Jen Shyu

Jen Shyu Biography

Born in Peoria, Illinois, from Ana Lay of East Timor and Shyu, Tsu-pin of Taiwan, Jen Shyu began ballet training with the Peoria Ballet Company (PBC) at age 6, piano at 7 from Lew Brandes followed by Roger Shields (student of Soulima Stravinsky, Igor Stravinsky's son), and violin at 8 from Ruth Livingston followed by Mihai Craioveanu. Her early accomplishments include dancing the role of Clara and other roles "en pointe" with the PBC; serving as concertmaster of the Central Illinois Concert Orchestra at age 10; performing as piano soloist Tschaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, 3rd movement with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra at age 13; placing 6th at age 9 and later in the Finals at age 15 at the Stravinsky International Piano Competition, playing piano solo works by Bach, Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Chopin; being the youngest student at Yale University’s Summer Drama Program at 16; serving as Illinois' Junior Miss her senior year of high school and winning the Miss America Talent Scholarship at America's Junior Miss with piano. With classical dance and instrumental training in her system, Jen began singing at age 12 when, at her mother's suggestion, she auditioned for her local theater company's production of the musical Cinderella. From that point, she developed a love for the stage, further fed by her role as Diana Morales in her local theater company’s production of A Chorus Line at age 16. It was musical theater repertoire which introduced her to the music of composers George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerry Herman, Jerome Kern, and Stephen Sondheim, all of whom led her to discover the great interpreters of their songs - Billie Holliday, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Betty Carter, and then to presently playing along with and studying solos of Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Von Freeman, Woody Shaw, Booker Little, John Coltrane, Nat King Cole, Stuff Smith, and countless others. In high school, Jen began classical vocal training under Dr. Kerry Walters. During the summer of her junior year of high school, Jen was a soloist with the U.S. Collegiate Choir on a three-week European tour at 17, singing in venues in Holland, France, Italy, England, and Germany. With initial intentions of studying drama, she attended Stanford University and received a B.A. in Vocal Performance under Jennifer Lane. Piano and dance teachers there included pianist Thomas Schultz and dancers Robert Moses (jazz/modern), Tony Kramer (contact improvisation), and Susan Cashion (Latin American dance). She studied Psychoacoustics at Oxford University, England during her junior year through the Stanford-at-Oxford program. During her eight months overseas, she performed in London and at the Bath Abbey with the professional choir, Joyful Company of Singers, and with the Arcadian Singers and Merton and Queens College Chapel Choirs of Oxford. She also studied opera and art song with Nick Clapton of the Royal Academy of Music, Philip Cave of the Tallis Scholars, Vera Rosza, and Mitsuko Shirai, Hartmut Höll, and Barbara Ann Martin at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. En route toward a classical singing career, she studied at the Lake Placid Institute with Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Susan Webb, Ian Partridge, John Wustman, and Myron MacPherson immediately after graduating. She had sung some jazz with a quartet at Café Nights on Stanford campus, but studying at the Stanford Jazz workshop that same summer under Madeline Eastman and Mark Murphy convinced her to explore her voice in improvized music before jumping into opera conservatory training. There she met Dafnis Prieto, Yosvany and Yunior Terry who inspired her to study music and dance in Cuba. During her three years in San Francisco, Jen worked as a Producer at Thick Description, an alternative theater company led by Tony Kelly, and was Development Director at Other Minds, Inc., a contemporary music organization which produces San Francisco's only international new music festival. She met Francis Wong in October of 2000, an important community leader and mentor to many artists. She credits him with steering her toward doing creative work based on her culture and ancestry. In April 2001, Jen traveled to Cuba through Plazacuba.com where she studied folkloric and salsa dance, singing, percussion, and piano from Andres Alen at La Escuela Nacional de Arte. Her experience there has led to her integration of Asian and African elements in her research and work. Jen also worked extensively with Francis Wong's Gathering of Ancestors and music and dance ensemble Red Jade comprising John-Carlos Perea, Melody Takata and co-directors Jimmy Biala and Lenora Lee. She was also a member of Jimmy Biala's Latin jazz ensemble Con Alma and performed with them at the San Jose Jazz Festival August 2002. Jen also performed at the Asian American Jazz Festival and Soko Arts Festival. Also while living in the Bay Area, she worked with pianists Jon Jang, Art Hirahara, rapper AK Black, and sang on the albums of alto saxophonists Doug Yokoyama and Lewis Jordan. Through Asian Improv aRts. Jen was also awarded a California Arts Council Next Generation grant along with poet Matthew Shenoda and dancer Sevenju Pepper. In December of 2003, Jen began studying improvisation and musical concepts with Steve Coleman which eventually led to her singing on his album Lucidarium (Label Bleu, 2004). Since singing and playing violin with him at the Marciac Jazz Festival in August 2003, Jen has moved to New York and is currently singing with Steve Coleman and Five Elements as well as developing her own music and research ranging from Taiwanese music to taking trips to Chicago to sing with Von Freeman at the New Apartment Lounge to following Dianne McIntyre's footsteps in solidifying the connection between musicians and dancers. Jen also sang and performed in Sekou Sundiata's 51st (Dream) State which was previewed at Aaron Davis Hall, NYC, in January '06. With grants from Bronx Council on the Arts, Asian Cultural Council, and a commission from Roulette Space/Jerome Foundation in 2008 for a new work for voice, dance, and string ensemble, she produced her newest record, Jade Tongue (Chiuyen Music 2008) and was just awarded a MacDowell Fellowship for 2009./www.jenshyu.com