Bard Conservatory Faculty and Alumni/ae Tour China with Performances in Shanghai and Qingdao
Tan Dun, Leon Botstein, Frank Corliss, Kayo Iwama, and Other Bard Conservatory Faculty and Alumni/ae Participate
From May 30 to June 16, faculty and alumni/ae of the Bard College Conservatory of Music toured China with programs in Shanghai and Qingdao that highlight Bard’s commitment to cross-cultural engagement in the arts. Leon Botstein, codirector of the Graduate Conducting Program, music director of the Bard Conservatory, and president of the College, is the first major international conductor to return to China post-pandemic.
In Shanghai, Botstein conducted the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra at Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall in a sold-out concert featuring works by composers Tan Dun, dean of Bard Conservatory, and Aaron Copland, and was applauded by the audience with four curtain calls. Three performances of Tan Dun’s opera Tea: A Mirror of Soul at the Shangyim Opera House were held as part of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Opera Festival. Coached by Associate Director of the Graduate Vocal Arts Program Kayo Iwama, soprano and Bard Conservatory voice faculty member Lucy Fitz Gibbon VAP ’15 performed with an international cast for two nights. A youth cast of current students and recent graduates of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music sung in a third performance of the opera. During the week, Iwama led a series of master classes for the undergraduate and graduate vocal departments of the Shanghai Conservatory.
“Tea: A Mirror of Soul tells of a Japanese prince who travels to China in pursuit of truth and enlightenment, and along the way falls in love with a Chinese princess. The libretto is in English,” said Iwama. “These cross-cultural elements were reflected in the international team that made up the cast and production team, and it was a privilege and joy to be a part of it. Tan Dun's hauntingly gorgeous music was truly a bridge between peoples.”
The visiting scholars and musicians and their Chinese colleagues held a series of events to celebrate and promote continued collaboration. The Friends of Bard US–China Music Institute in Shanghai and US–China Music Institute Director Jindong Cai gave a dinner, featuring solo performances by a recent graduate in guzheng performance Betty Sibei Wang '23 and Bryan Zhe Wang CMC '24, who is studying guqin in the MA program. and current student, to welcome President Botstein and kick off the US–China Music Institute’s new development campaign. President Botstein, Vice President for Strategy and Policy Malia Du Mont ’95, and Director of Asian Recruitment and Institutional Relations Shawn Moore ’11 hosted a Bardians in China alumni/ae tea event preceding one of Tan Dun’s opera performances. While in Shanghai, Botstein had dinner with Yang Dan, president of the prestigious Jiaotong University, and the two college presidents talked about possible areas of cooperation.
In Qingdao, a gala concert was held in joint celebration of the Qingdao Menuhin School of Music (QMSM) and Bard Conservatory. The concert featured performances by Moore of the Bard String Quartet performing “Wild Summer” by Asher B. Edelman Professor in the Arts Joan Tower; faculty and students of the QMSM; and pianist and Director of Bard Conservatory Frank Corliss, violinist and Artistic Director of QMSM Lu Siqing, and Tan Dun in a performance of his Double Concerto for violin and piano. Opened in fall 2022, QMSM is a new K–12 school of music slated to be one of the largest private schools of music in the world with a full enrollment of 1000 students. Bard and QMSM are developing a partnership.
As part of the Music and Medicine Festival, a week of concerts in Qingdao organized by Tan Dun, Moore and the Bard String Quartet performed “Strum” by Bard Conservatory Composer in Residence Jessie Montgomery. This concert, as well as a preconcert banquet in honor of Botstein and Tan Dun, were hosted by the CEO of the Chinese pharmaceutical company which supported the Music and Medicine Festival.
As the China tour’s finale, Botstein conducted the Qingdao Symphony in an All-American program with the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra. The program included Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide; Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto with violin soloist Lu Siqing; and Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3. It was a triumphant performance with the audience calling Botstein back to bow onstage multiple times.
Post Date: 06-21-2023