*The concert is free of charge, however you can make an optional donation to cover expenses, suggested donation 150 RMB per person*

Program

THE MUSICIANS

Heng Shi

Baritone/ Opera Director

In 2013, Heng was selected as one of the top ten baritone singers in China in CCTV's "Glorious Bloom" concert program. He is an Associate Professor of the Department of Vocal and Opera of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, a guest Professor of The Conservatory of Music in Yangzhou University, and was awarded Pujiang Talent Program, jointly established by Shanghai Municipal Human Resource Bureau and Shanghai Science and Technology Committee. Founder and Art Director of the FIALA International Opera Festival in Argelès, France. Founder of Shanghai Songjiang Shi Heng Opera Art Center/Suzhou Shi Heng Opera Art Center. Deputy Director of Shanghai Zhigong Party Art Troupe, Honorary Director of Jiading Zhigong Party Art Troupe. Jury member of Marmande International Singing Competition in France, Jury member of Flame International Music Competition in Paris, Jury member of Maestro Paolo Coni Opera Competition. He has played more than twenty famous opera roles such as Escamillo the matador and Figaro. He has directed more than a dozen operas and light operas in China, France and Australia, including Faust, La Traviata, La Boheme, Gianni Schicchi, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, L'elisir d'amore, Don Pasquale, The Beautiful Helen, Cosi Fun Tutte, Orpheus in the Underworld, and Tang Xianzu, etc. Since his return from France in 2009, he hosted nearly 400 opera talk shows for opera lovers. He also produced several online talk shows, such as "Opera Salon", "Opera can be fun" on Himalaya - an educational platform, and "Uncle Opera" on another musical platform of Yidao. He has published "400 French Art Songs" and "Selected French Opera Arias (Baritone)".

Heng’s First Prizes in different International Vocal Competition

★In August 2006, at the 18th Marmande International Vocal Competition in France, won the top prizes in the French Art Song and Opera categories, as the first candidate in the history of the competition to win two top prizes at the same time.

★In November 2007, at the 14th d'Opéra and Mélodie Française d'Symphonies (le XIVème Concours International Air d'Opéra et Mélodie Française d'Symphonies)

★In January 2008, he won the top prize in the French Art Song and Opera categories at the XIVème Concours International Air d'Opéra et Mélodie Française d'Symphonies (automne de Mâcon.),  the first one in the history of the competition to win both top prizes.

★In January 2008, won the first prize in the vocal category at the 15th Picardie European Music Competition (le XVème Concours Européen de Chant en Picardie) in France.

★In May 2008, won the first prize in the vocal category of the 15th Picardie European Music Competition (le XVème Concours Européen de Chant en Picardie) in Italy.

★In May 2008, won the Audience Award, the Best Baritone Award and the First Prize at the Concorso Internazionale di Canto Lirico Anselmo Colzani (Italy). He became the most awarded candidate in the history of the competition.

★In May 2008, won the first prize in the vocal category at the 19th Flamme Concours International "FLAME" à Paris, France.

★In October 2008, won the first prize in the men's category at the 11th International Vocal Competition in Vivonne, France (leXIème Concours International des Jeunes Talents Lyriques de Vivonne).

★In November 2008, won the first prize and the audience award in the vocal competition of the first French and French Music festival in France.

★In June 2009, won the first prize in the IIIème Concours International des Jeunes Chanteurs Lyriques de Nîmes (France).

Carole Gabay

 Soprano 

She was awarded in 2006 with a First Prize from Conservatoire de Courbevoie, near Paris, France. Her natural vocal skills directed her very young to lyric singing and she has kept on studying the Coloratura répertoire during her academic studies (ESSEC MBA Graduate) and her professional career in Market Research. She has been living on family expat assignments since 2007 in various countries (Japan, Switzerland and China) and has thrilled the audience with her voice at each destination with numerous music performances of various musical styles. 

Alex Ip

Bass-Baritone

 A native of Hong Kong, has studied voice with numerous masters, including the world-renowned bass-baritone Mr. Sze Yi-kwei, famed vocal educator Madame Zhou Xiao-yan, and Chinese-American baritone Mr. Zhou Zheng and soprano Ms. Gao Man-hua. Alex obtained his professional degrees from Oxford University, Caltech and Haas School of UC Berkeley, and received his LRSM Diploma in Singing from ABRSM. Alex has performed with a variety of groups including the San Francisco Pocket Opera, Opera Hong Kong, Shanghai International Festival of Chorus, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Voices of the Valley, Caltech Glee Club and Oxford Bach Choir. Alex was the recipient of the first prize awards in Hong Kong Music Festival, under both the men’s voice and open group sections.

Selected recent Performances：

-Rigoletto, Verdi, Monterone, San Francisco

- Roberto Devereux, Donizetti, Page, San Francisco Pocket Opera. Romeo and Juliet, Gounod, Duke, Opera Hong Kong

- Voice Recital, Shanghai Conservatory of Music

-Messiah, Handel, International Festival of Chorus

-Requiem, Mozart, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra

-Marriage of Figaro, Mozart, Figaro, SF Voices of the Valley

- Magic Flute (excerpts), Mozart, Papageno, SF Voices of the Valley

Tong Zhang 

Tenor

 Tenor. In 2019, he was admitted to the Department of Vocal and Opera of Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Now he is under the tutelage of the famous baritone singer Heng SHI, as well as the Vocal Coach Ms. Yue WU.He won the second place in the opera aria group of the 2020 Korea-China International Music Competition and became the youngest undergraduate award-winning contestant, and the silver medal in the Bel Canto undergraduate group of the 2020 PROKOFIEV International Music Competition. 2020 he won the Special Award in the 6th Paul Kone Opera Vocal Competition. He has participated in Gounod's opera "Faust", Bizet's opera "Carmen", Mozart's opera "Magic Flute", Hua XIAO's "Suites of Songs on the Long March". He was invited to participate in the Shanghai Xintiandi Festival, performing the Puccini’ s opera "La Boheme" in August, 2021, as Benoit. 

PIANISTS

Yue Wu

 Flutist Soloist/Vocal Coach 

Flutist Soloist and Vocal Coach in Shanghai Conservatory of Music, vocal coach in the “Festival International d’Art Lyrique d’Argelès de France ”. Winner in many international flute competitions. Diploma “concertiste de Flûte” in “École Normale de Musique de Paris，France. She has participated in operas as vocal coach and as flutist Soloist in the orchestra in "Don Giovanni", "Le Nozze di Figaro", "Die Zauberflöte", "Belle Hélène", "Orpheus aux Hell "," Don Pasquale "," The Elixir of Love "...  

   Wota Li 

 Pianist

 He was admitted to the Department of Sound Education of Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 2020 and minored in opera Music Instruction in 2021.