Tan Dun's THE MAP Set for NYU Skirball Center, 5/12

Tan Dun's The Map will be performed by the NYU Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Cyr and featuring cellist Wendy Sutter on Monday, May 12 to close the second annual Visions + Voices Global Performance Series at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. This year's Visions + Voices focuses on China; it began in February and runs through May 12.

The NYU Symphony Orchestra will perform Tan Dun's masterpiece, The Map in a one-night only concert performance. The renowned Chinese composer created the work as a response to his 1999 tour of the eastern part of Hunan Province. The Map was premiered by Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony Orchestra and has toured more than 30 countries worldwide. Its manuscript has been included in the Carnegie Hall Composers Gallery. The field video recordings used in The Map capture passionate antiphonal singing, intriguing tongue singing, emphatic percussive dance and other images of ethnic musical life. The interaction of audio-video and live music connected generations and cultures across years and over continents.

A winner of today's most prestigious honors including the Grammy Award (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Tan Dun's music has been played throughout the world by leading orchestras, opera houses, international festivals, and on the radio and television.

The one-night only concert performance includes special guests, Grammy-nominated conductor Andrew Cyr and soloist Wendy Sutter heralded as "one of the great leading cellist of the classical stage" by the Wall Street Journal. The evening will also feature Tan Dun's "Concerto for String Orchestra and Pipa" featuring pipa virtuoso Zhou Yi. Performed by the NYU Symphony Orchestra.

The Visions + Voices Global Performance Series is an annual performing arts series held at the NYU Skirball Center that creates a unique opportunity to celebrate and closely examine a singular world culture through a wide ranging artistic lens. This year's focus is China and highlights several artists who build upon cultural tradition while embracing modern perspectives. NYU Skirball believes that rich international programming not only excites New York audiences and the NYU community, but also serves as a catalyst for international dialogue and education. Celebrating the richness of NYU's global network of campuses, future seasons include partnerships with Germany, Israel, Abu Dhabi and London.

Other programs in the Visions + Voices series are:

· TAO Dance Theater's 4 and the U.S. Premiere of 5 (February 20-23); the works continue choreographer TAO Ye's journey of pushing the boundaries of corporeal expression.

· The all-female ensemble Hangzhou Yue Opera Company transform two classic Ibsen plays into lyrical adventures with Hedda (February 25) and The Lady from the Sea (February 26).

· From March 26-30, the National Theatre of China, one of the new faces of 21st century Chinese theater, will debut a production of Richard III.

· On April 12, "The Piano in a Factory," a film by Zhang Meng, will be screened.

· The series will open with an outdoor vitrine art exhibit featuring the works by Zhang Jianjun and Zhang Huan (presented in partnership with The Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Wu Jian'an (presented in partnership with Chambers Gallery).

Michael Harrington, the center's Executive Director, said, "Each year Visions + Voices gives us the opportunity to explore and highlight the culture and creativity from a featured locale within NYU's Global Network. This year's Chinese artists and performers will showcase numerous works never before seen in America and we are thrilled to present them here in New York and offer opportunities for cultural discovery and understanding."

2013-14 marks the tenth season for NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. In its first decade, NYU Skirball has made substantial contributions not only to the community surrounding the country's largest private university, but also to a broader cultural landscape. In recent years, Michael Harrington has used the 860 seat venue to provide a platform for artists from around the world to practice their craft on a larger scale from the facility's Greenwich Village neighborhood. In addition to multiple-night and week runs (Cirkopolis, Othello, Waiting For Godot), NYU Skirball Center hosts a range of singular events, such as a dialogue between David Byrne & Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, and Stephen Sondheim & Tony Kushner, comedians such as Zach Galifianakis and Aziz Ansari, and musicians such as Esperanza Spalding and The Derek Trucks Band.

Tickets for Visions + Voices and the complete NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts season may be purchased online at www.nyuskirball.org, by phone at 212.352.3101 or 866.811.4111, or in person at the NYU Skirball Center Box Office: Tuesday-Saturday, 12:00-6:00 P.M.