As a conductor whose primary interest is in creating programs that reach a new and diverse audience and which break the boundaries between classical and non-classical, East and West, avant-garde and indigenous art forms, Tan Dun has led many of the world's leading orchestras. Among them are the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, National Orchestra de France, Philadelphia Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Montreal Symphony, NHK Symphony of Japan, National Orchestra de Lyon, Sydney Symphony, and London Sinfonietta.

Central to his body of work, Tan Dun has composed distinct series of works which reflect his individual compositional concepts and personal ideas. Among them are the Orchestral Theatre Series, bringing his childhood memories of shamanistic ritual into symphonic performances, from which The Gate was premiered by the NHK Symphony, conducted by Charles Dutoit; Organic Music, consisting of works which incorporate elements from the natural world, such as the Water Concerto for Water Percussion and Orchestra, commissioned and premiered by the New York Philharmonic with Kurt Masur, and Paper Concerto for Paper Instruments and Orchestra for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen for the openings of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in October 2003; and Concerto Multimedia, including the symbolic work The Map: Concerto for Cello, Video and Orchestra premiered by Boston Symphony Orchestra and Yo-Yo Ma with the composer conducting.

Opera has played a significant role in Tan Dun's creative output of the past decade. Marco Polo (1995-96), set to a libretto by Paul Griffiths, has had three different productions and been performed in more than 20 cities worldwide. Peony Pavilion (1998), on a text by Tang Xianzu (1598), and directed by Peter Sellars, had more than 50 performances at major festivals in Vienna, Paris, London and Rome. Tea: A Mirror of the Soul (2002) on a libretto by Xu Ying and set to music of ceramic, stone and paper instruments with orchestra, premiered at Japan's Suntory Hall and the Netherlands Opera with Pierre Audi directing, and received a new production at Lyon National Opera with Stanislas Nordey directing in June 2004. Other major and influential works are: Water Passion after St. Matthew, for the Internationale Bachakadamie in Stuttgart, commemorating the 250th anniversary of Bach's death; Eight Memories in Watercolor, performed internationally by pianist Lang Lang; the Oscar Award-winning original score for Ang Lee's film, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; and Ghost Opera, toured worldwide by the Kronos Quartet.

Based in New York, Tan Dun was born in Simao, China. Having served as a rice-planter and performer of Peking opera during the Cultural Revolution, he later studied at Beijing's Central Conservatory. He holds a doctoral degree in musical arts from Columbia University of New York. Among the many international honors he has received, Tan Dun was elected by Toru Takemitsu for the Glenn Gould Prize in Music Communication, and by Hans Werner Henze for the Munich International Music Theatre Award. Tan Dun was the music director of the Tanglewood Contemporary Music Festival in 1999 and artistic director of the London Barbican Centre's international festival in 2000. Currently, he is the music director of a multimedia festival with the Orchestre de la Radio Flamande.

Tan Dun records for Sony Classical and Deutsche Grammophon. His recordings have received many honors, including a Grammy Award ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), Best CD of Contemporary Music of Japan's Recording Academy Awards 2003 (Water Passion after St. Matthew) and the BBC's Best Orchestral Album (Death and Fire). Tan Dun's manuscript of The Map was acquired recently by Carnegie Hall for its Composers Gallery in New York.