CHINA AND AMERICA UNITY IN MUSIC SEPTEMBER 25 – OCTOBER 6, 2019
BARD COLLEGE • CARNEGIE HALL • STANFORD UNIVERSITY
CHINA NOW MUSIC FESTIVAL
CHINA AND AMERICA – UNITY IN MUSIC September 25 – October 6, 2019 The China Now Music Festival is inspired by the richness and vitality of music in contemporary China. In today’s China, Western classical music is developing at phenomenal speed: new con-
cert halls and opera houses have been built, and new conservatories and orchestras have been
founded. Equally exciting is the abundance of new music creation and the freshness and vitality that Chinese composers bring to us here in the West.
The festival is dedicated to promoting an understanding and appreciation of music from contem-
porary China through an annual series of themed concerts and academic activities. Last year’s inaugural season, titled “Facing the Past, Looking to the Future,” showcased new orchestral works by contemporary Chinese composers.
The theme for 2019 is “China and America – Unity in Music,” in recognition of the 40th anniversary of
the normalizing of diplomatic relations between the United States and China. This year’s festival also coincides with New York State’s newly announced Senate resolution “recognizing October 1, 2019, as
China Day and the first week of October 2019 as Chinese American Heritage Week, to strengthen the
friendship and bilateral relationship between the State of New York and Chinese Americans.” I believe people need to witness the cultural bridges that can be built through shared musical experience. This year’s China Now Music Festival offers many opportunities to make this happen.
The musical highlight of the festival is the world premiere of Men of Iron and the Golden Spike, a symphonic oratorio by celebrated composer Zhou Long honoring the more than 20,000 Chinese laborers who contributed to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in the American West
150 years ago. Other festival events further explore the theme in U.S.-China relations. Wellington Koo
the Diplomat – A Life in Song explores the celebrated statesman’s role in opening China to the world and developing its relationship with the United States. The film preview of the forthcoming docu-
mentary Counter Point discusses the future of classical music through the Philadelphia Orchestra’s
journey to China. And pianist Susan Chan performs a selection of solo works inspired by Chinese musical traditions.
We thank you for joining us at the second annual China Now Music Festival. We hope to see you at
next year’s festival, “Music from Shanghai,” to explore the past, present, and future of the city’s vital role in the development of Western classical music in China.
Politics often divides people, but in art and music, you always find connections. With the China
Now Music Festival as our looking glass, we hope to continue bringing people and traditions from China and America together through music. Jindong Cai 蔡金冬
Director, US-China Music Institute, Bard College Conservatory of Music Professor of Music and Arts, Bard College September 2019
Wellington Koo, Gang Zhao MFA ’00, oil on canvas, 2019, courtesy of the artist
WELLINGTON KOO THE DIPLOMAT – A LIFE IN SONG
Chapter III: Leading Up to Paris Peace Conference, 1918–19 Henri Duparc (1848–1933)
Chanson triste
Huang Tzu
Homesick
Ying Huang, soprano
Monday, September 30 at 7 pm Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall
Fugen Wei, piano
Chapter IV, Europe: Rallying Allies vs. Japanese Aggression, 1931–44
Shirley Young, US-China Cultural Institute, Producer Sherwood Hu, Director
Fugen Wei, Music Director
Wu Xinbo, Hu Leilei
Pingtan selection from Wellington Koo
Haihua Huang, sanxian
Luoyong Wang, Narrator
Jinghui Wu, pipa
Xian Xinghai (1905–45), arr. Yin Chengzong, Sheng Lihong, Chu Wanghua, and Liu Zhuang
Opening Remarks
Yellow River Concerto
Niu Niu Zhang, piano
Leon Botstein, President, Bard College Prelude
IV. Defend the Yellow River
Traditional
Three Character Classic
Chapter V, United Nations: Rising to Permanent Member of the Security Council, 1944–45
Li Shutong (1880–1942)
Farewell
Peng-Peng Gong (b. 1992)
To the New World (world premiere)
Starry Arts Group Children’s Chorus
Ying Huang, soprano
Fugen Wei, piano
Niu Niu Zhang, piano
Rebecca Shen, Choral Director
Chapter I: Youth in China, 1888–1904 Li Qing-zhu (1893–1959)
River of No Return
Huang Tzu (1904–38)
Ode to Ascending the Tower
Shenyang, bass-baritone
Fugen Wei, piano
Chapter II: Studying in the United States, 1904–12 Ma Sicong (1912–87)
Nostalgia
from the Inner Mongolia Suite
Fritz Kreisler (1875–1962)
Tambourin Chinois, Op. 3
Dan Zhu, violin
Gilbert Oakley Ward (1880–1944)
“Stand, Columbia” (Columbia University alma mater)
Niu Niu Zhang, piano
Starry Arts Group Children’s Chorus
Antonin Dvořák (1841–1904)
String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, B. 179 (“American”)
4 China Now Music Festival
Shenyang, bass-baritone Bard Conservatory String Quartet
Chapter VI, Return to Chinese Roots: Love, Family, and Homeland, 1959–85 Weng Ching Xi (1936–2012)
The Moon Represents My Heart
Ying Huang, soprano
Fugen Wei, piano
Franz Lehár (1870–1948)
Shenyang, bass-baritone Lippen Schweigen (Lips Stay Silent)
from Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow)
Ying Huang, soprano
Dan Zhu, violin
Shenyang, bass-baritone Fugen Wei, piano
Lu Zaiyi (b. 1943); poem by Ai Qing (1910–96)
I Love This Land All
Fugen Wei, piano
IV. Finale: Vivace ma non troppo
Bard Conservatory String Quartet China and America – Unity in Music 5
PROGRAM NOTES
Chapter V, United Nations: Rising to Permanent Member of the Security Council, 1944–45
To the New World is a world premiere chamber fantasy, by Peng-Peng Gong, based on themes of Ludwig van Beethoven and Dmitri Shostakovich. The title is a reference to the 1942 “United Nations
Wellington Koo the Diplomat – A Life in Song follows the events of the renowned statesman in a series of chapters. With narration that uses quotations from Koo’s autobiography, interviews, and
video projections to weave the story together, each chapter uses music to create a setting for key moments in Koo’s life. Prelude
A children’s chorus sets the stage with “Three Character Classic (San Zi Jing),” a traditional song commonly recited by children to reaffirm Confucian values; and “Farewell,” with lyrics by Buddhist
monk Li Shu-tong. In the 1930s Li’s words were set to the melody “Dreaming of Home and Mother” by American composer John P. Ordway. The song describes the sadness of waving goodbye to friends. Chapter I: Youth in China, 1888–1904
“River of No Return” was composed by Li Qing-zhu while studying in Germany, with lyrics by Su Shi, one of the greatest poets in the Northern Song Dynasty. The song expresses the author’s understanding of the world, and life’s ups and downs.
Huang Tzu was a major composer of Chinese art songs in the early 20th century. His “Ode to
Ascending the Tower” is based on a poem by Song Dynasty poet Wang Zhuo. With richly descriptive
March” by Shostakovich and Harold J. Rome, which contains the line “Together fight for victory, a
free, new world.” The work opens with a narrator (the baritone) reciting a war poem by famed Chinese war general Zhang Zizhong, which then becomes the lyrics to an aria by Gong, sung by the
baritone and soprano respectively. As the aria rises to a climax, the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony breaks out and the two singers sing the original Ode to Joy after a cadenza from
the solo violinist. The music shifts into the “United Nations March,” first in the form of a grand
Andante and later an ecstatic Presto. The music ends with a reference to the close of Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony.
Chapter VI, Return to Chinese Roots: Love, Family, and Homeland, 1959–85
“The Moon Represents My Heart” is a romantic ballad popularized by singer Teresa Teng. It became a classic Taiwanese pop song and later spread throughout China. “Lippen Schweigen” is a love duet
from the operetta Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow). The final piece of the evening, “I Love This Land,” was composed by Lu Zaiyi in the 1980s, with lyrics from a poem by Ai Qing to express the
contrast between the ephemerality and insignificance of an individual’s life and the vastness and eternity of the earth. The melancholy expressed in the poem manifests the author’s deep love for the tumult-ridden Chinese nation.
imagery, the composer expresses his reluctance to leave his lover, as well as his concern about his own uncertain future.
Chapter II: Studying in the United States, 1904–12
Diverse musical pieces combine Koo’s longing for his homeland with enthusiasm for his life while studying in America. “Nostalgia,” an excerpt of the popular Inner Mongolia Suite—composed in
1937 by Ma Sicong, often referred to in China as the “king of violinists”—evokes images of China. So too does Fritz Kreisler’s Tambourin Chinois, but this time through a European lens. The Columbia
University anthem, “Stand, Columbia,” rings out with pride, followed by the Finale of Antonín Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, which the composer nicknamed the “American” quartet during his stay here in 1893.
Chapter III: Leading Up to Paris Peace Conference, 1918–19
With World War I coming to an end, Koo takes his place in history during peace negotiations
in France. Henri Duparc’s “Chanson triste,” written in 1868 in Paris, sets the scene. Huang Tzu’s
“Homesick” reflects Koo’s fondness for his native country. With lyrics by Wei Han-zhang, the ballad depicts the composer’s nostalgia for the chirping birds, flowing water, and falling flowers in the late spring in his hometown.
Chapter IV, Europe: Rallying Allies vs. Japanese Aggression, 1931–44
Suzhou Pingtan is a traditional storytelling musical/oral art form dating back to the Song Dynasty.
CHINA NOW MUSIC FESTIVAL GALA
纽约当代中国音乐节晚宴
SEPTEMBER 30 AT CARNEGIE HALL A BENEFIT FOR THE US-CHINA MUSIC INSTITUTE Cochairs
Jinqing Cai, Angela Chen, Denise S. Simon, Jonathan Slone, James A. von Klemperer, Shirley Young, Xin Zhang Other Major Contributors
Jinyong Cai and Dawn Vermilya; Chen Wei and Chen Maoan, Bard International Academy Chengdu; China–United States
Exchange Foundation; Lu Li; Rebecca Ping Li and David Stickler;
An excerpt from a newly created work about Wellington Koo describes his challenges as cohead
Corina Larkin and Nigel Dawn; Steven Murphy; Sanford Robinson;
ular Yellow River Concerto was created by a collaboration of composers based on the Yellow River
(as of September 13)
of the Lytton Commission, authorized to investigate Japanese aggression in Manchuria. The pop-
Barbara and Donald Tober; US-China Cultural Institute
Cantata by Xian Xinghai. Movement 4, “Defend the Yellow River,” celebrates the fighting spirit of the Chinese people.
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China and America – Unity in Music 7
“WE STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE US” Born in 1888 in Jiading, a suburb of Shanghai, China, Wellington Koo was China’s key diplomat
throughout the first half of the 20th century, serving as ambassador to England, France, and the United States, and operating as foreign minister several times. His education in international law at Columbia University enabled him to engage inter-
Columbia University’s Role in Chinese History While studying at Columbia for his PhD in 1912, Koo received an invitation to return to China to serve the new president and foreign minister.
He turned down the offer because he wanted to finish his PhD thesis, having completed only the introduction. Columbia Law School professor John Bassett Moore, knowing of Koo’s goal to
help the new republic and judging his work to date as sufficiently comprehensive, accepted the introduction as his PhD thesis and urged Koo to return to China. Koo was therefore in position at
the Foreign Ministry to play his role at the Paris Peace Conference and other critical international
nationally to help China become an active participant
events—all made possible by Columbia University and Professor Moore.
in the global community. He is well known for his role at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, where he
Over the course of more than a decade, starting in the 1960s, Koo completed an oral history with
to Japan. When conference leaders decided to accom-
of personal papers, stored at Columbia, was recently digitized in collaboration with the Chinese
sign the treaty—the first time China had said “no” to
archive is also the foundation for the recently expanded Wellington Koo Museum, which opened
argued eloquently against ceding Shandong Province
Columbia University that was later translated into a 13-volume Chinese autobiography. His archive
modate Japan’s request, Koo led China’s refusal to
Academy of Social Sciences. These materials form the basis of tonight’s concert. The digitized
the world’s powers. This action had a major impact
in December 2018 in Jiading, Koo’s hometown.
in China, leading to changes in Chinese internal and
—Shirley Young, Chair, US-China Cultural Institute
external policies.
Thanks to Professor Jin Guangyao for his contribution to this piece.
Throughout his career, Koo played an important role
in building a strong relationship between the United
States and China. The relationship he advocated became China’s state policy in the late 1930s. He was
actively involved with America’s presidents, working
with Woodrow Wilson on the League of Nations, with Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II and on the
Wellington Koo, photo courtesy of the Koo family
founding of the United Nations, and later with Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
He signed the United Nations Charter on behalf of China in 1945 and successfully worked to have
China appointed as a permanent member of the Security Council, confirming China’s position as
a key nation in the world community. Beyond his eloquence and charm, grounded in his expertise with international law, Koo believed strongly in the role of diplomacy in world affairs, based on the philosophy that holding “firm to one’s principles and being unwilling to compromise may be a good personal motto, but is unsuitable in diplomacy. In foreign affairs, one should aim for 51 percent of his goals and should be quite happy with 60 percent or more.”
As his final official position, Koo was elected by the UN General Assembly to serve as a judge on
LECTURE THE ROLE OF U.S.–EDUCATED STUDENTS IN CHINA’S UNITED STATES POLICY DURING THE REPUBLICAN PERIOD: A CASE STUDY OF WELLINGTON KOO Tuesday, October 1 at 4 pm
Weatherhead East Asian Institute
the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where he became vice president. Upon retirement,
Columbia University
by his large family circle of Youngs and Koos, he enjoyed revisiting his Chinese roots through his
Guest speaker Jin Guangyao, professor of history and director of the
he chose New York as his home with his beloved wife, Juliana Young Koo. In New York, surrounded interests in calligraphy, poetry, and the classics.
8 China Now Music Festival
International Center for Studies of Chinese Civilization at Fudan University, sheds light on the role Wellington Koo played in shaping China’s United States policy.
