Tan Dun and I

Last night the symphony hosted a talk by the composer Tan Dun. Tan Dun has written a lot of stuff, but he is probably most famous for writing the score to the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

I volunteered to usher so I could get into his talk.

He spoke of his experience in a Maoist reeducation camp during the Chinese cultural revolution. He talked about how he considers himself a "spiritual mathmetician." And he discussed his use of non-traditional instruments in his work (he has written concertos for, among other things, water and paper).

Although his manner was quiet and unassuming, I found the evening amazingly inspirational. I was awed by his creativity and originality.

Afterwards I spoke to him briefly and even got my picture taken with him.