Wen Wen Van Der Wende (They/He) is a queer, Chinese-American composer/performer and multimedia artist whose music conveys both visceral turmoil and a love for the natural world. Their music is characterized by its emotionally-driven storytelling, stylistic flexibility, and textural soundscapes.
Van Der Wende’s works have been performed by major ensembles with highlights including the orchestral work “Apocalypse Sunrise” (Foot in the Door Ensemble); the string quartet Object over Body (Momenta Quartet); and “for the fish in my backyard” (Sharon Harms and the Coy Mistress Ensemble.) Their first opera, Perspectives: A Pocket Opera, in collaboration with the WSKG Writing Contest, premiered with Tri-Cities Opera and was featured on PBS’s WSKG-TV channel. Their first overseas premiere, “I have lived another day,” was performed by the Fusion Saxophone Duo at the XIX Saxophone Congress in Las Palmas, Spain. They are currently writing Arden’s, a queer chamber opera based on Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
In their composer/performer practice, Van Der Wende combines their voice with fixed or live electronics. In 2022, they released an electronics album called Amy’s Third Most Emotionally-Distressed Roommate, which included a vocal and electronics piece called Little Sun. They have since written other songs for their own voice, which they perform frequently. Van Der Wende is also an avid writer of choral music. They are particularly interested in collaborating with contemporary poets. These collaborations include a tired sun with text by composer Joe Hayes, Unasked-For Ode with text by Hannah Carr-Murphy, and anemone space with text by Ian Fantin.
Van Der Wende has studied composition with Juhi Bansal, Tawnie Olsen, Robert Carl, Susan Botti, Gilda Lyons, Daniel Thomas Davis, and Douglas Knehans. They have a BM in Composition from University of Hartford and an MM in Composition from Binghamton University.
Photography by Marie Vega