Du Yun (

traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

: 杜韻,

simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one, that is simpler (usually shorter), for example * Simplification of algebraic expressions, ...

: 杜韵) is a Chinese-born American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

performer The performing arts are The arts, arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art object ...

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

ist. She won the 2017

Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted i ...

for her opera '' Angel's Bone'', with libretto by

Royce Vavrek Royce Vavrek is a Canadian-born Brooklyn-based librettist, playwright, dance scenarist, musical theatre writer and filmmaker known for his collaborations with composers David T. Little, Missy Mazzoli, Mikael Karlsson, Ricky Ian Gordon, Paola Prest ...

. She was a 2018

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

. Du Yun was named as one of the 38 Great Immigrants by the

Carnegie Corporation of New York The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...

in 2018, and received a 2019

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nomination in the category of Best Classical Contemporary Composition for her work ''Air Glow''. In its decade review, UK's Classic FM listed Du Yun's winning of the Pulitzer as No. 6 in "10 ways the 2010s changed classical music forever." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

Italia'' named her as one of the women composers who defined the 2010s.

Early life and education

Du Yun was born in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, China. She began studying piano at the age of four, attending the primary school

Shanghai Conservatory of Music The Shanghai Conservatory of Music () was founded on November 27, 1927, as the first music institution of higher education in China. Its teachers and students have won awards at home and abroad, thus earning the conservatory the name "the crad ...

for piano. She studied composition at the middle school Shanghai Conservatory of Music with Deng Erbo. Du Yun later moved to the United States and graduated from the

Oberlin Conservatory of Music The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a private music conservatory in Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1865 and is the second oldest conservatory and oldest continually operating conservatory in the United States. It is one of ...

with a Bachelor of Music degree in composition, under Randolph Coleman, and received a Ph.D. in music composition from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

with

Bernard Rands Bernard Rands (born 2 March 1934 in Sheffield, England) is a British-American contemporary classical music composer. He studied music and English literature at the University of Wales, Bangor, and composition with Pierre Boulez and Bruno Maderna ...

and

Mario Davidovsky Mario Davidovsky (March 4, 1934 – August 23, 2019) was an Argentine-American composer. Born in Argentina, he emigrated in 1960 to the United States, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He is best known for his series of compositions ca ...

. On her earlier years growing up in Shanghai, Du Yun recounted, in her contribution to WQXR, that neither of her parents went to college and both were factory workers in China. When Du Yun studied in junior high school in Shanghai, she collected cassette tapes from singer

Faye Wong Faye Wong ( zh, 王菲; born Xia Lin on 8 August 1969) is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter. Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong. Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and her debut album '' Shirley Wong'' ( ...

Chen Sheng Chen Sheng (died January 208 BC), also known as Chen She ("She" being his courtesy name), posthumously known as Prince Yin, was the leader of the Dazexiang Uprising, the first rebellion against the Qin Dynasty. It occurred during the reign of ...

Dou Wei Dou Wei is a Chinese musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Music Dou Wei is a multi-instrumentalist and produces music across many genres. He first came to prominence as a member of the hard rock group Black Panther (Hei Bao, 黑豹). In ...

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

. She counts Dou Wei and Faye Wong as among the Chinese pop musicians who have had the most influence on her musical life. She credits filmmakers

Wong Kar-Wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...

and

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...

as some of the major influences on her style. When she studied in high school, she spent pocket money on CDs that had impactful covers. Pink Floyd,

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins was a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrum ...

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

, Sinead O'Connor, and

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...

entered her world all at once. She indulged in

Krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments ...

, and

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

. During her first year of college, British band Portishead released a new album, and Du Yun fell into the world of

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...

. Her psychedelic style was later used in many of her works, and in 2012, she released her first studio album, ''Shark in You'', which featured a variety of styles, from experimental dance music to

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

and jazz electronic music. Director Stan Lai has collaborated with Du Yun twice. He said her music not only has the background of classical music, but also is multifaceted, influenced by pop and folk music.

Career

Du Yun won the

for her opera ''Angel's Bone'' in 2017, making her the first Asian woman to win this prize in music. The opera's production in Hong Kong in 2018 won the best of the performances of the year by the ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...

''. In 2006, Du Yun joined the composition faculty at the State University of New York-Purchase. In 2017, she joined the composition faculty at

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

. She is the Professor of Composition at Peabody. In 2017, she was also appointed as the distinguished visiting professor at the

. From 2014 to 2018, Du Yun was the Artistic Director of the

MATA Festival The MATA Festival is a New York-based annual contemporary classical music festival devoted to championing the works of young composers. It was founded in 1996 by Philip Glass, Lisa Bielawa and Eleonor Sandresky and is currently under the leaders ...

in New York City. In 2020, China's leading record label,

Modern Sky The Modern Sky Festival (Chinese language, Chinese: wikt:摩登天空音乐节, 摩登天空音乐节; pinyin: Módēng Tiānkōng Yīnyuè Jié) is an outdoor rock music festival in Beijing, China, organized by the Modern Sky record label. The fir ...

