Magic Flute Sounds · Love Lost and Found

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Magic Flute — A New Staged Production

19:30 · Saturday, October 10 / 15:00 · Sunday, October 11, 2026 · China National Opera House

Dane Lam, conductor · Shuang Zou, director · London Philharmonic Orchestra
China National Opera House Chorus & Beijing Philharmonic Choir · Bing Chen, chorus master
Cast: Anthony Gregory, Sofia Troncoso, John Chest, Aigul Khismatullina, Teddy Tahu Rhodes and others

An ancient spell, a brand-new stage

Highlights

“A dazzling production brings the fantasy of Mozart’s Magic Flute into the present day.” ★★★★★

“It is very exciting to see a fresh take on one of the most famous operas of all time, keeping this remarkable art form alive and relevant to today’s audiences. If you’re unsure whether to see yet another version of The Magic Flute, stop wondering, because this version is like nothing you’ve ever seen.” ★★★★★

“Zou reimagines The Magic Flute into a world and time far removed from its original. It couldn’t be any further……and Zou’s setting of The Magic Flute in a busy Hong Kong subway might seem the recipe for a fall, but nothing could be further from the truth. It works. Its conception is intelligent, and almost every aspect of the original story line – the adventure, the pantomime and melodrama, and the allegory – remain evident, alive, and believable.”

The Magic Flute, completed in 1791, the final year of Mozart's life, is his swan song to the world. A Singspiel — sung in German, with spoken dialogue between the musical numbers — it fuses fairy-tale enchantment, the Enlightenment ideals of Freemasonry, and melody of the purest Mozartian vintage: the Queen of the Night's breathtaking coloratura on the one hand, Papageno's artless, endearing folk songs on the other. It is an adventure a child can follow and a parable adults never finish pondering — and for more than two centuries it has stood among the most frequently performed operas on earth.

The festival presents a wholly new staging, jointly produced by the Beijing Music Festival, Opera Hong Kong, the China National Opera House and State Opera South Australia, with the support of the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations — the latest in the festival's long line of international co-productions in opera. With an international cast, the production is directed by BMF Artistic Director Shuang Zou, who retells the old fable in a thoroughly contemporary stage language.

In the pit sits the London Philharmonic Orchestra, this year's orchestra-in-residence, appearing throughout the festival. To have a world-class symphony orchestra in the opera pit is a luxury in itself; add the combined choral forces of the China National Opera House Chorus and the Beijing Philharmonic Choir; and with Dane Lam — Artistic Director of State Opera South Australia and a conductor of deep operatic experience — at the helm, this Magic Flute promises music-making of the very highest order.

From Tamino and Pamina's love, tried by water and fire, to the struggle of light and darkness between the Queen of the Night and Sarastro, to Papageno's dream of simple happiness, The Magic Flute wraps the deepest of questions in the most approachable of forms. Whether you are entering the opera house for the first time or know every bar by heart, this new production — given twice — holds delights for both: an old friend at first sight, and brand-new at every return.

About the Opera

The story unfolds in a fabled land of ancient Egypt. Prince Tamino, pursued by a monstrous serpent, is rescued by three ladies of the Queen of the Night. The Queen tells him that her daughter Pamina has been carried off by the “villain” Sarastro, and begs him to rescue her, promising him Pamina's hand. She gives Tamino a magic flute to ward off danger, and sends the bird-catcher Papageno, armed with a chime of magic bells, to accompany him.

Yet when Tamino reaches Sarastro's temple, the truth turns inside out: Sarastro is no demon but a priest of wisdom and light; it is the Queen, driven by hatred and the lust for power, who embodies darkness. To win each other — and true enlightenment — Tamino and Pamina must pass together through the trials of silence, of water and of fire. Meanwhile Papageno, longing for a wife, at last finds his destined Papagena. As light triumphs over darkness, the opera closes in a chorus of love and wisdom fulfilled.

What is most admired in The Magic Flute is how Mozart gives every character an unmistakable musical physiognomy: the Queen of the Night's coloratura in “Der Hölle Rache” hurls out repeated high Fs at the very edge of the human voice; Sarastro's arias breathe forgiveness and wisdom in tones of solemn bass; Papageno's songs are light, droll and irresistible. This genius for holding the exalted and the popular in perfect balance is the secret of the opera's eternal youth.

Director's Note

Shuang Zou

Mozart’s The Magic Flute is a musical journey in search of truth and love. A swan song of Mozart’s short yet brilliant life, this masterpiece has captivated audiences, musicians, and artists across different cultures and generations for centuries.

