Du Yun wins Pulitzer Prize for Music

Chinese composer Du Yun has received the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Yun won for her opera Angel’s Bone, which follows the plight of two angels who fall to earth. The piece features a libretto by Royce Vavrek.

Described as a combination of ‘chamber music, theatre, pop music, opera and cabaret’, the opera originally premiered at Prototype Festival in New York in 2016. Yun will receive USD10,000 (€9,400) at a ceremony in May.

The Pulitzer jury included Carol J Oja (William Powell Mason professor of music, Harvard University), John V Brown Jr (associate professor of the practice of music, Duke University), Jennifer Higdon (composer), Alex Ross (music critic, The New Yorker), Evan Ziporyn (director, Center for Art, Science & Technology) and Kenan Sabin (distinguished professor of music, Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

Yun was born and raised in Shanghai, and is now based in New York. Her work has been performed by Seattle Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Philharmonie Luxembourg and International Contemporary Ensemble. She has recorded albums for Deutsche Grammophon, New Focus, Oxingale and ATMA Classique.

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