BARD EAST/WEST ENSEMBLE CHAMBER OPERA AND DANCE CONCERT

Sunday, October 5, 2025
3:00 PM 5:00 PM 15:00 17:00

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

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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 and Shutong Li conducting.

Come early for a pre-concert talk with artistic director Jindong Cai, composer Ma Hanrui, and choreographer Dai Jian, starting at 2:15pm in Rose Theater. (for ticket holders only)

On sale now! Tickets starting at $15.

PURCHASE tickets HERE | 点此购票

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
Jaelyn Quilizapa, 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

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Featured

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. READ THE LIBRETTO HERE

Featured

composer

Ma Hanrui

composer

Featured

librettist

Pan Geng

librettist

tenor

Eric Carey

tenor

baritone

Nathaniel Sullivan

baritone

Peking Opera performer

Xiangwei Yu

Peking Opera performer

Featured

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.