, announced its three-year record deal with Du Yun. Du Yun lives and works from New York City. She uses her whole name, Du Yun, not Du, for professional and personal uses.

Compositions

Her works include compositions for solo instruments,

electroacoustic music Electroacoustic music is a genre of popular and Western art music in which composers use technology to manipulate the timbres of acoustic sounds, sometimes by using audio signal processing, such as reverb or harmonizing, on acoustical instrumen ...

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

orchestral works ''Orchestral Works'' is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Erich Kunzel recorded and released on the Decca label in 1970.

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

, oral tradition music,

sound installation Sound art is an artistic activity in which sound is utilized as a primary medium or material. Like many genres of contemporary art, sound art may be interdisciplinary in nature, or be used in hybrid forms. According to Brandon LaBelle, sound art ...

s, and

pieces. Du's works have been performed internationally in venues such as

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

, the

Guangzhou Opera House Guangzhou Opera House () is a Chinese opera house in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, People's Republic of China. Designed by Zaha Hadid, it opened on 9 May in 2010. History In April 2002 an international architectural competition attracted Co ...

, the

Salle Pleyel The Salle Pleyel (, meaning "Pleyel Hall") is a concert hall in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, designed by acoustician Gustave Lyon together with architect Jacques Marcel Auburtin, who died in 1926, and the work was completed in 1927 by ...

Paris, the

Sibelius Academy The Sibelius Academy ( fi, Taideyliopiston Sibelius-Akatemia, sv, Sibelius-Akademin vid Konstuniversitetet) is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It als ...

in Helsinki, Escola de Música do Estado in São Paulo, the

Darmstädter Ferienkurse Darmstädter Ferienkurse ("Darmstadt Summer Course") is a regular summer event of contemporary classical music in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. It was founded in 1946, under the name "Ferienkurse für Internationale Neue Musik Darmstadt" (Vacation Cou ...

in Germany, and London's

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nat ...

. She has written for the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

, the

Seattle Symphony Orchestra The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra also serves as the accompanying orchestra for the Seattle Opera. History Beginnings The orchest ...

, the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

, the

LA Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

, and the

San Francisco Contemporary Music Players The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players (SFCMP) is a performing arts organization and unionized chamber orchestra that commissions, performs, and records innovative new music from across cultures and stylistic traditions. SFCMP incorporated in ...

, as well as solo artists

Hilary Hahn Hilary Hahn (born November 27, 1979) is an American violinist. She has performed throughout the world as a soloist with leading orchestras and conductors and as a recitalist. She is an avid supporter of contemporary classical music, and several ...

and

Matt Haimovitz Matt Haimovitz (born December 3, 1970) is a cellist based in the United States and Canada. Born in Israel, he grew up in the US from the age of five. He plays mainly a cello made by Matteo Goffriller in 1710. Family, musical education and ear ...

. On April 10, 2017, she was awarded the

for her second opera, ''Angel's Bone''. The citation for the prize reads: "Premiered on January 6, 2016, at the

Prototype Festival Prototype Festival is an annual, weeklong contemporary opera and musical theater festival held in New York City. Program Prototype Festival is an annual, weeklong festival of contemporary opera and musical theater. The festival encourages n ...

, 3LD Arts and Technology Center, New York City, a bold operatic work that integrates vocal and instrumental elements and a wide range of styles into a harrowing allegory for human trafficking in the modern world. Libretto by Royce Vavrek." She is the composer of the musical ''Dim Sum Warriors'', based on a graphic novel and bilingual iPad app series about Kung Fu-fighting dumplings by the Singaporean filmmaker, satirist, and cartoonist

Colin Goh Colin Goh () is a Singaporean film maker, satirist and cartoonist. He was a former practicing attorney who has turned to full-time writing and illustration. Goh first rose to prominence with his comic strip, ''The Concrete Jungle'', which appeare ...

and Yenyen Woo. ''Dim Sum Warriors'' was made into a Chinese musical which was produced by Stan Lai. The musical debuted on August 11, 2017, to sold-out audiences at Theatre Above in Shanghai, and went on to tour in 25 major cities in China the following year. Her work with the Palestine artist Khaled Jarrrar, "Where We Lost Our Shadows", is based on a trip that Khaled took with a family of Syrian refugee from Greece to Berlin. The work was co-commissioned by

, London's

, the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, American Composers Orchestra and CalPerformances. Its documentary was on the

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

's Human Journey Series. The work is for three soloists, orchestra and video. In 2020, her site-specific opera ''

Sweet Land ''Sweet Land'' is a 2005 American independent period drama film written and directed by Ali Selim. It is an adaptation of the 1989 short story "A Gravestone Made of Wheat" by Will Weaver. The film stars Elizabeth Reaser, Tim Guinee, Lois Smi ...

