Draft/Tan Dun The Map: February 27, 2014
From: Chris Boneau/ Jackie Green/ Christine Olver
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TAN DUN’S THE MAP
PERFORMED BY NYU SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
CONDUCTED BY ANDREW CYR
FEATURING CELLIST WENDY SUTTER
MONDAY, MAY 12
AT
NYU SKIRBALL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS’
VISIONS + VOICES: CHINA
Tan Dun’s The Map will be performed by the NYU Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Cyr and
featuring cellist Wendy Sutter on Monday, May 12 to close the second annual Visions + Voices Global
Performance Series at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. This year’s Visions + Voices will focus on
China and runs February 20–May 12, 2014.
NYU Symphony Orchestra
[Music]
The Map
Composed by Tan Dun
Video designed by Tan Dun
May 12 at 7:00
$15-$35
90 minutes
“Tan Dun first attracted attention with skillfully wrought concert works in which ancient Chinese folkloric
instruments and techniques mingled in potent collusion with a Western avant-garde vocabulary.”
–New York Times
The NYU Symphony Orchestra will perform Tan Dun’s masterpiece, The Map in a one-night only concert
performance. The renowned Chinese composer created the work as a response to his 1999 tour of the eastern
part of Hunan Province. The Map was premiered by Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony Orchestra and has
toured more than 30 countries worldwide. Its manuscript has been included in the Carnegie Hall Composers
Gallery. The field video recordings used in The Map capture passionate antiphonal singing, intriguing tongue
singing, emphatic percussive dance and other images of ethnic musical life. The interaction of audio-video and
live music connected generations and cultures across years and over continents.
A winner of today's most prestigious honors including the Grammy Award (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon),
Tan Dun's music has been played throughout the world by leading orchestras, opera houses, international
festivals, and on the radio and television.
The one-night only concert performance includes special guests, Grammy-nominated conductor Andrew Cyr and
soloist Wendy Sutter heralded as “one of the great leading cellist of the classical stage” by the Wall Street Journal.
The evening will also feature Tan Dun’s "Concerto for String Orchestra and Pipa" featuring pipa virtuoso Zhou
Yi. Performed by the NYU Symphony Orchestra.
The Visions + Voices Global Performance Series is an annual performing arts series held at the NYU Skirball
Center that creates a unique opportunity to celebrate and closely examine a singular world culture through a wide
ranging artistic lens. This year’s focus is China and highlights several artists who build upon cultural tradition
while embracing modern perspectives. NYU Skirball believes that rich international programming not only excites
New York audiences and the NYU community, but also serves as a catalyst for international dialogue and
education. Celebrating the richness of NYU’s global network of campuses, future seasons include partnerships
with Germany, Israel, Abu Dhabi and London.
Other programs in the Visions + Voices series are:
 TAO Dance Theater’s 4 and the U.S. Premiere of 5 (February 20–23); the works continue choreographer
TAO Ye’s journey of pushing the boundaries of corporeal expression.
 The all-female ensemble Hangzhou Yue Opera Company transform two classic Ibsen plays into lyrical
adventures with Hedda (February 25) and The Lady from the Sea (February 26).
 From March 26-30, the National Theatre of China, one of the new faces of 21st century Chinese theater,
will debut a production of Richard III.
 On April 12, “The Piano in a Factory,” a film by Zhang Meng, will be screened.
 The series will open with an outdoor vitrine art exhibit featuring the works by Zhang Jianjun and Zhang
Huan (presented in partnership with The Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Wu Jian’an (presented in
partnership with Chambers Gallery).
Michael Harrington, the center’s Executive Director, said, “Each year Visions + Voices gives us the opportunity to
explore and highlight the culture and creativity from a featured locale within NYU's Global Network. This year’s
Chinese artists and performers will showcase numerous works never before seen in America and we are thrilled to
present them here in New York and offer opportunities for cultural discovery and understanding.”
2013-14 marks the tenth season for NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. In its first decade, NYU
Skirball has made substantial contributions not only to the community surrounding the country’s largest private
university, but also to a broader cultural landscape. In recent years, Michael Harrington has used the 860 seat
venue to provide a platform for artists from around the world to practice their craft on a larger scale from the
facility’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. In addition to multiple-night and week runs (Cirkopolis, Othello,
Waiting For Godot), NYU Skirball Center hosts a range of singular events, such as a dialogue between David Byrne
& Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, and Stephen Sondheim & Tony Kushner, comedians such as Zach Galifianakis
and Aziz Ansari, and musicians such as Esperanza Spalding and The Derek Trucks Band.
Tickets for Visions + Voices and the complete NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts season may be
purchased online at www.nyuskirball.org, by phone at 212.352.3101 or 866.811.4111, or in person at the NYU
Skirball Center Box Office: Tuesday-Saturday, 12:00–6:00 P.M.
The NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is located at 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square, New
York, New York 10012. For more information, please visit www.nyuskirball.org.
About NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and
performing arts events for New York University and lower Manhattan. Led by executive producer Jay Oliva
(President Emeritus, NYU) and executive director Michael Harrington, the programs of NYU Skirball reflect
NYU's mission as an international center of scholarship, defined by excellence and innovation and shaped by an
intellectually rich and diverse environment. A vital aspect of the Center's mission is to build young adult
audiences for the future of live performance. For more information, please visit www.nyuskirball.org.
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