Tan Dun

A composer and conductor, born in Changsha, Hunan, in 1957. He was sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, later entered the Central Conservatory in Beijing, and in 1986 went to Columbia University in New York to study with Chou Wen-chung, taking a doctorate there. His works include the operas The First Emperor, Marco Polo and Tea, the organic music series with Water and Paper Concertos, the multimedia concertos Nu Shu and The Map, the choral symphony Buddha Passion, and the scores for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero and The Banquet. He has won an Academy Award, a Grammy, the Bach Prize of Hamburg and a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice Biennale. He is dean of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.