That elusive thing called World Peace--We Have the Answer | Jen Shyu | TEDxDili

Jen Shyu’ first piece for Taiwanese moon lute and voice is “Song for Naldo,” which she composed for her mother who was born in East Timor. Shyu wrote the lyrics about her friend, East Timorese writer Naldo Rei, and also uses text from from “Chega! The Report of the Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation, Timor-Leste, Executive Summary.” The traditional Lakadou song that begins and ends the song was taught to Shyu by Mestre Marsal, from Aileu. “Song for Naldo” was originally recorded on Shyu’s 2015 album “Sounds and Cries of the World.” The song that follows for Korean gayageum and voice is a composition of Shyu’s called “Contemplation,” with poetry by Taiwanese poet Edward Cheng, which is recorded on Shyu’s latest album, “Song of Silver Geese.” 2016 Doris Duke Artist and Fulbright scholar, groundbreaking multilingual vocalist-composer, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, and producer JEN SHYU (徐秋雁) has been named “one of the most creative vocalists in contemporary improvised music” (The Nation). Born in Peoria, Illinois, to Taiwanese and East Timorese immigrant parents (her mother having been born in Dili), Shyu is widely regarded for her virtuosic singing and riveting stage presence, carving out her own beyond-category space in the art world. She has worked with saxophonists Steve Coleman and Anthony Braxton as well as trumpet artist Wadada Leo Smith and pianist Vijay Iyer, and has produced six albums, with her duo album with bassist Mark Dresser making her the first female and vocalist as band leader on Pi Recordings. Her most recent album Sounds and Cries of the World on Pi was voted in the “Top 10 Best Albums of 2015” by The New York Times and The Nation, among others. A Stanford University graduate dedicated studying and advocating for traditional music around the world, she first visited East Timor in 2010 to research vocal traditions throughout six of Timor's district and returns often to continue this research, and last year was able to collaborate with the Boneca of Ataúro in a series of performances organized by filmmaker-photographer David Palazón. She has also done extensive research on vocal, instrumental, and dance traditions in Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, China, and most recently, Japan. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at