Biographical Sketch

Ssu-Yu began her study of composition in 1987, while she attended the Tainan Woman’s College of Arts and Technology majoring in electronic organ and piano. In 1996 she graduated from the Chinese Culture University in Taipei with a Bachelor of Music degree in composition. She studied composition and piano at the University of Melbourne, Australia in 1997. In 2007, she studied with Dr. Geoffrey Gibbs while working towards her Master of Composition degree at University of Rhode Island. Since 1993 she has composed over 60 original pieces and arranged over 100 pieces, the majority of which were commissioned work. The Asian Composers League has selected Ssu-Yu’s work for performance in their annual festivals, including the ones in 1996 (Taipei, Taiwan), 1997 (Manila, Philippines), and 2000 (Yokohama, Japan). In addition to composition Ssu-Yu has authored eight books, including “The Best of Chinese Music History” (in Chinese), “The Best of Western Music History” (in Chinese), and “Aural Exercise”. Besides routinely being performed in Taiwan Ssu-Yu’s works have been performed by internationally renounced musicians and orchestras in Argentina, China, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, United States, and Venezuela. 

Reviews

  • "Ssu-Yu Huang advances her music idea through colors generated by instrumentation, creating a dramatic feeling of presence in the actual scenes… Ssu-Yu Huang’s composition has a coherent, succinct, and efficient style… The most exciting is the effective use of percussions. No matter they are drums, cymbals, or wood blocks, the insertions are always surprising but just right; they are not for pleasing the audience, created not just for the sake of creation; their appearance fits tightly with what the music demands.” from the critics on "Red Cliffs" by Yun-Lin Chen, writer and radio hostess, Taiwan, 2007.
  • "Her works rotating conversion into the smart timbre go hand-in-hand with the performers’ harsh demand. The Pentatonic scales musical elements carry the lament-like melancholy… " Nagaki Seiji, Music Critic of Japanese newspaper Asahi, 2000 .
  • " …  a young composer to be so talented and popular. Her intelligent and talented works have come out one after another. Like many other great composers, she always completes every music work at astonishing promptness … " Kazuhito Yamashita, Japanese classical guitarist, 1999.
  • "I have been astonish by her dynamic guitar solo works and diverse thoughts and sentiments, especially her trio works for guitar, violin and double-bass featured promptness and vitality … " Keiko Fujiie, Japanese composer, 1999.
Chronology

1987-2009