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Professor Christian Crouch.
Photo by Chris Bertholf
Photo by Chris Bertholf
Christian Crouch, Dean of Graduate Studies at Bard College
Dean of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor of History and American and Indigenous Studies Christian Ayne Crouch has been teaching at Bard since 2014. Her work focuses on the histories of the early modern Atlantic, comparative slavery, American material culture, and Native American and Indigenous Studies. She holds a PhD and an MA with distinction in Atlantic history from New York University, and an AB cum laude in history from Princeton University.
Graduate Alumni/ae News
The Orchestra Now Opens Its 2025–26 Season of Concerts in New York City with Sounds and Echoes of Empire at Carnegie Hall on October 13
The Orchestra Now (TŌN) launches its 11th season of New York City concerts led by Music Director Leon Botstein with Sounds and Echoes of Empire, on October 13, at Carnegie Hall. The program features both neglected and more familiar Eastern European works from the late-19th and early-20th centuries that reflect the nationalism of the Russian Empire. The first of two performances at Carnegie Hall this season, the concert will initially be performed at the Fisher Center at Bard on October 11–12 and livestreamed on TŌNtube.
The Orchestra Now Opens Its 2025–26 Season of Concerts in New York City with Sounds and Echoes of Empire at Carnegie Hall on October 13
Leon Botstein Conducts The Orchestra Now at Carnegie Hall. Photo by David DeNee
Performance Pairs Rarely-Heard Works by Čiurlionis, Kaprálová, and Lyatoshynsky with Pieces by Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky
The Orchestra Now (TŌN) launches its 11th season of New York City concerts led by Music Director Leon Botstein with Sounds and Echoes of Empire, on October 13, at Carnegie Hall. The program features both neglected and more familiar Eastern European works from the late-19th and early-20th centuries that reflect the nationalism of the Russian Empire. The first of two performances at Carnegie Hall this season, the concert will initially be performed at the Fisher Center at Bard on October 11-12 and livestreamed on TŌNtube.
TŌN will next perform a FREE concert in Manhattan featuring Strauss’s beloved tone poem Don Juan and works by Vaughan Williams, Henry Purcell, and Samuel Barber led by Resident Conductor Zachary Schwartzman at Peter Norton Symphony Space on November 23.
For detailed information about the 2025-26 season, visit ton.bard.edu.
Sounds and Echoes of Empire
Monday, October 13, 2025, at 7 pm
Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
The Orchestra Now
Leon Botstein, conductor
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Overture on Russian Themes in D Major, Op. 28
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis: In the Forest (Miške)
Vítězslava Kaprálová: Military Sinfonietta, Op. 11 (Vojenská Symfonieta)
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Festival Coronation March, TH 50
Boris Lyatoshynsky: Symphony No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 50
The evening presents familiar pieces like Rimsky-Korsakov’s Overture on Russian Themes and Tchaikovsky’s grand Festival Coronation March, written to celebrate the coronation of Alexander III, alongside lesser-known works from the same time period. The symphonic poem In the Forest, by Lithuanian composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, was among his earliest musical successes. The Military Sinfonietta of Vítězslava Kaprálová brought international exposure when the work received the prestigious Smetana Foundation award. Boris Lyatoshynsky’s Third Symphony was premiered in his native Ukraine in 1951, but was later revised after being banned by Soviet authorities. TŌN performs the original version in this concert.
Tickets, priced at $29-$50, are available at carnegiehall.org, by calling CarnegieCharge at 212.247.7800, or at the Carnegie Hall box office at 57th & 7th Avenue.
Post Date: 09-18-2025
Eighth Annual China Now Music Festival in New York Announces 2025 Season: Music in Motion, September 27 – October 5, 2025
This year’s theme, Music in Motion, explores the dynamic flow of contemporary Chinese music—its innovation, cross-cultural dialogues, and ability to evolve with the times.
Eighth Annual China Now Music Festival in New York Announces 2025 Season: Music in Motion, September 27 – October 5, 2025
Orchestra photos by Fadi Kheir. Festival graphics by Saboteur Studios, UK.
Celebrating Three Generations of Chinese Composers and the Fusion of Contemporary Music with Dance and Opera
The US–China Music Institute at Bard College announces the launch of ticket sales for the eighth annual China Now Music Festival, taking place in New York City and at Bard College from September 27 through October 5, 2025.
Under the theme “Music in Motion,” this year’s festival will feature three major concerts and a US–China Music Forum, showcasing the creative legacy of three generations of Chinese composers and their groundbreaking work at the intersection of music, dance, and opera.
“This year’s theme, Music in Motion, explores the dynamic flow of contemporary Chinese music—its innovation, cross-cultural dialogues, and ability to evolve with the times,” said Jindong Cai, artistic director and conductor of the festival.
