Zihua Tan is a Malaysian-born, Canadian-based composer whose works have been performed in Asia, Europe and North America, at events such as Ferienkurse für Neue Musik Darmstadt (DE), Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik (DE), Voix nouvelles de Royaumont (FR), the Tongyeong International Music Festival, TIMF (KR), Akademie Schloss Solitude (DE), Inaudita Festival (IT), Neue Musik Nacht, HfMudK Frankfurt (DE), Neue Horizonte at Sinfonieorchester Basel (CH), Accès Arkea (CA), Studio musikFabrik Project (MY, SG and TH), ACL Festival (JP), and Kuala Lumpur Contemporary Music Festival (MY). Some of the ensembles he has worked with include Ensemble Mosaik, Ensemble Recherche, Ensemble TIMF, Ensemble SurPlus, Studio musikFabrik, Ensemble L’Arsenale, Divertimento Ensemble, Internationale Ensemble Modern Akademie, Ensemble Horizonte, Ensemble BlauerReiter, Ensemble Wapiti, Ensemble Schallfeld, Ensemble Arkea, Ensemble Phorminx, Contempoartensemble, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble. He has also worked with conductors such as Enno Poppe, Peter Veale, Kah-Chung Wong, Erich Wagner, Sandro Gorli, Dina Gilbert, Cristian Gort and Kevin Field. In 2018-19, he was the Styria Artist-in-Residence in Graz, where he realized a bipartite performative installation titled no names but thingless names.
Tan has won a number of awards, among which are the Toru Takemitsu Composition Award (JP), the Goethe Award (KR), and the first prize at Concours Accès Arkea (CA). His music has been released by Mode Records as well as featured at the Mauricio Kagel Composition Competition (AT), Radio Helsinki (AT), and Westdeutscher Rundfunk 3 (DE). His analytical article has been published by Circuit, musiques contemporaines.
Tan began exploring theatrical, situational and spatial elements in Silent Spring for six percussions—written as part of the residency program at McGill University—and remnants present, a solo percussion piece written for Noam Bierstone. Thanks to an award from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), he collaborated with Karen Yu (percussionist) and Kenny Wong (kinetic sculpture artist) on an interdisciplinary project, the breathing canvas, which is a performative installation that features a newly-designed instrument with electromechanical parts. The project has been staged at different events, among which are 'Struck/ture' at Eastern Bloc (CA), 'Transplanted Roots - Percussion Research Symposium' at Queensland Conservatorium (AU), and the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Tan has also been involved in other collaborative projects, including with the butoh dancer, Lee Swee Keong, and the dance studio of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Over the years, he has been researching on the sonic possibilities of non-Western and unconventional instruments.
Tan received his Doctor of Music in Composition degree from McGill University, where he also worked as a lecturer. Among the composers from whom he has taken lessons include John Rea, Philippe Leroux, Chaya Czernowin, Johannes Schöllhorn, Vinko Globokar, Mark Andre, Brian Ferneyhough, Tristan Murail, Stefano Gervasoni, Rebecca Saunders and Francesco Filidei. Prior to becoming a composer, he worked as a semiconductor design engineer. He holds an engineering degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is one of the founding members and the secretary of the Society of Malaysian Contemporary Composers (SMCC). Together with his colleagues, he is active in organizing contemporary music events in Malaysia and the Southeast Asia region.
Tan is perpetually intrigued by the impermanent and non-dualistic nature of being, as well as the strength of fragility. He is currently preoccupied with the concept of 'composing the performance,' in which the performance experience in toto is considered to conjure up a state of artistic immersion.
Tan has won a number of awards, among which are the Toru Takemitsu Composition Award (JP), the Goethe Award (KR), and the first prize at Concours Accès Arkea (CA). His music has been released by Mode Records as well as featured at the Mauricio Kagel Composition Competition (AT), Radio Helsinki (AT), and Westdeutscher Rundfunk 3 (DE). His analytical article has been published by Circuit, musiques contemporaines.
Tan began exploring theatrical, situational and spatial elements in Silent Spring for six percussions—written as part of the residency program at McGill University—and remnants present, a solo percussion piece written for Noam Bierstone. Thanks to an award from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), he collaborated with Karen Yu (percussionist) and Kenny Wong (kinetic sculpture artist) on an interdisciplinary project, the breathing canvas, which is a performative installation that features a newly-designed instrument with electromechanical parts. The project has been staged at different events, among which are 'Struck/ture' at Eastern Bloc (CA), 'Transplanted Roots - Percussion Research Symposium' at Queensland Conservatorium (AU), and the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Tan has also been involved in other collaborative projects, including with the butoh dancer, Lee Swee Keong, and the dance studio of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Over the years, he has been researching on the sonic possibilities of non-Western and unconventional instruments.
Tan received his Doctor of Music in Composition degree from McGill University, where he also worked as a lecturer. Among the composers from whom he has taken lessons include John Rea, Philippe Leroux, Chaya Czernowin, Johannes Schöllhorn, Vinko Globokar, Mark Andre, Brian Ferneyhough, Tristan Murail, Stefano Gervasoni, Rebecca Saunders and Francesco Filidei. Prior to becoming a composer, he worked as a semiconductor design engineer. He holds an engineering degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is one of the founding members and the secretary of the Society of Malaysian Contemporary Composers (SMCC). Together with his colleagues, he is active in organizing contemporary music events in Malaysia and the Southeast Asia region.
Tan is perpetually intrigued by the impermanent and non-dualistic nature of being, as well as the strength of fragility. He is currently preoccupied with the concept of 'composing the performance,' in which the performance experience in toto is considered to conjure up a state of artistic immersion.