After two rounds of performances in Hong Kong and Australia, this “Magic Flute journey” has finally arrived in Beijing. I am thrilled to bring together the wonderful artists from both previous legs alongside the London Philharmonic Orchestra here in Beijing. Along the way, the compassion and joy embedded in Mozart’s music have brought us endless love and connection. This is not only a heartfelt meeting with the Beijing audience, but also a reunion of love with Mozart’s great masterpiece.

In our previous iterations, we stepped away from traditional symbolic frameworks, transforming the narrative into a journey of “redemption and self-awakening” that resonated more with an Eastern perspective. In this production, we wanted to go further: turning a series of trials across shifting spaces into a warm, urban exploration filled with love, surprises, and reunions.

We chose to set the starting point in a space most familiar to everyday urban life—a subway station. In the routine flow of daily life, we are often rushing to find our destination and answers, overlooking the scenery around us and the emotional connections passing by. We wanted to bring the fantasy world of The Magic Flute into an urban space everyone can sense the moment they step out of the theater:

The Prince and Princess become travelers who have forgotten where they are headed in the city;

The courier rushing past us is Papageno;

The flight attendant steps out of an advertisement poster on the platform, while the passing train becomes a dragon;

And among the strangers moving through the story and across the platform—Mozart himself appears in their midst, placing the magic flute into the travelers' hands, guiding people as they brush past one another in daily life, only to meet again…

We spread the wings of imagination to connect the ordinary world with extraordinary magic. The love being called upon, the unexpected surprises, and the subtle thrills are all hidden within the moments of our daily lives, rich with healing and power.

Mozart’s life trajectory was not unlike ours—he experienced loneliness, hardship, and the highs and lows of fortune. Yet moving through these joys and sorrows of life was music. Mozart’s music teaches us to dissolve the boundaries of time and space, let go of black-and-white mindsets, embrace the present moment, and savor the excitement and expectation of the unknown through heartfelt reunions of love.

There may not be another Mozart in a thousand years, but he can still manifest as a passing stranger on the platform—the ultimate witness to our journey.

Why is Mozart so great? Because he believed in magic like a child. No pain, only gain—it all depends on how we see life…

Please get ready, fasten your seatbelts, take a deep breath with an open heart—a reunion journey full of love and celebration is about to begin… and it’s a completely zero-carbon heart-to-heart trip!

The Magic Flute - Cast and Creative Team

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer
Emanuel Schikaneder, librettist

Dane Lam, conductor
London Philharmonic Orchestra

Shuang Zou, director
Dan Potra, set and costume designer
Glen D'haenens, lighting designer
Marco Devetak, multimedia designer
Bing Chen, chorus master
Weixiang Zhu, assistant conductor
Yingbao Xu, repetiteur
Yuzhe Cui, movement director

Cast

Anthony Gregory　Tamino, tenor
Sofia Troncoso　Pamina, soprano
John Chest　Papageno, baritone
Aigul Khismatullina　Queen of the Night, soprano
Teddy Tahu Rhodes　Sarastro, bass
Jessica Dean　Papagena, soprano
Mark Oates　Monostatos, tenor
Pelham Andrews　Speaker, bass-baritone
Candice Chung　First Lady, soprano
Kitty Whately　Second Lady, mezzo-soprano
Yajie Zhang　Third Lady, mezzo-soprano

Chuqiao Liu, Zhengyi Shao　Spirit I
Ruiting Wang, Chengjie Zhang, Eloise Gregory　Spirit II
Yuxuan Liu, Yining Yin　Spirit III

Understudy Cast

Kaibo Wang　Tamino, tenor
Xiaoyun Wang　Pamina, soprano
Daicheng Lv　Papageno, baritone
Xiaoyadi Jiang　Queen of the Night, soprano
Guang Yang　Third Lady, mezzo-soprano

Dancers

Junyan Zhang, Hankun Zhang, Chengsong Zhuang, Can Cui, Yuhao Cui, Yiye Liu, Zihuan Xu

China National Opera House Chorus
Beijing Philharmonic Choir

Production Team

Nannan Jia, technical director
Gloria Ngai, production manager
Xingzi Guo, assistant project manager
Jamie Ho, stage manager
Winnie Ng, deputy stage manager
Ray Wong, assistant stage manager
Chengjie Wang, Bosen Yan, video operators

