- Chinese Name: 黃思瑜
- Born: 1970
- Birthplace: Taiwan
- Did You Know That …?
- Huang's use of percussion instruments has been particularly highly praised as the most exciting part of her style, always surprising but always fitting the rest of the music, whether it's wood blocks, drums, or cymbals.
Huang Ssu-yu is an active contemporary music composer from Taiwan. She has composed over 90 pieces for orchestras, bands, and soloists, and orchestrated over 100 performances. Her music has been performed in North and South America, Europe, and Asia, and she has won several awards, including the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan's first "Call for Score” in 2010.
Huang began studying piano in 1976, when she was six years old. In 1987, she began studying at the Tainan Women's College of Arts and Technology, majoring in electronic organ and piano, and began studying composition. She graduated from Chinese Culture University in Taipei in 1996, and studied composition and piano at the University of Melbourne in 1997. Since then, she has also studied with Barbara Kolb and Dr. Geoffrey Gibbs.
Huang's works are popular with musical ensembles, many of which have commissioned work from her, including the Taiwan Navy Band, Japanese 22nd Century Club, and the folk singer Cheng Yang-yin. Between 1997 and 2000, she was commissioned by Kazuhito Yamashita to write solo guitar pieces, including "Grand Music of Tang,” a suite in 24 parts based on Tang Dynasty poems.
Huang has been praised by many musicians, composers, and conductors around the world. She was also a semi-finalist in the 2015 American Prize for composition in the chamber music category, won the 2013 IBLA Grand Prize, and was a runner-up in the 2016 Maurice Ravel International Composition Competition.
Festivals which have played Huang's music include:
- The Festival of the Asian Composers' League in 1997 (held in the Philippines) and 2000 (in Japan)
- The Guitar Festival in Venezuela (in 1999)
- The International Band Festival in Beijing (in 2009)
- The WASBE Conference and Band Festival in Chiayi (in 2011)
- The Hong Kong International Guitar Festival (in 2013).