expressive clarity and emotional honesty, offering a musical language that resonates across cultural and aesthetic boundaries. S’yo lives and works between Rotterdam and Taiwan, continuously engaging with questions of transformation, hybridity, and resonance across East and West. |
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Education
National Taiwan Normal University (Classical Piano, BA ) Koninklijke Conservatorium Den Haag (Jazz Piano, BA) Conservatorium van Amsterdam (Jazz Arrangement, BA) Codarts Conservatorium Rotterdam ( Jazz Piano & Composition, MA) Press 2021 "Vangt en bevrijdt emoties in geluiden en poëzie” De Volkskrant 2019 “The music that creates the future of jazz” ISJAC 2019 4 stars “An intriguing album” Jazzism Magazine 2017 “Lonely Country” is a great epic“ Jazzflits Magazine Awards & Nominations 2023 - Golden. Indie Music Award Best Jazz Album (Taiwan) 2023 - Nominated for Best Album & Best Producer at Golden Melody Award (Taiwanese Grammy) 2022 - SONIC Awards by ISJAC (International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers, U.S) 2022 - 56th DownBeat Composition Music Award 2020 - Nomination for PAD Prize_the best music for dance. (Spain) 2019 - Sonic Awards by ISJAC 2019 - Finalist of Jazz Junior Poland 2017 - Nomination for Keep an Eye The Record (NL) 2014 - Nomination for Graz Comp (AU) Training 2022 Music - ISJAC symposium - U.S. 2021 Music - I solistic Composer Lab with Martijn Padding - I Solisti, BE 2020 Music&Dance - Multidisciplinary Improvisation - Cloud Gate - Taiwan 2020 Dance - Body Detour NDT - Nederlands Dans Theater in Taiwan 2019 Mime - Neutral Mask - MAPA, NL 2019 Music - ISJAC symposium - U.S. 2018 Music - International Jazz Platform, Poland 2016 Mime - Dutch Moving Academy for Performing Art, NL 2017 Music - Metropole Orkest Arranger Workshop, NL 2017 Music - Dutch Impro. Academy, NL 2015 Music - Copenhagen Jazz Composition Comp, DM |
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