Tan Dun was born in Hunan, China, and graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing with a Masters degree; he then went on to complete a doctoral degree in musical arts from Columbia University, in the USA.
Read MoreHe is a composer, conductor and artist and has created distinct series of works. Among them are the Orchestral Theatre Series, bringing his childhood memories of shamanistic ritual into symphonic concept; Organic Music, incorporating elements from the natural world, such as the Water Concerto, Paper Concerto; and Concerto Multimedia, utilizing technological elements to bring ancient traditions into a future context, resulting in a new medium that crosses time, space and culture, such as The Map: Concerto for Cello, Video and Orchestra. Tan Dun's current commissions include a new opera for the Metropolitan Opera to premiere in December 2006.
