The Bard East-West Ensemble (BE/WE) is a bold and original group that fuses Chinese and Western musical traditions to create a new model of cross-cultural performance. Founded by conductor and educator Jindong Cai, the ensemble features a Western string quintet alongside seven traditional Chinese instruments, including dizi, erhu, pipa, ruan, suona, guzheng, and sheng, supported by Chinese and Western percussionists.

BE/WE has appeared at major U.S. venues including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. The group has collaborated with acclaimed soloists such as Guo Yazhi, Wu Man, and Duo Chinoiserie.

Its repertoire includes original works and dynamic new arrangements by renowned composers like Zhou Long, Tan Dun, and Xinyan Li. Committed to cultural exchange, BE/WE seeks to foster US-China understanding through music—and in July 2026 completed their second tour of China following their inaugural June 2025 tour of China.

The China Now Chamber Orchestra consists of talented young Western instrumental performers in the Bard College Conservatory of Music, where an innovative curriculum aims to teach the whole musician, fostering a love of learning and a broad worldview for the professional musicians of tomorrow. The current dean of the conservatory is famed composer and conductor Tan Dun.