Established in 1952, The China National Opera House (CNOH) is the national opera house affiliated to the Ministry of Culture of China. It is a leading opera house that features some of the most exceptional talents and artistic performances in China and the Asia-Pacific region.
The China National Opera House consists of an opera troupe, a choir, a symphony orchestra and a stagecraft department, etc. The opera troupe comprises many outstanding opera artists, most of whom have won major competitions both in China and abroad and are active internationally. The choir is very well-known in China, and most of its members are top students who have graduated from leading conservatories of music and have received systematic training in music and vocal expressions. The choir performs major musical works ranging from distinctive Chinese and foreign operas to vocal masterpieces. The symphony orchestra is proficient in performing operatic music and is popular and widely recognized in China for its abundant repertoire. The stagecraft department is very strong in its field, and has designed and implemented stage settings for productions, gala performances and events in China and abroad. CNOH also boasts of a team of prominent composers, conductors, directors, playwrights and stage designers. Successive presidents of CNOH include famous artists Li Bozhao, Zhou Weizhi, Lu Su, Zhao Feng, Ma Ke, Li Ling, Liu Lianchi, Wang Shiguang, Chen Xieyang and Liu Xijin. Well-known Conductor Professor Yu Feng serves as the current president of CNOH.
Thanks to the persistent efforts of generations of artists for more than half a century, CNOH has debuted, staged and preserved a series of world famous operas including La Traviata, Madama Butterfly, Carmen, Eugene Onegin, Turandot, Aida, La Boheme, Rigoletto, La Nozzede Figaro, Othello, Cavalleria Rusticana, II Barbiere di Siviglia, I Pagliacci, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Le Roi d’Yis, Die Fledermaus, Tannhauser, among others. CNOH has also presented a series of Chinese operas, including Liu Hulan, Song of Grassland, Ayiguli, The 100th Bride, Marco Polo, Du Shiniang, Farewell My Concubine, Countryside Girl Teacher, Love Story of Rawap, and Revolution in 1911 among others.
CNOH is very active internationally. In the summer of 1988, the CNOH troupe visited Finland at the invitation of the Savonlinna Opera Festival, and performed Madam Butterfly, Carmen, Requiem (Verdi) and some Chinese musical pieces. The performance was a large success and received high acclaim. In January 2008, CNOH toured San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, New York, Houston and Dallas in the United States for one month with the opera Farewell My Concubine; an original operatic production. In October 2008, CNOH visited Egypt for the first time and performed Puccini’s Turandot in the Cairo Opera House. CNOH also visited Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao to stage operas.
Since China initiated its economic reform program, international art exchange activities at the China National Opera House have been greatly enhanced. In 1986, CNOH collaborated successfully with the famous Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti in staging the opera La Boheme. In 1999, it presented a collaborative performance with the eminent Spanish tenor; Jose Carreras. In June 2001, CNOH hosted the successful "Three World Famous Tenors’ Forbidden City Concert"; which witnessed its collaboration with Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. The CNOH opera troupe has also performed with world-famous artists like Montserrat Caballe, Jessye Norman, Renee Fleming, Angela Gheorghiu, Jo Sumi, Marcello Giordani, Salvatore Licitra, Ramon Vargas, Dmitri hvorostovsky, Andrea Bocelli, Elena Rossi, and Hayley Westenra among others.
In 2009, CNOH launched its first international Opera Season, where it presented many fabulous operas and music concerts. Among these programs, Turandot, staged in the National Stadium of China (also known as the bird's nest), attracted an audience of more than 100000 people in two days. Moreover, CNOH brought this opera to Taiwan and performed twice at Taizhong Baseball Stadium, where it attracted an audience of more than 30 thousand people. This success contributed a great deal to the popularity of opera in China. The Chinese original opera Farewell My Concubine won the ‘Wenhua Prize’ in the 9th China Art Festival. Moreover, another Chinese original opera; The Love Story of Rawap, received the ‘Outstanding Opera Award’ at the 1st Presentation of National Art Organizations Festival organized by the Chinese Ministry of Culture.
For almost 60 years, the China National Opera House has contributed a great deal to the development of opera art. Furthermore, CNOH has maintained its high level of professionalism by constantly fostering new talents. Young artists in CNOH have frequently won awards in both international and domestic competitions and shown high artistic standards in international art exchange events. As China’s National Opera House faces a brand new age, it will continue to abide by its principle of openness and internationalization, and shoulder the responsibility of developing national culture and enhancing international culture exchange and cooperation.