TAN DUN LEADS THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY IN NU SHU: THE SECRET SONGS OF WOMEN

THE AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER RETURNS WITH A MULTIMEDIA SYMPHONY AS WELL AS HIS WATER CONCERTO

Seattle, WA – On May 15 and 16, internationally acclaimed composer and conductor Tan Dun returns to Benaroya Hall to lead the Seattle Symphony in two performances of his multimedia symphony, Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women. Harpist Xavier de Maistre will join the Symphony for this unique work, inspired by Nüshu, a language passed down through generations of women in remote China. The program will also include Tan Dun’s Water Concerto for Water Percussion and Orchestra, Manuel de Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance from El amor brujo and Igor Stravinsky’s Feu d’Artifice, Op. 4 (“Fireworks”). 

Originally commissioned as a harp concerto, Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women evolved into a 42-minute multimedia symphony for harp, 13 micro films and orchestra. The piece draws its inspiration from Nüshu, a centuries-old secret script and oral tradition used exclusively by the ethnic Yao women of China’s Hunan province. Tan Dun spent five years researching and documenting the last women fluent in Nüshu and recorded over 200 hours of footage to inform his 13-movement work, each portraying a unique story of womanhood — from farewells and longing to marriage and sisterhood. This resulted in a powerful tribute to the resilience, creativity and solidarity of women whose voices were once confined to secrecy.

Tan Dun’s signature techniques — such as the percussive use of rocks, bowls of water and tapping by the orchestra — add environmental textures, emphasizing the power of these women’s stories. Similar techniques are also used in Water Concerto for Water Percussion and Orchestra, Tan Dun’s first major work for “organic instruments,” inspired by the sounds of everyday life growing up in Hunan.

Performances of Nu Shu offer the immersive experience Tan Dun envisioned: one in which audiences not only hear Nüshu and the music, but also see and feel it in its most authentic form.

Learn more about the works being performed by reading the Program Notes.

Ticket Information 

For tickets, visit seattlesymphony.org or contact the Seattle Symphony Ticket Office. The Seattle Symphony Ticket Office is located in Benaroya Hall, at Third Avenue and Union Street. The Ticket Office can be reached by phone at 206.215.4747 during the following times: Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

TAN DUN | CONDUCTOR

World-renowned artist and UNESCO Global Goodwill Ambassador 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 a GRAMMY Award, Academy Award, Grawemeyer Award, Bach Prize, Shostakovich Award and most recently, Italy’s Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement — Tan Dun’s music has been played throughout the world by leading orchestras, opera houses, international festivals, and on radio and television. Most recently, Tan Dun was named as Dean of the Bard College Conservatory of Music. As dean, Tan Dun will further demonstrate music’s extraordinary ability to transform lives and guide the Conservatory in fulfilling its mission of understanding music’s connection to history, art, culture and society.

SEATTLE SYMPHONY 

The Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has won five Grammy Awards, 27 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 750,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts, and through the Seattle Symphony+ streaming service, the orchestra’s concerts reach audiences at home and around the world.

BENAROYA HALL 

Benaroya Hall, the home of the Seattle Symphony, is located in downtown Seattle and surrounded by numerous restaurants, retail stores and parking facilities. Opened in 1998, Benaroya Hall is the most-visited performing arts venue in Seattle. It has received numerous awards, including a 2001 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Honor Award for outstanding architecture. Benaroya Hall has three versatile performance venues, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall and Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center, all renowned for their pristine acoustics, luxurious design and prime location. For additional information, including rental information, event listings and public tour schedules, please visit benaroyahall.org.  

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TAN DUN CONDUCTS NU SHU: THE SECRET SONGS OF WOMEN

SYMPHONIC SERIES
Thursday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 16, at 8 p.m.

Tan Dun conductor
Xavier de Maistre harp
Seattle Symphony 

 De Falla Ritual Fire Dance from El amor brujo
Tan Dun Water Concerto for Water Percussion and Orchestra
Stravinsky Feu d’Artifice, Op. 4 (“Fireworks”)
Tan Dun Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women 

Performances of Tan Dun Conducts Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women are generously sponsored by Jeff and Rita Xiong. Additional support is provided by Mimi Gardner Gates.
Xavier de Maistre’s performances are generously sponsored by Richard Meyer and Susan Harmon. Tan Dun’s compositions are presented as part of the Seattle Symphony’s New Music WORKS initiative, which is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. New Music WORKS features commissions, concerts and educational activities that use composition as a catalyst for collaboration and engagement in music.