Bard Conservatory of Music’s US–China Music Institute and the Central Conservatory of Music, China, Present Seventh Annual “The Sound of Spring” Chinese New Year Concert Celebrating the Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day
Jindong Cai conducts The Orchestra Now at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Photo by Fadi Kheir
As the Lunar New Year ushers in the Year of the Fire Horse, New York’s acclaimed The Sound of Spring Chinese New Year Concert returns for its seventh edition. Performances will take place on February 14 and 15 at the Fisher Center at Bard College and at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, offering two consecutive afternoons of family-friendly concerts filled with warmth, virtuosity, and festive spirit.
Conductor Jindong Cai leads The Orchestra Now (TON) in a vibrant East–West musical dialogue, joined by suona virtuoso Yazhi Guo and his protégé Hiu Man Andrew Chan; two prizewinning young artists from the Central Conservatory of Music, Jin Zhicheng (French horn) and Luo Chaowen (violin), both award winners of international competitions including the Tchaikovsky Competition; and rising pipa soloist Xiaoyan Zoey Luo, winner of the Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition. Together, they present a program that blends Chinese and Western classics, in joyful celebration of Valentine’s Day weekend and the arrival of the Year of the Horse.
The concert opens with Li Huanzhi’s jubilant Spring Festival Overture. Pipa soloist Xiaoyan Zoey Luo follows with Wang Danhong’s Cloud and Blossom concerto for pipa and orchestra, a poetic and romantic ode to love. Inspired by Li Bai’s famed verse—“A cloud is her dress, a flower her face / Spring wind through the threshold stirs deep peony dew”—the work unfolds with lyrical melodies and dance-like rhythms, conveying tender and evocative emotion.
The spotlight then turns to two outstanding young soloists from the Central Conservatory of Music. French horn virtuoso Jin Zhicheng performs Carl Maria von Weber’s Concertino for Horn and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 45, widely regarded as one of the most demanding works in the horn repertoire. Violinist Luo Chaowen presents Chen Gang’s beloved Chinese classic Sunshine Over Tashkurgan, followed by Henryk Wieniawski’s Polonaise de Concert in D Major, Op. 4.
The second half evokes the grandeur and dynamism of “ten thousand horses galloping,” with bold, exuberant orchestral works that heighten the festive atmosphere and convey auspicious New Year wishes. In A Grand Victory, the orchestra is joined by suona virtuoso Yazhi Guo and his protégé Hiu Man Andrew Chan for a new arrangement of this dramatic piece drawn from Shanxi folk music and evoking images of grand battles in ancient China.
Also featured is Huang Anlun’s symphonic poem Capriccio Xu Beihong, which premiered at Lincoln Center in 2022. Inspired in part by Xu Beihong’s iconic ink paintings of galloping horses, the work vividly captures their sweeping momentum. The horse—an equally potent symbol in Western culture—reappears in selections including Ride of the Valkyries from Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre and Franz von Suppé’s ever-popular Light Cavalry Overture.
Continuing a beloved tradition, The Sound of Spring offers pre-concert demonstrations of traditional Chinese instruments. Audiences may interact with student musicians and instruments up close and enjoy Lunar New Year celebrations. The pre-concert activities open to the public one hour before each performance.
The 2026 The Sound of Spring Chinese New Year Concert is presented by the US–China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music, in collaboration with the Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing).
