‘Cultural Ambassador to the World’

9th March 2010

Grammy and Oscar winning composer and conductor, Tan Dun, has been appointed the ‘Cultural Ambassador to the World’ for World Expo 2010 Shanghai. Tan Dun will work to help 208 participating countries from around the world in sharing their cultures and ideas with over 70 million visitors during the 6-month festival. In addition to collaborating with the legendary Quincy Jones on music for the Expo’s opening ceremony, Tan Dun will participate in the opening ceremonies of the Norwegian, Italian, and American Pavilions and will lead the La Scala Philharmonic and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra of Norway. Upon accepting his appointment Tan Dun excitedly remarked, “It is a great honor for me to assist in building this marvelous bridge of world cultures. I hope to work with artists and institutions around the world to grant a vision of responsibility, inspiration, and cultural exchange to this global event.”

Tan Dun has just completed pre-expo concerts, conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the Munich Philharmonic. Now he is setting his baton toward the opening of the Expo. Tan Dun plans to lead a mini-festival during the Expo, focused on a theme of environmental and cultural preservation, with the Nu Shu Voices - the ensemble of the secret language of Hunan women. He will also work with young musicians from around the world, in collaboration with the National Youth Orchestra of China, to discover the music and musicians of the future.

"Come with me! You will enjoy this fantastic parade of people and culture from 208 countries, the biggest festival of architecture and music, of tradition and invention, and of people and business the world has ever seen." - Tan Dun

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World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is the occasion for China to bring the world home, and for the world to feel at home in China. By dedicating a 5.28-square-kilometer area at the core of the beautiful city to exhibitions, events and forums on the Expo theme, "Better City, Better Life," Shanghai hopes to build a powerful and lasting pilot example of sustainable and harmonious urban living.

The conceptual and multifaceted composer/conductor Tan Dun has made an indelible mark on the world’s music scene with a creative repertoire that spans the boundaries of classical music, multimedia performance, and Eastern and Western traditions. A winner of today’s most prestigious honors including the Grammy Award, Oscar/Academy Award, Grawemeyer Award for classical composition and Musical America’s Composer of The Year. As a composer/conductor, Tan Dun has worked with the world’s most renowned orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Berliner Philharmoniker, Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Filharmonia della Scala, Müncher Philharmoniker and the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, among others. Tan Dun’s individual voice has been heard by wide audiences. His first Internet Symphony, which was commissioned by Google/YouTube has reached over 20 million people online.