Byron Au Yong, Composer and Educator
In residence, September 29th – October 15
Welcome Back!
We are excited to welcome back composer and educator Byron Au Yong as a returning Creative Resident. Byron was last here in 2022, and this fall he returns in residence from September 29 through October 15 to continue work on Forest Aeternam, a musical project inspired by the Reserve’s landscapes. His residency is supported by the Summer Faculty Fellowship Award from Seattle University, where he serves as Associate Professor and Director of Arts Leadership.
About Byron
Byron’s music brings people together to listen, reflect, and connect to place. Variety calls his work “intimate and existential, personal and political all at once”.
His projects often explore themes of community, the environment, and immigrant stories. Highlights include Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas, performed at waterways to raise awareness about climate change; Stuck Elevator, a theater piece based on a true story of a food delivery worker trapped in a Bronx elevator; and Activist Songbook, a collection of songs written to energize social movements.
His music has been performed at venues across the U.S. and internationally, from the American Conservatory Theater and Nashville Opera to the International Festival of Arts & Ideas and the Jeonju Sanjo Festival in South Korea. He has received honors such as the Creative Capital Award and a Sundance Institute Fellowship.
Byron at Bloedel
As a child, Byron loved singing with trees and finding wonder in the natural world. Today, his work continues to be shaped by those same instincts. We are thrilled to welcome him back to Bloedel and look forward to how Forest Aeternam will grow during his time here.
Learn more about Byron’s projects here
References Cited:
Feldman, L. (2013, April 17). Legit review: ‘Stuck Elevator’. Variety. https://variety.com/2013/legit/reviews/legit-review-stuck-elevator-1200501036/
