Biography
Tan Dun (also credited as Dun Tan) is a Chinese-born American composer and conductor. Born on 18 August 1957 in Changsha, Hunan Province, China, he grew up during the Cultural Revolution and began his musical training at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing before moving to the United States.
He studied at Columbia University in New York and has composed extensively for film, blending Western classical traditions with Chinese musical elements. His score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, as well as a Grammy and a BAFTA. Other film credits include Fallen (1998), Hero (2002) and The Banquet (2006).
Beyond film, Tan Dun has written operas such as Marco Polo (1996), for which he received the Grawemeyer Award, and numerous orchestral and multimedia works. He has conducted leading orchestras worldwide and is based in New York.
