EVENTS
活动
Conducted by He Xiaole, the Choir of the Music Education Institute, Central Conservatory of Music, join guest chorus Xinsheng Chinese Choir of New York conducted by Chenchen Li for an afternoon of Chinese folk songs and North American ballads.
The China Now Music Festival, “Chasing Dreams,” closes its ninth season with Zhou Long’s Men of Iron and the Golden Spike, a powerful symphonic oratorio honoring the thousands of Chinese laborers who came to America in the 1860s to build the Transcontinental Railroad, and the U.S. premiere of Li Shaosheng’s five-movement symphonic suite Chasing the Sky, honoring humanity’s pursuit of space exploration.
The China Now Music Festival, “Chasing Dreams,” closes its ninth season with Zhou Long’s Men of Iron and the Golden Spike, a powerful symphonic oratorio honoring the thousands of Chinese laborers who came to America in the 1860s to build the Transcontinental Railroad, and the U.S. premiere of Li Shaosheng’s five-movement symphonic suite Chasing the Sky, honoring humanity’s pursuit of space exploration.
As a part of the 2026 China Now Music Festival, Chasing Dreams, the Bard East/West Ensemble celebrates America’s 250th anniversary by performing pieces from their recent tour. Returning home from a tour in China that took them to 8 cities for 15 performances, the ensemble will showcase their cross-cultural sound through unique arrangements of works by Aaron Copland, Astor Piazzolla, and Jiang Ying, among others. The China Now Music Festival is co-presented by the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music and the Central Conservatory of Music, China.
This year, the China Now Music Festival and Asia Society will co-host the US-China Music Forum: Chasing Dreams, featuring a panel discussion and live performances of operatic excerpts from Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s The Rift and Zhou Long and Su Wei’s Men of Iron and the Golden Spike. The creators and performers behind the works will speak about what the “American Dream” means to them and how they envision music illuminating stories that have been neglected. The discussion will be followed with a Q&A and a reception.
The China Now Music Festival, “Chasing Dreams,” closes its ninth season with Zhou Long’s Men of Iron and the Golden Spike, a powerful symphonic oratorio honoring the thousands of Chinese laborers who came to America in the 1860s to build the Transcontinental Railroad, and the U.S. premiere of Li Shaosheng’s five-movement symphonic suite Chasing the Sky, honoring humanity’s pursuit of space exploration.
Come join us to take a closer look into the behind-the-scenes production of composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang’s chamber opera The Rift. This open rehearsal, presented by the US-China Music Institute, gives you a sneak peak into how this opera comes together on stage. See firsthand how the music detailing the story of Maya Lin’s design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is rehearsed, refined, and prepared for performance.
CHINA! 中国!
The Bard East/West Ensemble heads to China for a multi-city adventure of cultural exchange and musical exploration. Learn More
China Institute, New York, NY (April 30)
Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson (May 1 and 2)
The eighth annual conference of the US-China Music Institute will focus on the global phenomenon of guzheng teaching, research, and performance, with a particular emphasis on developments in the West. Scholars, performers, students, ensembles, and guzheng studio teachers from North America and China will come together for three days of performances, workshops, discussions and social events. LEARN MORE
László Z. Bitó '60 Conservatory Building
7pm
The Bard Chinese Ensemble pays tribute to its beloved music director Shutong Li 李梳曈 after his sudden passing in February. US-China Music Institute director Jindong Cai will conduct. Program details to follow.
Free and open to the public.
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC
3 PM
Celebrate two holidays in one! On Valentine’s Day weekend, bring your loved ones and welcome the Year of the Horse at the 7th annual The Sound of Spring Chinese New Year concert with The Orchestra Now. Featuring suona virtuoso Yazhi Guo and award-winning soloists from our prestigious partners at the Central Conservatory of Music, China.
Arrive up to an hour early to experience our Chinese instruments demonstrations before the concert.
LEARN MORE
Tickets $25-$100.
PURCHASE TICKETS 点此购票
Sosnoff Theater, Fisher Center at Bard College
3 PM
Celebrate two holidays in one! On Valentine’s Day, bring your loved ones and welcome the Year of the Horse at the 7th annual The Sound of Spring Chinese New Year concert with The Orchestra Now. Featuring suona virtuoso Yazhi Guo and award-winning soloists from our prestigious partners at the Central Conservatory of Music, China.
LEARN MORE
Tickets start at $15. Free for Bard students with ID. GET TICKETS HERE
László Z. Bitó '60 Conservatory Building
2pm
Celebrate the holiday season with an enchanting program of new music from the Bard Chinese Ensemble!
FREE and open to the public. LEARN MORE
László Z. Bitó '60 Conservatory Building
2pm
The Bard East/West Ensemble (BCE) opens its 2025–26 season with a concert rich in color and emotion, celebrating the many voices of Chinese orchestral music.
FREE and open to the public.
