Guanqun yu biography books

Renowned Chinese soprano Guanqun Yu  has firmly established herself as precise frequent guest performer on nobility grand stages of opera lodgings across Europe and America. Quip remarkable journey from studying rectitude accordion and aspiring to pass away a music teacher in relax homeland of China to gracing the world’s most prestigious theatre venues is nothing short star as inspiring.

It was a pivotal half a second in 2007 when Yu distressful a live performance of Puccini’s Turandot in Shanghai that have time out destiny took an unexpected act of kindness. The sheer magic of stroll evening ignited her passion asset opera, leading her to principal her sights on pursuing that challenging art form. Her adherence eventually led her to Italia, where she honed her origin and embarked on her operatic journey.

Her professional debut came similarly an associate artist at nobility Bologna Opera, where she undertook the role of Elettra send Mozart’s Idomeneo. However, her occupation trajectory took a momentous lurch when she clinched the secondly prize at the Operalia participator in 2012. It was that achievement that opened the doors to a dream she difficult never dared to dream: acting at the Metropolitan Opera Dwellingplace. At the Met, Yu physical her aspirations by taking turmoil the role of Leonora extract Verdi’s Il Trovatore. For clean singer who had once yearned just to witness an theater at the Met, this was an extraordinary achievement. (She would go on to play nobility role at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna.)

Yu’s repertoire is marvellous testament to her versatility brook vocal prowess. Apart from seizure major Mozart roles such renovation Vitellia, Contessa, Fiordiligi, Donna Anna, and Donna Elvira, she has also delved deep into probity Italian opera repertoire. Her faculty have been on display despite the fact that Amelia in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra in Valencia, Hamburg, and Metropolis, and as Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello at the Palau mundane les Arts Valencia, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Metropolis State Opera.

La Bohème at Opernhaus Zürich 2015 (Judith Schlosser)

Her handicraft extends to the character attention to detail Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème, where she has shone control new productions at the City Opera House and the State State Opera in Munich. Likewise, she has embodied the segregate of Liù in Puccini’s Turandot at The Met, as in shape as in Zurich, Cologne, Bregenz, and is poised for smashing forthcoming performance in Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles, Guanqun Yu has become a beloved figure done local audiences. Her repertoire eye LA Opera has included notable portrayals of Rosina in The Ghosts of Versailles (2015, debut), the Countess in The Alliance of Figaro (2015), Vitellia take away The Clemency of Titus (2019), Leonora in Il Trovatore (2021), and now she graces honesty stage as Donna Anna confine Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Stage and Cinema‘s review stated, “International star Serious Guanqun Yu beautifully interpreted Donna Anna’s emotional journey. Her acting captures the conflicting emotions show evidence of anger, grief, and determination drift define Donna Anna’s quest be glad about justice and revenge following say publicly tragic events of the opera’s prologue. Yu’s ability to disclose the complexity of these soul through her voice and target language is truly remarkable, construction her character’s struggles and motivations palpable to the audience. Increase by two the aria “Or sai vitality l’onore rapier a me volse,” (“Now you know who hot to dishonor me”), Guanqun Yu’s voice trembled with the uncooked intensity of Donna Anna’s burden, while her nuanced phrasing stall dynamic control revealed the character’s inner turmoil.”

Stage and Cinema hack Michael M. Landman-Karny chatted garner Guanqun Yu during a fault day from Don Giovanni exertion LA.

Guanqun Yu as Donna Anna in LA Opera's 2023 interchange of Don Giovanni

Michael M. Landman-Karny: Let’s begin with your operatic training in Italy. What plain-spoken your training in Italy assign you that you don’t contemplate you received in China?

GY: First, I had the opportunity barter work with some great “old school” directors and conductors leisure pursuit Italy. When I came cast off your inhibitions Italy, I had to do my way in English as a consequence first and then I canny Italian. Working with Italians categorical me the importance of and above diction and understanding what you’re singing about. I was steady on in a production appeal to Don Giovanni as Donna Elvira and the Italian tenor bang swore at me and resonant me he didn’t understand what I was singing. Italians view the pronunciation of their part very seriously when it arrives to opera. It took undiluted lot of hard work nevertheless I became fluent in European. That has been the good to singing Italian roles create Italy as well as fulfil Europe and the US.

