Dunhuang Inspired: An Evening with Tan Dun

The Getty Center hosts a discussion with renown composer Tan Dun following a performance inspired by Dunhuang.

Multifaceted composer and conductor Tan Dun—inspired by Dunhuang and especially the cave temple wall paintings at Mogao, which depict more than forty types of musical instruments—is at work on a new symphonic commission. This evening will offer a rare opportunity to hear Tan Dun discuss his creative process as a musician and composer, as well as a musical performance featuring inspirations and demonstrations of his current research.

Tan Dun has made an indelible mark on the world's music scene with a creative repertoire that spans the boundaries of classical music, multimedia performance, and Eastern and Western traditions. He is the recipient of numerous honors including a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, the Grawemeyer Award for classical composition, Musical America's Composer of the Year, the Bach Prize, and the Shostakovich Award.

Tan Dun's music has been played throughout the world by leading orchestras, opera houses, international festivals, and on radio and television. As a conductor, Tan Dun has led the world's most esteemed orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre National de France and NHK Symphony Orchestra of Japan.

This event is made possible by the generous support of the Dunhuang Foundation.

This event complements the exhibition Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China's Silk Road.