In a unique concert premiere, two of the world's most famous Chinese opera stars, Wu Hsing-Kuo and Qian Yi, perform scenes from The Butterfly Dream, a Kunqu opera that blends traditional Chinese and contemporary western elements featuring the work of costume desinger Ayako Maeda. A discussion with the composer, performers, producer and Chinese opera scholars will take place during the first half of the event.

Erhu master and celebrated artist of his generation Wang Guo-Tong joins forces with talented instrumentalists from the Bay Area in a concert that brings to life the sounds of ancient China. Joining him are Wang Fe on the qin, Cui Gunzhi on the kongho, Yu Zhang on the suona, and Liu Hecheng on the pipa. All of the works are classics, many of them centuries old.

Maestro Jindong Cai conducts the Stanford Philharmonia plus guest artists Wang Guo-Tong and Gunzhi Cui in a program featuring concertos for Chinese instruments. The program also includes Bright Sheng's Postcards and the immensely popular violin concerto Butterfly Lovers, beloved throughout China and the western world, played by Chen Xi, a winner of the international Tchaikovsky Violin Company.

With a thrilling and sensual dance vocabulary, famed choreographer and transgender contemporary dancer Jin Xing leads her company's American debut featuring Red and Black, Half Dream, and a lavish, pageant-like production of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana with over 300 artists onstage, including Stanford's Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Chorus. Presented in collaboration with Stanford Lively Arts.

For tickets, visit the Stanford Lively Arts website: http://livelyarts.stanford.edu or call 650.725.ARTS (2787).

In this first-of-a-kind concert, musicians from Stanford's renowned Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) will connect with musicians 6,000 miles away in Beijing to perform - in real time via a webcast - a program that celebrates music, technology, and international collaboration. Also on the program is guest composer and painter Luo Jingjing, who will collaborate with the Stanford Laptop Orchestra to create a new improvisational work on site.

This award-winning 80-member chorus hails from Shanghai's Jiaotong University, one of the finest academic institutions in China. The chorus has a history of excellence and a passion for performing a wide variety of music. Its Stanford concert will highlight folksongs from some of China's 56 ethnic traditions.

In a unique performance, nine talented Buddhist monks and nuns from the temple-filled city of Meizhou in rural southern China take their sacred music out of their region for the first time. The Xianghua traditions started in the Tang dynasty in the seventh century, and the rituals express the concept of Buddhist salvation through music, dance, drama and song. Through their performance, the Stanford community will be privileged to witness the powerful role that Xianghua ceremonies play in the lives of its people and understand the role that music plays in their faith.

Sponsored in part by the Office of Religious Life at Stanford.

Cui Jian is the godfather of Chinese rock music, regularly compared to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. The message of his music is always profound and sometimes political; his song "Nothing to My Name" was the anthem of the 1989 protest movement and influenced an entire generation. Cui remains a dedicated rock 'n roller who has never sold out his ideals. Joining him onstage are six long-time band members performing a mostly acoustic set.

This concert is presented in collaboration with Star Image Inc. An additional Pan-Asian Music Festival performance by Cui Jian will take place on May 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the San Jose Convention Center. For information visit: www.usastarimage.com.