Jen Shyu (“Shyu” pronounced “Shoe” in English, Chinese name: 徐秋雁, Pinyin: Xúqiūyàn) is a groundbreaking, multilingual vocalist, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, 2019 Guggenheim Fellow, 2019 United States Artists Fellow, 2016 Doris Duke Artist, and was voted 2017 Downbeat Critics Poll Rising Star Female Vocalist. Born in Peoria, Illinois, to Taiwanese and East Timorese immigrant parents, her current instruments in performance include piano, violin, Taiwanese moon lute (2 strings), Chinese er hu (2 strings), Japanese biwa (4 strings), Korean gayageum (12 strings), Korean soribuk (drum), and Korean gong “ggwaenggwari.” She’s performed with or sung the music of such musical innovators as Sumi Tonooka, Nicole Mitchell, Val Jeanty, Ikue Mori, Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Abigail Washburn, Martha Redbone, Linda May Han Oh, Anthony Braxton, Wadada Leo Smith, Mark Dresser, Francis Wong, Jon Jang, Vijay Iyer, Tyshawn Sorey, Kenny Barron, Reggie Workman, Bill Frisell, and Immanuel Wilkins. Shyu has performed her own music on prestigious world stages such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rubin Museum of Art, Ojai Festival, Ringling International Arts Festival, Asia Society, and at festivals worldwide.
A Stanford University graduate in opera with classical piano, violin and ballet training, she speaks 10 languages and has studied traditional music and dance in Cuba, Taiwan, Brazil, China, South Korea, East Timor and Indonesia, conducting extensive research which culminated in her 2014 stage production Solo Rites: Seven Breaths, directed by renowned Indonesian filmmaker Garin Nugroho. Shyu has won commissions and support from NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, MAP Fund, US-Japan Creative Artists Fellowship from Japan-US Friendship Commission and National Endowment for the Arts, and more.
Shyu has produced eight albums and a single as a leader, including the first female-led and vocalist-led album Pi Recordings has released, Synastry (2011), with co-bandleader and bassist Mark Dresser. Her critically acclaimed Sounds and Cries of the World (2015) landed on many best-of-2015 lists, including those of The New York Times, The Nation, and NPR. Her critically acclaimed album Song of Silver Geese (2017) was also included on The New York Times’ Best Albums of 2017. “When I Have Power” from her latest album Zero Grasses: Ritual for the Losses, landed on Nate Chinen’s “Best Songs of 2021” list for NPR. All her albums are available on her label, Autumn Geese Records.
Even with the acclaim she has received for her recordings, Shyu is just as renowned for her dynamic performances. The New York Times wrote that her concerts are “the most arresting performances I’ve seen over the past five years. It’s not just the meticulous preparation of the work and the range of its reference, but its flexibility: She seems open, instinctual, almost fearless.”
Currently based in Brooklyn, Shyu is a Paul Simon Music Fellows Guest Artist and is co-founder with Sara Serpa of M³ (Mutual Mentorship for Musicians), a radical model of mentorship for women, non-binary, and underrepresented composer-performers around the world. She premiered her last solo work Nine Doors in 2017, kicking off a 50-state U.S. tour. She’s currently touring her third solo production Zero Grasses also commissioned by John Zorn. Jen is a renowned educator and a Steinway Artist and sits on the Doris Duke Artist Community Advisory Council as well as Roulette’s Advisory Board.
