Composer/musician Yennu Ariendra was born in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. Most of his work takes traditional Indonesian values, history, and realities as starting points and weaves them into today’s world.

During his musical training, Ariendra became increasingly interested in interdisciplinary creation, with sound and music as his core focus. He perceives sound as method rather than merely a medium or product. In this spirit, many of his works depart from the strong practice of traditional art. Encompassing music, dance, performance, visuals, and rituals, Ariendra creates contemporary hybrid works with a critical narrative related to the history of Indonesian society.

The composer is currently working with the contemporary theatre collective, “Teater Garasi/Garasi Performance Institute,” as well as on his rock band project named Melancholic Bitch. He is also part of experimental and collective sound laboratory WYST (What’s Your Story Today). In 2018 he initiated a project with J. ‘Mo’ong’ Santoso Pribadi about the war of narratives during the Dutch occupation in Indonesia.