Since 2020, the Composers Society of Singapore (CSS) has been releasing a monthly series for our Musings section, Composer of the Month! The Composer of the Month for June-July 2025 is XIAO Wen.
Xiao Wen is an up-and-coming young composer currently studying at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. She has worked with performers like Martin Jaggi, Carolin Ralser, Duo Tarenna, b-l duo, OpusNovus, Trio Immersio and Tacet(i) Ensemble. She has participated in festivals and academies, including the Sounds of Now Vienna Contemporary Music Festival 2024 and the International Composition Institute of Thailand 2024.
How would you describe your compositional style or voice? Has it changed since you started studying Composition at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YSTCM)?
My compositional voice has definitely changed since I started studying Composition at YSTCM! Growing up, I played the piano and the electone and performed mainly classical music, but I was also exposed to jazz, funk and fusion styles. I also wrote Mandopop songs in secondary school. Hence, some of my early compositions were largely focused on motivic development, shaped by my past musical experiences. Now, I am more interested in exploring different types of sounds and curating an experience for the listener.
In mind(ful), written in 2024 for piano and keyboard, I explored putting contrasting ideas and sounds against each other. The piece is based on my personal reflection on the mindfulness phenomenon, where corporations, in an effort to encourage others to become more mindful and zen, cause us to be even more overwhelmed with information that clouds our minds. I used calm, gong-like sounds that are often used in meditative contexts to curate a tranquil sound world, which slowly built up into a large explosion of clusters and chaotic sounds that conveys the overwhelming sensation in our minds. Instrumentation-wise, there were live string piano techniques that were integrated with processed prepared piano samples on Ableton Live, creating a dichotomy of sounds that complement the character of the piece. As compared to what I wrote in the past, this piece was meaningful to me because it had a strong character, which I conveyed to the audience using different techniques. When this piece premiered in March this year during Sounding Now at YST’s Chamber Music Week, I was satisfied with the results, and am keen on experimenting with more juxtaposing sounds in my future works.
Who are your biggest musical influences—composers, artists, or even non-musicians?
This is hard to say because every piece of music I listen to influences me in different ways. Currently, Helmut Lachenmann and Rebecca Saunders inspire me with the way they deeply engage with instrumental material and sculpt musical gestures that evolve through time, space, and physical presence.
I am also inspired by visual art – when I was composing games! (2025) for percussion ensemble, I was introduced to a book called Pedagogical Sketchbook by Paul Klee. Although it is a book about visual art, its concepts about proportion, motion and depth in space felt familiar to me and helped me think about my music in its various attributes of pitch content, contour, rhythm, articulation and dynamics, even though it was indeterminate. In games! where I used graphic notation, the concepts of flow and complementary lines were particularly important because I encourage the performers to choose different tempos and instruments while still playing from the same score.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned as a composition student at YSTCM so far?
My professor once said (paraphrased): “The great thing about music – nobody gets hurt.” As a composition student, I have been challenged and pushed out of my comfort zone to write something new or create music through new restrictions. Each piece has stretched me and enabled me to gain new confidence in venturing into unknown territories. Whether it was writing indeterminate music or musique concrète instrumentale, I have learnt to not be afraid and keep trying new things. I want to continue exploring new possibilities and uncover different parts of myself in the process of creation.
Do you have any upcoming projects/works that we can look forward to?
At the time of writing, I will be composing a work for solo violin during the Darmstadt Summer Course under the guidance of Rebecca Saunders and Sarah Saviet. I am looking forward to working with these two wonderful teachers and collaborating with participants of the Violin studio during this workshop. I will also be heading to Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, for an exchange semester this August. I look forward to discovering what new sounds and ideas will emerge as I immerse myself in this new environment.
