Source: Institute of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage
Written by: Institute of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage
Translated by: Chen Xi
Edited by: Wang Dongmei
The performance “Western Opera through the Ages” by Vanderbilt University Opera Theatre was staged in the Chinese Hall on South Campus of Sun Yat-sen University at 7:30 in the evening of May 19th, 2014. It was a return performance after Lingnan Opera League’s visit and public performance at Vanderbilt University in March of this year. Professor CHEN Chunsheng, Executive Deputy Secretary and Vice President of SYSU, Professor KANG Baocheng, Director of Institute of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage, and Professor SONG Junhua, Executive Vice Director of the Institute, attended the performance.
Before the performance, Professor SONG Junhua gave a welcoming speech to the audience and the Vanderbilt guests, and wished the performance a complete success.
"Western Opera through the Ages" by Vanderbilt University Opera Theatre
All the four performers are graduates from Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University and the excellent alumni and alumnae. They presented four classical European opera scenes, such as The Marriage of Figaro and Lakmé, which were sung in Italian, German and French, and performed an American opera Again which was composed in 2000. Their devoted performance, exquisite singing technique and elegant chorus brought round after round of applauses from the audience.
After the end of the performance, Executive Deputy Secretary and Vice President CHEN Chunsheng delivered a speech. He highly praised the performance and hoped that there will be more cultural and academic exchanges to enhance the understanding and friendship between the two universities.
On May 17th, the Vanderbilt delegation also had a meeting with Professor KANG Baocheng, Professor SONG Junhua and students from Lingnan Opera League. The two sides discussed issues such as professional training and employment, inheritance and innovation of classics, and learning ways of Peking Opera. Then, the delegates went to the rehearsal room of Lingnan Opera League and participated in the rehearsal activities, which gave them a chance to know more about Peking Opera.
