Jindong Cai is director of the US-China Music Institute, professor of music and arts at Bard College, and associate conductor of The Orchestra Now (TŌN). Previously, he was professor of performance at Stanford University. Over his career of more than 30 years in the U.S., he has become a leading conductor, scholar of Western classical music in China, and advocate for music from across Asia.

Born in Beijing, Cai studied violin and piano before earning graduate degrees from the New England Conservatory and Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He began his conducting career with the Cincinnati Symphony and has led major orchestras across North America and Asia, including China’s top ensembles.

At Bard, he founded the China Now Music Festival, presenting new works at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Stanford, and Bard’s Fisher Center.

With his wife, Sheila Melvin, Cai has coauthored many articles on the performing arts in China, as well as two books, Rhapsody in Red and Beethoven in China: How the Great Composer Became an Icon in the People’s Republic.

Hai-Ye Ni is principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra and an acclaimed soloist and chamber musician. Praised by The Washington Post for her “soulfully expressive” playing, she has performed with leading orchestras including those of Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Finland.

Winner of the Naumburg International Cello Competition, Ni has also received an Avery Fisher Career Grant and top prizes at the International Paulo and Rostropovich Competitions. Formerly associate principal of the New York Philharmonic, she joined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2006.

She has appeared at festivals such as Marlboro, La Jolla, Aspen, Kuhmo, and Spoleto, and collaborated with Lang Lang, Yefim Bronfman, and Cho-Liang Lin. Her recordings include Spirit of Chimes (Delos) and a Naxos solo debut named CD of the Week by Classic FM.

Born in Shanghai, she studied at Juilliard and with William Pleeth in London.

Born in Chongqing, China, Manli Deng earned her Bachelor’s degree from the Central Conservatory of Music under Professor Zhang Liping. At 22, she was invited to the U.S. by Maestro Louis Salemno and later joined Maryland Lyric Opera. She holds a Master of Music from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at Rutgers University. Since 2023, she has been a resident artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts.

Deng made her Lincoln Center debut in the 2022 China Now Music Festival in Ye Xiaogang’s The Great Wall. She has performed leading roles in La Bohème, Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro, Anna Bolena, and Faust. A frequent competition prizewinner, she was a finalist in the 17th Tchaikovsky International Competition and a winner of the 2020 Met Opera National Council Auditions (Midwest Region).

Yue Wu holds a Master’s degree from the Mannes School of Music and a Bachelor’s from the Tianjin Conservatory of Music. From 2022 to 2025, he was a resident artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts.

In 2021, he was selected for Renée Fleming’s SongStudio project, performing at Carnegie Hall. He went on to train at the Music Academy of the West and was invited as a Fleming Artist at the Aspen Music Festival in 2023 and 2024, where he starred as Hosokawa in Bel Canto.

His repertoire includes The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Idomeneo, La Traviata, Anna Bolena, Gianni Schicchi, La Fanciulla del West, and Eugene Onegin. He has performed with Opera Philadelphia, Opera Santa Barbara, and the Kimmel Center.

Eric Finbarr Carey, praised for his “silken tenor” (Opera News), has appeared as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons (Choral Fantasy), The Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall (Mozart Requiem, Bach Magnificat), The Gewandhaus Orchester (Pulcinella), Emmanuel Music (B Minor Mass), and Odyssey Opera in the world premiere of The Chronicle of Nine (“an oasis of lyricism” –Bachtrack). Operatic highlights include Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress and Florestan in Fidelio.

He has performed Monteverdi’s Vespers, Händel’s Dixit Dominus, and the world premiere of Andrew Faulkenberry’s The Crooked Cross. A dedicated recitalist, he has toured with pianist Bethany Pietroniro and collaborated with early music artists including theorbist Richard Stone.

Carey trained at Bard College, Boston University Opera Institute, Peabody Conservatory, and Johns Hopkins University, and held fellowships at Tanglewood, Britten-Pears, and Carnegie Hall’s Renée Fleming Song Studio. He is a prizewinner in several national competitions.

Nathaniel Sullivan is a musician, theatre artist, and writer known for his expressive artistry and musical precision. Described as an “alert and highly musical baritone” (Opera News) with “great eloquence” (ConcertoNet), he has appeared with Heartbeat Opera, Opera Parallèle, and at Tanglewood. Notable roles include Jokanaan in Salome, The King in Lessons in Love and Violence, and Jesus in the St. John Passion. Nathaniel earned his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and his Master of Music in Vocal Arts from the Bard College Conservatory of Music. A 2023 Astral Artists winner, he has also received awards from the Washington International Competition and NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing).

Xiangwei Yu is a graduate of the China National Opera Academy and a student of the renowned Peking Opera master Zhang Chunxiao. He is widely recognized for his refined vocal technique and expressive artistry. As the principal performer of the Hebei Peking Opera Troupe and a National Class-One Performer, Yu holds membership in the Chinese Theatre Association and is the recipient of several top honors, including the prestigious Chen Chang Geng Gold Award and the National Peking Opera Excellence Award.

