Conductor Jindong Cai on the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music

We sat down with the renown conductor and director of the unique program focusing on Chinese music

 

Located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music is led by conductor Jindong Cai.

In partnership with the Central Conservatory of Music of Beijing, China, the Institute provides an undergraduate degree program in Chinese instruments at the Bard College Conservatory of Music, a two-year full-time Master of Arts in Chinese Music and Culture, an annual China Now Music Festival focusing on music from contemporary China, and seminars and scholarly conferences on Chinese music, art, and social development.

The Violin Channel had the pleasure of talking with Cai about what makes this program so unique.

 

What is the mission of the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music (USCMI)?

Our mission is to promote the study, performance, and appreciation of music from contemporary China, and to support musical exchange between the United States and China.

 

In the unique 5-year undergraduate double-degree program, why did you decide to couple a Bachelor of Arts in a liberal arts field with a Bachelor of Music specializing in Chinese instruments?

All Bard Conservatory undergraduates earn two degrees over five years; our Chinese instrument performance majors do the same.  They earn a bachelor of music degree and a second bachelor of arts degree in one of the more than 40 academic programs offered at Bard College. When the Bard Conservatory was created in 2005, founding director Robert Martin was determined that the serious study of music should go hand-in-hand with a rigorous academic education to create more well-rounded musicians and to broaden their opportunities after graduation.

For students of Chinese instrument performance, who have few—if any—options for studying abroad, Bard’s double degree is the best of both worlds. Students have a unique opportunity to receive professional-level training in Chinese music while receiving a world-class academic education from one of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States. For the serious study of Chinese music, there is nothing else like it in the West, or even in China.

Can you tell us more about the Master of Arts in Chinese Music and Culture? Why was it important to have a program focused on the intersections between music and the culture of China within the U.S.?

There are very few opportunities to specialize in Chinese music and culture outside of China. Bard’s interdisciplinary approach to education makes it an ideal environment for creating a program that combines high-level academic research with professional music training. Our partnership with the Central Conservatory in China gives students access to the best faculty in traditional Chinese instrument performance, while our network of affiliated faculty in the US allows students to focus their research on distinct areas of study and receive expert support.

 

For which students are these programs best suited?

Bard’s undergraduate and graduate-level degree programs in Chinese music encourage learning in a diverse, vibrant environment that fosters both academic and musical training. They are best suited to students who are passionate to learn, want to become accomplished musicians, and are strong thinkers and leaders.

Do students need to speak Chinese to enroll in the programs?

Although courses are taught in English, it is very helpful to have some background in the Chinese language. Fortunately, Bard College has a strong Chinese language and literature department where students can receive Chinese language instruction if needed.

 

Can you tell us about some of the faculty in those programs? 

For the undergraduate double-degree program, Chinese music performance majors take classes at the Bard Conservatory with professional music faculty who specialize in Chinese music history, music theory, composition, aural training, and more. Through Bard’s partnership with the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing, students receive studio instruction from CCOM faculty and their graduate assistants, with a mixture of remote and in-person lessons throughout the year. The Traditional Instruments faculty at CCOM consists of the top music performers and educators in China. Some of the CCOM master teachers currently working with Bard students include pipa virtuoso Zhang Hongyan; guzheng virtuoso Zhou Wang; erhu virtuoso Yu Hongmei; guqin virtuoso Zhao Jiazhen; and more. We are also developing Chinese instrument faculty in the US.

When it comes to their second major, students can choose from over 40 options in the liberal arts and sciences and receive academic instruction from Bard’s world-class faculty. Close contact with scholars who are teachers, but also active in their disciplines, is a constant, and the level of academic discourse in the classroom is high.

In the Master of Arts in Chinese Music and Culture, students work with Chinese music scholar and program director Jindong Cai to identify leading scholars in their specific areas of research for individualized instruction. Studio instruction for performers is provided by CCOM professors or US-based professional Chinese musicians such as wind instrument master Guo Yazhi.

 

Do you have partnerships with institutions in China, including student exchange opportunities?

In 2017 the US-China Music Institute launched the Chinese Music Development Initiative in partnership with the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. This partnership forms the basis for USCMI’s major programs including the degree programs, as well as the annual China Now Music Festival and Chinese New Year Concerts at Bard and in New York City. In 2023, the Initiative was renewed and expanded to include new professional and student exchange programs between the two institutions.

Currently, undergraduate Chinese instrument majors spend one month at CCOM during the summer for at least three summers while earning their degrees at Bard. In addition, Bard has established the US-China Music Fellows program for graduate-level CCOM students to spend a year at Bard giving lessons and taking classes in the Conservatory.

 

What are some of USCMI’s alumni doing now? 

USCMI is proud to have graduated its first two students from the 5-year undergraduate program in 2023. One of these students has returned to China where she is working to become an advocate for music education abroad. The other graduate enrolled in our Master of Arts in Chinese Music and Culture through a special program allowing her to complete her first year in the 2-year program while finishing both of her undergraduate degrees. This spring, she will graduate with her MA degree having already received a BM in erhu performance, and a BA in global and international studies. The MA program was launched in 2022 and will graduate its first four students in Spring 2024. Several of these students have applied for PhD programs in the US to continue their scholarly research.

 

What performance opportunities are given to USCMI students?

Public performance is a key component of serious musical training, so the Bard Conservatory offers Chinese instrument students many performance opportunities throughout the year. The Bard Chinese Ensemble holds two full-length concerts on campus each semester, and all students of Chinese instruments participate. The Ensemble also welcomes Western instrument players from the Conservatory.

In addition, some students have the opportunity to join the Bard East/West Ensemble, a high-level touring music group that has performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, as well as other local venues.

Through an ongoing partnership with the China Institute in Manhattan, students have the opportunity to participate in monthly Chinese music and calligraphy gatherings.

On-campus public recitals are also a major component of the degree requirements and allow for collaboration and experience in putting together a compelling music program.

When is the program for the 2024 China Now Music Festival going to be announced? 

Plans for the 7^th annual China Now Music Festival are well underway. We aim to announce this year’s theme and major events in late April. Ticket sales generally start in late summer for events taking place at Bard and in different venues in NYC in October. Event information is posted on our website as it becomes available, at barduschinamusic.org/china-now

 

To learn more about the institute, click here.