China and America – Unity in Music 9
FROM THE MIDDLE KINGDOM TO THE WILD WEST Tuesday, October 1 at 7:30 pm | Preconcert talk at 6:30 pm Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall and Sunday, October 6 at 2:30 pm | Preconcert talk at 1:45 pm Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University The Orchestra Now Jindong Cai, conducting Zhou Long (b. 1953)
Classic of Mountains and Seas 山海经 (U.S. premiere) concerto for orchestra
I. Beishan Jing (Largo) II. Xishan Jing (Allegro—Adagio) III. Dongshan Jing (Adagio—Allegro) IV. Nanshan Jing (Adagio—Andante) V. Zhongshan Jing (Allegretto)
Intermission Zhou Long Su Wei (b. 1953), libretto
Across the Continent: The Frank Leslie Transcontinental Excursion, Horace Baker, 1878, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
10 China Now Music Festival
Men of Iron and the Golden Spike 铁汉金钉 (world premiere) symphonic oratorio commemorating the Chinese railroad workers of North America
I. Prologue II . The Endless Sea III. “Coolie Work Chant” and “Song of the Chinese Railroadmen” IV. These Chinamen V. My Name Is . . . VI. Snow on New Year’s Eve a. Snow on New Year’s Eve b. The Longevity Lockets VII. Avalanche a. Ahu Lun’s Sacrifice b. How High the Sierras, How Deep the Pacific VIII. The Golden Spike (triumphal chorus) IX. Epilogue China Now Festival Chorus Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale (Oct. 6) Chen Dashuai, tenor Feng Nan, baritone Gu Mijia, guzheng Andrew Munn, bass Rachel Schutz, soprano Wang Bing, erhu Zha Lina, soprano China and America – Unity in Music 11
PROGRAM NOTES
Down from the Omei Peaks, far in the West He came, cradling his carved, green lute.
As he wielded his hands for me, I thought Classic of Mountains and Seas 山海 经 — Concerto for Orchestra Commissioned by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; first performed at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall on June 22, 2019
Chinese mythology is a cultural heritage that has been passed down through the ages. It is full of
bizarre and supernatural artistic charm. The ancient Chinese text Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shan Hai Jing) is like a history book that contains many legendary stories. Depicting a fabled geog-
raphy of mountains and waters along with human settlements, its myths—such as “Zuan Mu Qu Huo,” “Hou Yi She Ri,” “Jing Wei Tian Hai,” and “Da Yu Zhi Shui”—are known to every household. In the Classic of Mountains and Seas 山海 经 concerto, a large-scale orchestra plays multiple move-
ments inspired by ancient supernatural aesthetics, and creates an imaginary universe within an abstract sound world. This work is not based on the story of the ancient gods but rather on the
geographical descriptions, in the story “Wu Zang Shan Jing,” of metaphorical waters, mountain
ranges, folk customs, and rituals of the gods. Its five movements depict the north, west, east, south, and middle, respectively, the characteristics of the “mountain system,” and regional customs.
In the first movement,“Beishan Jing” (Largo), folk-music elements such as the traditional Mongolian “Humai” and traditional Tibetan “Bon’e’ri” are used as an ode to the customs and heroism of dif-
ferent ethnic groups of the vast mountains and plains. The Humai, echoed by contrabassoon and
piccolo, forms the introduction, followed by the trombone playing a linear melody echoed by English horn. Under the rhythmic string texture, the music moves toward the heroic theme played by the brass. The low instruments develop the theme and unfold the music to its first climax. A
small group of harp, percussion, and piccolo leads to a powerful tempo that pushes the music to another climax. Finally, the first movement is finished by the piccolo restating the tune of the Humai over the continuous sound of the double bass.
The second movement, “Xishan Jing” (Allegro—Adagio), has the western style of the Gansu and
I could hear the pines of a million canyons, could wash My wanderer’s heart in that rushing sluice
Whose lingering tremors flowed into the frosty bells. In fading daylight off jade-green crags, who knew How many layers of autumn clouds went dark?
The sound of “Frost Bells,” the first part of the third movement, is formed by slapping on the lower
strings of the piano, along with low brass and the bell-drum, to create a deep wave, accompanied by the flickering and trembling glissandi of the string section. It seems as if the bells are floating on
the wind from many valleys. The alternating structure of the rondo fades away into the distance. In the second part of the movement (“Mighty Bells”), the deep sound waves slowly evoke the pulsation of all things as the union of heaven and earth brings the music to a climax.
The fourth movement, “Nanshan Jing” (Adagio—Andante) is characterized by the woodwind and
string harmonic textures meant to depict the cloud mountain south of the Yangtze River, Fujian, Guangdong, and Hunan. The dynamic middle section, in 5/8 rhythm, is like a ride on clouds and
mists. Later, the flowing water texture of woodwinds is echoed by muted brass chords. The movement ends with a reverberating sound, as if being played in the cloud mountain.
“Zhongshan Jing” (Allegretto), the fifth movement, symbolizes the end of the ritual ceremony, which is roughly centered on the sacred place of Chu. The people dance together, waving flowers
and hitting bronze drums. Much like Divine Comedy, the atmosphere is both solemn and lively. The movement begins to alternate between the rhythm of the timpani and the brass section, and between bells and drums. Calls are introduced by French and English horns over the rhythm of the
bronze drum, and the full orchestra responds. The forward movement is led by the woodwinds, and finally by the brass section. The multivoice, close canon forms the animated atmosphere of many responses, and the music moves to a peak of jubilation. —Zhou Long, composer
Qinghai Plateau. The introductory treble call is echoed by the horn and trumpet, presenting a vast
plateau. In the middle of the Allegro, the rhythm of the running chase reflects vibrant life. At the end of the movement, the continuation of interwoven melodies evokes echoes of the horn.
The third movement, “Dongshan Jing” (Adagio—Allegro) refers to the legend of great bells that ring spontaneously without being struck. This myth has origins in the ancient Classic of Mountains and
Seas, in which we read: “Upon the Mountains of Plenty, Nine Bells Ring with Knowledge of the Frost.” Tales of blasts of wind that pulse like a heartbeat through caverns in the limestone cliffs, setting
off a mysterious, sympathetic ringing from bells encrusted in frost, led to “Frost-Bell” becoming a word during the Tang Dynasty, almost a millennium after the Classic of Mountains and Seas first
appeared. The Tang poet Li Bai (701–62) used the image as a symbol for the union of heaven and earth in his piece “Listening to Jun, the Monk from Sichuan, Plucking the Transverse Lute”:
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China and America – Unity in Music 13
About the Symphonic Oratorio Men of Iron and the Golden Spike
The story begins with the Chinese workers’ brutal passage across the ocean in crowded “pig boats.”
This year, 2019, marks the 150th anniversary of the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad
the snowy mountains on Chinese New Year’s Eve, they yearn for their loved ones back home, before an
across the United States. Between 1863 and 1869, tens of thousands of men labored under perilous, often deadly conditions to build the tracks that would join the Eastern and Western halves of the United States and forever transform our nation.
On May 10, 1869, Leland Stanford traveled to Promontory Summit, Utah, where he drove a golden spike
into the ground and ceremonially linked the tracks of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads, thereby completing the line. All but invisible at the golden spike ceremony, and long missing from
historic record, are the thousands of Chinese workers who toiled to lay the line over the monumental Sierra Nevada mountains and across the burning deserts of Nevada and Utah. To give a voice to these
Chinese migrants, Stanford University established the important Chinese Railroad Workers in North
America Project in 2012, coordinating research and publishing new findings both online and in print. Now, to further amplify the long-silent voices of the railroad Chinese, the Stanford Center for East
Asian Studies and the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music have col-
laborated with the Chinese Railroad Workers Project to commission a musical work, Men of Iron and the Golden Spike.
The laborers exhibit bravery and dedication that touch the consciences of local Americans. Camped in
avalanche takes a deadly toll. At the grand ceremony of the golden spike celebrating the completion of
the Transcontinental Railroad, the strains of the “coolie work chant” and the Cantonese nursery rhyme are heard again. Throughout this choral epic, Men of Iron and the Golden Spike blends rich, symphonic
colors with the musical elements of southern China, bringing to life the tragic and heroic story of the Chinese laborers who gave their sweat, blood, and sometimes their lives to lay the tracks of America’s first Transcontinental Railroad. Prologue
The motifs of the Cantonese nursery rhyme and the “coolie work chant” accompany a spoken intro-
duction, inviting the listener to picture the humble figures of Chinese workers laboring against the rugged landscape of the American West. The Endless Sea
Ships full of indentured Chinese laborers, known as “pig boats,” carry men of the Sze Yup region of
Guangdong Province across the heaving waves of the Pacific Ocean toward the west coast of the
This project was conceived by Professor Gordon H. Chang and me back in 2013 following many dis-
United States. The men sing a song of lament and fear as they confront the awful vastness of the sea.
to the stage with a large-scale symphonic oratorio. The combination of orchestra and choruses
“Coolie Work Chant” and “Song of the Chinese Railroadmen”
piece for many participants, just like the building of the railroad itself.
the descendants of the builders of the Great Wall carry out a new feat of engineering in America
penned an opera libretto on this very subject some 30 years earlier. He had also written the lyrics for
These Chinamen
cussions about how best to mark this important anniversary. We finally decided to bring the story from the United States and China reflects the magnitude of the undertaking, and also creates a As we sought to commission the piece, we learned that Yale University–based writer Su Wei had
another oft-performed oratorio, Ask the sky and the earth, which commemorates the “sent-down
youth” movement during China’s Cultural Revolution that saw millions of urban youth relocated to the countryside to learn from the farmers. We knew that Su Wei was the perfect person to write the lyrics to Men of Iron and the Golden Spike and we were fortunate that he agreed to do so.
An oratorio of this scale naturally requires exceptional music, so we were thrilled when Pulitzer Prize–
Cleaving mountains, bridging rivers: To the sound of heavy footsteps and the “coolie work chant,” to rival their ancestors’ achievement.
“Such enormous loads, such heavy burdens, borne upon such thin, frail backs!” Mary, the foreman’s daughter, is awed and moved by the silent, steadfast labors of her father’s Chinese railroad crew. My Name Is . . .
Where is Kunlun Mountain? Who is the Virgin Mary? A young Chinese laborer, Ah Kun, banters with
winning composer Zhou Long agreed to accept our commission. Zhou does extensive research to
the foreman’s daughter as the two get to know each other.
tains and the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento so he could see firsthand where the
Snow on New Year’s Eve
inform his music, and last year he came out to Stanford and drove with me to the Sierra Nevada mounrailroad Chinese lived and worked.
Camped in the snow-covered Sierras on the eve of Chinese New Year with other railroad Chinese,
The symphonic oratorio Men of Iron and the Golden Spike is a tribute to the almost 20,000 Chinese
on the far side of the ocean.
laborers who helped build the Transcontinental Railroad. The work consists of nine movements. Throughout the entire work run two traditional motifs from Guangdong Province: the Cantonese
nursery rhyme “Yut Gwong Gwong” (Moonlight Shines) and the “coolie work chant” sung by Chinese
laborers at that time. To authentically reflect the language of the times, the lyrics of this oratorio have
retained the use of the word “Chinaman,” a term for Chinese people that is now deemed offensive. We are aware of its objectionable nature in the modern context; its use in the lyrics is purely for his-
brothers Ah Kun and Ah Lun long for their loved ones back home, and sing a duet with their mother
Avalanche
When an avalanche devastates the work site, Ah Lun pushes the foreman out of the way just as
the snow is about to crush the cabins, giving his own life to save the foreman. Ah Kun wails in grief, clutching his brother’s longevity locket.
torical accuracy.
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China and America – Unity in Music 15
The Golden Spike
About the Creation of Men of Iron and the Golden Spike
road meet, a grand chorus anticipates the shrill whistles of locomotives coursing across the full
My musical compositions rarely draw on historical themes—they are mostly based on Chinese
Bells ring in celebration: The Transcontinental Railroad is complete! As the two halves of the raillength of the American continent. Epilogue
Dispersed before they could witness the ceremony celebrating the railroad’s completion, the Chinese workers are speechless and indignant. The “coolie work chant” and the Cantonese nursery rhyme are heard again, echoing mournfully down the centuries. —Jindong Cai
mythology and classical literature, such as my first opera Legend of the White Snake and my grand
symphonic poem Nine Odes. At the first China Now Music Festival at Lincoln Center, Artistic Director Jindong Cai debuted my symphony Humen 1839, a cooperation between me and Chen Yi. The per-
formance was the first use of the symphonic medium in the West to depict the painful history of the Opium War and the suffering it brought to the Chinese people.
Two years ago, Maestro Cai proposed a symphonic oratorio to commemorate the Chinese workers who dedicated their lives to building the Transcontinental Railroad 150 years ago. In May 2018, I
officially accepted the commission of the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music and the Stanford University Center for East Asian Studies to compose the symphonic oratorio Men of Iron and the Golden Spike.
This project has deepened my understanding and appreciation for this little-known, but deeply significant, chapter of history. I had the privilege of working on Men of Iron and the Golden Spike
with Mr. Su Wei, who adapted the libretto from his eponymous play, to compose this symphonic
oratorio in nine movements. I drew inspiration from the libretto and Cantonese folk songs such as the “Coolie Work Chant” and “Moonlight Shines,” and I wanted to convey a deep sense of reverence for our Chinese ancestors who suffered injustice.
As we embarked on this journey, Jindong and I visited the California State Railroad Museum in
Sacramento. The museum staff explained that after the completion of the Transcontinental
Railroad, the official record of the Chinese workers was erased from history. As a Chinese American composer, this realization further strengthened my determination to commemorate this history in the form of a grand symphonic oratorio.
In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, this symphonic oratorio and its debut performance at Carnegie Hall are dedicated to the legacy of the Chinese railroadmen. I would like to give special thanks to Jindong Cai for his support and
planning of this great creative effort; to Bard College and Stanford University; to Charles Lu for his guidance on the vocal scores; and to Joseph Kern for his assistance in orchestration.
The nine movements of Men of Iron and the Golden Spike are: “Prologue,” “The Endless Sea,” “‘Coolie
Work Chant’ and ‘Song of the Chinese Railroadmen,’” “These Chinamen,” “My Name Is . . .,” “Snow on New Year’s Eve,” “Avalanche,” “The Golden Spike,” and “Epilogue.” A camp of Chinese workers near Brown’s Station of the Central Pacific Railroad, Alfred A. Hart Photographs, 1862-1869. Department of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries
The Prologue begins with the blaring, heave-ho “Coolie Work Chant” theme by the brass section,
followed by the gentle Cantonese children’s folk song “Moonlight Shines,” played by the guzheng, erhu, and cello, paired with a baritone recitative. The movement concludes with a return of the
“Coolie Work Chant” theme played by the brass, and finally a chilling violin solo, ushering in the next movement.
