US-China Music Institute Awarded Grant from Cyrus Tang Foundation
Funds Support a Bard East/West Ensemble Music Tour of China in June
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—The US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Cyrus Tang Foundation. The funding will support numerous cultural exchange activities and performances throughout 2025, starting with a 2-week tour of China in June featuring lively concerts, youth education, and community outreach by the dynamic young musicians of the Bard East/West Ensemble. Later in the year the ensemble plans to perform in Washington D.C. and Boston.The upcoming China tour is part of the broader work of the US–China Music Institute, in collaboration with partners in the US and China, to promote cultural bridges through the universal language of music, showing that cooperation can flourish between people with different cultures, traditions, and ideas. During the 2-week tour in China, the Bard East/West Ensemble will be hosted by music schools in the cities of Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Wujiang, and Hangzhou, where master classes, community engagement events, and musical performances are planned. The tour will conclude in Beijing with a week at the Central Conservatory of Music, US-China Music Institute’s longtime partner institution. The musical repertoire includes new arrangements of both Chinese and Western compositions including Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, Zhou Long’s King Chu Doffs His Armor, Matthias Duplessy’s Zhong Kui’s Adventures, and more, as well as new works commissioned for the ensemble.
The Bard East/West Ensemble is a dynamic and original music group that brings together the essence of Chinese and Western soundscapes to create a new model of cross-cultural performance. The ensemble’s founder and artistic director, Jindong Cai, has devoted his career as an orchestra conductor and educator to advocate for the development of Chinese music in the West. The ensemble aims to combine Eastern and Western musical traditions, and is committed to performing arrangements and original works with unique instrumentation, thereby creating a new realm of musical expression. Cultural exchange and cross-cultural understanding are at the root of the ensemble’s mission to improve US-China relations by using music to bridge divides, deepen understanding, and inspire connection between people in both countries. barduschinamusic.org/bard-eastwest-ensemble
The Cyrus Tang Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Las Vegas, was established in 1995 to support initiatives that drive impact across education, healthcare, community development, and other underserved areas. The organization was inspired by the vision of its founder, Cyrus Tang, a successful businessman and philanthropist who envisioned a world where everyone would be empowered to make a difference and carry forward a spirit of giving back. cyrustangfoundation.org/
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The US-China Music Institute was founded in 2017 by conductor Jindong Cai and Robert Martin, founding director of Bard College Conservatory of Music, with the mission to promote the study, performance, and appreciation of music from contemporary China and to support musical exchange between the United States and China. In partnership with the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, the Institute has embarked on several groundbreaking projects, including the first degree-granting program in Chinese instrument performance in a US conservatory and a Master of Arts in Chinese Music and Culture, a unique multidisciplinary opportunity for graduate-level academic study and performance of Chinese music outside of China. Planned is the construction of a permanent home for the US-China Music Institute on the Bard campus in upstate New York. The Chinese Music Pavilion will be a landmark for the study and appreciation of Chinese music in the United States and throughout the West. barduschinamusic.org
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About Bard College
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place and Massena properties, Bard’s campus consists of more than 1,200 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in nearly 40 academic programs; advanced degrees through 13 graduate programs; nine early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 165-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at the main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.
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This event was last updated on 06-10-2025
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