Bright Sheng is respected as one of the foremost composers of our time, whose stage, orchestral, chamber, and vocal works are performed regularly throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Sheng’s music is noted for its lyrical and limpid melodies, a Shostakovich sense of breath in music phrases, a Bartokian sense of rhythmic propulsion, and dramatic and theatrical gestures. Many of Sheng’s works have strong Chinese and Asian influences, a result of his diligent study of Asian musical cultures for more than three decades. He was proclaimed by the MacArthur Foundation in 2001 as “an innovative composer who merges diverse musical customs in works that transcend conventional aesthetic boundaries.” The Foundation predicts that “Bright Sheng will continue to be an important leader in exploring and bridging musical traditions.”
Portrait by Peter Shin