The Endless Sea is a mixed chorus of Chinese railroadmen led by the two brothers, Ah Kun (tenor) and Ah Lun (baritone). While the lyrics are sung by the leads and male chorus, the female chorus accompanies with a repeating undulation of descending phrases (depicting the sea) and ascend-
ing phrases (depicting lightning), conveying a sense of the railroadmen’s hopelessness against the rocky ocean waves.
16 China Now Music Festival
China and America – Unity in Music 17
“Coolie Work Chant” and “Song of the Chinese Railroadmen” is performed primarily by the male
In the Epilogue, the orchestra once again plays a sonorous and powerful rendition of the “Coolie
of the Chinese Railroadmen” in the form of a round. Like the “Coolie Work Chant,” the “Song of the
recites the conclusion. Finally, the chorus sings “Moonlight Shines” as the whistle of a faraway train
chorus in the first half of the movement, while in the latter half the female chorus sings the “Song
Chinese Railroadmen” also draws on material of the southern Chinese labor chants, enhanced by yelling and shouting of lyrics.
These Chinamen is a recitative-style aria sung by Mary (soprano), the Foreman’s daughter, against
the background of the male chorus singing the “Coolie Work Chant.” In this aria, Mary expresses
Work Chant.” Next, against the background of the male chorus humming the chant, a baritone blows and fades into silence. —Zhou Long Translation from the Chinese by Adam Scharfman
admiration and empathy for the hardworking Chinese railroadmen.
My Name Is . . . is a duet, supplemented by mixed chorus and round, between Ah Kun and Mary. The duet is sung in the male-female duet style characteristic of the “saltwater” fishing songs of Zhongshan in Guangdong Province. Ah Kun (tenor) and Mary (soprano) sing in English. Mary’s part
borrows melodies from Irish folk songs. The layering of Chinese and Irish folk melodies creates a lively, scherzo-like atmosphere.
Snow on New Year’s Eve is a movement in binary (AB) form. A, “Snow on New Year’s Eve,” depicts a snow-covered work site in the Sierra Nevada, where brothers
Ah Kun and Ah Lun poignantly sing of how they miss their distant relatives in China. This is the
first time the female chorus sings the folk song “Moonlight Shines,” with the sopranos singing the
original words and the altos accompanying with the refrain using the words “moonlight shines.” The folk song, combined with the duet of the two brothers, creates a sense of deep nostalgia.
B, “The Longevity Lockets,” is a duet between the mother, separated by the Pacific Ocean from her
two children, and Ah Kun and Ah Lun. Finally, the female chorus takes the lead, accompanied by the humming of “Moonlight Shines,” imparting a touch of warmth. Avalanche is also in binary (AB) form. In A, “Ah Lun’s Sacrifice,” Chinese Railroadman Ah Lun saves the Foreman, sacrificing himself during
a great avalanche at the Sierra Nevada site. The music begins with the rumbling of drums, thunder
boards, and gongs; the chorus screams “Avalanche! Run for your lives!” The male chorus once again
shouts the “Coolie Work Chant” against the full might of the orchestra. The brass section, with its
strong rhythmic march, pays tribute to Ah Lun’s heroic self-sacrifice. The male chorus and brass section call out to Ah Lun, and the Foreman finally sings a heartfelt thanks to the man who saved him. The Chinese railroadmen continue marching to the “Coolie Work Chant.”
East and West shaking Hands at the Laying of Last Rail,” Union Pacific Railroad, Andrew J. Russell, May 10, 1869. Yale Collection of Western Americana
B, “How High the Sierras, How Deep the Pacific,” is a deep, affectionate aria sung by Ah Kun (tenor), holding his brother Ah Lun’s “longevity locket.” Under the sonorous echo of the “Song of the Chinese Railroadmen,” the male chorus sings, “Bridges built upon human shoulders, wheels sup-
ported by flesh.” In the end, the work team disappears into the distance to the sound of the “Coolie Work Chant.”
The Golden Spike is a celebratory movement using the full chorus. Beginning with percussion, strings, and faraway church bells, the chorus enters with the brass, singing, “Ring the bells.” The movement is carried forward by a fixed pattern consisting of the first four notes of “Moonlight
Shines” and a “ding dong” of church bells. Finally, the bells and percussion fade into a distant rum-
ble, taken over by the bells of the steam locomotive, the knocking of train against railroad track, and the train’s whistle, played by four French horns.
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China and America – Unity in Music 19
An Interview with Librettist Su Wei Q. Men of Iron and the Golden Spike is a tribute to the 20,000 Chinese laborers who helped con-
struct the first Transcontinental Railroad in the United States, and is based on an opera libretto you
wrote over 30 years ago. What first attracted you to this story? And what has it been like for you, returning to this subject matter three decades later?
A. In 1984, when I was a graduate student at UCLA, I was invited to attend a celebration held by the
Orange County government, representing the federal government, titled (in Chinese) “Men of Iron and the Golden Spike.” This was the first time that an official U.S. body had formally acknowledged the historic contribution of those Chinese workers more than a century ago. It was also the first
time I became aware of this long-forgotten chapter of history, and it inspired me to begin work on an opera libretto called Men of Iron and the Golden Spike.
In the course of collaborating with Stanford University and Bard College to create this oratorio, I
reread with fresh eyes many of the historical sources I’d consulted back then. One thing that struck me was a document written by railroad executive Charles Crocker, defending his decision to hire
of adjustments to suit a concert hall performance, but whenever the composer or artistic director asked me to make changes, I was able to do so quickly and easily.
Q. What are you hoping this work will bring to American audiences today? Behind this tribute, is there any kind of message for modern times?
A. The spirit of the Chinese railroadmen, as I see it, crystallizes so many aspects of the Chinese national character: diligence, persistence, resilience, the ability to march forward in the face of hardship and brush off even the greatest difficulties. That 20,000 Chinese workers over 150 years
ago could build such a railroad with their bare hands under such harsh conditions—we should take
inspiration from their courage, from their pioneering spirit, as we face the challenges of our own
lives and times. This idea was echoing within me as I was writing Men of Iron and the Golden Spike. This, I feel, is the ray of sunlight out of history that I can shine on the present day, a source of real energy I can transmit from the past to today’s young people and today’s audiences. Interview and translation from the Chinese by Austin Woerner
Chinese laborers. To those who doubted that Chinese workers were capable of such an engineering project, Crocker replied: Didn’t their ancestors build the world’s greatest engineering project—the
Great Wall? History proved him right, as the Transcontinental Railroad came to be seen as one of the 19th century’s great miracles of engineering. This prompted me to add the line “We are the sons of the Great Wall builders” to “Song of the Chinese Railroadmen.”
Q. I imagine that in the course of writing Men of Iron and the Golden Spike you must have drawn a
great deal on historical sources. Could you share one or two true stories that particularly moved you? A. Many of the stories moved me. Writing the movement “Avalanche,” for instance, actually brought me to tears. The sources I read described how an avalanche in the Sierras buried a cabin
full of Chinese workers, and none of them could be rescued. It wasn’t until summer of the following year that the crushed cabin and the mummified remains of several dozen Chinese men were
found. Now, whenever I read the lyrics “Bridges built upon human shoulders / wheels supported by flesh / rails laid upon cheap lives / bodies buried in the snow,” I still start to tear up. And one detail I wasn’t able to include in the libretto that particularly struck me: The Chinese workers’ habit
of drinking hot water was remarked upon by their white supervisors. The foremen were perplexed by the fact that the white workers, though so much bigger and stronger, got sick frequently, while
the small, thin Chinese workers toiled strenuously and yet rarely fell ill. The reason was that the Chinese workers boiled their water for tea, while the Irish workers would drink cold water straight from the mountain streams. Dysentery was rampant on the work site. The Chinese workers’ habit of drinking hot water, still a common practice in China, served them well!
Q. This oratorio tells an epic historical narrative. Did you make plans or outlines as you were writing? A. I wouldn’t say so. Since I’d already written it in the form of an opera libretto and stage play, adapting it to oratorio form was a process of subtraction and simplification. The original version
was much more complex; what ended up making it into the oratorio was just the basic skeleton of the plot. So writing the lyrics for the oratorio was quite easy and natural. I had to make a number
20 China Now Music Festival
Central Pacific Railroad train in the Sierra Nevada mountains cheered by railroad workers, including Chinese laborers. Wood engraving c. 1875. World History Archives.
China and America – Unity in Music 21
Lyrics for Men of Iron and the Golden Spike 铁汉金钉 一、序曲 （配合上述朗诵的前奏曲，2分钟） 1. Prologue Recitation: Excerpt from “Across the Continent” by Samuel Bowles (1826–78) The Pacific Railroad is being built by Chinese labor; several thousand Chinamen are now rapidly grading the track through the rocks and sands of the Sierra Nevada—without them, indeed, this great work would have to wait for years, or move on with slow, hesitating steps.
These men, who hailed from the hot subtropics of South China, who could not bring their wives and children because of repressive immigration laws, labored alone, far from their loved ones, braving the
wind and snow of an alien land, undertaking the weighty mission of opening up the American West. Yet there is no book, no piece of paper that records their names and their contributions. The only trace these nameless heroes left behind was a ship that, in the mid-19th century, bore the ashes of 1,200
Chinese railroad laborers back to their homeland. Needless to say, those whose bones were blown to dust by dynamite or who disappeared in avalanches were not included among those 1,200 souls. 二、大海苍茫 2. The Endless Sea （合唱） 大海，大海，大海。。。 大海苍茫，狂风掀起巨浪。 闪电裂空，暴雨拍击着胸膛 卷缩着饥寒交迫的身子， 眺望着云遮雾障的远方。 舍命赴身，背井离乡 只为着追寻那想象的未来模样
(Chorus) Ocean, ocean, ocean . . . The sea is endless. Waves surge in the wind. Lightning cracks. The rain pounds our chests. Hungry, cold, we huddle together, gazing into the mist-shrouded distance. We’ve left our homes, risking our lives all for an imagined vision of the future.
（阿昆） 风浪啊，风浪捣摇着肝肠， （阿伦） 船桅啊，船桅摧折着目光。
(Ah Kun) The wind beats us— (Ah Lun) Masts block our sight—
（合唱） 故乡，故乡已经不敢回望， 金山，金山在哪里？在哪里？
(Chorus) We don’t dare look back— Where, where is Gold Mountain?
大海，大海，大海。。。 大海苍茫，狂风掀起巨浪。 闪电裂空，暴雨拍击着胸膛。 卷缩着饥寒交迫的身子， 眺望着云遮雾障的远方。 舍命赴身，背井离乡， 只为着追寻那想象的未来模样。 风浪啊，风浪捣摇着肝肠， 船桅啊，船桅摧折着目光。 故乡，故乡已经不敢回望， 金山，金山在哪里？在哪里？ 哪里啊，那里是金山？
Ocean, ocean, ocean . . . The sea is endless. Waves surge in the wind. Lightning cracks. The rain pounds our chests. Hungry, cold, we huddle together, gazing into the mist-shrouded distance. We’ve left our homes, risking our lives all for an imagined vision of the future. The wind beats us— Masts block our sight— We don’t dare look back— Where, where is Gold Mountain? Which way is Gold Mountain?
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三、“苦力号子”与“华工之歌” 3. “Coolie Work Chant” and “Song of the Chinese Railroadmen” （男声合唱，粤语） 唉呀哄啊，鬼叫你穷啊，顶硬上啊……
(Male Chorus, in Cantonese) Heave, ho! Give it your all, you poor damned soul!
（合唱） 来，来，来！嘿！ 说到就到，说来就来！ 我们是修筑长城的子孙后代, 我们要修筑美洲新的烽火台！
(Chorus) Come on, boys! Hey! Let’s show ’em, boys! We are the sons of the Great Wall builders, we’ll build our beacon towers across America!
来，来，来！嘿！ 说到就到，说来就来！ 愚公移山岭啊 千难脚下踩！ 蚂蚁啃骨头啊， 万险肩上抬！ 餐风饮雪啊一载载， 血汗足迹啊一排排！
Come on, boys! Hey! Let’s show ’em, boys! We are the men who move the mountains, trampling hardships underfoot! Inch by inch, we get the job done, hoisting dangers on our shoulders! We eat the wind and sup on the snow, we track blood and sweat wherever we go!
来，来，来！嘿！ 说到就到，说来就来！ 修筑贯通两洋水的钢铁运河。 修筑畅流新大陆的钢铁血脉！ 吊萝加爆破啊， 千峰脚下踩！ 铁锤砸钢钎啊， 万难咬牙捱！ 移山填谷啊一载载， 隧道铁轨啊一排排。
Come on, boys! Hey! Let’s show ’em, boys! Our canals of iron will link the oceans, our veins of steel will span the New World! We hang in baskets and blow up the cliffs, trampling mountains underfoot! We split rocks with iron hammers, gritting our teeth through every trial! We move the mountains and fill the valleys, leaving row upon row of tunnel and track.
来，来，来！嘿！ 说到就到，说来就来！ 我们是修筑长城的子孙后代, 我们要修筑美洲新的烽火台！ 我们是修筑长城的子孙后代, 我们要修筑美洲新的烽火台！
Come on, boys! Hey! Let’s show ’em, boys! We are the sons of the Great Wall builders, we’ll build our beacon towers across America! We are the sons of the Great Wall builders, we’ll build our beacon towers across America!
四、这些支那人 4. These Chinamen （男声合唱，粤语） 唉呀哄啊，鬼叫你穷啊，顶硬上啊
(Male Chorus, in Cantonese) Heave, ho! Give it your all, you poor damned soul!
（玛丽） 啊，不敢相信，不敢相信…… 那样的巨大，那样的沉重， 背负着的，却是那样细小孱弱的腰身！ 一步又一步，一步又一步。 那样的沉稳，那样的平静， 噢，这些令人肃然的背负者， 噢，这些让人屏息的支那人！
(Mary) Incredible . . . incredible! Such enormous loads, such heavy burdens, borne upon such thin, frail backs! Step by step, step by step, they work so quietly, so steadily— Seeing them, these Chinamen, I hold my breath, I stand in awe! China and America – Unity in Music 23
看见过小草挤裂的顽石， 看见过浪涛咬碎的青山。 唯独没见过， 这些沉默得让人窒息的支那人！ 这样巨大庄严的背负， 他们仿佛背负着， 整个人类的苦难！
I’ve seen boulders cleft by grasses, I’ve seen canyons worn by streams, But never have I seen a thing like this, these silent, solemn little men toiling patiently under such heavy burdens, as if what they bear upon their shoulders is the suffering of all humanity.
