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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.

  • Part I – Prelude
    Guan Naizhong 关乃忠 (b. 1939)
    From The Age of the Dragon double percussion concerto 《龙年新世纪》
    1. The Sun 太阳
    4. The Earth 大地
    Arr. Shutong Li
    Shiqi Zhong, Chinese percussion

    Intermission

    Part II
    Ma Hanrui 马晗蕊 (b. 1998)
    M. Butterfly, a chamber opera 《蝴蝶君》
    Pan Geng 潘耕, libretto
    Gallimard (the diplomat): Eric Carey, tenor
    Feng (Peking opera nandan): Yu Xiangwei, Peking Opera performer
    Judge: Nathaniel Sullivan, baritone

    Intermission

    Part III
    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
    Dai Jian, choreographer
    Wang Kan, female dancer
    Peng Mi, male dancer

Featured
M. Butterfly 《蝴蝶君》, a chamber opera
M. Butterfly 《蝴蝶君》, a chamber opera

The chamber opera M. Butterfly premiered in the summer of 2023, featuring a libretto in English by Pan Geng and music by Ma Hanrui, inspired by David Henry Hwang’s acclaimed play M. Butterfly. This production 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. The opera tells the tragic story of a French diplomat entangled in his own "Madame Butterfly" fantasy, with a twist. Elegant and unsettling, M. Butterfly 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