CONCERT PROGRAM
Li Huanzhi 李焕之 (1919–2000)
Spring Festival Overture 《春节序曲》 (1955–56)
Wang Danhong 王丹红 (b. 1985)
Cloud and Blossom concerto for pipa and orchestra 《云想·花想》琵琶协奏曲 (2013)
Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826)
Concertino for Horn and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 45 (1815)
Chen Gang 陈钢 (b. 1935)
Sunshine over Tashkurgan 《阳光照耀着塔什库尔干》 (1976)
Henryk Wieniawski (1835–80)
Polonaise de Concert in D Major, Op. 4 (1852)
Intermission
Richard Wagner (1813–83)
“Ride of the Valkyries” from Die Walküre (1870)
Traditional
A Grand Victory Shanxi folk music for winds and percussion《大得胜》山西民间吹打
arr. Zhang Shiye 张式业 (1957); orchestra arr. Lin Miaoling 林淼菱 (2026, world premiere)
Franz von Suppé (1819–95)
Light Cavalry Overture (1866)
Huang Anlun 黄安伦 (b. 1949)
Capriccio Xu Beihong 《徐悲鸿画境随想》(2022)
Conductor: Jindong Cai
Orchestra: The Orchestra Now
Pipa: Xiaoyan Zoey Luo
French Horn: Zhicheng Jin
Violin: Chaowen Luo
Suona: Yazhi Guo, Andrew Hiu Man Chan
“THE SOUND OF SPRING” PERFORMANCE DETAILS
Saturday, February 14, 3 PM
(Chinese instrument demonstrations and New Year activities begin in the lobby at 2 PM)
Sosnoff Theater, Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College
Tickets: From $15 (Bard students free with ID)
Purchase online at fishercenter.bard.edu or by phone at 845-758-7900
More information at barduschinamusic.org/events/spring-26-bard
Sunday, February 15, 3 PM
(Chinese instrument demonstrations and New Year activities begin at 2 PM)
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall
10 Columbus Circle, 5th Floor, New York, NY
Tickets: From $25 (Students $15 with promo code)
Purchase online at jazz.org or by phone at 212-721-6500 (or in person at the box office to avoid service fees)
More information at barduschinamusic.org/events/spring26
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Jindong Cai, conductor
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. Previously, Cai was a professor of performance at Stanford University. During a career spanning more than three decades in the United States, Cai has established himself as an active and dynamic conductor, scholar of Western classical music in China, and advocate of music from across Asia. At Bard, Cai founded the annual China Now Music Festival. China Now presents new works by some of the most important Chinese composers of our time, with major concerts performed by The Orchestra Now at Bard’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Stanford University. In 2019, the festival premiered Men of Iron and the Golden Spike by Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Zhou Long, a symphonic oratorio in commemoration of the Chinese railroad workers of North America on the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. With his wife, Sheila Melvin, Cai has coauthored many articles on the performing arts in China and the book Rhapsody in Red: How Western Classical Music Became Chinese. Their latest book is Beethoven in China: How the Great Composer Became an Icon in the People’s Republic.
Xiaoyan Zoey Luo, pipa
Xiaoyan Zoey Luo is a pipa musician actively engaged in the New York music scene. She is a cofounder of the Echos of China Ensemble and a member of the Bard East/West Ensemble. With more than 15 years of experience performing Chinese music, she is currently studying at Bard Conservatory’s US-China Music Institute, majoring in pipa performance. Luo has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Hudson Hall, the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York, and the Embassy in Washington, DC, among other venues. In 2022, she performed as a pipa soloist in the new opera Painted Skin at Lincoln Center. In November 2023, she was honored as a winner of the Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition, and later that year embarked on a Washington, DC, tour with the Bard East/West Ensemble. In June 2025, during the Bard East/West Ensemble’s China tour, she performed as a soloist in 11 concerts across seven cities.
Jin Zhicheng, French horn
Jin Zhicheng is studying horn at the Central Conservatory of Music under Professor Man Yi. At 16, Jin gained international attention by winning the silver medal (brass category) at the 17th International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2023, followed by a laureates’ performance with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra. In 2024, Jin won first prize at the 18th Jeju International Brass Competition and first prize at the 75th Prague Spring International Music Competition, along with the Audience Prize, Czech Radio Prize, Prize of the City of Prague, and the Bärenreiter prize. In 2025, he earned top horn honors at the Aeolus International Competition for Wind Instruments and won the brass category of the Chinese Golden Bell Awards for Music. Jin has appeared at leading festivals and has performed with ensembles such as the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, and Jeju Philharmonic Orchestra.
