The Singapore Symphony Orchestra is proud to partner with the Singapore International Festival of Arts in presenting the Buddha Passion, a sweeping work of imagination and a luminous meditation on the life and teaching of the Buddha, by world-renowned composer Tan Dun.

For Buddha Passion, Grammy and Academy award-winning artist Tan Dun has travelled the globe, from the mystical Buddhist caves of the ancient city of Dunhuang to the storied libraries of Europe.

Richly evoking an allegorical world inspired by Buddhist philosophy, Buddha Passion is marked by mythical characters and eastern landscapes in a multi-layered performance of narrative, rich chorals and orchestra.

Buddha Passion unfolds over six acts. It begins with a mural alluding to Buddha’s moment of nirvana. A little prince learns all lives are equal while a man reaps the fruits of karma after betraying the Deer of Nine Colours. Princess Miaoshan’s sacrifice transmutes into the ultimate symbol of compassion, while a Zen Master and lowly woodcutter debate on the true meaning of Zen. In a chance encounter on the Silk Road, a minstrel monk finds himself inexorably drawn to the fate of a dying woman.

Together with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, witness Tan Dun’s prodigious, genre-breaking gifts which have won standing ovations from audiences globally. Shimmering with mythic grace, Buddha Passion incarnates the timeless message of peace, compassion and gentleness and is a thrilling musical achievement not to be missed.