"I have never worked with an orchestra in China and this is very exciting for me," he says. "Of course, with any orchestra, there is always a bit of time necessary to get used to my language as a composer. But my music is inspired by the great work of the past, so I hope the musicians find their parts playable, idiomatic, and satisfying, even when it's challenging."

The composer says that his wife, Lisa GiHae Kim, a violinist in the New York Philharmonic, toured eight cities in China, including Beijing, in 2018. He and their young son accompanied her. "It was a fascinating trip and I was eager to return," he says.

Born in 1972 in St Louis, Missouri, Puts has established himself as one of America's leading composers, gaining international acclaim.

Winner of numerous prestigious awards, he has had work commissioned, performed and recorded by leading ensembles, and soloists around the world, including Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, Jeffrey Kahane, Dame Evelyn Glennie, the New York Philharmonic, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Miro Quartet, and the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Cincinnati, Detroit, Atlanta, Colorado, Houston, Fort Worth, St Louis and Minnesota.

As a child, Puts enjoyed all kinds of orchestral music, which he listened to at home with his parents, ranging from Beethoven, to Bernstein, to music he heard at the cinema. One of his favorites was a piece written by John Williams. His journey into the world of composition began at the Eastman School of Music, where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees.