Bio

Su Lian Tan is a much sought after flutist and composer. Her music has been described as “the stunner of the evening,” (Washington Post) and “…refined, cultured compositions… Rewarding for everyone... a must own” (Fanfare). “Lotus Lives démontre que Montréal prend sa place dans la modernité de l’art lyrique. (Lotus Lives demonstrates that Montreal takes its place in the modernity of opera)” (Frederic Cardin, CBC Radio Canada). “Wonderfully dramatic music…a spike of energy recalls the trio in Beethoven’s second Razumovsky” (Gramophone).

Making her first recordings at the age of 14, she has recently been featured in Flute Talk, Gramophone , Fanfare and American Record Guide. Tan has been commissioned by groups such as the Grammy-winning Takacs String Quartet, Da Capo Chamber Players, and the Vermont Symphony. Recordings of her music include a recent release, Grand Theft and other Felonies, which features Carol Wincenc performing Autumn Lute-Song and Tan as a flutist. Another recent release, Music by Su Lian Tan (ARSIS) contains Jamaica’s Songs, written in collaboration with author Jamaica Kincaid. Her intermedia chamber opera Lotus Lives was performed to great acclaim in the last two seasons, as was Revelations, dedicated to Sophie Shao (cellist). Ming, composed for Joe Burgstaller (trumpet) had its premier performance in Singapore. New commissions include Legends of Kintamani a cello concerto for Darrett Adkins, and Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra for Nicola Mazzanti. A recent recording project features the Jupiter String Quartet and Bruce Brubaker and a current project featuring her flute music is underway. She will perform with Wincenc, John McDonald and Cindy Meyers. Her music is published by ECS Publishing and Theodore Presser.

Also a dedicated teacher, Tan is Fletcher Professor of the Arts at Middlebury College where she continues to be a mentor to talented young musicians. She has given seminars and master-classes at Oberlin College, Boston University, and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore, to name a few. She has received numerous accolades and citations for teaching as well as for her music, including awards from ASCAP, The Academy of Arts and Letters of Quebec, and the Toulmin and Naumburg Foundations. She was awarded several residencies from the Yaddo and MacDowell  colonies. She holds degrees from the Trinity College, London (F.T.C.L.), Bennington College (B.A.), The Juilliard School (M.M.) and Princeton University (Ph.D.).