THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY PRESENTS THE MUSICAL WORLD OF TAN DUN – COMPOSER TO CONDUCT BUDDHA PASSION ON NOVEMBER 10 AND 12
“THE MOGAO CAVES: AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE” FREE EXHIBIT HELD IN OCTAVE 9: RAISBECK MUSIC CENTER PROVIDES 360-DEGREE VIEW OF THE COMPOSER’S INSPIRATION
TAN DUN’S GHOST OPERA TO BE PERFORMED IN OCTAVE 9 ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11
FIRST IN-PERSON FAMILY CONCERT ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, FEATURES TAN DUN’S PASSACAGLIA: SECRET OF WIND AND BIRDS
Photo Courtesy of The Dunhuang Foundation
Seattle, WA – The Seattle Symphony presents Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion in concert on November 10 and 12 at Benaroya Hall, featuring Tan Dun himself as conductor for this oratorio of epic scale. Widely known for scoring the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tan Dun joins the Symphony to bring Seattle audiences a performance that is the first of its kind in a centuries-old tradition. Buddha Passion is a passion inspired not by a Christian narrative, but rather, a Buddhist one.
The vast Buddha Passion score was inspired by the extended periods of time Tan Dun spent visiting the Mogao Caves. These excavated grottoes, situated at the edge of the Gobi Desert in Dunhuang, China, date back over 1,000 years. The piece weaves together chants, stories and ancient sounds, all pointing to the Buddha’s teachings and timeless concepts of love, forgiveness, sacrifice and salvation.
Starting November 3, Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center brings the caves of Dunhuang to Seattle with a companion exhibit, “The Mogao Caves: An Immersive Experience,” a 360-degree, multi-media rendering of the ancient site that inspired Tan Dun’s massive work. The Symphony presents the exhibit in partnership with the Dunhuang Foundation, vividly showcasing the Mogao Caves that house stunning works of Buddhist art and remain one of the world’s great cultural heritage sites. The exhibit was designed by Greg Downing of Hyperacuity and Eric Hanson of Blueplanet VR, and will be open and free to the public until November 13. This immersive program with educational narrative will run on a loop of approximately 12 minutes and may be viewed while standing or walking through the Octave 9 space; limited seating is available. The stunning visual experience illuminates the pivotal role the caves played in Tan Dun’s creation of Buddha Passion, providing audiences a better understanding of the piece’s historical significance.
In addition to Buddha Passion, audiences will be able to delve further into Tan Dun’s sound-world with two intimate performances of the composer’s Ghost Opera on Friday, November 11, also staged in Octave 9. Ghost Opera highlights Tan Dun’s propensity for resurfacing ancient sounds, and in this piece, he evokes the spirits of Bach and Shakespeare, presenting them against the ancient folk traditions of shamanistic Chinese opera. In addition to a string quartet and pipa, audiences will hear performers play percussion, cymbals and stones, water and paper, creating sounds that Tan Dun uses to invoke dissonance between past and future, nature and spirit.
Together with the newly appointed Douglas F. King Assistant Conductor Sunny Xuecong Xia, the Seattle Symphony will perform the first in-person Family Concert, Nature Resounds, since February 2020. Nature Resounds features Tan Dun’s beautiful and interactive piece, Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds, alongside other inspiring works that explore the great outdoors, sparking wonder and creativity
Due to ongoing COVID-19-related entry and exit protocols and quarantine requirements in China, five guest artists have regretfully had to withdraw from the performances of Buddha Passion; Lei Xiu will replace Sen Guo and Tan Weiwei as soprano and vocalist; Megan Moore will replace Hui Zhiling as mezzo-soprano; Yi Li replaces Kang Wang as tenor; and Elliot Madore replaces Yunpeng Wang as baritone.
The Seattle Symphony presents Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion at Benaroya Hall on November 10, at 7:30 p.m., and November 12, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $25.
“The Mogao Caves: An Immersive Experience” exhibit hours are as follows:
November 3, 8 and 9, from 4 p.m.–7 p.m.; November 5, 6, 12 and 13, from 12 p.m.–2 p.m. and 4 p.m.–7 p.m.
Entry to the exhibit is free. RSVP recommended but not required; walk-ups are welcome.
