Ian Buruma’s New Book Stay Alive Reviewed in the Forward
Julia M. Klein writes that Buruma’s work is “at once panoramic and intimate, dispassionate and deeply moving.”
Ian Buruma’s New Book Stay Alive Reviewed in the Forward
Ian Buruma. Photo by Pete Mauney ’93 MFA ’00
The Human Rights Program at Bard is a transdisciplinary program involving such diverse fields as literature, political studies, history, anthropology, economics, film and media, and art history. It emphasizes integrative historical and conceptual investigations, and offers a rigorous background that can inform meaningful practical engagements. The program seeks to orient students in the intellectual tradition of human rights and provide them the resources with which to appreciate and criticize its contemporary status.
Post Date: 03-24-2026
Bard College and PEN America Announce the Launch of the Central America Independent Media Archive
CAIMA was built in partnership with the Russian Independent Media Archive (RIMA) team, and is the latest project under the umbrella of Kronika.Bard College and PEN America Announce the Launch of the Central America Independent Media Archive
Ramón Zamora. Photo by Bernardo Díaz
Founded in response to the escalating criminalization and persecution of journalism in Central America, CAIMA’s mission is to empower journalists, researchers, and civil society actors to deepen investigative work across the region. The collection currently preserves archival publications from 12 media outlets, including the complete editorial history of elPeriódico, a Guatemalan publication internationally recognized for its decades of investigative reporting on corruption and abuse of power.
In 2022, elPeriódico’s founder and director, José Rubén Zamora, was arbitrarily detained after the newspaper published 144 consecutive weeks of investigative reporting on corruption during the administration of former Guatemalan president Alejandro Giammattei. Following his arrest, the newsroom faced political, legal, and financial pressure, forcing nine journalists into exile. In May 2023, the publication was forced to shut down, cutting off public access to decades of investigative journalism. To protect their father’s legacy and the work of the newsroom, Zamora’s sons, Ramón and José Carlos, secured a complete digital copy of elPeriódico’s archive, an effort that laid the groundwork for CAIMA.
“Our goal is to preserve the first draft of Central America’s history and ensure that the work of courageous journalists is never erased,” said CAIMA coordinator Ramón Zamora. “CAIMA is both a shield against censorship and a tool for journalists and researchers committed to exposing corruption and understanding how power operates across borders.”
The archive is designed to grow by continuously incorporating collections from other independent media organizations across Central America that face censorship, shutdowns, or forced exile. In a region where authoritarian practices increasingly restrict access to information, CAIMA strengthens journalism’s ability to hold power accountable and supports deeper, evidence-based regional analysis. To access CAIMA, please visit elarchivo.media/en
Post Date: 03-23-2026
Bard Alumna Sonita Alizadeh ’23 Profiled in Forbes
“Today, Sonita’s message is simple but profound: never underestimate the power of your voice.”Bard Alumna Sonita Alizadeh ’23 Profiled in Forbes
Sonita Alizadeh ’23, Bard College alumna and human rights activist.
Post Date: 03-17-2026
M. Gessen Spoke with WMCU’s Here and Now About Kronika, Joint Civic Tech Project of Bard College and PEN America
Gessen outlined how Kronika has gone from being an archive to a set of tools in response to worldwide threats to free speech.M. Gessen Spoke with WMCU’s Here and Now About Kronika, Joint Civic Tech Project of Bard College and PEN America
M. Gessen.
Post Date: 02-16-2026
Upcoming Events
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3/28Saturday
Signs, Games, and Messages 2026: A Kurtág Festival
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 – Saturday, April 4, 2026
Bitó Conservatory Building, Performance Space
2026 marks the centenary of Hungarian composer György Kurtág, whose music is distinguished by precision, clarity, and deep emotional and cultural resonance. The seventh season of Bard Conservatory of Music’s annual Kurtág Festival celebrates this occasion with an expanded program featuring Bard faculty, students, and international artists connected to Kurtág. The festival places Kurtág’s music in dialogue with composers who shaped or reflect his artistic world - from Bach and Bartók to Abrahamsen and Adès.
