Shanghai Nightingale: A Musical Evening with Soprano Ying Huang
VIEW EVENT DETAILSDrinks Reception 7:00pm | Performance 7:45pm | Discussion 8:30pm
Soprano Ying Huang first came into international attention when she was cast, at age 23, in the title role in Frédéric Mitterand’s film Madame Butterfly. Her 2006 debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Pamina in The Magic Flute was the inaugural high-definition simulcast that launched the Met’s universally-popular HD series. Born and raised in Shanghai and educated at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Miss Huang has appeared on stage with such vocal luminaries as Placido Domingo, Michael Bolton, Andrea Bocelli, in addition to concert performances with the top American and European orchestras. She has also been a frequent star in operatic productions in China at the Shanghai Grand Theatre and the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing. She is also no stranger to the Pearl River Delta, having performed in The Magic Flute opposite tenor Warren Mok at the Macao International Music Festival.
Few people know of Miss Huang’s dedication and commitment to new music, especially to Chinese contemporary music. In addition to being the lead soprano in Tan Dun’s Peony Pavilion (directed by Peter Sellars) and Guo Wenjing’s Poet Li Bai (directed by Lin Zhaohua), she also created the title role in Zhou Long’s Madame White Snake, a co-commission by Opera Boston and the Beijing Music Festival that won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Music.
This Asia Society program features such well-loved Italian operatic highlights from Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, Rossini’s Barber of Seville and Puccini’s most popular arias excerpted from Gianni Schicchi, Madama Butterfly and La Bohème. An active recitalist, Miss Huang will also perform European art songs and other vocal delights.
This evening’s program concludes with a short discussion with Financial Times performing arts critic Ken Smith, with Miss Huang reflecting on her career-to-date and the changing landscape of the operatic world now.
PROGRAM
Gaetano Donizetti
“Quel guardo il cavaliere” from Don Pasquale
Gioachino Rossini
“Una voce poco fa” from Il barbiere di Siviglia
Giacomo Puccini
“O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi
Giacomo Puccini
“Un bel di” from Madama Butterfly
Giacomo Puccini
“Quando men’vo” from La Bohème
Léo Delibes
“Les filles de Cadix”
Gabriel Faure
“Mandoline”
Richard Strauss
“Ständchen” and “Zueignung”
Zhou Long
“Awakening Aria” from Madame White Snake
Discussion with Ying Huang and Ken Smith
Ken Smith is the Asian performing arts critic for the Financial Times of London and a regular columnist for Opera magazine of Shanghai.
Duration: approximately 1 hour 15 minutes with no intermission
Program is subject to change without prior notice.