Yu has shared the stage with many of China's most celebrated artists, including Yang Ronghuan, Mei Baojiu, Ma Changli, and Zhang Xuejin. For many years prior to his arrival in New York, he was the longtime stage partner of Li Shengsu, one of China’s leading female Peking Opera stars.

Dai Jian, born in China, is a choreographer, interdisciplinary artist, and educator known for integrating contemporary dance, classical dance, and martial arts. His work spans dance, theatre, installation, and performance art, combining experimental vision with live immediacy.

Trained in martial arts from age six and dance from thirteen, Dai won the 1998 China National Dance Competition Grand Prize. In 2005, he moved to New York, performing with Shen Wei Dance Arts and the Trisha Brown Dance Company, and assisting Shen Wei on the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. Notable works include Blue Room (2014) and Silent Dialogue (2015, commissioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art).

In 2016, Dai and his wife Anne Valette-Dai founded MaiOui Danse Arts in Lyon, France, later establishing D5 Art Space and the D5 Live Arts Festival. He is Artistic Director of MaiOui Danse Arts and Visiting Professor at Beijing Normal University and Beijing Dance Academy.

Wang Kan is a Beijing-based contemporary dancer known for her dynamic style and global perspective. She holds dual degrees in modern dance from the Beijing Dance Academy and Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand. A member of the Beijing Modern Dance Company since 2021, Wang has toured nationally with works like The Great Wall, Blooming of Time, and First Love. She played a featured role in Oath (Midnight Rain at the Beijing Jixiang Grand Theater. Her recent performances include Whispers of Clouds (Aranya Theater Festival), Fragrance (Beijing Drama Carnival), Offering (Wuzhen Theatre Festival), and site-specific pieces aboard Adora Magic City cruise ship and in the Dunhuang Desert. Wang also leads community workshops, using movement to connect with nature, youth, and public spaces.

Peng Mi is a contemporary dancer and choreographer based in Guangzhou. Born in Hunan, China, he graduated from Hunan Normal University and danced with the Guangdong Modern Dance Company from 2015 to 2020. His performances include Point One, Light of Change, and Sumeru, which toured Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Additionally, he appeared in Black (Brisbane), Days of Heaven (Beijing), and Beyond Calligraphy (USA). Since 2021, Peng has worked independently, developing his choreographic voice through works like Destination (Münster and Amsterdam), Hommage (Berlin, Groningen, Shanghai), and The Domestication: Taboo Love (Guangzhou, Macau). His work blends physical intensity, artistic depth, and cross-cultural collaboration.

Shutong Li is the conductor and Music Director of the Bard Chinese Ensemble at the US-China Music Institute, as well as assistant conductor of the annual NY China Now Festival and the Bard East/West Ensemble. In 2017, Li founded an orchestra called “Musicians For Musicians” in New Mexico and organized and conducted 19 projects with 38 public concerts, which hosted over 50 young opera singers and instrumental soloists. He also served as chief conductor of the Symphony of Albuquerque and the UNM Health Sciences Centers Orchestra. Li has worked with groups such as the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, The Orchestra Now, the Dolce Suono Chorus, New York Concert Chorale, the State Opera Stara Zagora, Teatro Mancinelli Orvieto, the Dédalo Ensemble, and the AltreVoci Ensemble.

Shiqi Zhong is an acclaimed percussionist and DMA candidate at New York University, recognized for his versatility across world, classical, contemporary, and popular music. A graduate of the China Conservatory of Music Affiliated Middle School, Juilliard Pre-College, Curtis Institute of Music, Yale School of Music, and NYU, he brings a deep academic foundation to his artistry. Zhong has performed with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, and Composer Symphony Orchestra, collaborating with conductors such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Leon Botstein, Xian Zhang, Vladimir Jurowski, and Osmo Vänskä. Dedicated to education, he serves as deputy editor of PAS China and a board member of the Asian Youth Musician Alliance, mentoring students who have gained admission to Curtis, Juilliard Pre-College, Manhattan School of Music, and San Francisco Conservatory. His teaching materials and innovative works for percussion reflect his mission to connect cultures and inspire the next generation of musicians.

Jaelyn Quilizapa, percussionist and poet from Isleton, California, completed Bard Conservatory’s double-degree program in Percussion Performance and Poetry. Dedicated to contemporary and chamber music, she has performed Julius Eastman’s Stay on It with Sō Percussion at PASIC and appeared with the BARQuartet at the Hudson Jazz Festival. With the Bard East-West Ensemble, she has performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie’s Zankel Hall, and toured China in 2025. Her poetry collection A Woven Becoming (2024) explores identity through text.