Artists performing in the festival include Benjamin Appl (baritone); James Baillieu (piano); Sydney Cornett (mezzo-soprano); Lucy Fitz Gibbon (soprano); Kayo Iwama (piano): Benjamin Hochman (piano); András Kemenes (piano); Alexandra Knoll (oboe); Ryan McCullough (piano); Erika Switzer (piano); András Szalai (cimbalom); and additional faculty and students of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
Artistic Director: Benjamin Hochman.
This festival has been permanently endowed through the generous support of László Z. Bitó '60 and Olivia Carino.
All festival events are free and open to the public. Rolling festival updates will be posted on this webpage and in our weekly eblasts.
View Press Release
Contact: Concert Office
E-mail: [email protected]
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3/28Saturday1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Signs, Games, and Messages 2026 - Program Three
Bach Inventions and Sinfonias
Saturday, March 28, 2026Free and open to the public.
1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Bitó Conservatory Building, Performance Space
PROGRAM
Piano concert performed by students of the Bard College Conservatory and Preparatory Division
J. S. Bach (1685–1750) The Complete Inventions and Sinfonias, BWV 772–801
Invention No. 1 in C Major
Alexandra Balog
Invention No. 2 in C Minor
Ivy Chen
Invention No. 3 in D Major
Congrui Zhu
Invention No. 4 in D Minor
Sophia Cornicello
Invention No. 5 in E-flat Major
Chelsea Yang
Invention No. 6 In E Major
Linus Ramakrishnan
Invention No. 7 in E Minor
Xinri Zhang
Invention No. 8 in F Major
Vika Hasselmark
Invention No. 9 in F Minor
Junhao Fu
Invention No. 10 in G Major
Nikita Tumanov
Invention No. 11 in G Minor
Marcos Castilla
Invention No. 12 in A Major
Juliette Benveniste
Invention No. 13 in A Minor
Fiona Kelly
Invention No. 14 in B-flat Major
Arlo Abeysekera
Invention No. 15 in B Minor
Wenjia Ma
INTERMISSION
Sinfonia No. 1 in C Major
Sophia Cornicello
Sinfonia No. 2 in C Minor
Sawyer Dahlen
Sinfonia No. 3 in D Major
Yujia Yang
Sinfonia No. 4 in D Minor
Augustus Lamm
Sinfonia No. 5 in E-flat Major
Hasti Safaei
Sinfonia No. 6 in E Major
Ivy Chen
Sinfonia No. 7 in E Minor
Chelsea Yang
Sinfonia No. 8 in F Major
Junhao Fu
Sinfonia No. 9 in F Minor
Nikita Tumanov
Sinfonia No. 10 in G Major
Xinri Zhang
Sinfonia No. 11 in G Minor
Juliette Benveniste
Sinfonia No. 12 in A Major
Wenjia Ma
Sinfonia No. 13 in A Minor
Oskar Baron
Sinfonia No. 14 in B-flat Major
Congrui Xhu
Sinfonia No. 15 in B Minor
Alexandra Balog
Free and open to the public. Livestreaming on the Conservatory YouTube Channel HERE
View Press Release
Contact: Concert Office
E-mail: [email protected]
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3/28Saturday3:30 pm – 5:50 pm EDT/GMT-4
Signs, Games, and Messages 2026: Special Program
Film: Kurtág Fragments
Saturday, March 28, 2026Kurtág Fragments, film (2026)
3:30 pm – 5:50 pm EDT/GMT-4
Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center
Saturday, March 28, 3:30 pm
Introduction by
Dénes Nagy, director
Julianna Ugrin, producer
3:30pm (15 mins)
Presented in Collaboration with Trust for Mutual Understanding.
