Jennifer Shyu, a multitalented American composer, vocalist and instrumentalist who was recently featured in a New York Times profile, never imagined that she would some day work with Indonesia’s most celebrated film director Garin Nugroho. But brilliant minds mutually attract, as the cliché has it. 

After watching Garin’s Opera Jawa before she came to Indonesia, Jen says that she immediately decided she needed to meet the man behind a film that could “magically mix tradition with modernity without losing any integrity.”

After arriving in Indonesia in September 2011 under a US Fulbright Student Research scholarship, Jen finally met the brilliant director of such acclaimed films as Daun di Atas Bantal and this year’s Guru Bangsa Tjokroaminoto in Yogyakarta in December. After a series of meetings and e-mail exchanges, Jen finally dared to ask him if he would direct one of her works. “Garin replied, ‘I have watched all of your videos and listened to all of your music. I would be very happy if we worked together,’” Jen told AMINEF in an e-mail interview recently.

Jen and Garin debuted “Solo Rites: Seven Breaths” in May 2014 at the prestigious Roulette Intermedium in New York City. Jen has been travelling across the US for performances of the solo piece. Recently, “Solo Rites” was staged to critical acclaim at the Ringling International Arts Festival in Sarasota, Florida (reviewed athttp://www.yourobserver.com/article/music-review-ringling-international-arts-festival )

The piece is based on Jen’s experience during her musical and cultural pilgrimage to Taiwan, Timor Leste, Vietnam, and South Korea. It incorporates her reflections on her journey in Indonesia, where she studied Javanese vocal music and dance as a Fulbrightscholar at the Indonesian Institute of Arts (ISI) in Surakarta, Central Java. “Solo Rites” involves singing in multiple languages including Indonesian, Javanese, indigenous Taiwanese languages, Tetum and Korean.

The piece challenges audiences to learn about social and cultural issues in the various societies and cultures incorporated in it. “Why are there problems between Chinese and Taiwanese, East Timorese and Indonesians? You have to dive into each other’s culture and history … and what would manifest from that is a greater understanding and appreciation,” Jen said in a video interview at her official website. In the video, Garin, who is obviously a fan of Jen’s work, praised the singer’s works as strong and beautiful. Many people have come to love her and her work. “Working with Jen is like working with traditional people,” said Garin, commending her ability to quickly adapt in different cultures.

Besides “Solo Rites: Seven Breaths,” Jen said she was working on a new project with Garin titled “Song of Silver Geese.” It will premiere in March 2016, at Roulette Intermedium, New York. The singer also told AMINEF that she planned to bring “Solo Rites: Seven Breaths” to Indonesia.

“Yes! I am working on it. Stay tuned on my website www.jenshyu.com and my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jenshyumusic,” said the artist, who recently issued a new CD album, “Jen Shyu & Jade Tongue: Sounds and Cries of the World” (seehttp://www.jenshyu.com/jenshyucds.html).

Photo credit: http://www.jenshyu.com