'', co-composed with composer

Raven Chacon Raven Chacon (born 1977) is a Diné-American composer, musician and artist. Born in Fort Defiance, Arizona within the Navajo Nation, Chacon became the first Native American to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music, for his '' Voiceless Mass'' in 2022. ...

, premiered in LA with the opera company The Industry, directed by

Yuval Sharon Yuval Sharon is an American opera and theater director from Naperville, Illinois, based in Los Angeles. In 2017, he won the MacArthur Genius Grant. Early life and education Sharon was born in 1979 in Chicago to two Israeli parents. He earned a B ...

, Cannupa Hanska Luger. ''Sweet Land'' is a double-team work, with libretto by Aja Couchois and Douglas Kearney. The ''Los Angeles Times'' named it a best classical music moment in 2020, a parable of, and fantasia on,

manifest destiny Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America. There were three basic tenets to the concept: * The special vir ...

. It won the Best 2021 New Opera by The

Music Critics Association of North America The Music Critics Association of North America (MCANA) is a society of music critics of classical music in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1956, the MCANA is a member of the National Music Council and both publishes an annual newsletter ...

. The album, released in 2021, was a Notable recording of 2021 by ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

''. Du Yun's concert music is published by

G. Schirmer, Inc. G. Schirmer, Inc. is an American classical music publishing company based in New York City, founded in 1861. The oldest active music publisher in the United States, Schirmer publishes sheet music for sale and rental, and represents some well-know ...

Performing artist

Du Yun's performing persona on stage has been called "utterly extraordinary, unrestrained performance." Du Yun leads the band Ok Miss. According to ''The New Yorker'', "the one predictable thing about Du Yun … is her unpredictability. Dig deeper, though, and you can sense the conjoined strands of curiosity and compassion that run through everything she makes. On the first two nights of her

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

residency, her art-pop band, OK Miss, ventures through breathy Chinese pop, seductive trip-hop, and metallic skronk."

Visual art

Du Yun has done works for the Guangzhou Triennial, The Shanghai Project, Cordoba Contemporary Arts Center, and the

Sharjah Biennial The Sharjah Biennial is a large-scale contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in the city of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The first Sharjah Biennial took place in 1993, and was organized by the Sharjah Department of Cul ...

Other work

Du Yun is an advocate for women, racial equality and social justice. In an interview with

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

on gender in classical music, she said: "I think this is the issue — larger and deeper than the debate of discrimination at hand. Any sustainable and viable career paths cannot and should not depend on a few people's luck." Speaking to ''

Foreign Policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

'' on art's power in politics, she said: "A lot of times politics, global issues, are very black and white... There is a place for that, but it's also fantastic to have art side by side, from different viewpoints open for interpretations." Du Yun founded and curated the Pan Asia Sounding Festival at National Sawdust in March 2018, as part of the Spring Revolution. "I want to demystify Asian culture. I want to question who owns the culture and bring together the divisions we have in society," she told the New York News Channel PIX11. Du Yun started a global initiative FutureTradition to advocate folk arts and promote cross regional collaborations. The works are with many collaborations cross-regions. When ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'' covered her keynote speech for the European Jazz Conference in 2019, Ian Patterson wrote:

Critical reception

Du Yun is regarded as "leading force on the New York Scene," and "one of China's leading young composers." Her onstage performing persona has been described as "adventurously eclectic" and "an indie diva with avant garde edge" by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. She has been selected by

as one of the 100 most influential young composers under 40 in 2011. She was named one of the top 35 female composers in classical music by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. Her work for

Jennifer Koh Jennifer Koh (born 1976) is an American violinist, born to Korean parents in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Life and career Koh earned a B.A. in English Literature from Oberlin College, as well as a Performance Diploma from the attached Oberlin Conservat ...

, ''Give Me Back My Fingerprints'', is listed as Top 25 Classical Music Tracks of 2019 by ''The New York Times''. Her studio albums ''Angel's Bone'', ''Dinosaur Scar'', ''A Cockroach's Tarantella'' and ''Sweet Land'' are listed as Notable Recordings of The Year in 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021 respectively, by ''

''. In its decade review, UK's Classical FM listed Du Yun's winning of Pulitzer as No. 6 in "10 ways the 2010s changed classical music forever." ''

Italia'' named her as one of the women composers who defined the 2010s.

