Chiyoko Szlavnics was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, and has lived
in Berlin, Germany, since 1998.

She studied music at the University of Toronto, and privately with
the composer James Tenney.

She composes for a wide variety of instruments and ensembles, often
combining them with sinewaves. A central aspect of her work is the audible
phenomenon called “beating”, which is highlighted through her particular
use of extended sustains, glissandi, ratios, and her way of combining
acoustic instruments with sinewaves.

Drawings became the starting point for her compositional process around
the year 2003. But in 2009 & 2010, several drawings series suddenly emerged,
which distinctly belonged to the field of visual art. Szlavnics now practices
in both disciplines, and not only are her drawings heard in concert, but
her music is sometimes also seen in exhibitions in Europe and
North America.