Composer, performer, and activist Du Yun, PhD ’06, writes operas that incorporate a variety of musical styles and address social issues like immigration and human trafficking. She views herself as a mediator of the human condition's diverse realities and limitations, and draws on her experiences, encounters, and examinations to create work that facilitates dialogue and reflects our society. In this video, she discusses her first opera-theater piece, Zolle (2005), which became her PhD dissertation at GSAS, and its connection to her immigration experience, as well as her Pulitzer Prize-winning work, Angel’s Bone (2015), an allegory for human trafficking that incorporates genres from opera to punk.
Banner photo credit: Xiao Nan
