Yeo Chow Shern is a Malaysian composer and graduate of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, where he refined his compositional voice. He first gained recognition in 2013 as a laureate of the Young Composers Southeast Asia Competition with What is a Tree? for zhongruan and ensemble. That same year, his first work for solo bassoon and wind band, The Bakul Siah, was premiered by bassoonist Lim Teng Aik with the Tshung Tsin Wind Symphony under Ho Chee Kiang.
In 2014, his wind band piece Celebration and Dance (Perayaan) was premiered by the Symphonic Winds of the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Eric Lee, at the Taiwan Chiayi City International Band Festival, where it received a standing ovation. Later, in 2022, his Bunga Raya Concert March was premiered by the Philharmonic Winds of Malaysia, also under Eric Lee.
Chow Shern’s works have been published by C.L. Barnhouse Company, Retsel Mil Japan, Muziksea Publishing, and Young Choral Academy Publication, and are distributed internationally through Bravo/Brain Music and JW Pepper. His recent works include the original composition Bloom of the Pink Trumpet Tree, and arrangements such as Wau Bulan and Ikan Kekek, both commissioned by the National Band Directors Association of Malaysia for the Malaysia Primary School Band Festival. His Tarian Overture was named a finalist in the 2024 WASBE International Composition Competition, and its orchestral version was premiered by The klpac Orchestra under Lee Kok Leong.
Most recently, he composed The Winds of Yong Peng, commissioned by Yong Peng High School for the 29th Johor-Melaka High School Band Festival 2025. Dedicated to Director Chang Wen Jack, the piece continues to reflect Chow Shern’s deep connection to the cultural vibrancy and heritage of Southeast Asia.
The Band Post is honoured to interview Yeo Chow Shern on his creative voice, inspirations, and vision as a composer, bringing the voices of heritage to life and weaving Southeast Asian music into the wind band repertoire.
You first gained recognition in 2013 when What is a Tree? won the Young Composers Southeast Asia Competition. How did this milestone influence your confidence and direction as a young composer?
Winning the Young Composers Southeast Asia Competition in 2013 with What is a Tree? for zhongruan and ensemble was an unexpected encouragement. It gave me confidence that my music could connect with others and motivated me to keep exploring different directions in composition.
That same year, you wrote The Bakul Siah for solo bassoon and wind band. What inspired you to explore this unique instrumentation, and what did you take away from that premiere experience?
The Bakul Siah for solo bassoon and wind band was commissioned by the Tshung Tsin Wind Symphony in Sabah. The idea came from the bakul siah, a Peranakan wedding basket symbolising blessing, and from the wish to feature the bassoon as a solo instrument. I am grateful that my friend Lim Teng Aik performed the piece under the direction of Ho Chee Kiang, bringing out colours and expression that went beyond what I imagined.
Although I could not attend the premiere, hearing the recording was a valuable learning experience. Later that year the piece was also performed in Japan, which encouraged me to keep exploring how cultural ideas could be reinterpreted in the wind band medium.
From Perayaan to Wau Bulan and Ikan Kekek, your works often highlight Southeast Asian traditions. Why is it important to you to bring local culture and heritage into the wind band medium?
I believe the wind band has the potential to be a truly global medium, and Southeast Asian traditions can play an important role in that. The wind band repertoire has long been shaped by Western traditions, and in Asia, the Japanese band tradition has played an important role in its development. Both have provided a rich foundation, but I believe there is now more space for Southeast Asian voices and stories.
My own journey began with Celebration and Dance (Perayaan), written in 2013 at the encouragement of Howard Ng and premiered the following year, which showed me how cultural rhythms, dances, and traditional melodies could resonate with performers and audiences. More recently, I arranged Wau Bulan and Ikan Kekek, both commissioned by the National Band Directors Association of Malaysia for the Malaysia Primary School Band Festival, giving young musicians the opportunity to engage with music inspired by heritage.
By working on pieces like these, I aim to contribute to the diversity of the repertoire by transforming familiar images, dances, and folk songs into fresh musical experiences. For me, culture is not something fixed but something that continues to evolve, and I hope my music allows performers and audiences to discover these traditions in new ways while ensuring they remain alive for the future.
Your music spans festive marches, overtures, and lyrical programmatic works. How would you describe your compositional style, and what qualities do you hope listeners consistently recognise across your music?
At this moment, I would describe my compositional style as a balance between tradition and modernity. I often draw on cultural rhythms, dances, or songs, shaping them within a contemporary wind band setting that feels fresh and accessible. I want the music to be both familiar and open to new interpretation. What I hope listeners recognise across my works is a sincerity of expression, where each piece reflects something meaningful, whether drawn from tradition, nature, or everyday life.
When beginning a new piece, what tends to spark your imagination most—cultural stories, nature, visual imagery, or purely musical ideas?
The way a piece begins depends on the work itself. Sometimes it starts with a tune or rhythm, sometimes with a cultural story, a scene from nature, or even a single image. I try to stay open to these different sparks, because each composition has its own way of unfolding. What matters most is letting the initial idea grow into music that feels meaningful and complete.
Your works are published by several publishers like Retsel Mil Japan and Barnhouse, and distributed internationally. What does it mean to you to see Southeast Asian-inspired music performed by ensembles beyond this region?
I feel very grateful whenever I hear that music inspired by Southeast Asian traditions, and written by a composer from this region, is being performed outside of Asia. It is something I never imagined when I first started composing. Thanks to the support of Retsel Mil Japan and C. L. Barnhouse, my works have reached new audiences internationally, and that gives me encouragement to continue writing.
Tarian Overture was named a finalist in the 2024 WASBE International Composition Competition. How did this recognition affirm your growth as a composer, and what do you hope international audiences hear in that piece?
Being named a finalist with Tarian Overture at the 2024 WASBE International Composition Competition was an important recognition of my growth as a composer and of how Southeast Asian traditions can speak to international audiences. The piece is built on the rhythms of the Branyo dance and the lyrical character of Dondang Sayang, shaped within the clarity and colour of a contemporary overture. What I hope audiences hear is both the pulse and vitality of the dance, and the way these cultural elements can stand alongside and contribute to the global wind band repertoire.
Recent works like Bloom of the Pink Trumpet Tree, The Winds of Yong Peng, and Ikan Kekek all draw from different themes – nature, heritage, and tradition. What types of images or ideas most deeply inspire your writing today?
What inspires me most today are images or ideas that carry emotional resonance. Bloom of the Pink Trumpet Tree captures a fleeting moment of beauty, The Winds of Yong Peng expresses a sense of belonging, and my arrangement of Ikan Kekek transforms a familiar tune into something new. Whether it is nature, heritage, or tradition, I look for ideas that can move people, because those are the ones that naturally grow into music.
Having studied at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore while remaining rooted in Malaysian culture, how do you balance your international training with your local identity as a composer?
I consider myself very fortunate to have studied at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music with Prof. Ho Chee Kong as my mentor. That experience taught me discipline and gave me confidence to explore composition more seriously. At the same time, my roots provide me with a cultural background that I continue to draw on. The balance is not something I plan but something I discover each time I write, and I hope that both sides continue to shape my music.
Looking forward, what stories or sounds are you most excited to explore in your future compositions, and what legacy do you hope to leave in the Southeast Asian and global wind band repertoire?
Looking ahead, I hope to keep exploring new stories and sounds that inspire me, whether from legends, traditions, or nature. Each composition is a chance to learn and grow, and I try to reimagine these ideas in ways that feel fresh for wind band. I do not think much about legacy, but if my works can be meaningful for performers and listeners, and if they help show that Southeast Asian voices have a place in the global repertoire, I would be grateful.