Editing Tan Dun (section)

==Biography==
Tan Dun was born in 1957 in a village in [[Changsha]] in [[Hunan]], China. As a child, he was fascinated by the rituals and ceremonies of the village shaman, which were typically set to music made with natural objects such as rocks and water.<ref>[[Frank J. Oteri]]. "Tradition and Innovation: The Alchemy of Tan Dun." ''Tan Dun Online'', 15 October 2007. Accessed 1 November 2013. {{cite web |url=http://www.tandunonline.com/mystory |title=My Story – Tan Dun Online |access-date=4 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111041943/http://www.tandunonline.com/mystory |archive-date=11 November 2013  }}.</ref> Due to the bans enacted during the [[Cultural Revolution]], he was discouraged from pursuing music and was sent to work as a rice planter on the Huangjin commune. He joined an ensemble of other commune residents and learned to play traditional [[Chinese instruments#Silk .28.E7.B5.B2.29|Chinese string instruments]]. Following a ferry accident that resulted in the death of several members of a [[Peking opera]] troupe, Tan Dun was called upon as a violist and arranger. This initial success earned him a seat in the orchestra, and from there he went to study at the [[Central Conservatory of Music]] in [[Beijing]] in 1977.<ref>Central Conservatory of Music. "CCOM Celebrates Its 70th Founding Anniversary." 11 November 2010. Accessed 1 November 2013. http://en.ccom.edu.cn/wn/events/2010f/201209030013.shtml.</ref> While at the Conservatory, Tan Dun came into contact with composers such as [[Toru Takemitsu]], [[George Crumb]], [[Alexander Goehr]], [[Hans Werner Henze]], [[Isang Yun]], and [[Chou Wen-Chung]], all of whom influenced his sense of musical style.

In 1986, he moved to [[New York City]] as a doctoral student at [[Columbia University]], once again studying with Chou Wen-Chung, who had studied under [[Edgard Varèse]]. At Columbia, Tan Dun discovered the music of composers such as [[Philip Glass]], [[John Cage]], [[Meredith Monk]], and [[Steve Reich]], and began incorporating these influences into his compositions. He completed his dissertation, ''Death and Fire: Dialogue with Paul Klee'', in 1993.<ref>The Department of Music at Columbia University. "Dun, Tan." Accessed 1 November 2013. http://music.columbia.edu/people/bios/tdun.</ref> Inspired by a visit to the [[Museum of Modern Art]], ''Death and Fire'' is a short symphony that engages with the paintings of [[Paul Klee]].<ref>Music Sales Group. "Death and Fire: Dialogue with Paul Klee (1992)." Accessed 1 November 2013. http://www.schirmer.com/composer/work/1561/33554</ref> On June 15, 2016, he created the Grand Opening Theme Song of [[Shanghai Disney Resort]]. He began his tenure as Dean of the [[Bard College Conservatory of Music]] on July 1, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hong |first=Xiao |date=December 27, 2018 |title=Famed conductor Tan Dun to lead music conservatory at Bard College |url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201812/27/WS5c24e812a310d91214051553.html |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=China Daily USA}}</ref>