Tan Dun’s Ghost Opera will be performed on November 11, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Tan Dun’s Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds will be performed at Nature Resounds on Saturday, November 5, at 11 a.m. Tickets start at $15.
Ticket Information
For more information on tickets for Buddha Passion, “The Mogao Caves: An Immersive Experience,” or Ghost Opera, please 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 | COMPOSER & CONDUCTOR
The 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 the Grammy Award, Oscar/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.
SUNNY XIA | CONDUCTOR
Recognized for her innate musicality, compelling presence and technical precision, conductor Sunny Xuecong Xia’s ability to forge an immediate and captivating connection with orchestras and audiences alike has led to engagements around the country. Recently appointed Douglas F. King Assistant Conductor of the Seattle Symphony, Xia begins her new position in September 2022. In the 2021/2022 season, Xia was selected as Conducting Fellow at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, where she made her festival debut leading the world premiere of Marc Migó Cortés’ Dumka in July 2022. She led a production of La bohème with the Chandler Opera Company to great success and served as Assistant Conductor of the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra. A dynamic advocate for contemporary music, Xia will be leading the Seattle Symphony in works by composers Katy Abbott, Chen Yi, Quinn Mason, Angelique Poteat, Gabriella Smith and Tan Dun in the 2022/2023 season.
LEI XU | SOPRANO & VOCALS
Lei Xu graduated from Shanghai Conservatory with a bachelor’s in Vocal Performance and Opera. Afterwards, she received a full scholarship to study at the Juilliard School, earning a master’s degree as well as an artist diploma. While completing her master’s, she was selected to enroll in the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program, making her the first Chinese soprano to join these two prestigious institutions. Lei Xu was also the first Chinese soprano at the Ravinia Festival and the Marlboro Festival, where she worked with masters such as Malcolm Martineau, Mitsuko Uchida and Richard Goode. During her time at the Metropolitan Opera, she has performed with venerable singers such as Placido Domingo, Jonas Kaufmann and Joyce DiDonato, among others. In Europe, Lei Xu has sung the role of Pamina in the legendary stage director Peter Brook’s award-winning production of Une Flûte Enchantée in Paris at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord (2011 Molière Award for Best Musical). At NCPA in Beijing, she was cast in the leading roles of Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Pasquale. Lei Xu is currently a voice faculty at Shanghai Conservatory and a co-director of China’s first early music ensemble, Shanghai Camerata.
MEGAN MOORE | MEZZO-SOPRANO
Megan Moore is quickly garnering attention as an artist of versatility and depth on the opera and concert stage, particularly in the repertoire of Rossini, Handel and Mozart. Moore recently joined Harry Bicket to record Handel’s La Lucretia and Il delirio amoroso with The English Concert, and made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Brett Dean’s Hamlet under the baton of Nicholas Carter. Moore made her role debut as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at the Berkshire Opera Festival, premiered a piece by Jessica Meyer at Shriver Hall with violist Jordan Bak and joined the Santa Fe Opera to workshop The Righteous, a new work composed by Gregory Spears with libretto by Tracy K. Smith that will debut in the company's 2024 season.
Moore’s opera roles are extensive, including singing Costanza in Haydn's L'isola disabitata with Opera Naples under the baton of Ramón Tebar; Dorabella in Così fan tutte at Juilliard conducted by Nimrod David Pfeffer and directed by David Paul; Nicklausse in a new Jennifer Williams production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann led by Caren Levine at the Miami Music Festival; and Arsamene in historically-staged production of Handel’s Serse with Haymarket Opera Company. Other favorite operatic roles of Moore’s are the title role in Massenet's Cendrillon, Angelina in La Cenerentola, Blanche de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, and Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
YI LI | TENOR
Proving himself a formidable talent and a rising star to watch in the opera world, Yi Li is quickly gaining attention across the globe. Recently, Yi Li debuted the role of Cheng Quing in Meredith Monk’s ATLAS with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and moved into bigger repertoire — debuting the role of Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West in Maryland Lyric Opera’s inaugural season. Yi Li subsequently returned there as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor and Turiddu/Luigi in Il Tabarro/Cavalleria Rusticana, as well as The Metropolitan Opera as the Young Lover in Il Tabarro. Recent performances include a return to Maryland Lyric Opera for Turandot and singing Danny in An American Soldier at China Now Music Festival. Yi Li also recently debuted at Opera Tampa as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana and was the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at Jackson Symphony and in the Angel Island Oratorio at the Sante Fe Opera.