Works

Opera

* ''In Our Daughter's Eyes'' * ''

'' * '' Angel's Bone'' * ''Zolle'' with ''A Cockroach's Tarantella''

Orchestral

* ''Slow Portraits'' * ''Kraken'' * ''Mantichora'' * ''Hundred Heads'' * ''Impeccable Quake''

Soloist(s) and orchestra

* ''Where We Lost Our Shadows'' (2019) * ''Thirst'' (2018)

Chamber music

* ''Vicissitudes No. 1'' * ''by of... Lethean'' * ''Your eyes are not your eyes'' * ''Air Glow'' * ''A Few Stops on the N Train'' * ''A Few Stops on the 7 Train'' * ''Tattooed in Snow'' * ''Every Grass A Spring''

Solo with or without electronics

* ''give me back my fingerprints'' * ''The Veronica'' * ''Run in a Graveyard'' * ''When a Tiger Meets a Rosa Rugosa'' * ''An Empty Garlic'' * ''San'' * ''Dinosaur Scar'' * ''Ixtab, 10pm''

Performance art

* ''How are you doing, the future that has never left'' * ''How are you doing, the past that comes around the corner'' * ''Run''

Musical

* ''Dim Sum Warriors'' (book by

)

Theatre

* ''Love in a Fallen City'', 傾城之戀, 2021 in Mandarin (written by

Eileen Chang Eileen Chang ( zh, t=張愛玲, s=张爱玲, first=t, w=Chang1 Ai4-ling2, p=Zhāng Àilíng；September 30, 1920 – September 8, 1995), also known as Chang Ai-ling or Zhang Ailing, or by her pen name Liang Jing (梁京), was a Chinese-born A ...

directed by

Timmy Yip Tim Yip Kam-tim (; born 1967) is a Hong Kong art director and designer for fiction films. He is best known for his work on the 2000 martial arts film '' Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'', for which he won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction ...

葉錦添 ) * ''Writing in Water'', 水中之書, 2016 in Mandarin (written/dir by Stan Lai 賴聲川) * ''Kung Fu'' (written by

David Henry Hwang David Henry Hwang (born August 11, 1957) is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays '' FOB'', '' Golden Child'', and '' Yell ...

黃哲倫)

Collaborations with
Shahzia Sikander Shahzia Sikander (born 1969, in Lahore, Pakistan) is a Pakistani-American visual artist. Sikander works across a variety of mediums, including drawing, painting, printmaking, animation, installation, performance and video. Sikander currently lives ...

* ''Disruption as Rapture'' * ''Parallax'' * ''Singing Suns'' * ''The Last Post''

Discography

;Studio albums *''Sweet Land'' (2021, Industry Records) *''A Cockroach's Tarantella'' (2020,

) *: Du Yun,

JACK Quartet The JACK Quartet is an American string quartet dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. It was founded in 2005 and is based in New York City. The four founding members are violinists Christopher Otto and Ari Streisfeld, viol ...

*''Dinosaur Scar'' (2018, Tundra) *:

International Contemporary Ensemble The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) is a contemporary classical music ensemble, based in New York City and Chicago. ICE performs a diverse and extensive array of chamber, electro-acoustic, improvisatory, and multimedia works. History ...

, Du Yun *: ''Air Glow'' –

Grammy Nomination The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, 2019 *''Angel's Bone'' (2017, VIA Records, label name changed to National Sawdust Tracks in 2017) *: Lead cast: Abigail Fischer, Kyle Pfortmiller,

Jennifer Charles Jennifer Charles (born Jennifer Asher Zipken; November 15, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, writer, and actor. Along with Oren Bloedow, she co-founded the New York band Elysian Fields. Her work is known for its emotional intensit ...

, Kyle Bielfield *: The Choir of Trinity Wall Street *:

Julian Wachner use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = ...

, conductor *: FA Angel's Bone *''Shark in You'' (2012, New Focus Recordings), CD, digital and vinyl * Shark in You ;Compilations * ''Retrospective'' (2018,

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

) *: Hilary Hahn, violin *''Overtures to Bach'' (2016, Oxingale Records/Pendatone) *: Matt Haimovitz, 'cello *:

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

Nomination for Classical Album of the Year, 2017 *''Orbit'' (2015, Oxingale Records/Pendatone) *: Matt Haimovitz, 'cello * ''In 27 Pieces: the Hilary Hahn Encores'' (2013,

) *: Hilary Hahn, violin *: Cory Smythe, piano *:

Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance The Grammy Award for Best Small Ensemble Performance (from 2013: Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance) has been awarded since 1997. In its early years, its title included the addition "(with or without a conductor)". In 1991 the Grammy f ...

