The concert was conducted by Maestro Jindong Cai, renowned conductor, Director of the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music and Artistic Director of the Bard East-West Ensemble. Young Chinese and international musicians performed together—featuring both Chinese and Western instruments—in a captivating presentation of selections from Spring of The Four Seasons, Miao Village Carnival, King Chu Doffs His Armor, Northwest Suite, Autumn Orchid Ode, Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, excerpts from Appalachian Spring, and Silk Road, creating a harmonious fusion of Eastern and Western musical traditions.

(Mr. Jindong Cai introducing the program)

The Bard East-West Ensemble, founded in 2023 as one of the signature programs of the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music, is devoted to synthesizing Chinese and Western musical traditions and pioneering a new model of cross-cultural performance. 

This concert at BNBU marked the ensemble’s inaugural stop on its 2025 China tour, designed to deepen intercultural musical exchange through live interaction and performance. 

“By merging the finest aspects of Chinese and Western instruments,” said Jindong Cai, “we hope to further explore cross-cultural musical dialogue through this touring initiative.”

Prior to the main concert, students and faculty from BNBU’s Music Department joined forces with traditional opera artists for a creatively bold prelude that spanned eras and genres—jazz-meets-Cantonese opera in The Moon Represents My Heart, funk-infused Peking opera in The Arrest of Su San, and a refreshing jazz-Qin opera rendition of Ma Xiedi—each inventive adaptation earning enthusiastic applause.

Professor Thomas Alexander Stein, Head of the BNBU Music Department, reflected on the significance of the event:
“Through the creative fusion of Eastern and Western music, young people can experience the timeless charm of tradition in ways that resonate with the spirit of our age.”

(Prof. Thomas Alexander Stein delivering remarks)

Source | Graduate School, MPRO
Text | Deng Yawen, Zeng Lingpei, Song Kejia
Photography | Zhou Ziyi