Bard Conservatory News Archive

The Bard Conservatory of Music presents the seventh season of the Kurtág Festival, Signs, Games & Messages, honoring Hungarian composer György Kurtág’s 100th birthday. The 2026 edition highlights the clarity, precision, and expressive depth of Kurtág’s music, and places his work in dialogue with composers and traditions important to him, including both predecessors and contemporaries.

“Our 2026 Kurtág Festival is the heart of the centenary celebrations in North America, bringing a program that reflects the depth of Kurtág’s musical legacy,” says Artistic Director Benjamin Hochman. “We are pleased to welcome Benjamin Appl, András Kemenes, and András Szalai—artists who have worked closely with Kurtág—and to showcase the central role Bard Conservatory faculty and students play in this festival.”

The festival presents solo, vocal, and chamber works by Kurtág alongside music by Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Bartók, Benjamin, Abrahamsen, Adès, and others, including U.S. premieres of selections from the later volumes of Játékok. The programming brings together Bard faculty, students, and artists closely connected to Kurtág, reflecting the collaborative spirit that defines the festival.
Most of the festival events (March 11, 27, 28, 29) take place at Bard College’s Annandale campus, with one event (April 4) at the Brooklyn Public Library. All on-campus performances are free and open to the public.

Artists performing in the festival include Benjamin Appl (baritone); Demian Austin (trombone); James Baillieu (piano); Sydney Cornett (mezzo-soprano); Luosha Fang (violin); Lucy Fitz Gibbons (soprano); Benjamin Hochman (piano); András Kemenes (piano); Alexandra Knoll (oboe); Ryan McCullough (piano); Marcus Rojas (tuba); Erika Switzer (piano); András Szalai (cimbalom); and additional faculty and students of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.

About György Kurtág and the Kurtág Festival
Bard Conservatory of Music’s annual Kurtág Festival celebrates the last surviving member of the great generation of composers who gave classical music a new direction in the years following World War II. György Kurtág, a seminal figure of the post–World War II musical avant-garde, is celebrated for his intensely expressive music and influential teaching. Born in Romania in 1926, he moved to Hungary to study and later teach at the Franz Liszt Academy. Now recognized as one of the foremost composers of our time, he premiered his first opera, Fin de partie, at La Scala in 2018. After years in Western Europe, he returned to Hungary in 2015, where he continues to compose. He turns 100 in February 2026.

About the Bard College Conservatory
Founded in 2005, the Bard College Conservatory of Music offers a unique five-year, double-degree program at the undergraduate level, integrating rigorous musical training with a liberal arts education. Graduate programs include vocal arts, conducting, instrumental performance, and Chinese music and culture, along with Advanced Performance Studies and a Collaborative Piano Fellowship. The Conservatory’s US-China Music Institute, formed in 2017, offers the only degree programs in Chinese instrument performance in the Western Hemisphere. The Bard Conservatory Orchestra has performed at Lincoln Center, toured internationally to China, Russia, Eastern Europe, and Cuba, and in collaboration with the Bard Prison Initiative presents annual performances at NY-area prisons. The Conservatory enrolls more than 200 students from 27 countries and 35 states. bard.edu/conservatory

Funding Credit
This festival has been permanently endowed through the generous support of László Z. Bitó '60 and Olivia Cariño.

 

​​Festival Programs

Program One, Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 7pm
Olin Hall, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Kurtág and the Lieder Tradition
Baritone Benjamin Appl joins pianists Erika Switzer, James Baillieu, and Benjamin Hochman for a program that places Kurtág’s vocal writing in conversation with the 19th-century Lieder tradition. Music by Schubert and Schumann appears alongside Kurtág’s Four Schuster Songs and Hölderlin-Gesänge, Op. 35a. Demian Austin (trombone) and Marcus Rojas (tuba) contribute to the Hölderlin-Gesänge, and Hochman performs solo selections from Játékok.
 
Program Two, Friday, March 27, 2026, 7pm
Conservatory Performance Space, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Abrahamsen’s Schnee
The festival weekend’s opening night program features Hans Abrahamsen’s masterpiece Schnee, a one-hour cycle of ten canons for nine instruments, inspired by Bach’s canonic writing. The work is performed by an ensemble of Conservatory faculty, students, and guest artists, conducted by Benjamin Hochman. The program also includes George Benjamin’s arrangement of a Canon & Fugue from Bach’s Art of Fugue, as well as solo piano selections from Kurtág’s Játékok.
 
Program Three, Saturday, March 28, 2026, 1pm
Conservatory Performance Space, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Bach Inventions and Sinfonias
Students from across the Bard Conservatory perform Bach’s Inventions and Sinfonias in a 50-minute recital. The program highlights Bach’s central place in Kurtág’s music and the composers’ shared interest in pedagogical composition.

Program Four, Saturday, March 28, 2026, 7pm
Chapel of the Holy Innocents, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Songs, Laments, Dances, Games
This program puts a special spotlight on the cimbalom, with Hungarian Fulbright Scholar András Szalai performing alongside Bard Conservatory students and faculty. The concert features musical works within the Hungarian tradition, including Bartok, Kurtág, Ligeti, and Thomas Adès’s Növények for mezzo-soprano and piano sextet.

Program Five, Sunday, March 29, 2026, 3pm
Conservatory Performance Space, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Kurtág, Mozart, and the Bach Family
Hungarian pianist András Kemenes makes his U.S. debut with solo works by C. P. E. Bach and later performs two-piano works from Kurtág’s Bach transcriptions and Mozart’s Six German Dances, K. 509, with pianist Benjamin Hochman. Conservatory woodwind students and faculty perform Kurtág’s Wind Quintet, Op. 2, and Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Winds, K. 452.
 
Program Six, Saturday, April 4, 2026, 4 pm
Brooklyn Public Library, NYC
The Brooklyn Public Library presents a special event in collaboration with the Bard Conservatory’s Kurtág Festival. The concert program will include highlights from the Bard Kurtág Festival alongside a panel discussion on Kurtág’s life and work led by scholar Gergely Fazekas, Associate Professor at the Liszt Academy.
 

Innovation and Legacy, a landmark concert by the Bard Conservatory of Music held at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall on October 29, was highlighted in multiple publications including China Daily and Xinhua. The concert, conducted by Bard President Leon Botstein and Bard Conservatory Dean Tan Dun, celebrated two historic milestones: the founding of the Conservatory in 2005 and Leon Botstein’s 50th year as president of Bard. The program featured Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony paired with the North American premiere of Tan Dun’s Choral Concerto: Nine, a bold reimagining of Beethoven’s vision through a global lens. The concert, notes Xinhua, was “more than a performance—it was a profound musical dialogue across eras and cultures.” Tan Dun said he felt a deep connection between Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Chinese philosophy, noting that the ancient Taoist thinkers Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi expressed ideas similar to those found at the beginning of the “Ode to Joy” with its call for unity. “I think there are many, many ways to bring people together,” he told China Daily. “But the musical way is such a unique way, because it can really vibrate in different kinds of hearts and spirits, no matter if you speak a different language, no matter if you came from a different tradition.”

The mission of the Bard College Conservatory of Music is to provide the best possible preparation for a person dedicated to a life immersed in the creation and performance of music.

Read more in Xinhua

Read more in China Daily

Watch a video segment of the performance on CCTV

 

The China Now Music Festival, a collaboration between the US-China Music Institute of Bard College and the Central Conservatory of Music, China, was reviewed in China Daily. The festival, now in its eighth season and with the theme “Music in Motion,” performed on Sunday in the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall with The Orchestra Now (TŌN), conducted by maestro Jindong Cai. Featuring works by composers spanning from the post-1950s to post-1980s generations, such as Ye Xiaogang, Zou Hang, Dai Bo, and Yu Mengshi, the festival illuminates the lineage of Chinese music from the late 20th century to today, evoking reflections on nature, time, and society. “Musicians like me and musicians like us, love both countries,” Cai told China Daily. “If you ask all the musicians in China and all the musicians in America, I think we don't want to depart. We want to continue to work together.”

The final performance of the festival, a chamber opera and dance concert by the Bard East/West Ensemble, will take place on October 5 at 3 pm at Jazz at Lincoln Center. 

Further Reading:
China Now Music Festival concludes with powerful finale (China Daily)
 

On the evening of October 29, 2025, Bard Conservatory of Music will mark its 20th anniversary with a landmark performance “Innovation and Legacy: An Anniversary Celebration with Bard Conservatory Orchestra” at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, celebrating two interwoven milestones: the Conservatory’s founding in 2005 and President Leon Botstein’s 50th year of leadership at Bard College. The celebration marks a historic moment of leadership and legacy, reflecting Bard’s longstanding commitment to the transformative power of classical music in higher education and in society as a whole.

In keeping with this vision, the evening’s program offers a dialogue between eras, cultures, and ideas. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, a universally beloved cornerstone of the classical canon, will be conducted by President Botstein and performed by the Bard Conservatory Orchestra and a distinguished chorus, including soloist, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, artistic director of Bard’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program. In conversation with this, the North American premiere of Tan Dun’s Choral Concerto: Nine reimagines the ideals of Beethoven’s final symphony through a contemporary global lens. Bard Conservatory Dean Tan Dun will conduct his work, bringing his powerful new composition to North American audiences for the first time. Together, these performances underscore Bard’s ongoing mission to blend tradition and innovation in music education and performance.

While the 20th anniversary of the Conservatory marks a milestone in its own right, the concert also honors Leon Botstein’s extraordinary five-decade presidency, a tenure that has shaped Bard into a cultural and intellectual force. Under his leadership, Bard has redefined the role of the liberal arts in public life, with classical music as a cornerstone of that vision. From the founding of the Bard Music Festival in 1990 to the launch of the Conservatory in 2005 and onwards, Botstein has championed and invested in an educational model that places the arts, especially music and the performing arts, and humanities as an integral part of liberal education.

“The placing of the making and study of the arts as equal partners alongside the sciences, the study of society, and the humanities in a college and university context is extremely timely. It makes for better artists, viewers, and listeners, and strengthens forms of life that are ever more essential to the preservation of freedom and democracy. Bard is proud to be in the vanguard of this effort,” says Bard College President Leon Botstein, who has served in this role since 1975.

Conservatory Dean Tan Dun reflects, “Leon Botstein is my hero, and I am so honored to be performing ‘Nine and Nine’ with him and the Bard Conservatory Orchestra at Lincoln Center to celebrate 20 and 50 years of passion for music, peace, and a beautiful future.”

Since its founding in 2005, Bard Conservatory of Music has established itself as a leading institution for musical excellence, fostering a new generation of artists through ambitious programs, and a depth of esteemed faculty. The Conservatory integrates rigorous musical training with a full liberal arts education, offering students dual degrees and close mentorship from international performers and scholars with a model that prepares graduates not only for performance careers but also for meaningful engagement with public life and culture. This anniversary concert stands as a testament to the Conservatory’s commitment to artistic innovation, intellectual depth, and international collaboration.

To mark the landmark occasion in style, tickets for this benefit concert will be available to the public starting at just $20, a symbolic nod to the Conservatory’s 20th anniversary, with exclusive opportunities for patrons to support the Conservatory at higher levels, including premium seating options. All ticket proceeds will directly support the future of Bard Conservatory and its educational mission, ensuring the continued cultivation of young musical talent for years to come. This one-night-only performance will take place at 7:30 pm on October 29, 2025, at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Doors open at 7 pm. For more details and to reserve tickets, visit Lincoln Center.

As part of Bard College Family and Alumni Weekend, an early preview of the concert will be presented in Annandale-on-Hudson on Saturday, October 25 at 7 pm, and Sunday, October 26 at 2 pm in the Fisher Center’s Sosnoff Theater. All proceeds will directly support Bard Conservatory students. Reserve tickets for the preview at the Fisher Center.

Celebrating Three Generations of Chinese Composers and the Fusion of Contemporary Music with Dance and Opera

The US–China Music Institute at Bard College announces the launch of ticket sales for the eighth annual China Now Music Festival, taking place in New York City and at Bard College from September 27 through October 5, 2025.

Under the theme “Music in Motion,” this year’s festival will feature three major concerts and a US–China Music Forum, showcasing the creative legacy of three generations of Chinese composers and their groundbreaking work at the intersection of music, dance, and opera.

“This year’s theme, Music in Motion, explores the dynamic flow of contemporary Chinese music—its innovation, cross-cultural dialogues, and ability to evolve with the times,” said Jindong Cai, artistic director and conductor of the festival.

As in past years, this season’s programming is shaped with narrative and conceptual depth. The first program will be performed on September 27 at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and on September 28 at Lincoln Center by The Orchestra Now (TŌN) under the baton of Jindong Cai, featuring guest cellist Hai-Ye Ni and singers Manli Deng and Yue Wu. Works by Ye Xiaogang, Zou Hang, Dai Bo, and Yu Mengshi—composers spanning from the post-1950s to post-1980s generations—will illuminate the lineage of Chinese music from the late 20th century to today, evoking reflections on nature, time, and society.

The second program, presented only once on October 5 at Lincoln Center, will feature the Bard East/West Ensemble in a boundary-crossing performance with a Western string quintet, seven Chinese instruments, and Chinese-Western percussion. The concert begins with two movements from Guan Naizhong’s electrifying double percussion concerto The Age of the Dragon, followed by the haunting 30-minute chamber opera Mi 谜 (The Enigma), featuring tenor Eric Carey, baritone Nathaniel Sullivan, and Peking opera performer Xiangwei Yu. The program closes with Wang Danhong’s Four Seasons of the Lingering Garden, a music-and-dance collaboration with choreographer Dai Jian (France) and dancers Mi Peng and Wang Kan (China), where music and movement interweave.

Festival Highlights include:
• Ye Xiaogang’s The Song of the Earth—A monumental symphonic vocal work revisiting Mahler’s Das Leide von der Erde and inspired by the same Tang Dynasty poetry, performed in New York for the first time since its 2013 Lincoln Center debut.
• Renowned cellist Hai-Ye Ni (Principal Cello, The Philadelphia Orchestra) performs the US premiere of Chinese-Mongolian composer Yu Mengshi’s The Lonely Camel Calf.
• Wang Danhong’s Four Seasons in Lingering Garden—A symphonic poem reimagined with dance by acclaimed choreographer Dai Jian and performed by the Bard East/West Ensemble, blending Chinese and Western instruments with modern dance.
• Ma Hanrui’s chamber opera Mi 谜 (The Enigma)—Inspired by David Henry Hwang’s iconic play M. Butterfly, the work merges Western opera with Peking opera traditions, offering a powerful new interpretation of East-West cultural encounters. Featuring a libretto in English by Pan Geng.

More About the Music:
This year’s festival celebrates the 70th birthday of Ye Xiaogang, a trailblazer of contemporary Chinese symphonic music and a member of the legendary first class of composition students admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music after its reopening in 1978, along with classmates Tan Dun, Chen Yi, and Zhou Long. He later continued his studies in the United States at the Eastman School of Music. Ye and his peers have profoundly influenced younger generations of composers in China and beyond. His students Zou Hang (b. 1975) and Dai Bo (b. 1988) will both have works featured at the festival. Zou, now a professor at the Central Conservatory, is known for his vivid soundscapes that combine classical and popular influences; the festival will present two works from his “Regional Color” series, The Color of Qingdao and The Color of Beijing. Dai Bo, also on the faculty of the Central Conservatory, lost his sight at an early age; his award-winning work Invisible Mountain invites listeners into an inner world of sound shaped by extraordinary perception.

Yu Mengshi, composer of The Lonely Camel Calf, holds a doctorate from the Shanghai Conservatory and was the first Mongolian postdoctoral scholar in composition at the Central Conservatory. His work is both strikingly modern and deeply influenced by Mongolian folk music traditions. Wang Danhong, composer of Four Seasons of the Lingering Garden, is among the most dynamic Chinese composers today, known for her emotionally charged, lyrical, and grand musical language; she is currently a professor at the Central Conservatory. The youngest composer on the program is Hanrui Ma (b. 1998), currently a doctoral student at the Conservatory. Her works, which unite Eastern cultural elements with Western techniques, have been performed by several leading Chinese ensembles.

US-China Music Forum:
This year, on September 28 at 5:00 PM at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the festival will co-host a US-China Music Forum with China Daily. Centered on the theme “Music in Motion” and the core topic of cross-cultural exchange, the forum will draw on the Bard East/West Ensemble’s recent China tour. “This tour not only showcased the richness of diverse musical voices, but also demonstrated the power of music to transcend cultures and foster understanding,” said Artistic Director Jindong Cai. Participating musicians and representatives from the US arts and cultural community will share their experiences, highlighting the unique role of music as a universal language of connection. A reception with drinks and light refreshments will follow.

Schedule of Programs:
The Orchestra Now Performs Three Generations of Composers from China
September 27, 3:00 pm
Sosnoff Theater, Fisher Center at Bard College
Tickets: $15–$55
https://fishercenter.bard.edu/events/china-now-music-festival-music-in-motion/

September 28, 3:00 pm
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center
Tickets: $15–$55
https://ticketing.jazz.org/19439/19440

Bard East/West Ensemble Chamber Opera and Dance Concert
October 5, 3:00 pm
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center
Tickets: $15–$55
https://ticketing.jazz.org/19439/19443

US–China Music Forum: Music in Motion
Co-presented by China Daily
September 28, 5:00 pm
Ertugun Atrium, Jazz at Lincoln Center
Tickets: $10 (includes wine and refreshments)
https://us-china-music-forum-2025.eventbrite.com

For more information, visit: www.barduschinamusic.org/music-in-motion