Du Yun

“A lot of times politics, global issues, are very black and white... There is a place for that, but it’s also fantastic to have art side-by-side, from different viewpoints open for interpretations,” Du Yun said after winning the Pulitzer Prize for music in 2017.  She was recognized for her opera “Angel’s Bone,” which the jury described as a bold work "that integrates vocal and instrumental elements and a wide range of styles into a harrowing allegory for human trafficking in the modern world." Yun says fostering dialogue around social change is her “biggest impetus” for writing music: “I'm always going to use music, use culture as a tool to engage people to have this dialog, to enable others." An avid performer, she has appeared before audiences both nationally and abroad, with her onstage persona described by “The New York Times” as “an indie pop diva with an avant-garde edge.” She is currently on the composition faculty of Peabody Institute of John Hopkins University and is artistic director of MATA, an international festival that commissions and presents young composers. Updated July 2018