A genre-defying interdisciplinary artist, Yawen is known as "a dancer at the keyboard" (Georgia Straight) and has created a body of work in the realms of music composition, gallery installation, performance & movement art, music theatre, music for dance, radio play/PodPlay, and interactive media.  She was nominated for a Future Generations Millennium Award (Canada Council for the Arts), an Outstanding Original Musical Award (Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards) and has been the recipient of numerous creation and performance grants that support her various original and creative projects.

A former company pianist at Ballet BC, she is currently one of the principal pianists at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal and École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec.