Du Yun

Du Yun, born and raised in Shanghai, China, and currently based in New York City, works at the intersection of opera, orchestral, theatre, cabaret, musical, oral tradition, public performances, electronics, visual arts, and noise. Her body of work is championed by some of today’s finest performing groups and organizations around the world.
Du Yun’s second opera Angel’s Bone won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Music. Four of her feature studio albums were named The New Yorker’s Notable Recordings of the Year. Her latest monodrama opera In Our Daughter’s Eyes was named a notable performance of the year in 2022 by the New Yorker. A community champion, Du Yun was a founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble; served as the Artistic Director of MATA Festival (2014-2018); conceived the Pan Asia Sounding Festival at the National Sawdust; and founded FutureTradition, a global initiative that illuminates the provenance lineages of folk art and uses these structures to build cross-regional collaborations.
In 2023, Harvard University honoured her as centennial medalist, the highest recognition for its alumni. She was Artist of the Year at the Beijing Music Festival in 2019, and the Asia Society in Hong Kong has honoured her for her continued contributions to performing arts. The Carnegie Foundation and the Vilcek Prize in Music have honoured her as an immigrant who has made lasting contributions to the American society.
Du Yun is Professor of Composition at the Peabody Institute, and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.