As in past years, this season’s programming is shaped with narrative and conceptual depth. The first program will be performed on September 27 at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and on September 28 at Lincoln Center by The Orchestra Now (TŌN) under the baton of Jindong Cai, featuring guest cellist Hai-Ye Ni and singers Manli Deng and Yue Wu. Works by Ye Xiaogang, Zou Hang, Dai Bo, and Yu Mengshi—composers spanning from the post-1950s to post-1980s generations—will illuminate the lineage of Chinese music from the late 20th century to today, evoking reflections on nature, time, and society.
The second program, presented only once on October 5 at Lincoln Center, will feature the Bard East/West Ensemble in a boundary-crossing performance with a Western string quintet, seven Chinese instruments, and Chinese-Western percussion. The concert begins with two movements from Guan Naizhong’s electrifying double percussion concerto The Age of the Dragon, followed by the haunting 30-minute chamber opera Mi 谜 (The Enigma), featuring tenor Eric Carey, baritone Nathaniel Sullivan, and Peking opera performer Xiangwei Yu. The program closes with Wang Danhong’s Four Seasons of the Lingering Garden, a music-and-dance collaboration with choreographer Dai Jian (France) and dancers Mi Peng and Wang Kan (China), where music and movement interweave.
Festival Highlights include:
• Ye Xiaogang’s The Song of the Earth—A monumental symphonic vocal work revisiting Mahler’s Das Leide von der Erde and inspired by the same Tang Dynasty poetry, performed in New York for the first time since its 2013 Lincoln Center debut.
• Renowned cellist Hai-Ye Ni (Principal Cello, The Philadelphia Orchestra) performs the US premiere of Chinese-Mongolian composer Yu Mengshi’s The Lonely Camel Calf.
• Wang Danhong’s Four Seasons in Lingering Garden—A symphonic poem reimagined with dance by acclaimed choreographer Dai Jian and performed by the Bard East/West Ensemble, blending Chinese and Western instruments with modern dance.
• Ma Hanrui’s chamber opera Mi 谜 (The Enigma)—Inspired by David Henry Hwang’s iconic play M. Butterfly, the work merges Western opera with Peking opera traditions, offering a powerful new interpretation of East-West cultural encounters. Featuring a libretto in English by Pan Geng.
More About the Music:
This year’s festival celebrates the 70th birthday of Ye Xiaogang, a trailblazer of contemporary Chinese symphonic music and a member of the legendary first class of composition students admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music after its reopening in 1978, along with classmates Tan Dun, Chen Yi, and Zhou Long. He later continued his studies in the United States at the Eastman School of Music. Ye and his peers have profoundly influenced younger generations of composers in China and beyond. His students Zou Hang (b. 1975) and Dai Bo (b. 1988) will both have works featured at the festival. Zou, now a professor at the Central Conservatory, is known for his vivid soundscapes that combine classical and popular influences; the festival will present two works from his “Regional Color” series, The Color of Qingdao and The Color of Beijing. Dai Bo, also on the faculty of the Central Conservatory, lost his sight at an early age; his award-winning work Invisible Mountain invites listeners into an inner world of sound shaped by extraordinary perception.
Yu Mengshi, composer of The Lonely Camel Calf, holds a doctorate from the Shanghai Conservatory and was the first Mongolian postdoctoral scholar in composition at the Central Conservatory. His work is both strikingly modern and deeply influenced by Mongolian folk music traditions. Wang Danhong, composer of Four Seasons of the Lingering Garden, is among the most dynamic Chinese composers today, known for her emotionally charged, lyrical, and grand musical language; she is currently a professor at the Central Conservatory. The youngest composer on the program is Hanrui Ma (b. 1998), currently a doctoral student at the Conservatory. Her works, which unite Eastern cultural elements with Western techniques, have been performed by several leading Chinese ensembles.
US-China Music Forum:
This year, on September 28 at 5:00 PM at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the festival will co-host a US-China Music Forum with China Daily. Centered on the theme “Music in Motion” and the core topic of cross-cultural exchange, the forum will draw on the Bard East/West Ensemble’s recent China tour. “This tour not only showcased the richness of diverse musical voices, but also demonstrated the power of music to transcend cultures and foster understanding,” said Artistic Director Jindong Cai. Participating musicians and representatives from the US arts and cultural community will share their experiences, highlighting the unique role of music as a universal language of connection. A reception with drinks and light refreshments will follow.