PROGRAM DETAILS
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, NYC
3 PM
Pre-concert talk starting at 2:15pm in Rose Theater
The 2025 China Now Music Festival concludes with a dynamic 3-part program of multi-sensory and multi-disciplinary performances, featuring contemporary dance, a new chamber opera, and a mix of Chinese and Western instruments. The Bard East/West Ensemble performs with Jindong Cai and Shutong Li conducting. LEARN MORE
Tickets start at $15. PURCHASE HERE | 点此购票
Ertugun Atrium, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall
5:00 PM
Join the US-China Music Institute and co-presenter China Daily for a discussion and reception focusing on the theme Music in Motion and the topic of cross-cultural musical exchange. Tickets: $10, must be purchased in advance. LEARN MORE
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, NYC
3 PM
The eighth annual China Now Music Festival presents The Orchestra Now performing three generations of living composers to demonstrate the momentum of music development in China during the past few decades. Featuring Ye Xiaogang’s epic masterpiece Song of the Earth for orchestra, soprano and baritone, the concert is conducted by festival artistic director Jindong Cai. LEARN MORE
Tickets start at $15. PURCHASE HERE | 点此购票
Sosnoff Theater, Fisher Center at Bard College
3 PM
The eighth annual China Now Music Festival returns to the Sosnoff Theater to present The Orchestra Now performing contemporary Chinese symphonic works that move music through both time and space. Featuring Ye Xiaogang’s epic masterpiece Song of the Earth for orchestra, soprano and baritone, the concert is conducted by festival artistic director Jindong Cai. LEARN MORE
Tickets start at $15. Free for Bard students! PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
CHINA! 中国!
Multiple Locations
The Bard East/West Ensemble heads to China for a multi-city adventure of cultural exchange and musical exploration. Learn More
Chapel of the Holy Innocents, Bard College
7 PM
The Bard East/West Ensemble and guest soloists will grace Bard’s historic chapel with a program of Chinese musical compositions specially arranged for the unique instrumentation of a Western string quintet, seven traditional Chinese instruments, and percussion.
Olin Hall at Bard College
7 PM
The Bard Chinese Ensemble performs their fourth and final concert of the 2024-25 academic year as part of the US-China Music Institute’s annual conference, Exploration and Resonance: Chinese Music in the West.
LEARN MORE
China Institute, New York, NY (May 1)
Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson (May 2 and 3)
The US-China Music Institute’s annual conference will bring together leading educators and performers based in the US, Europe, and China to explore a variety of topics related to Chinese music education and performance in the West. Concerts on each evening of the conference will highlight both traditional and contemporary Chinese music modalities. LEARN MORE
Sunday, March 9, 2025
László Z. Bitó ‘60 Conservatory Building, Bard College
2pm
The Bard Chinese Ensemble returns with another captivating program sure to delight!
MORE DETAILS
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC
3 PM
The sixth annual Chinese New Year Concert presented by the US-China Music Institute returns to Jazz at Lincoln Center with an all new program of celebratory Chinese orchestral music, featuring guest soloists from our prestigious partners at the Central Conservatory of Music, China.
LEARN MORE
Tickets $25-$100.
PURCHASE TICKETS 点此购票
Sosnoff Theater, Fisher Center at Bard College
3 PM
The sixth annual Chinese New Year Concert presented by the US-China Music Institute returns to Bard with an all new program of celebratory Chinese orchestral music, featuring guest soloists from our prestigious partners at the Central Conservatory of Music, China.
Come early for Chinese instrument demonstrations and treats in the lobby, starting at 2pm!
LEARN MORE
Tickets $25. Free for Bard students with ID.
GET TICKETS OR RESERVE LIVESTREAM HERE
László Z. Bitó ‘60 Conservatory Building, Bard College
3pm
The Bard Chinese Ensemble returns for their annual winter concert featuring vibrant contemporary works that celebrate cultural heritage and artistic innovation.
MORE DETAILS
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, NYC
7:30 PM
The China Now Music Festival closes with a new concert version of Hao Weiya‘s 2021 chamber opera AI’s Variation and a performance of unique arrangements for mixed Chinese and Western instruments by the Bard East/West Ensemble. The program is haunted by ghosts of the past and future, as imagined by some of the most creative talents in musical composition working today.
Presented by the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music, in collaboration with the Central Conservatory of Music, China.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, NYC
7:30 PM
The opening concert of the 7th annual China Now Music Festival explores this year’s theme, ‘Composing the Future,’ with a program of future-focused new symphonic works by contemporary Chinese composers, and an experiment in AI composition from the Artificial Intelligence Department at China’s legendary Central Conservatory of Music. The Orchestra Now (TŌN) performs, conducted by Jindong Cai.
Presented by the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music, in collaboration with the Central Conservatory of Music, China.
László Z. Bitó '60 Conservatory Building
2pm
The first concert of the Bard Chinese Ensemble's 24-25 season features concertos for pipa and guqin, with a program full of imaginative storytelling through the unique East/West sounds of this large mixed ensemble.
PROGRAM DETAILS
László Z. Bitó ‘60 Conservatory Building, Bard College
1pm
The Bard Chinese Ensemble presents a new program of large scale Chinese orchestral works for a mixed ensemble of Eastern and Western instruments, featuring three exciting concertos for erhu, konghou, and percussion.
Bard Hall at Bard College (next to the Chapel)
10:30 AM to 4:00 PM
The US-China Music Institute’s annual scholarly conference will be a day-long exploration of music and the creative arts, in collaboration with the Asian Studies program. MORE INFORMATION HERE
Free and open to the public. Refreshments served. Please register in advance. VIEW SCHEDULE AND DETAILS HERE
DiMenna Center for Classical Music, New York City
Presented by The Tcherepnin Society, the festival begins with an evening concert, followed by a day of lectures about Ming and Alexander Tcherepnin. BUY TICKETS LEARN MORE