Luo Chaowen, violin
Luo Chaowen is a postgraduate student at the Central Conservatory of Music, studying under Professor Tong Weidong. Luo has received the bronze medal at the Tchaikovsky International Music Competition, gold medal at the Chinese Golden Bell Awards, silver medal and Lin Yaoji Award at the Qingdao International Violin Competition, jade medal at the Global Music Education League Violin Competition, and the championship at the 2024 ISANGYUN International Violin Competition. Other honors include top prizes at the Kloster Schöntal and Zhuhai Mozart International Violin Competitions. Luo has performed with such leading orchestras as the Mariinsky Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, and Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, collaborating with distinguished artists including Maxim Vengerov, Valery Gergiev, and Christoph Poppen. Recent engagements include the National Centre for the Performing Arts’ special opening concert and South Korea’s “Symphony Festival.” He also serves as ambassador for the 2025 Hengqin Mozart International Violin Competition for Young Musicians.
Yazhi Guo, suona
Wind instrument virtuoso Yazhi Guo graduated with distinction from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he also lectured on suona. His awards include the prestigious Pro Musicis International Award (1998). Named as one of China’s most outstanding musicians by its Ministry of Culture, he was invited to give a solo performance with suona and saxophone during President Bill Clinton’s visit to Beijing in 1998. Guo was appointed principal suona in the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra in 1999. He has performed with many orchestras, including South Korea’s Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra, Belgium’s Flanders Symphony Orchestra, Malaysia’s Chinese Orchestra, and National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan. Guo won the 2012 Hong Kong Arts Development Council Artist of the Year Award for music. After receiving an artist diploma from Berklee College of Music, he led Berklee’s jazz band on visits to China and Singapore. Guo obtained patents for changes to the suona, hulusi, and guzheng, and received a scientific progress award from the Chinese Ministry of Culture for a movable suona reed and flexible core, allowing the suona to alter modes and change sounds at any time during a live performance. The adaptation also makes the suona more expressive, facilitating a deeper integration with Western music. Guo teaches master classes at Berklee in Boston, and also teaches suona at the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
Hiu Man Andrew Chan, suona
Hiu Man Andrew Chan recently completed the Master of Arts in Chinese Music and Culture program at the Bard Conservatory of Music, where he studied suona and guanzi. He is a founding member of the Echos of China Ensemble and a member of the Bard East/West Ensemble. Originally from Hong Kong, he has also performed with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Macao Chinese Orchestra. Chan achieved a silver award in the Senior Professional Category of the 4th Singapore Nanyang International Music Competition for suona and graduated with a bachelor of music degree from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, with specializations in suona and guanzi. Chan has performed all over the world, including at Carnegie Hall; Jazz at Lincoln Center; Washington, DC; the Bahamas; Canada; Hong Kong; Macau; Taiwan; and Singapore.
Post Date: 01-21-2026
Conductor Jindong Cai leads The Orchestra Now (TON) in a vibrant East–West musical dialogue, joined by suona virtuoso Yazhi Guo and his protégé Hiu Man Andrew Chan; two prizewinning young artists from the Central Conservatory of Music, Jin Zhicheng (French horn) and Luo Chaowen (violin), both award winners of international competitions including the Tchaikovsky Competition; and rising pipa soloist Xiaoyan Zoey Luo, winner of the Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition. Together, they present a program that blends Chinese and Western classics, in joyful celebration of Valentine’s Day weekend and the arrival of the Year of the Horse.
The concert opens with Li Huanzhi’s jubilant Spring Festival Overture. Pipa soloist Xiaoyan Zoey Luo follows with Wang Danhong’s Cloud and Blossom concerto for pipa and orchestra, a poetic and romantic ode to love. Inspired by Li Bai’s famed verse—“A cloud is her dress, a flower her face / Spring wind through the threshold stirs deep peony dew”—the work unfolds with lyrical melodies and dance-like rhythms, conveying tender and evocative emotion.
The spotlight then turns to two outstanding young soloists from the Central Conservatory of Music. French horn virtuoso Jin Zhicheng performs Carl Maria von Weber’s Concertino for Horn and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 45, widely regarded as one of the most demanding works in the horn repertoire. Violinist Luo Chaowen presents Chen Gang’s beloved Chinese classic Sunshine Over Tashkurgan, followed by Henryk Wieniawski’s Polonaise de Concert in D Major, Op. 4.
The second half evokes the grandeur and dynamism of “ten thousand horses galloping,” with bold, exuberant orchestral works that heighten the festive atmosphere and convey auspicious New Year wishes. In A Grand Victory, the orchestra is joined by suona virtuoso Yazhi Guo and his protégé Hiu Man Andrew Chan for a new arrangement of this dramatic piece drawn from Shanxi folk music and evoking images of grand battles in ancient China.