Schedule of Programs:
The Orchestra Now Performs Three Generations of Composers from China
September 27, 3:00 pm
Sosnoff Theater, Fisher Center at Bard College
Tickets: $15–$55
https://fishercenter.bard.edu/events/china-now-music-festival-music-in-motion/
September 28, 3:00 pm
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center
Tickets: $15–$55
https://ticketing.jazz.org/19439/19440
Bard East/West Ensemble Chamber Opera and Dance Concert
October 5, 3:00 pm
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center
Tickets: $15–$55
https://ticketing.jazz.org/19439/19443
US–China Music Forum: Music in Motion
Co-presented by China Daily
September 28, 5:00 pm
Ertugun Atrium, Jazz at Lincoln Center
Tickets: $10 (includes wine and refreshments)
https://us-china-music-forum-2025.eventbrite.com
For more information, visit: www.barduschinamusic.org/music-in-motion
Post Date: 09-02-2025
New Keith Haring Wing at CCS Bard to Open October 2025
Expansion Doubles Capacity of Library and Archives
New Keith Haring Wing at CCS Bard to Open October 2025
Rendering of Keith Haring Wing at CCS Bard. Courtesy of HWKN Architecture
Supported by a $10M capital project, the Keith Haring Wing is named in recognition of a lead $3M gift from the Keith Haring Foundation, which builds on the organization’s longstanding partnership with CCS Bard. This includes the Keith Haring Chair in Art and Activism, a faculty position that has brought prominent scholars, activists, and artists to teach at Bard for the past decade, and was fully endowed in 2022. Additional lead support for the project is provided by the Marieluise Hessel Foundation, along with major gifts from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), the Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg Foundation, and a private foundation.
“The expansion of the CCS Bard Library and Archives is an investment in our core educational mission and the many people who make up the CCS Bard community,” said Tom Eccles, Executive Director of the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College. “It is in this spirit that we thank the Keith Haring Foundation, the Marieluise Hessel Foundation, and other supporters whose contributions have had an indelible impact on the intellectual life of CCS Bard.”
The Keith Haring Wing, designed by the award-winning firm HWKN Architecture with C.T. Male Associates serving as executive architect, is a two-story masonry structure that complements the existing CCS Bard facility, characterized by minimalist, light-filled interiors. Open ceilings and large windows introduce natural light deep into the expanded library, fostering an inviting and productive atmosphere for research and study.
"Returning to the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College to design the Keith Haring Wing has been a deeply meaningful experience. This contextual addition allowed us to re-engage with our earlier work through a modern lens while pushing the architecture forward, introducing light, openness, and new opportunities for artistic expression. It’s rare for a building to grow alongside its community in this way, and we’re proud that our design reflects continuity, honoring the spirit of Bard College,” said Matthias Hollwich, Founding Principal of HWKN Architecture.
The new wing features an expansive open reading space, the Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg Reading Room, situated next to open research stacks that can accommodate more than 30,000 additional volumes. The new 30-seat Pontus Hultén Classroom, made possible by a generous gift from the Marieluise Hessel Foundation, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Collaborative Study Room will enable CCS Bard to host a wider range of courses, workshops, and study groups, deepening ties with the undergraduate Art History and Visual Culture program and other college departments. With six new offices, the expansion will also support visiting faculty and researcher positions that engage leading global scholars with the research collection and Bard community, while 6,000 square feet of new storage space below the library will help accommodate the continued growth of CCS Bard’s art and archival collections.
The Pontus Hultén Classroom is named in tribute to the curator and museum director Pontus Hultén (1924-2006) for his pioneering role in transforming the modern art museum into the cultural focal point that it is today. Coinciding with the Keith Haring Wing opening, and the Centre Pompidou exhibition Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hultén in the Grand Palais in Paris, CCS Bard has co-published the first full-scale biography of Hultén with Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther and Franz König, Köln. “Pontus Hultén —Commander of Modern Art” by Claes Britton is available for purchase at the link.
The CCS Bard Library and Archives
The CCS Bard Library and Archives are a crucial resource for students in CCS Bard’s graduate program, undergraduate students from across Bard College, as well as art historians, curators, and interdisciplinary scholars from around the world. Over the past 30 years, the CCS Bard Library has grown from a modest graduate program library into a premier research center for the study of contemporary art and culture, with more than 50,000 volumes and a wide range of primary materials documenting the history of contemporary art and the practices of exhibition-making since the 1960s. The CCS Bard Archives also serve as the institutional repository for the Center for Curatorial Studies and Hessel Museum of Art, complementing and enriching the Hessel Museum of Art’s rich permanent collection.
From the Fluxus-era projects of curator John G, Hanhardt to performance-based curatorial works by Ian White and feminist genderqueer collective LTTR, the CCS Archives contains over 40 distinct archival collections, which are extensively contextualized by Special Collections, encompassing over 7,000 rare exhibition-related and artist-produced publications. Following a 2015 expansion that added a dedicated space for the archives and an innovative Collection Teaching Gallery, the demand for access to CCS Bard’s collections, and space for research and teaching within the library, have continued to grow.
Post Date: 08-26-2025