, 2014 *''Figment'' (2009, Oxingale Records) *:

, 'cello *''Aliento'' (2009, New Focus Recordings) *:

Claire Chase Claire Chase (born 1978) is a soloist, collaborative artist, curator and advocate for new and experimental music. Chase has won the Avery Fisher Prize, which recognizes musical excellence, vision, and leadership. In 2012, Chase was awarded a MacArt ...

, flute and electronics *''Abandoned Time'' (2008, New Focus Recordings) *:

Collaborations

Notable collaborations include with visual artist

Shahzia Sikander Shahzia Sikander (born 1969, in Lahore, Pakistan) is a Pakistani-American visual artist. Sikander works across a variety of mediums, including drawing, painting, printmaking, animation, installation, performance and video. Sikander currently lives ...

, flutist

, and librettist

Honors and recognitions

*2023:

Vilcek Prize The Vilcek Foundation raises awareness of immigrant contributions to the United States, and fosters appreciation of the arts and sciences. The foundation's flagship programs include the Vilcek Foundation Prizes, which recognize and support immigra ...

in Music *2022:

Creative Capital Creative Capital is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in New York City that supports artists across the United States through funding, counsel, gatherings, and career development services. Since its founding in 1999, Creative Capital has commi ...

Award *2021: Best 2021 New Opera - Music Critics Association of North America Award for Best New Opera - ''Sweet Land'' *2021:

Asia Society The Asia Society is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco) and around the world (Hong Kong, Man ...

Hong Kong Center – Honoree in Performing Arts *2021:

American Academy in Berlin The American Academy in Berlin is a private, independent, nonpartisan research and cultural institution in Berlin dedicated to sustaining and enhancing the long-term intellectual, cultural, and political ties between the United States and Germany ...

– Berlin Prize *2021:

Foundation for Contemporary Arts The Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA), is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City that offers financial support and recognition to contemporary performing and visual artists through awards for artistic innovation and potential. It was ...

– Music/Sound *2019:

Beijing Music Festival The Beijing Music Festival (BMF) is an annual music festival held in Beijing which according to Chinaculture.org has become one of the most well-known musical events in the world, drawing international attention. According to Chinaculture.org t ...

– Artist of the Year *2019: BraVo International Professional Music Award – Moscow – Best Classical Composition *2018:

Great Immigrants The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...

– Carnegie Corporation of New York, Carnegie Foundation *2018: Guggenheim Fellowship *2017:

– Opera ''Angel's Bone'' *2017: Asian Cultural Council *2016: New York Foundation for the Arts, Sound, fellow *2015: Civitella Ranieri Foundation *2011:

's Elaine Lebenbom Award *2011: Philadelphia Music Project – Pew Charitable Trusts. *2009: Rockefeller Foundation – Bellagio *2008: Chamber Music America *2007: Fromm Music Foundation

References

External links

*
Profile page at sfcmp.org
*Galli, Brianne (Apr. 2011)
"Composer Du Yun's Daring Music is a Highlight of The Kitchen's 21c Liederabend Art Song Festival"
ASCAP. Obtained July 26, 2013. {{DEFAULTSORT:Du, Yun 1977 births Living people American people of Chinese descent Pulitzer Prize for Music winners American women classical composers American classical composers Chinese women classical composers 21st-century classical composers Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Oberlin Conservatory of Music alumni Women opera composers American opera composers Chinese opera composers Chinese performance artists Chinese classical composers 21st-century American composers Peabody Institute faculty State University of New York at Purchase faculty 21st-century Chinese composers Musicians from Shanghai 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century women composers

Early life and education

Career

Compositions

Performing artist

Visual art

Other work

Critical reception

Works

Opera

Orchestral

Soloist(s) and orchestra

Chamber music

Solo with or without electronics

Performance art

Musical

Theatre

Collaborations with Shahzia Sikander Shahzia Sikander (born 1969, in Lahore, Pakistan) is a Pakistani-American visual artist. Sikander works across a variety of mediums, including drawing, painting, printmaking, animation, installation, performance and video. Sikander currently lives ...

Discography

Collaborations

Honors and recognitions

References

External links

Collaborations with
Shahzia Sikander Shahzia Sikander (born 1969, in Lahore, Pakistan) is a Pakistani-American visual artist. Sikander works across a variety of mediums, including drawing, painting, printmaking, animation, installation, performance and video. Sikander currently lives ...