Film Screening
Kurtág Fragments, 3:50pm
(Film runtime 113 mins)
Presented in Collaboration with Brooklyn Public Library & The National Film Institute, Hungary
György Kurtág, a renowned contemporary composer and the last great figure of the post-war avantgarde, remains spiritually vibrant even in old age. Approaching his 100th birthday in 2026, Kurtág Fragments takes audiences on a journey through key places in his life—Transylvania, Budapest, Vienna, London, Prussia Cove, and Paris, where his magnum opus Fin de Partie premiered in 2022. Along the way, the film follows his collaborations with world-class musicians such as Víkingur Ólafsson, Steven Isserlis, and Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Blending intimate moments with breathtaking performances, it captures the almost mystical process through which Kurtág transforms emotion into music. This feature-length documentary is not only a portrait of an extraordinary artist but also a cinematic immersion into one of the most profound musical worlds of our time.
Contact: Concert Office
E-mail: [email protected]
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3/28Saturday6:30 pm – 7:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
Mind Over Nerves Workshop
Saturday, March 28, 2026
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
Bard Hall
A music workshop to overcome stage fright and performance anxiety. Presented by Erica Kiesewetter and Tatjana Myoko von Prittwitz und Gaffron.
Contact: Erica Kiesewetter
E-mail: [email protected]
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3/28Saturday7:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Signs, Games, and Messages 2026 - Program Four
Songs, Laments, Dances, Games
Saturday, March 28, 2026Free and open to the public.
7:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Chapel of the Holy Innocents
PROGRAM
Béla Bartók
Selections from For Children
Peasant’s Flute Children at Play Pillow Dance
Hey, Tulip, Tulip Round Dance
I Lost My Partner
Bagpipe II
Drinking Song Children’s Dance Dance Song
Ivy Chen, cimbalom
András Szalai, piano
György Kurtág
Tre pezzi, Op. 38
Dávid Kéringer, clarinet
András Szalai, cimbalom
György Kurtág
Un brin de bruyère à Witold (In memoriam Witold Lutosławski)
Ivy Chen, cimbalom
György Kurtág
Hommage à Halmágyi Mihály
Sophia Cornicello, piano
András Szalai, cimbalom
György Ligeti
Automne à Varsovie from Études
Sophia Cornicello, piano
György Kurtág
Herdecker Eurhythmie, Op. 14a
Self-Will
Hommage à J. S. B. Flowers We Are (1)
Quarrel and Gentleness Flowers We Are (2)
Liliána Szokol, flute
András Szalai, cimbalom
György Kurtág
Selections from Játékok (Games)
Beating
Tumble-bunny
Bluebell
Thistle
Labyrinthine D (with echo)
Vigorously
Hommage à Emil Petrovics
Stubbunny
Alexandra Balog, piano
András Szalai, cimbalom
György Kurtág
Hommage à Berényi Ferenc 70
Nathaniel Valsania, cimbalom
François Couperin
Les Bergères (The Shepherdesses)
Nathaniel Valsania, cimbalom
András Szalai, piano
Béla Bartók
Sonatina
Dávid Kéringer, clarinet
András Szalai, cimbalom
INTERMISSION
Béla Bartók
Falun (Village Scenes), Sz. 78, BB 87a
Lucy Fitz Gibbon, soprano
Kayo Iwama, piano
György Kurtág
Egy téli alkony emlékére (In Memory of a Winter Sunset), Op. 8
1. Vivo
2. Sostenuto
3. Con moto, pesante
4. Presto agitato
Daphne Buan, soprano
András Szalai, cimbalom
Mira Wang, violin
Thomas Adès
Növények (Plants) for mezzo-soprano and piano sextet
Sydney Cornett, mezzo-soprano
Mira Wang, violin
Ziheng Xu, violin
Mason Haskett, viola
William Pilgrim, cello
Moises Chirinos, double bass
Alexandra Balog, piano
View Press Release
Contact: Concert Office
E-mail: [email protected]