Portrait of the Chinese conductor Muhai Tang.
Born in 1949, the founding year of the People’s Republic of China, and raised during the Cultural Revolution, it seemed as if he would have to abandon his dream of a career in music. However, his talent, perseverance and the support of Herbert von Karajan ultimately brought him to the world’s concert halls.
Tang initially learned music with his parents, and later studied composition and conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He furthered his studies in conducting with Hermann Michael, at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich, Germany. His international career started when Herbert von Karajan invited him to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra during the 1983-1984 season. He was awarded the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition for Concert de Gaudí for Guitar and Orchestra.
Today, Muhai Tang is a global nomad. A wanderer between the worlds which he unites with music. His personal history, interspersed with historical caesurae, is typical for Chinese of his generation. He gained access to western culture early on through music. Muhai Tang’s life and work are exemplary of a changing China and the enrichment of the world by an artist between East and West.