啊，不敢相信，不敢相信 这些沉默得让人窒息的支那人！ 这样巨大庄严的背负， 噢，这些让人屏息的支那人！
Incredible . . . incredible! These silent, solemn Chinamen bearing such a great weight upon their shoulders: seeing them, I stand in awe!
（男声合唱，粤语） 唉呀哄啊，鬼叫你穷啊，顶硬上啊……
(Male Chorus, in Cantonese) Heave, ho! Give it your all, you poor damned soul!
(Chorus) (m) They call me Ah Kun, (f) You can call me Mary, (m) Kun like Kunlun Mountain. (f) Mary like the Virgin Mary. (m) Wild maiden of the West, (f) Tough young Chinaman, (m) have you heard of Kunlun Mountain, (f) have you heard of her, the Virgin Mary, (m) great Kunlun Mountain in China? (f) Mother of God?
六、风雪大年夜 6. Snow on New Year’s Eve a、 风雪大年夜 a. Snow on New Year’s Eve
五、 我的名字叫…… 5. My Name Is . . . （玛丽问） 你是谁？
(Mary asks) Who are you?
（阿昆） 嗬嗬嗬，嗬嗬嗬！ 我的名字叫——阿昆， 昆仑山的昆。 你你你啊，西部野姑娘， 你知道昆仑山吗？ 中国的昆仑山……
(Ah Kun) Hoh hoh hoh! They call me Ah Kun, Kun like Kunlun Mountain. Wild maiden of the West, have you heard of Kunlun Mountain, great Kunlun Mountain in China?
（玛丽） 哈哈哈，哈哈哈！ 我的名字叫——玛丽， 玛利亚的玛丽。 你你你啊，支那犟小子， 你知道玛利亚吗？ 圣母玛利亚……
(Mary) Hah hah hah! You can call me Mary, Mary like the Virgin Mary. Tough young Chinaman, have you heard of her, the Virgin Mary, Mother of God?
（男声合唱） 我的名字叫——阿昆， 昆仑山的昆， 你你你，西部野姑娘， 你知道昆仑山吗？ 中国的昆仑山……
(Male Chorus) They call me Ah Kun, Kun like Kunlun Mountain. Wild maiden of the West, have you heard of Kunlun Mountain, great Kunlun Mountain in China?
（女声合唱） 我的名字叫——玛丽， 玛利亚的玛丽， 你你你，支那犟小子， 你知道玛利亚吗？ 圣母玛利亚……
(Female Chorus) You can call me Mary, Mary like the Virgin Mary. Tough young Chinaman, have you heard of her, the Virgin Mary, Mother of God?
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（混声复调合唱） （男）我的名字叫——阿昆， （女）我的名字叫——玛丽， （男）昆仑山的昆， （女）玛利亚的玛丽， （男）你你你，西部野姑娘， （女）你你你，支那犟小子， （男）你知道昆仑山吗？ （女）你知道玛利亚吗？ （男）中国的昆仑山…… （女）圣母玛利亚……
（女声合唱，广东童谣，粤语） 月光光，照地堂， 年卅晚，摘槟榔 槟榔香，摘紫姜， 紫姜辣，买菩达
(Female Chorus, Cantonese nursery rhyme in Cantonese) Moonlight shines, shines in the courtyard On New Year’s Eve, go pick betel nuts Betel nuts so sweet, go pick ginger, Ginger so spicy, go buy bitter melon.
（伦）苦命的工期啊，逼在眼前。
(Ah Kun, Ah Lun) The mountains are covered in snow . . . Snow is everywhere . . . (Kun) We’ve taken off our ice-crusted clothing, (Lun) We’ve laid aside our bone-crushing burden, Here, under the Star-Spangled Banner, wet and freezing, we spend New Year’s Eve (Kun) Poor Mother and Father, on the far side of the earth. (Lun) Cruel deadline, bearing down upon us.
（阿昆，阿伦，合唱） 阿爹阿妈， 只能在梦里相见 ； 梦里的榕树头啊， 梦里的笔架山！ 阿爹阿妈， 只能在梦里相见 ； 梦里的榕树头啊， 梦里的笔架山！ 阿爹阿妈， 只能在梦里相见 ； 梦里的榕树头啊， 梦里的笔架山！
(Ah Kun, Ah Lun, Chorus) Dear Mother and Father, we can only meet in our dreams, under the banyan trees, by the old mountain! Dear Mother and Father, we can only meet in our dreams, under the banyan trees, by the old mountain! Dear Mother and Father, we can only meet in our dreams, under the banyan trees, by the old mountain!
（阿昆，阿伦） 大雪封山 风雪弥漫 （昆）卸下结成冰壳的工装， （伦）放下压断筋骨的重担， 在这花旗地方啊， 除夕夜，冷汤冷水过大年…… （昆）苦命的爹娘啊，远在天边，
China and America – Unity in Music 25
b、 年夜饭与长命锁 b. The Longevity Lockets （母亲） 空的桌，空的碗， 两双空搁的筷子， 缭绕着祭祖的青烟…… 空的心，空的环， 送走捎到天边的长命锁， 阿昆，阿伦——我的儿啊， 冷汤冷火， 阿妈咽不下这口——年夜饭！
(Mother) Empty table, empty bowls, two pairs of chopsticks lying there, wreathed in smoke from offerings to our ancestors hollow center, empty ring: I hope the longevity lockets I sent over there will protect you, Ah Kun, Ah Lun, my sons. Oh, alone in this desolate house I can’t bear to eat New Year’s Eve dinner without you!
（阿昆，阿伦） 月光光，照地堂， 年卅晚，想爹娘。 冷风冷水啊， 孩儿咽不下这口年夜饭！
(Ah Kun, Ah Lun) Moonlight shines, shines in the courtyard This New Year’s Eve, how I miss my parents. Out here in the cold wilderness, we can’t bear to eat New Year’s Eve dinner without you!
（母亲） 不敢问，一根扁担两个箩筐，
你们扛过几多艰难？ 不用念，阿妈乡下的日子 有多少雨雪霜寒， 只但愿，捎去的长命锁啊， 保佑我出远门的孩儿， 平平安安！
(Mother) I don’t dare imagine how many dangers you’ve courted with yoke and baskets upon your shoulders. I don’t dare wonder how much suffering you’ve borne with gaunt back and calloused feet. Don’t fret about your mother, don’t worry about winter back in the village. All I hope is that the lockets I sent will bless and protect my children far away. Be safe! Be well!
（阿昆，阿伦） 长命锁啊，长命锁， 阿妈的心，连着长命锁。 长命锁啊，长命锁， 连着我苦命的阿妈， 连着我多难的家乡。
(Ah Kun, Ah Lun) Longevity locket, longevity locket, you link us to our mother’s heart. Longevity locket, longevity locket, you link us to our dear, unfortunate mother, you link us to our disaster-wracked homeland.
（母亲） 大年夜，夜无眠， 念儿郎，泪万千。
(Mother) I cannot sleep this New Year’s Eve, all I can do is weep for my boys.
（阿伦，阿昆） 大年夜，夜无眠， 想爹娘，泪万千。
(Ah Kun, Ah Lun) We cannot sleep this New Year’s Eve, all we can do is weep for our father and mother.
你们担过多少风险？ 不敢想，一双赤脚两板瘦肩，
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（阿昆，阿伦，母亲） 两洋水，两洋岸， 连着儿女/爹娘的一根线。 命运啊，莫摧残！ 风雪啊，莫折断！
(Ah Kun, Ah Lun, Mother) Two oceans, two faraway lands, one thread connecting me to my mother / boys. Fate, be kind! Winter, have mercy!
（母亲，阿昆，阿伦）： 孩儿啊/爹娘啊 你们要/孩儿会 做个唐山好儿男！
(Mother, Ah Kun, Ah Lun) Children / Mother, Father You must be / We promise to be Good, strong men of Tang!
（合唱，背景） 命运啊，莫摧残，风雪啊，莫折断 山海遥遥，长路漫漫， 两肩风霜，一身肝胆
(Chorus, in background) Fate, be kind! Winter, have mercy! Distant land, endless journey: Weather-beaten shoulders, courageous heart.
（女声合唱） 月光光，照地堂， 年卅晚，摘槟榔 槟榔香，摘紫姜， 紫姜辣，买菩达. 月光光，月光光.
(Female Chorus) Moonlight shines, shines in the courtyard On New Year’s Eve, go pick betel nuts Betel nuts so sweet, go pick ginger, Ginger so spicy, go buy bitter melon. Moonlight shines, moonlight shines.
七、大雪崩 7. Avalanche a、阿伦牺牲 a. Ah Lun’s Sacrifice （男声合唱） 大雪崩啊，天地翻。 唉呀哄啊，鬼叫你穷啊，顶硬上啊 大雪崩啊，天地翻。
(Male Chorus) Avalanche! Run for your lives! Heave, ho! Give it your all, you poor damned soul! Avalanche! Run for your lives!
（监工） 恐怖！简直太恐怖！ 发疯！天神发了疯！ 支那人！支那人！ 我感激你们支那人…… 阿伦，阿伦救了我， 是阿伦救了我！ 阿伦……！
(Foreman) Horrible! How horrible! Lord above, have you gone mad? Chinamen! Oh, Chinamen! Ah Kun, your people saved me . . . Ah Lun saved me . . . It was Ah Lun who saved my life! Ah Lun . . . !
（男声合唱） 阿伦哥，阿伦哥 工地发生了大雪崩， 塌方埋住了旧工棚， 阿伦和龙仔他们 ……
(Male Chorus) Ah Lun, my brother An avalanche has swallowed the work site, the snow has buried the cabins. Ah Lun and Lung Chai . . .
（监工） 是阿伦拼死推了我一把 我、我才捡回这条小命
(Foreman) It was Ah Lun who pushed me out of the way, If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be alive today.
China and America – Unity in Music 27
（男声合唱） 唉呀哄啊，鬼叫你穷啊，顶硬上啊
(Male Chorus) Heave, ho! Give it your all, you poor damned soul!
b、 塞拉岭山高啊，太平洋水深! b. How High the Sierras, How Deep the Pacific
锁不住我们阿伦苦命人！
(Ah Kun) Ah Lun, oh, Ah Lun, my brother! How high the Sierras, how deep the Pacific! This longevity locket could not secure the life of our ill-fated Ah Lun.
（男声合唱） 塞拉岭山高啊， 太平洋水深！ 长命锁啊， 锁不住我们阿伦苦命人！
(Male Chorus) How high the Sierras, how deep the Pacific! This longevity locket could not secure the life of our ill-fated Ah Lun.
（阿昆） 用肩膀扛起的桥梁， 用骨肉托起的车轮， 用贱命铺出的铁轨，
(Ah Kun) Bridges built upon human shoulders, wheels supported by flesh, rails laid upon cheap lives, bodies buried in the snow!
（阿昆） 阿伦啊，我的兄弟好阿伦！ 塞拉岭山高啊， 太平洋水深！ 长命锁啊，
被风雪埋葬的腰身！ （男声合唱） 用肩膀扛起的桥梁， 用骨肉托起的车轮， 用贱命铺出的铁轨， 被风雪埋葬的腰身！ （阿昆） 阿伦，我的好兄弟阿伦! 塞拉岭山高啊， 太平洋水深！ 长命锁啊， 锁不住我们阿伦苦命人！ （男声合唱） 塞拉岭山高啊， 太平洋水深！ 长命锁啊， 锁不住我们阿伦苦命人！ 唉呀哄啊，鬼叫你穷啊，顶硬上啊
28 China Now Music Festival
(Male Chorus) Bridges built upon human shoulders, wheels supported by flesh, rails laid upon cheap lives, bodies buried in the snow! (Ah Kun) Ah Lun, my good brother Ah Lun! How high the Sierras, how deep the Pacific! This longevity locket could not secure the life of our ill-fated Ah Lun. (Male Chorus) How high the Sierras, how deep the Pacific! This longevity locket could not secure the life of our ill-fated Ah Lun. Heave, ho! Give it your all, you poor damned soul!
八、金钉大典 8. The Golden Spike （合唱） 钟声响，钟声响，叮当，叮当…… 金钉庆典的钟声响，叮当，叮当…… 庆贺我们贯通东西的伟大工程， 联邦国土啊，统一辉煌。 迎接我们凯旋完工的筑路英雄。 联邦国土啊，统一辉煌。 迎接我们凯旋完工的筑路英雄。
(Chorus) Ring the bells, ring the bells, ding dong, ding dong . . . Ring the bells for the Golden Spike, ding dong . . . Our great task is completed, East and West are joined, a nation gloriously united, To the railroadmen, our triumphant heroes, a nation gloriously united, To the railroadmen, our triumphant heroes,
美酒和鲜花啊，全献上，全献上。
we offer wine and flowers, wine and flowers.
钟声响，钟声响，叮当，叮当…… 金钉庆典的钟声响，叮当，叮当…… 庆贺我们贯通东西的伟大工程， 联邦国土啊，统一辉煌。 迎接我们凯旋完工的筑路英雄。 联邦国土啊，统一辉煌。 迎接我们凯旋完工的筑路英雄。
Ring the bells, ring the bells, ding dong, ding dong . . . Ring the bells for the Golden Spike, ding dong . . . Our great task is completed, East and West are joined, a nation gloriously united, To the railroadmen, our triumphant heroes, a nation gloriously united, To the railroadmen, our triumphant heroes,
美酒和鲜花啊，全献上，全献上。
we offer wine and flowers, wine and flowers.
钟声响，钟声响，叮当，叮当……
Ring the bells, ring the bells, ding dong, ding dong . . .
九、尾声 9. Epilogue Recitation: With one golden spike, the East and West coasts were joined. The completion of the first
Transcontinental Railroad would transform the United States into one of the new great powers of the 19th century, an economic titan bestriding two oceans. Yet the Chinese laborers who helped
build the railroad were dispersed before the ceremony of the golden spike. The sweat and blood they contributed would be erased and forgotten, and not long afterward, the racist Chinese Exclusion Act would be passed . . .
May we learn from the past as we strive to understand our place in the world; may we remember our ancestors as we stride forward into the future; may the work chants of the Chinese railroad-
men continue to echo in our ears; and may the tragic songs of their struggles forever hasten our footsteps. . . .
