Tuning into Chinese opera

"The WFMT Radio Network is delighted to be sharing eight operas from the NCPA to stations around the country in our well-established Opera Series," says George Preston, vice-president of WFMT Radio Network. "The NCPA has become a significant presenter of full-scale operas in a relatively short time — just 15 years — and has become known in the opera world for its high musical standards and production values. It has combined some of the best-known international interpreters of opera with China's most talented artists to create something truly fresh and vibrant. It's thrilling to think of Chinese audiences embracing many of these works for the first time."

Preston mentions that Chinese composer Hao "studied in Europe and uses traditional compositional techniques, but he adapts those techniques for the Chinese language, creating a sound that is at once both familiar and entirely new".

"I hope that the NCPA's practice of commissioning Chinese composers to write operas continues and expands the general operatic repertoire," says Preston, adding that the opera performances from the NCPA are on par with those of any other major international opera company that WFMT Radio Network features in its series.

"I think listeners in our Network will be impressed that the musical values of this 15-year-old enterprise rival those of companies who have been in the opera business for, in some cases, hundreds of years! We are so proud to be partnering with the NCPA to share its work with a wider American audience," Preston adds.

The Chinese opera has won over many listeners overseas by being broadcast on various international platforms.