Also featured is Huang Anlun’s symphonic poem Capriccio Xu Beihong, which premiered at Lincoln Center in 2022. Inspired in part by Xu Beihong’s iconic ink paintings of galloping horses, the work vividly captures their sweeping momentum. The horse—an equally potent symbol in Western culture—reappears in selections including Ride of the Valkyries from Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre and Franz von Suppé’s ever-popular Light Cavalry Overture.
Continuing a beloved tradition, The Sound of Spring offers pre-concert demonstrations of traditional Chinese instruments. Audiences may interact with student musicians and instruments up close and enjoy Lunar New Year celebrations. The pre-concert activities open to the public one hour before each performance.
The 2026 The Sound of Spring Chinese New Year Concert is presented by the US–China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music, in collaboration with the Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing).
CONCERT PROGRAM
Li Huanzhi 李焕之 (1919–2000)
Spring Festival Overture 《春节序曲》 (1955–56)
Wang Danhong 王丹红 (b. 1985)
Cloud and Blossom concerto for pipa and orchestra 《云想·花想》琵琶协奏曲 (2013)
Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826)
Concertino for Horn and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 45 (1815)
Chen Gang 陈钢 (b. 1935)
Sunshine over Tashkurgan 《阳光照耀着塔什库尔干》 (1976)
Henryk Wieniawski (1835–80)
Polonaise de Concert in D Major, Op. 4 (1852)
Intermission
Richard Wagner (1813–83)
“Ride of the Valkyries” from Die Walküre (1870)
Traditional
A Grand Victory Shanxi folk music for winds and percussion《大得胜》山西民间吹打
arr. Zhang Shiye 张式业 (1957); orchestra arr. Lin Miaoling 林淼菱 (2026, world premiere)
Franz von Suppé (1819–95)
Light Cavalry Overture (1866)
Huang Anlun 黄安伦 (b. 1949)
Capriccio Xu Beihong 《徐悲鸿画境随想》(2022)
Conductor: Jindong Cai
Orchestra: The Orchestra Now
Pipa: Xiaoyan Zoey Luo
French Horn: Zhicheng Jin
Violin: Chaowen Luo
Suona: Yazhi Guo, Andrew Hiu Man Chan
“THE SOUND OF SPRING” PERFORMANCE DETAILS
Saturday, February 14, 3 PM
(Chinese instrument demonstrations and New Year activities begin in the lobby at 2 PM)
Sosnoff Theater, Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College
Tickets: From $15 (Bard students free with ID)
Purchase online at fishercenter.bard.edu or by phone at 845-758-7900
More information at barduschinamusic.org/events/spring-26-bard
Sunday, February 15, 3 PM
(Chinese instrument demonstrations and New Year activities begin at 2 PM)
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall
10 Columbus Circle, 5th Floor, New York, NY
Tickets: From $25 (Students $15 with promo code)
Purchase online at jazz.org or by phone at 212-721-6500 (or in person at the box office to avoid service fees)
More information at barduschinamusic.org/events/spring26
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Jindong Cai, conductor
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. Previously, Cai was a professor of performance at Stanford University. During a career spanning more than three decades in the United States, Cai has established himself as an active and dynamic conductor, scholar of Western classical music in China, and advocate of music from across Asia. At Bard, Cai founded the annual China Now Music Festival. China Now presents new works by some of the most important Chinese composers of our time, with major concerts performed by The Orchestra Now at Bard’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Stanford University. In 2019, the festival premiered Men of Iron and the Golden Spike by Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Zhou Long, a symphonic oratorio in commemoration of the Chinese railroad workers of North America on the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. With his wife, Sheila Melvin, Cai has coauthored many articles on the performing arts in China and the book Rhapsody in Red: How Western Classical Music Became Chinese. Their latest book is Beethoven in China: How the Great Composer Became an Icon in the People’s Republic.
