Catherine Swatek, Chinese opera specialist and associate professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia, discusses the history of opera in China and the ever-evolving face of the genre. In a multimedia presentation focusing on avante-garde art in Contemporary China, Sheldon Lu gives audiences a chance to see what "body artists" and other forward-looking performers are producing. Dr. Lu is on the faculty at University of California Davis in the Department of Eastern Languages and Cultures.

Sheila Melvin, co-author of Rhapsody in Red: How Western Classical Music Became Chinese, joins with Andrew Jones, UC Berkeley faculty member and Chinese popular culture expert to explore the West's influence on Chinese music, and China's influence on the global cultural scene. Chinese contemporary dancer Jin Xing makes a special appearance to discuss her take on the arts in China today and discuss her experience as a successful artist living and working in Shanghai.

Dr. Wang Kui from the Music Institute at the Academy of Arts in China gives a history and explanation of the music that is tied to Buddhist religious ceremonies of the Guangdong Province. Dr. Kui spent a year living among the Xianghua monks and nuns, and he explains the music's chanting, singing, drumming and movement, as well as the symbolism of the way things are staged, the traditional dress, and the use of various texts. The Xianghua Buddhist monks and nuns will be present to demonstrate.

Presented in collaboration with Star Image production company.

Filmmaker Sylvie Levey's Colonel Jin Xing: A Unique Destiny chronicles the life and career of one of China's most unique and beloved contemporary dancers. Until 1995, this contemporary dancer was a man, a colonel in the Peoples' Army. She battled the Chinese government to allow her to have a sex change operation, the first ever in China, and the film follows her journey to overcome the many obstacles in becoming the person she is today - respected dancer, wife, and mother of three. Sheila Melvin, contemporary Chinese culture journalist and co-author of Rhapsody in Red: How Western Classical Music Became Chinese, introduces Jin Xing and discusses her influence on contemporary dance in China and on the international dance scene. Jin Xing takes the stage to discuss her art and the cultural scene in China today.

Presented in partnership with Stanford Lively Arts.

Composer Alive: Eastern Expressions is a documentary that explores the creation of new music through a unique collaboration that happened between Chicago Music Ensemble Accessible Contemporary Music and famed Beijing composer Xiaogang Ye. The film takes the viewer through the creative process and pulls back the curtains from the closely guarded world of rehearsals, first drafts, and daily struggles. From Xiaogang Ye's first inspirations for the composition to a musician having a baby born the day of a concert, Composer Alive presents the human face of classical music. After the screening, a panel that includes the producer, filmmaker, and musicians involved in the project discusses the project and takes questions from the audience. Closing the event is a performance of the composition created as a result of the collaboration