The China Now Music Festival will present two programs under the theme “Chasing Dreams” in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

The first program, “Chasing Dreams: Bard East/West Ensemble and The Rift, a Chamber Opera,” features “Written in Stone: The Rift,” a chamber opera by composer Huang Ruo and playwright David Henry Hwang exploring the story behind Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Bard East/West Ensemble, which combines Western and Chinese instruments, will also perform works by contemporary composers.

Performance Dates: Oct. 2, 2026 (Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall) & Oct. 4, 2026 (TEMPO Performing Arts Center in Kingston, New York)

The second program, “Chasing Dreams: The Orchestra Now Celebrates America’s 250th Anniversary,” includes Zhou Long’s “Men of Iron and the Golden Spike,” a symphonic oratorio honoring Chinese laborers who built the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1860s. Also on the show is the U.S. premiere of Li Shaosheng’s five movement symphonic suite “Chasing the Sky.”

Performance Dates: Oct. 11 , 2026 (Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center) & Oct. 10, 2026 (Fisher Center at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York)