Tan Dun

The conceptual and multifaceted composer/conductor TAN DUN has made an indelible mark on the world's music scene with a creative repertoire that spans the boundaries of classical, multimedia, Eastern and Western musical systems. A winner of today's most prestigious honors - the Grawemeyer Award for classical composition, Grammy Award, Academy Award, and Musical America's "Composer of The Year" - Tan Dun's music has been played throughout the world by the leading orchestras, opera houses, international festivals, and on radio and television. His latest work, Inventions for Paper Instruments and Orchestra for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen was premiered in October 2003 at the openings of Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank Gehry. Tan Dun's current commissions include a new opera for the Metropolitan Opera and James Levine to premiere in 2007 and a new work for the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle.
 
As a conductor whose primary interest is in creating multicultural, multimedia programs that break the boundaries between classical and nonclassical, East and West, avant-garde and indigenous art forms, Tan Dun has led many of the world's leading orchestras with his unique way of communicating to a new and diverse audience. Among the orchestras Tan Dun has been engaged by worldwide are the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, National Orchestra de France, Philadelphia Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Montreal Symphony, NHK Symphony of Japan, National Orchestra de Lyon, Sydney Symphony, and London Sinfonietta.
 
Tan Dun has created numerous series of works in the past twenty years incorporating his compelling concepts of multiculturalism and multimedia. Among them are: Orchestral Theatre, a series works which blend ancient ritual with symphonic performances, from which The Gate was premiered by NHK Symphony of Japan, conducted by Charles Dutoit; Organic Music, which consists of works that incorporate elements from the natural world, such as the Concerto for Water Percussion and Orchestra, premiered by the New York Philharmonic with Kurt Masur and soloist Christopher Lamb, and the opera Tea, set to music of ceramic, stone and paper instruments with orchestra premiered at Japan's Suntory Hall, co-produced by Suntory Hall and Netherlands National Opera with Pierre Audi directing; Concerto Multimedia, including the symbolic work The Map: Concerto for Cello, Video and Orchestra premiered by Boston Symphony Orchestra and Yo-Yo Ma with the composer himself conducting.
 
Tan Dun's other major influential works are: Water Passion After St. Matthew, for the Internationale Bachakadamie in Stuttgart; the opera Peony Pavilion (directed by Peter Sellars with more than 40 performances at major international festivals including Vienna, Paris, London and Rome); the opera Marco Polo (set to a libretto by Paul Griffiths, it has had three different productions and been performed in more than 20 cities worldwide), the Oscar Award winning original score for Ang Lee's film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; and Ghost Opera (which has toured worldwide with the Kronos Quartet).
 
Based in New York, Tan Dun was born in Simao, China. Having served as a rice-planter and performer of Peking opera during the Cultural Revolution, he later studied at Beijing's Central Conservatory. He holds a doctoral degree in musical arts from Columbia University of New York. Among the many international honors he has received, Tan Dun was elected by Toru Takemitsu for the Glenn Gould Prize in Music Communication, and by Hans Werner Henze for the Munich International Music Theatre Award. Tan Dun was the music director of the Tanglewood Contemporary Music Festival in 1999 and artistic director of the London Barbican Centre's international festival in 2000. Currently, he is the music director of a multicultural, multimedia festival for Orchestre de la Radio Flamande.
 
Tan Dun records exclusively for the Sony Classical label and his recordings have received many honors, including a Grammy Award (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Best CD of Contemporary Music of Japan's Recording Academy Awards 2003 (Water Passion After St. Matthew) and Best Orchestral Album (Death and Fire) named by BBC. The manuscript of Tan Dun's The Map: Concerto for Cello, Video and Orchestra was collected by Carnegie Hall's Composers Gallery in New York.
 
Tan Dun's music is published by G.Schirmer. Find out more at his website TanDunOnline.com