Translated from the Chinese by Austin Woerner
China and America – Unity in Music 29
REMEMBERING THE CHINESE IMMIGRANTS WHO BUILT AMERICA’S TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD The nation’s first transcontinental railroad, completed 150 years ago at Promontory Summit in Utah, connected the vast United States and brought America into the modern age. Chinese immigrants contributed mightily to this feat, but the historical accounts that followed often marginalized their role.
Between 1863 and 1869, as many as 20,000 Chinese workers helped build the treacherous western portion of the railroad, a winding ribbon of track known as the Central Pacific Railroad that began in Sacramento.
At first, the Central Pacific’s directors wanted a whites-only workforce. Leland Stanford, the rail-
road’s president, had advocated for keeping Asians out of the state in his 1862 inaugural address as
governor of California. When not enough white men signed up, the railroad began hiring Chinese men for the backbreaking labor. No women worked on the line.
Company leaders were skeptical of the new recruits’ ability to do the work, but the Chinese laborers
proved themselves more than capable—and the railroad barons came to consider them superior to the other workers.
My colleagues and I initiated an international research project—based, appropriately, at Stanford
University—to investigate the enormous contribution Chinese workers made to the transcontinental project. It proved to be a formidable task, not least because no written record produced by what were called “railroad Chinese” is known to exist. Without letters, diaries, and other primary sources that
are historians’ stock-in-trade, we nonetheless amassed a sizable collection of evidence that included archaeological findings, ship manifests, payroll records, photographs, and observers’ accounts.
The materials allowed us to recover a sense of the lived experiences of the thousands of Chinese migrants whom Leland Stanford came to greatly admire. He told President Andrew Johnson that
the Chinese were indispensable to building the railroad: they were “quiet, peaceable, patient, industrious and economical.” In a stockholders report, Stanford described construction as a “hercu-
A Chinese laborer works at a tunnel heading above Donner Lake on the western summit of the Transcontinental Railroad. Alfred A. Hart Photographs, 1862-1869, Department of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries
men who came from humid south China labored through two of the worst winters on record, surviving in caverns dug beneath the snow.
They blasted out 15 tunnels, the longest nearly 1,700 feet. To speed up the carving of the tunnels, the Chinese laborers worked from several directions. After opening portals along the rock faces on either side of the mountain, they dug an 80-foot shaft down to the estimated midway point. From there, they carved out toward the portals, doubling the rate of progress by tunneling from both sides. It still took two years to accomplish the task.
The Chinese workers were paid 30 to 50 percent less than their white counterparts and were given
the most dangerous work. In June 1867, they protested. Three thousand workers along the railroad route went on strike, demanding wage parity, better working conditions, and shorter hours. At the time it was the largest worker action in American history. The railroad refused to negotiate, but eventually raised the Chinese workers’ pay, though not to parity with white laborers.
lean task” and said it had been accomplished thanks to the Chinese, who made up 90 percent of
After surmounting the Sierra, the Chinese workers faced the blistering heat of the Nevada and
the Central Pacific Railroad’s labor force.
Utah deserts, yet they drove ahead at an astonishing rate.
These workers showed their mettle, and sealed their legacy, on the peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
As they approached the meeting point with the Union Pacific Railroad, thousands of them laid
thinking they could link California with the East, since an immense mountain range separated the
A Civil War officer who witnessed the drama declared that the Chinese were “just like an army
Many observers at the time had assumed that Stanford and other railroad officials were daft for
down a phenomenal 10 miles of track in less than 24 hours, a record that has never been equaled.
state from Nevada and beyond. The Sierra Nevada is a rugged, formidable range, its inhospitable
marching over the ground and leaving the track behind.”
nature exemplified by the gruesome tragedy of the Donner party in the winter of 1846–47. Trapped by storms in the mountains, they resorted to cannibalism.
To get to the High Sierra, Chinese workers cut through dense forests, filled deep ravines, constructed long trestles, and built enormous retaining walls—some of which remain intact today. All work was done by hand using carts, shovels, and picks, but no machinery.
The greatest challenge was to push the line through the Sierra summit. Solid granite peaks soared to 14,000 feet in elevation. The railroad bed snaked through passes at more than 7,000 feet. The
30 China Now Music Festival
Progress came at great cost: many Chinese laborers died along the Central Pacific route. The com-
pany kept no records of deaths. But soon after the line was completed, Chinese civic organizations retrieved an estimated 1,200 bodies along the route and sent them home to China for burial.
The transcontinental railroad’s completion allowed travelers to journey across the country in a week—a
trip that had previously taken more than a month. Politicians pointed to the achievement as they declared the United States the leading nation of the world. The transcontinental railroad has been
viewed in a similarly nationalistic way ever since. Chinese workers were often left out of the official
China and America – Unity in Music 31
story because their alien status and their suffering did not fit well with celebration. And attitudes toward them soon soured, with anti-Chinese riots sweeping the country. The Chinese Exclusion Act of
1882 barred Chinese laborers from entering the United States and placed restrictions on those already here. Federal immigration law prohibited Chinese citizens from becoming Americans until 1943.
As a faculty member of the university that bears his name, I am painfully aware that Leland Stanford
became one of the world’s richest men by using Chinese labor. But I also try to remember that Stanford
University exists because of those Chinese workers. Without them, Leland Stanford would probably be, at best, a footnote in history—and the West and the United States would not exist as we know it today. —Gordon H. Chang, Professor of History, Stanford University
BEETHOVEN IN BEIJING: CHINA AND THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA Saturday, September 28 at noon
Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center, Bard College A preview of the forthcoming documentary Counter Point, discussing the future of classical
music through an exploration of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s close ties to China. With producer Jennifer Lin, Jindong Cai, and guests.
Former employees of the Central Pacific Railroad Ging Cui, Wong Fook, and Lee Shoo at the 50th Transcontinental Anniversary celebration in Ogden, Utah, May 1919. Amon Carter Museum of American Art Archives, Fort Worth, Texas
MOCATALKS: THE MAKING OF MEN OF IRON AND THE GOLDEN SPIKE
Eugene Ormandy, conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, on the Great Wall during their 1973 tour of China. Courtesy of China National Symphony Orchestra
Wednesday, September 25 at 6:30 pm
Museum of Chinese in America, New York Composer Zhou Long, librettist Su Wei, and China Now Music Festival artistic director Jindong Cai discuss the conception, creation, and performance of this major new
symphonic oratorio commemorating the Chinese railroad workers of North America on the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
32 China Now Music Festival
China and America – Unity in Music 33
ECHOES OF CHINA – CONTEMPORARY PIANO MUSIC
PROGRAM NOTES Commissioned by Susan Chan in 2012, Zhou Long’s Pianobells is a powerful and colorful work inspired by a Chinese legend of “frost bells,” Chinese philosophy, Chinese literature, Italian church
chimes, and French impressionism. It explores uniquely colorful effects on the piano that express the interplay between heaven and earth. Zhou, 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner for music, is Distinguished Professor of Music Composition at the University of Missouri–Kansas City.
Sunday, September 29 at 7 pm
László Z. Bitó ’60 Conservatory Building, Bard College
Doming Lam’s dramatic Lamentations of Lady Chiu-Jun is based on one of the best-known ancient
Chinese melodies of Lingnan. It depicts the tragedy of Lady Chiu-Jun on her goodwill mission to the
Mongolians. Imitations of Chinese gongs and drums highlight the atmosphere of staged opera,
Susan Chan, piano
and imitation of the pipa expresses Lady Chiu-Jun’s determination when leaving her home country. Lam is a former composer-in-residence at the University of Hong Kong and winner of 2010 and
Zhou Long (b. 1953)
Pianobells
Doming Lam (b. 1926)
Lamentations of Lady Chiu-Jun
Music for Piano, a set of charming miniatures, was written by Chinese Canadian composer Alexina
Alexina Louie (b. 1949)
Music for Piano
board resonances, while Changes is minimalist in style. Distant Memories is a rather free piece that
II. Changes
I. The Enchanted Bells
III. Distant Memories
Chen Yi (b. 1953)
IV. Once Upon a Time Northern Scenes
2012 CASH (Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong) Golden Sail Music Awards.
Louie as pedagogical pieces. The Enchanted Bells explores impressionistic and atmospheric key-
uses metered and nonmetered notation. Once Upon a Time serves as a joyful final piece. Torontobased Louie was named Composer of the Year by the Canadian Music Council.
Chen Yi’s Northern Scenes was commissioned by Susan Chan in 2013. This musical poem is imaginative and expressive, with passionate and lyrical layers, as well as images from nature that
inspired the composition. Chen is a recipient of the Charles Ives Living award, the largest prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Composition at the University of Missouri–Kansas City.
Intermission
Tan Dun describes his Eight Memories in Watercolor as a “diary of longing,” inspired by the folk
Tan Dun (b. 1957)
Eight Memories in Watercolor
songs of his culture and the recollection of his childhood in Hunan Province. The medium of water-
Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977)
Five Concert Etudes
Tan Dun is a recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award from the Venice Film
Zhang Zhao (b. 1964)
Pi Huang (Peking Opera)
Five Concert Etudes was composed by Russian American composer Alexander Tcherepnin in 1934–36
color is vital to an appreciation of these miniature pieces, which express meditation and reverie. Festival, among many other awards, and serves as dean of the Bard College Conservatory of Music. during his visit to China and Japan. Imbued with Chinese folk elements and use of the pentatonic scale, the music reflects his deep understanding of, and fascination with, Chinese music. The
second piece of the set, The Lute, expresses imitation of the pipa, or Chinese lute. Reminiscent of Debussy’s music in its impressionistic qualities, this piece is a prime example of an amalgamation of East and West.
Zhang Zhao’s dramatic, multisectional Pi Huang (Peking Opera) expresses the composer’s mem-
ories of his youth and portrays various moods and musical effects. It won the Palatino Award in Beijing in 2007. Zhang was born in Yunnan Province in China and educated in Beijing as a pianist
and composer. He is associate professor of music at Minzu University (National Ethnic University) in Beijing.
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China and America – Unity in Music 35
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Chen Dashuai, tenor
Tenor Chen Dashuai has made his mark on stages in Europe and Asia. Notable roles include Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore at Teatro Duse
Bologna in Italy, Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Shanghai
Jindong Cai, conductor and artistic director
Oriental Art Center and National Centre for the Performing Arts in
Jindong Cai is artistic director of the China Now Music Festival. He
China, and Giove in La divisione del mondo at Theater Kiel in, and
is professor of music and arts at Bard College and director of the
Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte at the Showa Theatre in Japan and
US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
the Daegu Opera House in Korea. He was also seen as Don Ottavio
Cai is a Beijing native with strong ties to China’s musical world. He
in Don Giovanni at the Bregenzer Festspiele in Austria. Chen was a
came to the United States in 1985 and studied at the New England
Conservatory and the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. In 1989, he was selected to study with famed conductor Leonard
Bernstein at the Tanglewood Music Center, and won the Conducting
Fellowship Award at the Aspen Music Festival in 1990 and 1992. Prior
first prize winner at the China National Competition and a finalist
in the Neue Stimmen International Competition, where he was invited to participate in the Neue Stimmen masterclass. Chen Dashuai graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and is currently an artist diploma student at the Juilliard School in New York.
to joining Bard, he was a professor and director of orchestral studies at Stanford University for 14
Peng-Peng Gong, composer
years.
Born in 1992, Chinese composer and pianist Peng-Peng Gong has
Over three decades of his career in the United States, Cai has established himself as a dynamic con-
completed 10 symphonies and is in his fourth season as com-
across Asia. He is frequently interviewed by news media around the world, including the New York
ninth symphony inaugurated the 19th Shanghai International Arts
many articles on the performing arts in China and the book Rhapsody in Red: How Western Classical
Philadelphia Orchestra. Having won national competitions in China,
Icon in the People’s Republic, was published by Penguin in 2015.
with pianist Yoheved Kaplinsky and composer Andrew Thomas. He
ductor, respected expert of Western classical music in China, and leading advocate of music from
poser in residence for the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. His
Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, and NPR. Together with his wife, Sheila Melvin, Cai has coauthored
Festival while his 10th was cocommissioned and premiered by the
Music Became Chinese. Their latest book, Beethoven in China: How the Great Composer Became an
he began study in 2003 at the Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division
Susan Chan, piano
graduated from Juilliard in 2014 and fulfilled solo and orchestral
engagements as a piano soloist until the age of 15, when the emotional blow from China’s 2008
The New York Concert Review described Susan Chan as “a thoughtful
Great Sichuan Earthquake moved him to devote himself to composition. His first symphony was
Magazine praised her “great technical finesse” and “conspicuous
position department with Samuel Adler, and won eight consecutive ASCAP Morton Gould Awards.
Recital Hall at Carnegie Hal and in the Seattle International Piano
solo piano music, and other orchestral pieces. He made his film-scoring debut for renowned author
Columbia Symphony and Hong Kong Sinfonietta. She received a spe-
Labor Medal from the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions in recognition of his contributions to
musician and a sensitive player.” Fanfare magazine and BBC Music
a requiem completed three months after the earthquake. He returned to study at Juilliard’s com-
refinement” on her CD recordings. She has given recitals at Weill
Peng-Peng’s oeuvre also includes an oratorio, three piano concerti, a viola concerto, chamber music,
Festival Recital Series, and has appeared as soloist with Portland
Liu Zhenyun’s adapted dramatic film, Someone to Talk To (2015). In 2018, he was awarded a May First
cial citation for championing piano music by Asian composers in the
American Prize Competition (2015) and an Oregon Arts Commission
the city’s cultural life.
Artist Fellowship (2013). Her critically acclaimed discography includes her latest CD, Echoes of China:
Gu Mijia, guzheng
a doctor of music degree from Indiana University, and serves as professor of music and as piano
Music Middle School in 2009 under the guidance of associate profes-
Contemporary Piano Music (Naxos), as well as East West Encounter I and II (MSR Classics). She holds area coordinator at Portland State University. She has also given master classes, adjudicated, and presented in conferences internationally. She is a Si-Yo Artist™.
