Compiled by Clearwisdom staff, August 2, 2009

Soprano Jin Shi Wu (Dai Bing/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORK--A group of 32 elite Chinese bel canto vocalists from around the globe sang in the semi-final round of the 2009 NTDTV Chinese International Vocal Competition at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College in New York on Saturday, August 1.

This Bel Canto competition is part of a series of nine separate competitions held by international satellite television station New Tang Dynasty TV, whose mission is to promote traditional culture through the arts. The vocal competition aims to "foster cultural exchange and promote traditional vocal arts of pure authenticity, pure goodness, and pure beauty," according to its charter. The competition is the first one ever that is open only to Chinese and Chinese descendants.

Over 100 vocalists applied from more than 10 countries, including the United States, France, Italy, Australia, Japan, China and Taiwan. Forty-four of them were invited to New York as preliminary contestants. On the last day of the competition, one gold, one silver and two bronze awards will be given in the female and male divisions. The winners will take home $10,000, $3,000 and $1,000 respectively.

"The competition is meant to introduce the Chinese language to the vocal community," said judge Yang Jiansheng, a critically acclaimed alto who began her career with China's Central Philharmonic Orchestra and later studied with Italian operatic masters.

"It's very difficult to sing Chinese songs in a Western style. It takes great skill on the vocalist's part and they need to annunciate," she said.

All contestants will be required to sing two songs each of their own choosing--at least one of which must be in Chinese.

Contestants will be judged on the range of their voice, their use of volume and projection, how well they control their voices, and fluency in the languages they sing in, according to Yang.

Contestants may choose to sing Chinese traditional, folk, and classic songs, television and movie theme songs and arias--but all pieces must be performed in the Bel Canto style, which originated in 18th and early 19th century Italy and is recognized for its flexibility in the use of vocal range.

By the end of the day on Saturday, half of the contestants--10 semi-finalists from Asia and 22 from Friday's preliminary in New York--were eliminated. Most contestants chose one song in Italian, German, Latin or French and the other in Chinese. They were diverse in style and subject matter.

For the semifinal and final rounds, contestants are required to perform two songs, each of their own selection. At least one of the songs must be sung in Chinese, and finalists may not repeat any song from a previous round.

In its three years of existence, the Chinese International Vocal Competition has served as a unique platform for Chinese artists to share their skills.

"This competition is for Chinese people all over the world and I think that's what attracted me," said tenor Alvin Tan from San Francisco, California--now a semi-finalist--who has a degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

"I think a true artist serves the music and not him or herself," Tan said.

Another semi-finalist, mezzo-soprano Lee Yu, is participating in the competition for the third year. For her, it's about personal growth.

"Arts are related to a person's personal experience," she said. "For me, technical improvement has a limit, yet inspiration is unlimited. One might sing the same song differently at different ages, because he or she would have a different understanding of the song."

Bel canto is an operatic singing style distinguished by full, even tones, and a brilliant display of vocal technique. Because of the need for enunciation, using the bel canto style presented a challenge for many contestants.

Soprano Min Kai Yi from Taiwan is now studying choir conducting and vocal studies at Maastricht University in Holland. "It's very different to sing bel canto in Western languages than in Chinese. Actually, my Chinese articulation improved dramatically while preparing for this competition," she said, adding that she appreciates an emphasis on delivering the lyrics clearly.

"Nowadays, many people emphasize more on quantity and speed rather than quality. Yet if this trend goes on, many valuable things, such as culture, will be gradually lost. And that will be a pity. So I think the nine series of competitions is very valuable, because these will retrieve the nearly lost culture."

Lee Wen, Min's cousin and a hospital credentialist in the United States, said that the caliber of the competition was "so much higher" than she imagined.

"I didn't expect so many contestants to be both young and talented. I am a bit overwhelmed by the standard of Chinese vocalists nowadays," she said, noting that traditional singing is worthy of being preserved, as it brings people to a "calmer realm."

In preparation for the final stage of the competition, the judges further explained their expectations: "We must look at performance at the final round as well as that in the previous two rounds," said Guan Guimin, a world renowned tenor. "And we need to look at their understanding of the songs, and their outlook on life. You can tell it in their eyes. Their character comes out in their stage presence."

"You must have a good handle on pronouncing the words," said music educator and vocalist Han Suqiu, who serves on the panel of judges. "Because the Chinese language has very deep meaning. If you cannot enunciate, then you cannot convey the inner meaning of the lyrics."

Judges are keeping an eye on the authenticity of the singing style, too--points are taken off if an ethnic style is used instead of bel canto. "There are 56 ethnicities in China, and each has its own systematic and characteristic singing style that cannot be combined," said Han.

The competition, hosted by global satellite television station New Tang Dynasty Television, aims to revive traditional culture and share it with a broader audience.

Soprano Chou Hsiao-Chien from Minneapolis thinks the contest provides a good platform for this kind of exchange. "I think bel canto is quite important for its wide acceptance in the Western world," she said. "It's harder for Westerners to understand Chinese ethnic songs. Bel canto kind of decreases the cultural gap."

Wu Min, former music professor in mainland China, was among the audience of the competition.

"The majority of the contestants were absolutely amazing. Their voice quality was great while their fundamental skills were also solid," he said.

"What was most precious was that their inner self and outer appearance were consistent. None of them tried to show themselves off. I think in this competition, they are carefully trying to convey beautiful and good things to the audience--that's their wish."

Female division:

Hui-Ju Chen, soprano, New York
Kai Yi Min, soprano, Taiwan
Jin Shi Wu, soprano, New York
Yun-ju Chen, mezzo-soprano, New York
Chun-Ting Chao, soprano, Taiwan
Ke Chen, soprano, Michigan
Haolan Geng, soprano, China
Chia-Ling (Karen) Ho, soprano, Taiwan
Yu-Ju Lee, soprano, Taiwan
Hsiao-Chien Chou, soprano, Minnesota

Male division:

Yuan Qu, tenor, New York
Chee Shen Tan, tenor, New York
Alvin Tan, baritone, California
Zheng Ning, baritone, New York
Jason Fuh, baritone, Ohio
Yi Cherng Lin, baritone, Maryland

Tenor Chee Shen Tan (Edward Dai/The Epoch Times)

Soprano Kai Yi Min (Edward Dai/The Epoch Times)

Baritone Jason Fuh (Edward Dai/The Epoch Times)

Source:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/20408/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/20427/