Catalogue

US-China Music Institute

barduschinamusic.org

The mission of the US-China Music Institute is to promote the study, performance, and appreciation of music from contemporary China, and to support musical exchange between the United States and China. The Institute began admitting undergraduate students to major in Chinese instruments in fall 2018. The Institute is led by Jindong Cai, an internationally renowned conductor and advocate of music from across Asia.

In partnership with China’s Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM), the Institute has created the first degree program in the Western Hemisphere for Chinese instrument performance. Chinese instrument majors receive studio instruction from faculty of the CCOM Traditional Instruments Department through state-of-the-art video conferencing, supplemented by in-person weekly instruction from hand-picked visiting graduate assistants, as well several study abroad trips to the CCOM campus in Beijing.

The Chinese instrument major closely follows the curriculum of the rest of the Conservatory, while offering courses specially designed to provide a comprehensive background in Chinese musical forms and traditions.
 

Conservatory Requirements for Chinese Instrument Majors 

Studio Instruction and Chinese Ensemble are required in every semester of enrollment.

Study Abroad at CCOM: A monthlong program in China is required after the end of the first year, and two more before the start of the fifth year.

Conservatory Core Sequence for Chinese Music (four semesters): 
• Music Theory, Tonal Harmony, and Counterpoint (two semesters)
• Composition for Performers
• Conservatory Seminar on Chinese Music

Aural Skills (two semesters)

Literature and Language of Chinese Music (four semesters):
• Introduction (required in the first semester of the first year)
• Instrumental Music
• Folk Music
• Operatic Music

Conservatory Senior Project (includes the Graduation Recital)

The US-China Music Institute also presents numerous events throughout the year, including the annual China Now Music Festival and Chinese New Year concert at Bard and in New York City; a series of scholarly conferences on Chinese music; regular performances of the Bard Chinese Ensemble; and the Chinese Music in the Chapel student concert series.