China National Opera House Team

Jing Liu, Linyao Xu, project managers
Jingnan Yuan, set manager
Xiuwen Pei, Yifan Zhang, stage managers
Pengsong Jia, head of stage management
Yujin Chang, Peng Zang, Zanshuo Wang, stage technicians
Heke Li, Jian Yu, Yinqing Wu, Yang Chen, Linhan Wang, lighting technicians
Hao Sheng, Yu Kang, video technicians
Yaping Chen, Xing Wei, Yiyang Fang, sound technicians
Zheng Chen, Yuzhe Cui, Yuanyuan Cheng, Xiaoxiao Zheng, Juanjuan Chen, wardrobe management
Lin Song, Jianxin Gao, Ying Feng, Jiahong Gao, make-up artists
Yilin Wang, Yuntian Ding, Long Chen, Xu Zhen, prop management
Jialiang Guo, stage logistics coordinator

Shuang Zou, dialogue adaptation
Special thanks to Michael Gow for his generous support with this English libretto and dialogue translation

A joint production of Opera Hong Kong, State Opera South Australia, Beijing Music Festival, and China National Opera House — supported by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations

This program will last approximately 2.5 hours with a 15 minutes intermission, sung in German, dialogue in English with Chinese and English surtitles

The program is subject to change

Dane Lam｜Conductor

Australian-Chinese conductor Dane Lam holds concurrent senior artistic positions across three continents as Principal Conductor of China's Xi'an Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Director of State Opera South Australia.

In 2014, Lam became the first non-Chinese conductor to lead a major Chinese orchestra. Since then, he has played a central role in the Xi'an Symphony’s artistic development, conducting the 3,000-year-old city's first professional staged opera and the televised Mid-Autumn Festival Gala, which reached audiences of hundreds of millions.

In Hawai'i, he guided the orchestra to its 2026 designation as the State Orchestra of Hawai'i. At State Opera South Australia, he has championed international collaboration, leading the first-ever Australia–China opera co-production, premiering a new Roméo et Juliette in partnership with companies in Ireland and Western Australia, and co-producing Missy Mazzoli's The Galloping Cure.

Lam’s recording of Ye Xiaogang's orchestral works with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Signum Classics) has received critical acclaim.

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Resident at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall and Glyndebourne Festival Opera

Principal Conductor: Edward Gardner

Principal Guest Conductor: Karina Canellakis

Conductor Emeritus: Vladimir Jurowski KBE

Artistic Director: Jesús Herrera

Chief Executive: David Burke

Patron: HRH The Duke of Kent KBE

Uniquely groundbreaking and exhilarating to watch and hear, the London Philharmonic Orchestra has been celebrated as one of the world’s great orchestras since it was founded in 1932. Based at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, we’re at the heart of London’s cultural life, with residencies across the UK and regular tours across the globe. In 2024 we marked 60 years as Resident Symphony Orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera.

Edward Gardner has been our Principal Conductor since 2021, succeeding Vladimir Jurowski (now Conductor Emeritus), and Karina Canellakis is our Principal Guest Conductor.

One of the world’s most-streamed orchestras, we’re also one of the most successful worldwide on social media and online. Our sound features on countless film scores, and our own LPO Label celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2025. Through our Education and Community programme, we inspire young musicians – from first encounters with music to developing the next generation of professionals.

Shuang Zou｜Director

Shuang Zou serves as Artistic Director at the Beijing Music Festival since 2018 and introduced the innovative "New Wave" series, featuring immersive, site-specific opera and music-theatre productions, along with international co-commission programs. These projects created a unique platform for collaborations between new generations of international and Chinese musicians and artists. Shuang Zou received a nomination for the "Newcomer" award by The International Opera Awards UK and the "Innovation Award" at Classical Next in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

As stage director, Shuang has an versatile portfolio of productions, including "The Magic Flute" for Opera Hong Kong and SOSA, Samuel Beckett’s "Happy Days" for the China National Theatre and the Chinese version of Noël Coward’s "Blithe Spirit”, Muziektheatre Transparant’s music theatre "Songs of Nature" for the Klara Festival Belgium, the staged version of "Die Winterreise," and the immersive opera "Orfeo" for the Beijing Music Festival, the semi-staged opera "The Rake’s Progress" and "Rigoletto" for Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, “Turandot” For Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra and “Das Rheingold” for Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Operetta "The Merry Widow” and “Wisteira” for Fuzhou Opera. She also wrote librettos to musicals, such as "The Wonderful Adventures of Nils" and "The Nine Coloured Deer" for the Wuhan People’s Art Theatre, with the former winning the prestigious Golden Lion Theatre Award for Best Children’s Musical in China and performed over a decade.

