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BARD EAST/WEST ENSEMBLE CHAMBER OPERA AND DANCE CONCERT

  • Rose Theater Jazz at Lincoln Center New York, NY United States (map)

SEASON EIGHT

The 2025 China Now Music Festival concludes with a dynamic 3-part program of multi-sensory and multi-disciplinary performances, featuring propulsive percussion, contemporary dance, and a new chamber opera.

The Bard East/West Ensemble performs, comprising of a Western string quintet, seven Chinese instrumentalists, and two percussionists, with Jindong Cai conducting.

On sale now! Tickets starting at $15.

  • Guan Naizhong 关乃忠 (b. 1939)
    From The Age of the Dragon percussion concerto 《龙年新世纪》
    1. The Sun 太阳
    4. The Earth 大地
    Shutong Li 李梳曈, conductor and arranger
    Shiqi Zhong 钟世祺, Chinese percussion

    INTERMISSION

    Ma Hanrui 马晗蕊 (b. 1998)
    Mi 谜 (The Enigma), a chamber opera
    Pan Geng 潘耕, libretto
    Erike (the Officer): Eric Carey, tenor
    Feng: Yu Xiangwei 于向偉, Peking opera male dan
    Reporter/Judge: Nathaniel Sullivan, baritone

    INTERMISSION

    Wang Danhong 王丹红 (b. 1985)
    Four Seasons in Lingering Garden symphonic poem 《四季留园》
    1. Spring Breeze Awakens the Garden
    2. Dappled Green in Summer Shade
    3. Fragrance of Osmanthus on the Wind
    4. Watching the Snow from the Pavilion
    Arr. Shutong Li 李梳曈
    Dai Jian 戴剑, choreographer
    Wang Kan 王衎, female dancer
    Peng Mi 彭汨, male dancer

Featured
Mi 谜 (The Enigma) , a chamber opera
Mi 谜 (The Enigma) , a chamber opera

The chamber opera Mi 谜 (The Enigma) premiered in December 2023, featuring a libretto by Pan Geng and music by Ma Hanrui. Pan’s libretto is an homage to David Henry Hwang’s acclaimed play M. Butterfly. In Mi, Pan and Ma draw inspiration from Hwang’s story to explore issues of illusion and desire in their own unique voice. The arrangement weaves together three vocal roles—a tenor, a baritone, and a male dan from Peking Opera—supported by the Bard East/West Ensemble’s unique fusion of Chinese and Western instruments. Over two short acts, the piece relates the tragic story of a French officer entangled in his own "Madame Butterfly" fantasy. Elegant and unsettling, Mi explores themes of identity, deception, and the devastating power of cultural myth.

Featured
Four Seasons in Lingering Garden《四季留园》 for mixed ensemble and dancers
Four Seasons in Lingering Garden《四季留园》 for mixed ensemble and dancers

Wang Danhong’s Four Seasons in Lingering Garden is a vivid orchestral suite inspired by the classical Chinese garden in Suzhou. In a new arrangement exclusively for the Bard East/West Ensemble, the piece captures the shifting moods of each season through the interplay of traditional Chinese instruments alongside a Western string quintet. The music evokes the elegance and tranquility of the Lingering Garden, blending lyrical melodies with intricate textures. Choreographer Dai Jian imbues the piece with the graceful movement of two dancers joining the ensemble on stage.

 
 

The 2025 China Now Music Festival is presented in collaboration with the Central Conservatory of Music, China.

Earlier Event: September 28
US-CHINA MUSIC FORUM: MUSIC IN MOTION