Guzheng player Gu Mijia entered Beijing’s Central Conservatory of sor Ji Wei. She was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music in
2015, and in 2019 entered the master’s program. Gu is a prizewinner
of many competitions, and she has also has given numerous recitals and public lectures. Much of her music seeks a convergence of tradi-
tional and modern; her goal is to explore the potential of traditional Chinese instrument performance as well as the possibility of diversified forms in ancient music. Gu is a 2019-20 US-China Music Fellow at the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
36 China Now Music Festival
China and America – Unity in Music 37
Sherwood Hu, director
Hailed as the “Nightingale from China,” Ying Huang has appeared regularly at the Mostly Mozart
emerge from China” (Hollywood Reporter), Sherwood Hu studied at the
Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Goldener Saal of the Wiener Musikverein, in such master-
Described as “one of the most exciting and dynamic directors to Public Theater in New York under Joseph Papp, and earned his PhD in
pieces as Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Die Jahreszeiten, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Mahler’s Second,
directing from the University of Hawaii. He created The Legend of Prince
Fourth, and Eighth Symphonies. She has collaborated with the New York Philharmonic and London
tion award from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and
other leading conductors, has recorded a number of internationally distributed albums. Dedicated to
Lanling, a lavish stage production, which received an honorable men-
was adapted for his first feature film Warrior Lanling, an award-winning
epic about an ancient Chinese myth. His first English language film, Lani Loa – The Passage, was executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Hu formed his own company, Hus Entertainment, and was creator of the 2010 World Expo Shanghai Pavilion. Prince of the Himalayas, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, received numerous international awards and his latest film, Lord of Shanghai, which completes the trilogy begun with
Warrior Lanling and Prince of the Himalayas, was the closing-night film for the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival. He received a Golden Crane Award at the 2017 Tokyo International Film Festival, and was named best director at the Houston International Film Festival in 2018. Hu
also has directed numerous stage productions, most recently Mulan, a shadow-puppetry show that received the Golden Clown Award at the International Theater Festival in Russia. His Beijing Opera production of Farewell My Concubine, presented by MetLiveArts, won high critical praise. He is founder of the School of Film and Television at Shanghai Theater Academy and a professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University.
Haihua Huang, Pingtan sanxian
Haihua Huang joined the Zhejiang Folk Art and Acrobatics Troupe after his graduation from the Suzhou Pingtan School. He was a pupil of the renowned Pingtan artist Junmo Zhang, and joined the Shanghai Pingtan Troupe in 2012. He was awarded first prize at the
third Zhejiang Province Folk Art and Acrobatics Festival and at the
fifth China Suzhou Pingtan Festival. He has been nominated for
the Chinese Quiyi Peony Awards in both program and performance categories, and was featured on the cover of Chinese Ballad Singers magazine in July 2012. Ying Huang, soprano
Renowned lyric coloratura soprano Ying Huang is one of the most
outstanding Chinese vocal artists of today, and a familiar figure
worldwide in opera, concert, TV, recording, and movie productions. She leapt to fame as the first Chinese vocalist to perform a major operatic role in an opera film, Madame Butterfly. Since then, she has
performed major roles in Le nozze di Figaro, L’elisir d’amore, Rigoletto, and others, at theaters including the Metropolitan Opera, Cologne
Opera, and China’s National Center of Performing Arts. She starred in
The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera, the first production in the Met Live in HD series, which was broadcast worldwide.
38 China Now Music Festival
Festival in New York, Festival d’Automne à Paris, and Wiener Festwochen, and has performed at
Symphony Orchestra, among others, under the batons of James Levine, Christoph Eschenbach, and using her voice to bridge East and West, Ying Huang has been frequently invited to perform on cel-
ebratory occasions, such as the groundbreaking 1997 Vienna White Christmas concert with Plácido
Domingo and Michael Bolton. She is currently a professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, heading up several projects and courses involving career development training for young musicians. Andrew Munn, bass
Bass Andrew Robert Munn was born in Palo Alto, California, and
studied voice as an undergraduate at University of Michigan with George Shirley. From 2008 to 2014, he worked as an organizer in
Appalachia’s coalfields to oppose mountaintop removal mining and address local pollution. In 2014, he returned to music as a student
of the Bard Graduate Vocal Arts Program (MMus ’16) with soprano Dawn Upshaw and baritone Sanford Sylvan. He completed his graduate studies with Sylvan at the Juilliard School in 2018. Munn’s first
European season included Seneca in Monteverdi’s L’ncoronazione di
Poppea, roles in Glass’s The Trial, Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and recitals with Chimera, his duo+ with pianist Rami Sarieddine, in Cyprus, Athens, Berlin, and Abu Dhabi. His 2019–20 sea-
son continues with Chimera’s Paris debut at Les Ateliers de la Main d’Or, a debut with Deutsche Oper Berlin in Chaya Czernowin’s Heart Chamber, and Frère Laurent in Gounod’s Romèo et Juliette with the Opera na Zamku; and his Scandinavian debut in a concert production of Salome with the
Malmö Symphony. Munn is librettist and leading soloist for Rome Prize recipient and New York Philharmonic–commissioned composer Nina C. Young’s forthcoming Making Tellus, commissioned
by the Koussevitzky Fund at the Library of Congress. Feng Nan, baritone
“Ricky” Feng Nan is a dynamic young vocalist and native of Guangzhou, China. He is best known for his appearance on the Chinese TV show Super Vocal. He was invited to perform at the 2019 FIBA Basketball
World Cup opening ceremony in Beijing, and covered the title role of contemporary Chinese opera Marco Polo with Quanzhou Grand Opera
in June. He made his debut at Jiangsu Grand Theatre with the iSing! International Music Festival. Nan played the role of Spoletta in Tosca
with Opera Theatre of Connecticut, was Monostatos in Yale University’s production of Die Zauberflöte, and covered the role of Remendado in
Carmen at Central City Opera. In theater and film, he performed the role of Hanks Jr. in Where Am I with Beijing Haidian Theatre, and starred in the microfilm Fall in New York, a finalist at the Asian
Film Festival of Dallas. Nan is studying at Yale University as an MMA opera student; he received his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Binghamton and his master’s degree from Northwestern University.
China and America – Unity in Music 39
Rachel Schutz, soprano
Hailed for her “diamantine high notes, witty characterization, and gid-
dily delirious coloratura,” Welsh American soprano Rachel Schutz is in
soprano Susanna Phillips and pianist Brian Zeger at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and as part of Brahms’s Liebeslieder Walzer with Daniel Barenboim at Carnegie Hall.
demand for her sensitive and evocative performances and wide range
Wang Bing, erhu
she has performed extensively in the United States, Asia, and Europe. In
Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Born in LiaoYuan, JiLin province, he
of repertoire. Active in both the opera house and on the concert stage, 2016, Schutz won first place the 44th NATS Artist Award Competition.
Recent operatic roles have included Lise in Glass’s Les enfants terribles, Thérèse in Les mamelles de Tirésias, and Jessie in Mahagonny Songspiel
with Opera Paralèlle; Papagena, Diana in Dove’s Siren Song, and Johanna
in Sweeney Todd with Hawai’i Opera Theatre; and Susanna, Gretel, and Adele in Die Fledermaus with
Stockton Opera. Schutz has been heard at, among other venues, Carnegie Hall’s Stern, Weill, and Zankel
Halls; the Ravinia, Ojai, Tanglewood, and Yellow Barn Festivals; with the Hawai’i and Riverside Symphony Orchestras; on the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series; and at venues around China, Taiwan, Korea, and
Thailand. She can be heard on Elements, an Albany Records album of contemporary American music,
and has worked with many composers including Philip Glass, William Bolcom, Libby Larsen, John Musto, and Augusta Read-Thomas. Schutz holds degrees from Stony Brook University, Bard College, and the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. She is on the voice faculty of Ithaca College. www.rachelschutz.com. Shenyang, bass-baritone
Chinese-born bass-baritone Shenyang was propelled into the spotlight
in 2007 when, at 23, he was crowned BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff. After initial studies at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, he graduated from the Juilliard School, was a member of the Salzburg Young Singers
Wang Bing is a graduate student in erhu performance at the Central started erhu studies at the age of 6. At 11, he began studying with famed erhu professor Yu Hongmei, vice president of the Central Conservatory. In September 2018, he became a postgraduate student
at the Central Conservatory, studying for a master’s degree under Yu Hongmei. In 2013, Wang won the Gold Award in the first National
Erhu Solo Invitational in Zhejiang. That same year, he won first place in the third International Instrumental Competition. In 2016, he won
the Excellent Performance Award in the professional group of the Dunhuang Cup International Erhu Competition. Wang is a 2019-20 US-China Music Fellow at the Bard College Conservatory of Music. Luoyong Wang, narrator
Luoyong Wang studied Beijing opera and French horn in his early teens in China, came to Boston University to study theater, and taught theater
at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He was last seen on Broadway as the Engineer in Miss Saigon. Other theater credits include The King
And I, M. Butterfly, Flower Drum Song, Hamlet, The Tempest, Midsummer
Night’s Dream, Jane Eyre. Movie/TV credits: Dragon, Daylight, The White Countess, Smile, Cyber War, Third Watch, Vanishing Son, The Street, Jiao
Project and joined the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist
Yu Lu, The Return of Condor Heroes, and Alliance of Strategists. Awards:
in Le nozze di Figaro at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in
Critics Award, Fox Foundation Award), Best Supporting Actor nominee
Development Program. Ensuing opera highlights include the title role Beijing and subsequently for Seattle Opera; and Alidoro in Rossini’s La
cenerentola, marking his debuts at Glyndebourne Festival, Bayerische
Best Actor (Golden Eagle TV Award, CTV Directing Award, Shanghai Film (Golden Rooster Award).
Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, and Washington National Opera. At the Metropolitan Opera, he has
Fugen Wei, piano and musical director
on DVD by Decca) and as Colline in La bohème under Marco Armiliato. Shenyang made two major role
the Shanghai Conservatory and made his solo public debut in the
appeared as Masetto in a new production of Don Giovanni, as Garibaldo in Handel’s Rodelinda (released debuts last season: a unanimously praised Gunther in Wagner’s Götterdämmerung with the Hong
Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Jaap van Zweden, and Jochanaan in concert performances of Richard Strauss’s Salome, with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Alexander Liebreich.
Recently he has sung Frère Laurent in Berlioz’s Romeo et Juliette as his debut with Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra, and performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under David Robertson and the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson-Thomas in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. He appeared in
Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with both the New Japan Philharmonic and the Swedish Radio Symphony orchestras under Daniel Harding, among many other performances. He has also appeared at the
invitation of Valery Gergiev as guest soloist at the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg. Shenyang
At the age of 9, Fugen Wei was accepted into the Primary School of Shanghai Spring International Music Festival at age 12. After joining the Shanghai Philharmonic Society in 1979, he was appointed the offi-
cial accompanist for renowned Chinese singers in international voice
competitions in Vienna and Budapest. He has appeared with these
prominent vocal artists in recitals at the Prague Spring International Music Festival, Moscow, and Hong Kong Cultural Centre, as well as
throughout Germany, Romania, former Yugoslavia, and the United
States. He moved to the United States in 1986 and served as accompanist at numerous voice studios in New York City, and collaborated regularly in recitals with singers from the Metropolitan Opera.
has been artist in residence with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. After singing in the world pre-
Wei joined the voice faculty at Shanghai Conservatory in 2006. He has performed at many state
work for his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel, as well as with
as a gala performance at the Kremlin Theater in Moscow hosted by the Chinese and Russian presi-
miere of Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion at Dresdner Musikfestspiele last season, Shenyang reprises the
the Melbourne Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestras conducted by the composer
himself. Shenyang received the Alice Tully Vocal Arts Award, and he has appeared in recital with
40 China Now Music Festival
functions for the Chinese government, participating in important cultural exchange activities such dents, and a state dinner welcoming President Barack Obama hosted by President Hu Jintao.
China and America – Unity in Music 41
Su Wei, librettist
In addition to releasing albums on major labels, he joined Yutaka Sado and his Super Kids Orchestra
Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures. A writer and
include the 2007 Pearl Awards at London’s Royal Festival Hall, performing Shostakovich’s Piano
Su Wei is a senior lecturer at Yale University, where he teaches in the critic whose work has been widely published in China, Su Wei spent
his teenage years on Hainan Island, where he was sent during the
Cultural Revolution’s “down to the countryside” movement. He is
the author of several novels: Dukou, You Yige Zaochen (Ferry: Another
Morning), Mi Gu (Invisible Valley), Mi Diao (Key of E, included in the Best Chinese Novels of the Year, 2004), and Mo Fang de Gu Shi
on a five-city tour of Japan, and completed a tour of 16 Chinese cities. Other career highlights
Concerto No. 1 conducted by his coach and mentor, Leslie Howard, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. As first laureate of the Artemisia Foundation, he made his debuts in Boston’s Jordan Hall and Yale University’s Sprague Hall in 2012. In 2017, Niu Niu was
invited to perform for the presidents of China, Russia, India, Brazil, and South Africa during the BRICS summit gala. He is on a world concert tour in 2019–20.
(Story of a Mill House); a collection of short stories, Yuan Xing Ren
Gang Zhao MFA ’00, featured artist
Mirror); and three collections of memoirs.
Chinese contemporary art. The youngest member of the Stars Group—
(Sojourners); a collection of academic essays, Xiyang Jingyu (Western In 2008 he wrote the libretto for composer Tony Fok’s acclaimed oratorio-cantata Ask the Sky and the Earth, describing the experiences of the “sent-down youth” during the Cultural Revolution. Last
fall, Ask the Sky and the Earth was performed by The Orchestra Now during the US-China Music Institute’s inaugural China Now Music Festival at Lincoln Center. Jinghui Wu, pipa
Jinghui Wu is a Shanghai Pingtan Troupe National Class-B Performer. A pupil of Pingtan artists Bomeng Wang and Wenlang Jiang, she
specialized in both ballad singing and storytelling. She has been performing with Haihua Huang since 2001.
Gang Zhao, born in 1961 in Beijing, is a key figure in the development of
China’s first modern-art movement—Zhao left China in 1983 to study, live, and work in Europe and the United States. After returning to China in 2007, he developed a dynamic painting practice that freely com-
bines Western and Eastern influences while reflecting on the profound changes affecting his native country. Though the artist is fully Chinese
and American, Zhao is considered (and considers himself) an insider’s outsider in both cultures. He has developed a darkly ironic, often crude
approach to depicting Chinese history. His paintings elide centuries-old tropes with images from the Cultural Revolution, images from memories of his childhood, and images of China as an economic and cultural powerhouse in the new millennium. (Excerpted from “Gao Zhang: History Painting,” Pérez Art Museum Miami, 2019). Zhao is represented in the United States by Greene Naftali, New York. Zhou Long, composer
Zhou Long is internationally recognized for creating a unique body of music that brings together the aesthetic concepts and musical eleZha Lina, mezzo-soprano
Zha Lina is a mezzo-soprano with rich performance, teaching, and competition experience. She studied with Xiao Ping Yang and Li
Huang at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, graduating
with a degree in vocal opera performance in 2002. She has appeared on national television in China and released her own CD and music
video. Her desire to share her passion for vocal music led her to pro-
duce and teach in an online vocal course. She has offered one-on-one vocal coaching for children and adults for many years.