ELLIOT MADORE | BARITONE
Hailed by The New York Times for his “robust singing” and Opera News for his “exquisite vocal beauty,” Grammy Award-winning Canadian baritone Elliot Madore has established himself as an international artist in demand at the leading opera houses and orchestras of the world. The 2022/2023 season sees Madore’s return to the Los Angeles Philharmonic to sing Ramón in a semi-staged production of John Adams’ Girls of the Golden West, as well as his much-anticipated debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to sing Messiah under the direction of music director Gustavo Gimeno. Madore also sings the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana in a special co-presentation by the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Hong Kong Ballet, as well as with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vänskä, the New World Symphony Orchestra conducted by Patrick Dupré Quigley, and the Oregon Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leo Hussain. Madore also makes his debut with the Kalamazoo Symphony in Brahms’ Requiem.
Recently, Madore made his house debut in the world premiere of Giorgio Battistelli’s new opera Julius Caesar with Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, directed by Robert Carsen and conducted by Daniele Gatti. Mr. Madore also made his role debut as Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus with the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy in Japan. Orchestral work includes Carmina Burana with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, conducted by music director Gustavo Dudamel, and Messiah with the US Naval Academy. Madore also joined the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music faculty in a newly created position as a performing Associate Professor of Voice.
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 garnered 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 Live streaming service, the orchestra’s concerts reach audiences at home and around the world.
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THE MOGAO CAVES: AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE
OCTAVE 9 SPECIAL EXHIBIT
November 3, 8 & 9, from 4 p.m.–7 p.m.
November 5, 6, 12 & 13, from 12 p.m.–2 p.m. & 4 p.m.–7 p.m.
NATURE RESOUNDS
FAMILY CONCERTS
Saturday, November 5, at 11 a.m.
Sunny Xia conductor
Ruohan Huang piano
Angelique Poteat Breathe, Come Together, Embrace (Seattle Symphony Commission)
Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
W.A. Mozart Allegretto - Finale. Presto from Piano Concerto No. 17
Gabriella Smith Field Guide
Tan Dun Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds
TAN DUN BUDDHA PASSION
MASTERWORKS SERIES
Thursday, November 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 12, at 8 p.m.
Tan Dun conductor
Lei Xu soprano & vocals
Megan Moore mezzo-soprano
Yi Li tenor
Elliot Madore baritone
Batubagen vocals
Chen Yining pipa
Northwest Boychoir
Seattle Symphony Chorale
Tan Dun Buddha Passion
TAN DUN GHOST OPERA
OCTAVE 9 SERIES
Friday, November 11, at 7 p.m.
Friday, November 11, at 9 p.m.
Mae Lin violin
Andy Liang violin
Eric Han cello
Carrie Wang pipa
Tan Dun Ghost Opera
Octave 9: Emerging Artists is supported by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
Sunny Xia’s position is generously underwritten as the Douglas F. King Assistant Conductor.
Performances of Tan Dun: Buddha Passion are generously underwritten by Jeff and Rita Xiong.
The Mogao Caves: An Immersive Experience is generously sponsored by Mimi Gardner Gates and the Dunhuang Foundation.
Seattle Symphony Family Programs are supported by The Klorfine Foundation.
Delta Air Lines proudly supports the Seattle Symphony’s Community Partnerships for Youth and Education.
Tan Dun Buddha Passion and The Mogao Caves: An Immersive Experience are generously supported by Susan Detweiler, MD and Alexander Clowes, MD*, Shirley and Heng-Pin Kiang, Abe Lillard and Julia Kalmus, Yoshi and Naomi Minegishi, Lolan Song and Bo Pickron, Suzanne Ragen, Stanley and Ingrid Savage, and Dr. Gursharan and Elvira Sidhu.
The Seattle Symphony’s Family, School & Community programs are supported by 4Culture, Marco Argenti, ArtsFund, Merriman-Ross Family, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and individual contributions to the Seattle Symphony Annual Fund.