Xiaoyan Zoey Luo, pipa
Xiaoyan Zoey Luo is a pipa musician actively engaged in the New York music scene. She is a cofounder of the Echos of China Ensemble and a member of the Bard East/West Ensemble. With more than 15 years of experience performing Chinese music, she is currently studying at Bard Conservatory’s US-China Music Institute, majoring in pipa performance. Luo has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Hudson Hall, the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York, and the Embassy in Washington, DC, among other venues. In 2022, she performed as a pipa soloist in the new opera Painted Skin at Lincoln Center. In November 2023, she was honored as a winner of the Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition, and later that year embarked on a Washington, DC, tour with the Bard East/West Ensemble. In June 2025, during the Bard East/West Ensemble’s China tour, she performed as a soloist in 11 concerts across seven cities.
Jin Zhicheng, French horn
Jin Zhicheng is studying horn at the Central Conservatory of Music under Professor Man Yi. At 16, Jin gained international attention by winning the silver medal (brass category) at the 17th International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2023, followed by a laureates’ performance with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra. In 2024, Jin won first prize at the 18th Jeju International Brass Competition and first prize at the 75th Prague Spring International Music Competition, along with the Audience Prize, Czech Radio Prize, Prize of the City of Prague, and the Bärenreiter prize. In 2025, he earned top horn honors at the Aeolus International Competition for Wind Instruments and won the brass category of the Chinese Golden Bell Awards for Music. Jin has appeared at leading festivals and has performed with ensembles such as the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, and Jeju Philharmonic Orchestra.
Luo Chaowen, violin
Luo Chaowen is a postgraduate student at the Central Conservatory of Music, studying under Professor Tong Weidong. Luo has received the bronze medal at the Tchaikovsky International Music Competition, gold medal at the Chinese Golden Bell Awards, silver medal and Lin Yaoji Award at the Qingdao International Violin Competition, jade medal at the Global Music Education League Violin Competition, and the championship at the 2024 ISANGYUN International Violin Competition. Other honors include top prizes at the Kloster Schöntal and Zhuhai Mozart International Violin Competitions. Luo has performed with such leading orchestras as the Mariinsky Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, and Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, collaborating with distinguished artists including Maxim Vengerov, Valery Gergiev, and Christoph Poppen. Recent engagements include the National Centre for the Performing Arts’ special opening concert and South Korea’s “Symphony Festival.” He also serves as ambassador for the 2025 Hengqin Mozart International Violin Competition for Young Musicians.
Yazhi Guo, suona
Wind instrument virtuoso Yazhi Guo graduated with distinction from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he also lectured on suona. His awards include the prestigious Pro Musicis International Award (1998). Named as one of China’s most outstanding musicians by its Ministry of Culture, he was invited to give a solo performance with suona and saxophone during President Bill Clinton’s visit to Beijing in 1998. Guo was appointed principal suona in the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra in 1999. He has performed with many orchestras, including South Korea’s Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra, Belgium’s Flanders Symphony Orchestra, Malaysia’s Chinese Orchestra, and National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan. Guo won the 2012 Hong Kong Arts Development Council Artist of the Year Award for music. After receiving an artist diploma from Berklee College of Music, he led Berklee’s jazz band on visits to China and Singapore. Guo obtained patents for changes to the suona, hulusi, and guzheng, and received a scientific progress award from the Chinese Ministry of Culture for a movable suona reed and flexible core, allowing the suona to alter modes and change sounds at any time during a live performance. The adaptation also makes the suona more expressive, facilitating a deeper integration with Western music. Guo teaches master classes at Berklee in Boston, and also teaches suona at the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
Hiu Man Andrew Chan, suona
Hiu Man Andrew Chan recently completed the Master of Arts in Chinese Music and Culture program at the Bard Conservatory of Music, where he studied suona and guanzi. He is a founding member of the Echos of China Ensemble and a member of the Bard East/West Ensemble. Originally from Hong Kong, he has also performed with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Macao Chinese Orchestra. Chan achieved a silver award in the Senior Professional Category of the 4th Singapore Nanyang International Music Competition for suona and graduated with a bachelor of music degree from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, with specializations in suona and guanzi. Chan has performed all over the world, including at Carnegie Hall; Jazz at Lincoln Center; Washington, DC; the Bahamas; Canada; Hong Kong; Macau; Taiwan; and Singapore.
Post Date: 01-21-2026