42 China Now Music Festival
ments of East and West. Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for his first
opera, Madame White Snake, Zhou also received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award and 2012–13 Elise L. Stoeger Prize from the
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has twice received com-
mission awards from the Koussevitzky and Fromm Music Foundations, and commissions from Meet the Composer, Chamber Music America, and New York State Council on the Arts. He has also received prizes from
the Barlow International Composition Competition and China National Composition Competition, and received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations, and New York Foundation for the Arts.
Niu Niu Zhang, piano
Born on July 8, 1953, in Beijing, Zhou Long attended the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
Niu initially studied piano with his father, making his recital debut
He traveled to the United States in 1985 under a fellowship to attend Columbia University, where he
Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Since age 10, Niu Niu has studied
cal arts degree in 1993. Zhou is currently Bonfils Distinguished Research Professor of Composition
Music and later the New England Conservatory of Music. He recently
Distinguished Visiting Professor at Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China,
Niu Niu Zhang was born in 1997 into a musical family in Xiamen. Niu
Following graduation, he was appointed composer-in-residence at the China Broadcasting Symphony.
at age 6. At 8, he became the youngest student ever enrolled in the
studied with Chou Wen-Chung, Mario Davidovsky, and George Edwards, receiving a doctor of musi-
with Hung-Kuan Chen, initially at the Shanghai Conservatory of
at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. In 2018, Zhou became
graduated from the Juilliard School with academic honors.
supported by the program for culture and outstanding artists under China’s Thousand Talents Plan.
China and America – Unity in Music 43
Dan Zhu, violin
Dan Zhu is widely recognized as one of the leading musicians of his
generation on the international stage today, praised as “an artist of affecting humility and beautiful tone production” by The Strad maga-
zine, performing internationally in North America, Europe, and Asia. He has appeared with the Boston Symphony at the Tanglewood Festival
and with world-class orchestras under the direction of Christoph
STARRY ARTS GROUP CHILDREN’S CHORUS, REBECCA SHEN, DIRECTOR Muye Chen Elizabeth Dunlop Mia Gan Charlotte Hao Ryan Hao Minhui Huang
Jenny Ke Christine K. Lee Miya Menscher Eva Qin Giancarlo Shakai Bryan Xiao
Justin Wang Ryan Wang Shining Wang Kairis Wong Kaiyana Wong Kris Wong
Chelsea Yang George Yang Tingyu Yuan Cathleen Zhang Chloe Zhang Valentina Zheng
Eschenbach, Zubin Mehta, Philippe Entremont, Jacek Kaspszyk, Urosˇ Lajovic, and Long Yu, among many others; and has been invited to
renowned festivals, such as Salzburg Festspiele, Tanglewood, Verbier, Kuhmo, Marlboro, Menton, Ravinia, and Spoleto.
Dan Zhu’s recent highlights include appearances with Zubin Mehta and the Orchestra Maggio Musicale
Fiorentino; duo recitals with Eschenbach at the Kennedy Center and National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing; with Camerata Salzburg at the Salzburg Festspiele; the world premiere of Tan Dun’s Triple Concerto, with the composer conducting, at the Kennedy Center; Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the
Tokyo Symphony Orchestra tour in China; Alban Berg violin concerto with the Slovenian Philharmonic; with Prague Symphony for the 70th anniversary of UNESCO in Paris; and many others. As a chamber
musician, he has collaborated with pianists Philippe Entremont, Peter Frankl, Richard Goode, Lang
Lang, Kun-Woo Paik, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and other instrumentalists including Joshua Bell, Nobuko Imai, and Mischa Maisky. A native of Beijing, Dan Zhu entered the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he studied with Xiao-zhi Huang, at age 12. Four years later he was awarded the Alexis
Gregory Scholarship to study with Lucie Robert at Mannes College of Music in New York. His mentors
have included Ivry Gitlis, Gerard Poulet, and Aaron Rosand. As recording artist, Dan Zhu has appeared on several international labels, such as Cascavelle, CPO, Naxos, and ORF. Bard Conservatory String Quartet Cellist Clare Bradford, from Pennsylvania, is in her first year of the Bard College Conservatory of Music’s Advanced Performance Studies Program. She has a BMus from the New England Conservatory of
THE ORCHESTRA NOW, LEON BOTSTEIN, MUSIC DIRECTOR Violin Tianpei Ai Linda Duan Jacques Gadway Tin Yan Lee Bram Margoles Stuart McDonald Yurie Mitsuhashi Gaia Mariani Ramsdell Dillon Robb Esther Goldy Roestan Gergő Krisztián Tóth Weiqiao Wu Yuqian Zhang Viola Batmyagmar Erdenebat Sean Flynn Lucas Goodman Katelyn Hoag Larissa Mapua Leonardo Vásquez Chacón
Music and MMus from the Julliard School.
Violist Joseph Burke, a Conservatory undergraduate from New Jersey, will graduate from Bard College
Cello Kyle Anderson Lucas Button Cameron Collins (on leave) Kelly Knox Chiyuan Ma Sara Page Eva Roebuck Sarah Schoeffler Pecos Singer Bass Joshua DePoint Kaden Henderson Mariya-Andoniya Henderson Justin Morgan Amy Nickler Luke Stence Flute Leanna Ginsburg Matthew Ross Denis Savelyev
Oboe Regina Brady Shawn Hutchison James Jihyun Kim
Trumpet Samuel Exline Guillermo García Cuesta Anita Tóth
Clarinet Matthew Griffith Ye Hu Rodrigo Orviz Pevida Viktor Tóth
Trombone David Kidd Ian Striedter
Bassoon Carl Gardner Matthew Gregoire Xiaoxiao Yuan Horn Luke Baker Emily Buehler Steven Harmon Sarah Konvalin William Loveless VI
Bass Trombone Cameron Owen Tuba Jarrod Briley Timpani Jacob Lipham Percussion Charles Gillette Won Suk Lee Wanyuè Yè Harp Emily Melendes
in 2020 with a BMus in viola performance and a BA in French studies.
SYMPHONY SILICON VALLEY CHORALE, ELENA SHARKOVA, MUSIC DIRECTOR
Violinist Nina Wong, from Hong Kong, is in her first year of the Bard Conservatory’s Advanced
Soprano Marcella Bernstein Victoria Bondarieva Kathleen De Smet Janice Edgerly-Rooks Elizabeth Feig Sara Folchi Nicole Fulton Akiyo Godkin Jennifer Hardee EJ Jung Elaine Ketell Alana Laudone Daisy Lee Maggie Lo
Performance Studies Program. She completed BMus and MMus degrees at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Violinist Yinglin Zhou, from China, is in her first year of the Bard Conservatory’s Advanced Performance Studies Program. She has a BMus from Xinghai Conservatory in Guangzhou and MMus from Peabody institute of Johns Hopkins University.
Photos courtesy of the artists.
44 China Now Music Festival
Catherine Lu Vernie Mast Kelly Morgen Rueth Ryoko Fenghong Zhang Alto Ana-Catrina Buchser Lori Burrill Reiko Fujii Gwendolyn Hacker Lisa Hettler-Smith Janet Jacobson Roxanne Janson Lindsey Kuper Mary Jo Coash Lee
Kellie Liang Betty Malcolm Barbara Molony Ako Sanchome Winifred Schultz-Krohn Beate Teufel Priscilla Thomsen Nancy Voogd Cecilia Wong Kyong Yim Barbara Zoeller Tenor JJulian Bliss Jody Glider Jennifer Hugh
Xiang Ji Patrick Kelleher Brian Maas Hiro Matsunami Bass Robert Dowrie Kendrick Huynh Ron Kistler Louie Lee Tom Malcolm Randy Presuhn Jeffrey Pugh Robert Richmond Geoff Schuller Jack Schwartz
China and America – Unity in Music 45
CHINA NOW FESTIVAL CHORUS, CHARLES LU, MUSIC DIRECTOR Carnegie Hall, October 1 Soprano I Ping Bai Boer Chen Jessica Chen Liuqun Chen Yuanqian Chen Julia Dong Siobhan Fitzgerald Irene Huang Meilin Jiang Amin Li ChunYan Qiu Jie Shi Nancy Stewart Mei Wang Ava Wu Hong Xiao QingLan Zhang HuanMeng Zhao Ling Zhu Soprano II Tianheng Chen Na Chu LiSha Cui Liming Hao Xi He Angela Huang May Kwok Suiming Lei Dan Lin Lanzhen Liu Sha Liu Sherry Ma Yubai Meng Caihong Qiu Xiaoxia Wang Shelley Wu ZhongLing Xu JunJun Xue Qianying Yin DanXun Zhong Alto I Yiguang Fu Yuan Gao Julie Poon Lai Jing Meng Eva Ng Shanna Peng Susan Shabazian Wei Sun
46 China Now Music Festival
DanMei Wu Jin Xia LiHui Xiong Yi Yang Jenny Zhan ChaoYing Zhang Lieyang Zhou Alto II Patty Carey Yuan Cheng Susan Fan Xiaosha Ge Yi Guan An Hu Weitang Huang Sharon Love Yvonne May Laxiang Wang XiaoQing Wang Yi Xin Yangyang Yan Yun Yang Ruihua Yu Andi Zhang JingZe Zhang Joyce Zhao Minghui Zhao Tenor I Jiansheng Cai Changhui Guan Yu Li Zhuang Li Augie Miller Ping Su WeiJin Sun Victor Wei Yibo Xu Yu Zhang Xi Zhao Tenor II Shangde Cai Hong Chen Lubin Chen Maggie Emery Han Zhang Feng FengLi Guo Xiaoping Hu Christopher Lu DongFeng Lu Zhijing Qi Howard Raabe
Yiqian Rong GuoCai Song Wink Wu Jianmin Zeng Bass I Xin Cao Jian Chen Ming Chen Giovanni Esposito David Hubbs Junfeng Jiang LinHeng Li ZongKai Wang Bass II Brian Emery Darwin Keichline Kenny Lam Bruce Larkin Sidney Liang Charles Lu Wei Lv YanGuo Tang Jun Wu Yonghui Xu Rehearsal Conductors Nancy Stewart Guilin Wei Min Chen Pianists Susan Shabazian Chensing Huang Anna Chen Yonghui Xu Media Support Yingqiu Jiang
The US-China Music Institute was founded in 2017 by conductor Jindong Cai and Robert Martin, founding director of the Bing Concert Hall, Stanford, October 6 Soprano Meihua Cao Betty Ge May Kwok Jennifer Lemmon Ping Li Jinghong Liu Sherry Ma Sue Ma Xiaoxia Wang Shelley Wu Meijun Yin Lei Yuan Ling Zhu
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 pres-
tigious 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 U.S. conservatory. barduschinamusic.org
Recognized as one of the finest conservatories in the United States, the Bard College Conservatory of Music is guided by the principle that young musicians should be broadly educated in the liberal arts and sciences to achieve their greatest poten-
tial. The mission of the Conservatory is to provide the best possible preparation for a person dedicated to a life immersed
in the creation and performance of music. The five-year, double-degree program combines rigorous conservatory training with a challenging and comprehensive liberal arts program. All Conservatory students pursue a double degree in a thor-
oughly integrated program and supportive educational community. Graduating students receive a bachelor of music and
a bachelor of arts in a field other than music. At the Bard Conservatory the serious study of music goes hand in hand with the education of the whole person. Founded in 2005 by cellist and philosopher Robert Martin, the Conservatory welcomed the composer Tan Dun as its new dean in the summer of 2019. bard.edu/conservatory
Alto Susan Fan Helen Ho Ann Hu Yingqiu Jiang Zhen Jin Julie Poon Lai Amy Liu Mary Liu Lily Wu Cathy Yang Ruihua Yu Andi Zhang Minghui Zhao
The Orchestra Now (TŌN) Founded in 2015 by conductor, educator, and music historian Leon Botstein, The Orchestra
Tenor Lubin Chen James Cook Xiaoping Hu Yong Hu Howard Huang Christopher Lu You-Wen Yi Shine Zhao
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of
Bass Allen Chang Yong Deng John Jiang Charles Lu Shenghua Sha Tai Shen Lichong Wang Pong Sang Yong
¯
Ư
Now (TŌN) is a graduate program at Bard College offering both a three-year master’s degree in Curatorial, Critical, and Performance Studies and a two-year advanced certificate in Orchestra Studies. The vibrant young musicians of TŌN were
hand-picked from the world’s leading conservatories—including The Juilliard School, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Royal Conservatory of Brussels, and the Curtis Institute of Music. In addition to a concert series at their home base, the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center at Bard, they also perform regularly at the finest venues in New York, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and others across NYC and beyond. The orchestra has performed with many distinguished guest conductors and soloists, including Neeme Järvi, Vadim Repin, Fabio Luisi, Peter Serkin, Gerard Schwarz, Tan Dun, Zuill Bailey, and JoAnn Falletta. In the 2019–20 season, conductors Leonard Slatkin and Hans Graf will also lead TŌN performances. More info online at theorchestranow.org or bard.edu/theorchnow.
New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place estate, Bard’s campus consists of nearly 1,000 parklike acres in the Hudson Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in nearly 40
academic programs; graduate degrees in 11 programs; nine early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nation-
ally and internationally. Building on its 159-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 our
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.
China and America – Unity in Music 47
The Starry Arts Group Children’s Chorus, founded in October 2015 by the Eastern Cultural Exchange Association (ECEA), pro-
vides opportunities for children to show and develop their musical talent. With the joint efforts of Rebecca Shen, the students, and their parents, the chorus has performed in the Huaxia Chinese School Christmas Gala and were invited to participate in a Martin Luther King’s Day event, and at the YMCA’s Diversity Festival. In February 2019 the chorus was invited to perform at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra to celebrate Chinese New Year, the first
time NJSO held such an event, and the chorus has been reinvited for next year. The Starry Arts Group Children’s Chorus also
was invited by the New York Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra to sing in the hall of the Oculus, the landmark of the World Trade Center in New York.