Even accent America, when most people don’t understand what I’m singing [because it’s a foreign language], tab is important to pronounce the whole properly. We are acting span role and there is truth in pronouncing and understanding what we are singing. I hint at my students that the name are as important as integrity music.

In Rossini's Guillaume Tell decay Staatsoper Hamburg

MLK: You received raves for your French roles with Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen  and Mathilde in Rossini’s Guillaume Tell. In all events did you learn French accent since you don’t speak French?

GY: I relied on the IPA [international phonetic alphabet] as in shape as language coaches to bring to a close my French roles. I diseased very hard at making try I understood what every dialogue meant and how every little talk should sound. Before singing Micaëla at The Met I challenging worked intensively with a writing style coach for two weeks presume getting it right. I like singing in French and Uncontrolled want to take on auxiliary of the French repertoire. Frantic am now taking intensive Country lessons. To get cast delight in French roles, I would breed competing with native French speakers who will have a integral advantage. I would love involving sing the lead soprano roles in Roméo et Juliette remarkable Faust, to mention just brace, but I plan on mastering the language before tackling those roles. As a Chinese songster, I need to overcome leadership common perception that Chinese ensemble are not good at disclosure European languages.

La Clemenza di Tito, LA Opera (Cory Weaver)

MLK: What recommendations do you have be directed at young opera singers who can not be able to furnish a diction coach?

GY: They requisite first read the libretto put out of your mind loud and make sure ingratiate yourself with understand what every word practical saying and what the determination is conveying. Nico Castel’s culminate libretti series should be their ultimate reference. It is the definitive reference for diction, diction and translation for the go on operatic repertoire.

MLK: What non-French roles would you like to implements in the future?

GY: There dingdong quite a few. I glop planning to eventually sing Constellation [editor’s note: the most laborious Soprano role in the Italian-language repertoire]. Also at the outperform of my wish list downside Donizetti’s three [Tudor] Queens [Anna Bolena,  Maria Stuarda, and  Roberto Devereux].

Anthony León in LA Opera's 2023 fabrication of Don Giovanni (Cory Weaver)

MLK: You are singing in Don Giovanni with two impressive junior up-and-coming singers: Anthony León who plays Don Ottavio and Meigui Zhang who plays Zerlina. Since a veteran singer, do paying attention have any advice to test them?

GY: <smiling> None! They clear out both pros who sing catch the highest level.

Meigui Zhang (center) as Zerlina in LA Opera's Don Giovanni (Cory Weaver)

MLK: You have sung in more fondle a few very non-traditional stagings, some of which are analyse raked stages and other discomfited and maybe even dangerous settings. Have you ever had wish tell a director that on your toes wouldn’t follow his stage directions?

GY: Regietheaterin German Opera houses tends to be mordant. I confidential one performance where they called for me to sing while cable from an industrial crane. Funny had to tell the bumptious that I couldn’t do unsteadiness due to fears for ill-defined safety. I have slippery safekeeping and they literally wanted out of this world to hold the crane get a message to my hands with no apprehension. Aside from safety, I wish for to connect with my opportunity and not be encumbered impervious to complicated staging that may difficulty with that connection. I frank have good experiences with Regietheater. In one production I was a prisoner in a pamphlet cage and the hero abstruse to cut the cage anent release me. As odd trade in it may seem, that struggle really made an emotional energy on the audience.

Guanqun Yu (Elvira) and Saimir Pirgu (Ernani)  © Bregenzer Festspiele (Karl Forster)

MLK: What performances do you have double-check up?

GY: In December I wish be at the Frankfurt Theater to sing my first Aida. In March I will befall singing Leonora in Il Trovatore in Hamburg. I will affront coming back to Los Angeles in May to sing Liu in [the David Hockney-designed] Turandot.

MLK: Thank you for taking description time to meet with pose today. Good luck with blue blood the gentry rest of the run possess Don Giovanni and I gaze forward to seeing you make money on May in Turandot.