Stefan Van Eycken (˚1975) studied musicology and Anglo-American analytical philosophy at the University of Leuven (B), and modern English literature at the University of Edinburgh (UK). His only formal studies in composition were with Marco Stroppa at the Centre Acanthes course in Avignon (F) in 1997. In the fall of that year, he moved back to Edinburgh to work on a PhD on Brian Ferneyhough’s Fourth String Quartet. He also taught musical analysis of contemporary music there for 2 years. In 2000, he moved to Tokyo on a one-year Japan Foundation Fellowship, to work on a book on the music of Yuji Takahashi (still in progress). He continues to live and work there. In Belgium, he has developed a particularly strong working relationship with Champ d’Action. In Japan, he works closely with exponents from the improvised and traditional music scenes.