The US-China Music Institute extends special thanks: Central Conservatory of Music, China (Yu Feng, president) Gordon H. Chang China Institute China Now Music Festival Gala Cochairs: Jinqing Cai, Angela Chen, Denise S. Simon, Jonathan Slone, James A. Von Klemperer, Shirley Young, Xin Zhang; Gala Donors (list not available at publication) China United States Exchange Foundation Fundraising Reception, Bay Area: Hosts Hope Chen, Jindong Cai, Richard Barker, Stephanie Chang, Ming Yeh, Amy Liu, Sally Shi; Wine Sponsor: Monica Xu, Vinfino; Li Song, Silicon Valley Bank, iChina Restaurant; Bay Area Donors (list not available at publication) Corina Larkin and Nigel Dawn
Charles Lu The Mona Foundation The Museum of Chinese in America Shanghai No. 1 Instruments Factory Stanford University Center for East Asian Studies and the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale US-China Cultural Institute (Shirley Young, chair) Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University Zhou Wei Austin Woerner Gang Zhao MFA ’00
Ever since the announcement of the commissioning of Men of Iron and the Golden Spike, we received overwhelming responses
from enthusiastic choral singers across America and beyond. Singers for the China Now Music Festival Chorus, directed
by Charles Lu, are from various choruses in the tri-state area and beyond, including Yale Chinese Chorus, Greater Hartford
Opera Ensemble, All CT Chinese Chorus, Haiyun Chorus in New York, New York Arts International, and Leyue Performing Arts
in Kansas City, as well as singers from Bard Chamber Singers in New York, and individuals from Dallas, Houston, Oregon, California, and Sydney, Australia.
Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale (SSV), founded in 1988 at the request of Maestro George Cleve, music director and chief
conductor of San Jose Symphony, has been chorus-in-residence for the professional Symphony Silicon Valley since 2005. It is known for its “passion with precision and beauty” performances of choral-orchestral masterpieces and adventurous
solo programs exploring world music, jazz, gospel and American spirituals. SSV Chorale membership is open by audition to skilled and dedicated community singers who seek performing opportunities of the highest caliber with a professional symphony orchestra, advance their vocal technique, and make significant contribution to the artistic life of Silicon Valley.
Russian American conductor Elena Sharkova has been music director of SSV Chorale since 1998. Born in St. Petersburg, she holds graduate degrees in conducting from Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory and Western Michigan University. An
inspiring voice on the international choral music scene, she is sought after as versatile conductor, clinician, and lecturer. She has performed in more than 20 countries on four continents and directed revered professional choral ensembles such
as the BBC Singers, Seraphic Fire, Chanticleer, Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, and Houston Chamber Choir. She has been artistic director of Cantabile Youth Singers of Silicon Valley since 2004.
The mission of the US-China Cultural Institute (USCCI) is to build bridges of understanding through the arts and educa-
tion, in the belief that human connection between China and the West is a necessary precondition for peaceful world relations. The Institute, a cultural associate of the Committee of 100, was inaugurated in 2007 as an independent nonprofit
501(c)3 organization. The organization will build on past achievements and relationships, continuing internationally recognized cultural exchange programs with prominent artists from around the world.
USCCI, chaired by Shirley Young, helped facilitate the recent digitization of the Wellington Koo archive in collaboration
with the Columbia University Libraries and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The digital archive is now available in China and formed the basis for the expanded Wellington Koo Museum in Jiading, Shanghai, as well as our concert.
48 China Now Music Festival
The Conservatory gratefully acknowledges the generous support of these recent donors: Carolyn Abedor and Robert Dickson Theodore and Susan Albert Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Daniel and Catherine Anderson Sherrell Andrews and Robert Kuhbach Jane Evelyn Atwood ’70 Joseph Baxer and Barbara Bacewicz Vern Bergelin and Mary Ellen Ross Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Inc. Bettina Baruch Foundation László Z. Bitó ’60 and Olivia Cariño Carolyn Marks Blackwood and Gregory H. Quinn Geraldine Brodsky Lisa W. Brown Anna Bulgari Veronica Bulgari Marianne Burhans Sarah Buttrick Camphill Ghent, Inc. Camphill Village USA Mary Caponegro ’78 William Carroll Joseph and Vicky Chang Lise Chase China Institute of America Anita Clark-Anderson Stephen M. Clement Pilar Conde and Alfonso Lledo-Perez Jean T. Cook Frank Corliss and Kayo Iwama Mari Cornell Susan Cristofferson John and Wendy Curtis Daniel Shapiro Charitable Fund of the NPT The Dates Fund Arnold J. Davis ’44 Deborah Berke Partners Rosemary Deen Marie and Robert Delaney Kathy and Gonzalo de Las Heras Richard Desir Lois Doherty-Mander Elaine Douvas and Robert Sirinek Ken Dreyfack Leslie Drojak
Malia Du Mont ’95 Jeanne Duntz Richard and Hildegard Edling ’78 Elizabeth W. Ely ’65 and Jonathan K. Greenburg Phyllis Feder Mildred and Arnold Feinsilber Julie Hamrah Johnson Fels ‘92 John Ferguson and Valeri Thomson Allen C. Fischer and Renate Belville Robert Fish John J. Fitzpatrick Anthony and Barbara Franco Renate Friedrichsen Friends of Beattie-Powers Place Friends of Chamber Music of Reading Mirko and Ann Gabler Peter and Charlene Gay Felice and Yorman Gelman Lauren Gerken Leslie and Richard Gershon Martha Gershun Christopher H. Gibbs Robert Goldfarb ’59 Alice Goodman Frances Goodwin and Donn Mosenfelder Katherine Gould-Martin and Robert L. Martin Louis and Caroline Haber Elaine Habernig Amy Hebard Donald S. and Margery Hetzel Alan Hilliker and Vivien Liu Jeremy Hirsch ’15 Susan Hirsch Susan B. Hirschhorn and Arthur Klebanoff Deborah Hoffman Thomas Hofmann Robert Hoven Elena and Frederic Howard Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle Andrew Humphrey IBM Matching Grants Program Iridian Asset Management Morimi and Midori Iwama George Jahn
Rachel Jewelewicz-Nelson and David Nelson John Cage Trust Zoe Johnson ’16 Joseph Kahn and Shannon Wu Bobbi Katz Linda Kaumeyer Belinda and Stephen Kaye Charlotte Kelly Reynold C. Kerr David and Janet E. Kettler Erica Kiesewetter Jacqueline Knox KOH Residents Association Shirley Krembs Nancy Kryzak Regina Kuliawat and Frank Sun Christine and Matthew Kurlander Fred Kusko Diane and Garry Kvistad Gary and Edna Lachmund Elina and Jeffrey Lang Alison L. Lankenau Steven and Deborah Lanser Larkin Dawn Family Fund of JP Morgan Alfred and Glenda Law Shun-Yang Lee ’11 Lifetime Learning Institute at Bard College Helen and William Little Y. S. Liu Marianne Lockwood Jacques and Catherine Luiggi Susan Manuel Leonard Marcus Harvey Marek Marsh & McLennan Matching Gifts Program Martin and Toni Sosnoff Foundation Fulvia Masi Lucy Mattingly Yvonne Mayer Timothy Mayhew James McCarthy Andrew McKee John and Patricia McNally Barbara and Arthur Michaels Warren Mikulka Janet C. Mills Karen Moeller and Charles Talleur
Joel Moerschel The Mona Foundation Carol Monteleoni Frances Montgomery Shawn Moore ’11 Ken and Lindsay Morgan Matthew Morris ’12 Ann L. Morse Martin L. and Lucy Miller Murray Barbara C. Myers Lenore Nemeth Suzanne Neusner Northlands Foundation Gail Nussbaum Harold Oaklander Elizabeth J. and Sevgin Oktay Maureen and Mohammed Olfati Marilyn and Peter Oswald Wendy L. Owen Jeffery Palichuck Richard Pargament ’65 Dana Patton Caroline Paulson Walter and Diana Perog David Pesetsky and Janis Melvold Jean and Tom Phifer Charles and Barbara Pierce Nora Post Kelly Anne Preyer Lillian Pyne-Corbin Raman Ramakrishnan Tricia and Foster Reed Cathy and Fred Reinis Shirley Ripullone and Kenneth Stahl Helen Rosenthal Irwin Rosenthal Joan Roth Lynn Ruggiero Tim and Frances Ryan Francesca Sansone Saugerties Pro Musica, Inc. Anastasia and Jeff Scheel Barbara and Joseph Schoenberg Linda Schwab Edmundson Pamela Scott Kim Sears Shelley Seccombe Daniel Severson ’10 Charles Shannon Frances L. Sharpless Susan E. Shaw
China and America – Unity in Music 49
John V. and Margaret Shuhala Ann Marie Sircello Aleksander and Isidora Skular Zachary Snow Winnie Sokolowski Thomas B. and Louise Souders Marjory Spoerri John A. Sprague Serena Stewart Vivian Sukenik Tara and Ned Sullivan Janos Sutyak ’15 Joan Swift Nathalie Theberge Thendara Foundation Felicitas S. Thorne Anita Tiburti-Johnson Edward P. Todd Trevor-Hunt Charitable Trust Jonah and Ellen Triebwasser Eric Trudel United Way of the Capital Region Illiana van Meeteren Robert A. Vermeulen Linda Vorhies Suzanne Vromen Estate of Prof. William Weaver Jonathan Wechsler Melissa Wegner ’08 Robert Weiss Ann Wentworth Barbara Jean Weyant Wheelock Whitney III David D. Williams Michael Williams Judith Winzemer Wise Family Foundation Eric Wong Marianne Wurlitzer Amalie Wyrick-Flax ’14 Fanya Wyrick-Flax ’13 Yuan Xu ’12 Michael and Kathy Zdeb Irene Zedlacher Wei Zhou ’11 and Yindi Liu ’12 Daniel A. Zlatkin ’16 List current as of August 20, 2019
Boards and Administration Bard College Board Of Trustees James C. Chambers ’81, Chair George F. Hamel Jr., Vice Chair Emily H. Fisher, Vice Chair Elizabeth Ely ’65, Secretary; Life Trustee Stanley A. Reichel ’65, Treasurer; Life Trustee Fiona Angelini Roland J. Augustine Leon Botstein+, President of the College Mark E. Brossman Jinqing Cai Marcelle Clements ’69, Life Trustee The Rt. Rev. Andrew M. L. Dietsche, Honorary Trustee Asher B. Edelman ’61, Life Trustee Robert S. Epstein ’63 Barbara S. Grossman ’73, Alumni/ae Trustee Andrew S. Gundlach Matina S. Horner+ Charles S. Johnson III ’70 Mark N. Kaplan, Life Trustee George A. Kellner Fredric S. Maxik ’86 James H. Ottaway Jr., Life Trustee Hilary C. Pennington Martin Peretz, Life Trustee Stewart Resnick, Life Trustee David E. Schwab II ’52 Roger N. Scotland ’93, Alumni/ae Trustee Annabelle Selldorf Mostafiz ShahMohammed ’97 Jonathan Slone ’84 Jeannette H. Taylor+ James A. von Klemperer Brandon Weber ’97, Alumni/ae Trustee Susan Weber Patricia Ross Weis ’52 +ex officio Senior Administration Leon Botstein, President Coleen Murphy Alexander ’00, Vice President for Administration Myra Young Armstead, Vice President for Academic Inclusive Excellence Norton Batkin, Vice President; Dean of Graduate Studies Jonathan Becker, Executive Vice President; Vice President for Academic Affairs; Director, Center for Civic Engagement Erin Cannan, Vice President for Student Affairs; Dean of Civic Engagement Deirdre d’Albertis, Dean of the College
50 China Now Music Festival
Malia K. Du Mont ’95, Chief of Staff; Vice President for Strategy and Policy Mark D. Halsey, Vice President for Institutional Research and Assessment Max Kenner ’01, Vice President for Institutional Initiatives; Executive Director, Bard Prison Initiative Debra Pemstein, Vice President for Development and Alumni/ ae Affairs Taun Toay ’05, Senior Vice President; Chief Financial Officer Stephen Tremaine ’07, Vice President for Early Colleges
Bard College Conservatory of Music Tan Dun, Dean Frank Corliss, Director Marka Gustavsson, Associate Director Bard College Conservatory Advisory Board Belinda Kaye, Chair Gonzalo de Las Heras Gregory Drilling ’16 Alan D. Hilliker Susan B. Hirschhorn Stephen Kaye Y. S. Liu Melissa Wegner ’08 Eric Wong Shirley Young US-China Music Institute Jindong Cai, Director Kathryn Wright, Managing Director Hsiao-Fang Lin, Director of Music Programming
The Orchestra Now Artistic Staff Leon Botstein, Music Director James Bagwell, Academic Director and Associate Conductor Jindong Cai, Associate Conductor Zachary Schwartzman, Resident Conductor Andrés Rivas, Assistant Conductor Erica Kiesewetter, Professor of Orchestral Practice Bridget Kibbey, Director of Chamber Music and Arts Advocacy Administrative Staff Vincent Roca, General Manager Brian J. Heck, Director of Marketing Nicole M. de Jesús, Director of Development Leonardo Pineda, Director of International Development Sebastian Danila, Music Preparer and Researcher Marielle Metivier, Orchestra Manager Benjamin Oatmen, Librarian Viktor Tóth, Production Coordinator Kristin Roca, Academic Assistant
China Now Music Festival Jindong Cai, Artistic Director Kathryn Wright, General Manager Hsiao-Fang Lin, Production Manager Sharon Cheng, Production Coordinator, Sept. 30 Stacey Boggs, Lighting Designer, Sept. 30 Austin Woerner, Translator, Oct 1 & 6 Shirley Young, US-China Cultural Institute, Producer, Sept. 30
CHINA NOW MUSIC FESTIVAL
MUSIC FROM SHANGHAI Explore the nexus of cultural traditions from the East and West in the music of Shanghai.
FALL 2020 BARD COLLEGE NEW YORK CITY SHANGHAI Shanghai Skyline photo by Peter K. Burian, © 2018
Media sponsor:
PR & Marketing: Weiber Consulting Wei Zhou, Yaqi Xu, Yu Cao Advisory Council Chen Yi Martha Liao Robert Martin Tan Dun Ye Xiaogang Shirley Young Yu Long Zhang Xian Zhou Long
China and America – Unity in Music 51
High Tea, Gang Zhao MFA ’00, 2018, courtesy of the artist and Greene Naftali, New York
Bard College Conservatory of Music