The second day of NTDTV's International Chinese Vocal Competition began with female contestants singing in both the Bel Canto and Chinese Folk Songs categories. The judges had a difficult task choosing from a group of 36 very talented contestants. Mr. Li Mo from China has a BA in voice and is now pursuing a Master's degree in the U.S. in that field. He was very excited to find out about the competition in New York when using an online search engine.
"I got very excited when I saw that there is a Chinese vocal competition in a foreign country," he said.
Mr. Li applied and was accepted—and has now reached the semi finals. He competes as a tenor in the Bel Canto category, and has been singing professionally for over 12 years. Mr. Li also said that he thinks this was a great opportunity for Chinese Americans to showcase their cultural heritage, and said he hopes there will be more opportunities like this. When asked about the difference in teaching methods between the U.S. and China, Mr. Li said, "Now I understand vocal autonomy, how the muscles should be used, and which ones to use. This helps me to better use my voice; but feelings are important as well."
When both of these elements combined, he said, great sounds can be generated. He also said that singing Chinese is not easy because it is a hard language. He plans to work on his doctorate degree in voice the United States once he is done with his Master's degree. Mrs. Stella Chang, originally from Taiwan, trained in Italy for five years. The first year she learned Italian, then spent the next two years studying Verdi in Milan, and the other two at Santa Cecilia in Rome. Mrs. Chang has performed in major concert halls in Europe. Mrs. Chang sang Under the Silver Moon Light and the aria from Madame Butterfly, Un bel di Vedremo. She said that she is proud to be part of this traditional art.
"I think that this is very precious." This event was unique in seeing Chinese contestants singing in Italian. This cultural event hosted by NTDTV has brought to life the unique and very traditional Chinese cultural events for audiences in the U.S. and all over the world.
Two outstanding contestants were Ms. Wu Li from Taiwan and Mr. Peter Lee.
Ms. Li started singing at 17 and has been performing mezzo-soprano roles for seven years. Her deep and low voice allows her to sing men's roles. She sang Addio, Addio Miei Sospiri, an aria from Christoph Willibald Gluck's opera Orfeo et Euridice and the Chinese song Trunsi Chuie.
Trunsi Chuie is about a woman thinking of her husband who has been away from home for many years. She wants him to return; when she looks at the birds outside, she wishes that she was a bird to look for him. When she looks at herself in a mirror, she only sees her messy hair and face and thinks no one wants to look at her any more. "What is really unique about my voice is that it sounds heavier than a soprano, but I can do a lot of coloratura which has very fast notes," Ms. Li commented on the quality of her voice.
Ms. Li is pursuing her Master's in Vocal Accompaniment at the Manhattan School of Music. Another fascinating vocalist is countertenor Mr. Peter Lee who sang Ombra Mai Fe from a Handel opera. He sings in a male soprano range—what is referred to as "castro." Mr. Lee also sang the Lord's Prayer in Mandarin as a tenor. He said that as a boy, he sang soprano and those who sing tenor have to be trained. There were impressive Basso contestants as well; however, there were more tenors in the field.
A young tenor, Fakai Tang, majored in trumpet and then changed his major to voice at the National Taipei University of Art in Taiwan. He performed Tosti's Baciami in Italian and My Homeland in Xicutse in Mandarin. Baritone Te Hso from Taiwan sang a lively rendition of I live by The Yangzi River in Mandarin and Pieta from Verdi's Macbeth in Italian.
He said contestants are of very good quality and many came from mainland China.
The female vocalists competed next. The judges select those who will go on to the finals on Wednesday.