By Claire Jackson

Published: Tuesday, 28 November 2023 at 12:46 PM


Best known for his score to the hugely popular 2000 martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tan Dun is a Chinese-American composer and creator of some very adventurous soundworlds. Read on to learn more about this innovative composer.

Who is Tan Dun?

Tan Dun is a Chinese-American composer who is perhaps most famous for his colourful musical score to Ang Lee’s seminal 2000 martial-arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. However, Tan’s achievements as a composer extend far beyond that one moment in the spotlight.

In his music, Tan draws from various influences, both Chinese and Western. It’s this dual musical identiry that has shaped much of his musical style and, indeed, his life and career.

He has worked with various of the world’s best orchestras, and has received a number of awards including a Grawemeyer Award for his opera Marco Polo (1996) and both an Academy Award and Grammy Award for his film score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Tan Dun has written music across a variety of forms, including opera, orchestral, choral and song, chamber, solo and film scores. His compositions often use audiovisual elements, as well as instruments made from organic materials like stone, water and paper. They are often inspired by traditional Chinese theatrical and ritual performance.