Shuang Zou's graduated from the London School of Economics and she further received a Master’s degree with Distinction in Directing from the London Film School. Her career has been marked by a passionate commitment to multidisciplinary work across the realms of music, film, and stage. During her earlier years Shuang Zou worked as assistant/revival director. Highlights are the London’s Royal Albert Hall "Madam Butterfly" and Northern Irish Opera "Noye’s Fludde," which then brought to the Beijing Music Festival, Shanghai MISA Festival, and Nevill Holt Opera in the UK. Her experience also extends to serving as an assistant director on various opera projects, spanning from the Baroque period to contemporary operas, at renowned production houses and esteemed venues such as the Danish National Opera, Garsington Opera UK, Frankfurt Opera and the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet.

Dan Potra｜Set and Costume Designer

Dan is a NIDA-graduate designer across the full spectrum of the arts, designing sets, costumes, concepts and animation for opera, theatre, large scale events, dance and film. Dan has received six Helpmann Award nominations for his design work in opera and theatre.

International opera and theatre productions include HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, THE PORTRAIT, CYRANO DE BERGERAC, SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, HOFFMANS ADVENTURE and DRACULA.

Dan has designed large scale sporting and cultural events such as the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and ceremony segments for the 2018 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, as well as the opening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Some of Dan’s other designs include MANCHESTER DAY PARADE and THE TEMPEST (Imagineer UK), and SHAUN THE SHEEP (Circa).

Glen D’haenens｜Lighting Designer

Glen D'haenens graduated as a director for television and film, but preferred live theatre and started working as a lighting technician for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in 1999, where he was head of light, sound, video and special effects from 2011 until end 2024.

Apart from his technical work he started making his own light designs for different types of performances: dance, theatre, music, events, architecture and of course a lot of opera. He worked on different continents for a great variety of directors and choreographers.

Recent designs include: “Cendrillon” (Conservatoire Nanterre, Paris), “Griselda” (Kongelige Teater Copenhagen), “Les Enfants Terribles” (Opera Zuid & DNO) and “Solar” (De Munt).

At the SIHA school in Antwerp he helped create the department for stagecrafts and taught theatre lighting. He recently started working at the department for interior architecture at the Antwerp University, where he teaches master students to convey emotion through light and sound.

Glen spends his spare time on drumming, reading, writing music and synthesizers.

Marco Devetak｜Multimedia Designer

Marco’s relevant video work for opera and theatre includes: Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure (Play, Oval Theatre of London, UK 2010), Wang (Play, Guangzhou Theatre Troupe and NCPA of Beijing, China 2011), Tulou (Opera, Fuzhou Dance and Music Theatre, NCPA of Beijing, China 2011), Handel’s Messiah (Opera, Royal Danish Opera House, Copenhagen, Denmark 2012; Frankfurt, Germany 2016), Lulu (Play, Oval Theatre of London, UK 2012), The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (Wuhan People's Art Theatre and China tour, 2013), Dead Man Walking (Opera, Schwerin, Germany 2014), The Eighth Wonder and La Bohème for Opera Australia (Sydney 2016, 2018), Scrooge The Musical (Antwerp, Belgium 2018), Nabucco (Brussels, Belgium 2018), La Bohème (Brussels, Belgium 2018), The Adventures of Peter Pan The Musical (Antwerp, Belgium 2019), and The Tale of the Nine-Coloured Deer (Wuhan People's Art Theatre, China 2019).

Anthony Gregory｜Tenor

Hailed by The Sunday Times’ Hugh Canning as the “Mozart tenor to watch,” Anthony Gregory is admired for his distinctive timbre, stage presence, and musicality. A former Jerwood Young Artist at Glyndebourne and alumnus of the National Opera Studio and Royal College of Music, he won the 2015 Breakthrough Artist Award at the WhatsOnStage Opera Poll following his acclaimed performance as Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw. In the 2026–27 season, Gregory makes company and role debuts at the Beijing Music Festival as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and at Teatro Arriaga in staged concert performances of Bach’s St John Passion. He returns to Opéra de Lausanne as Peter Quint and Opera North as Don Ottavio. Concert engagements include Handel’s Messiah with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Bach’s Magnificat with Insula Orchestra, Beethoven’s Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and Carmina Burana with the Rotterdam Philharmonic.

Sofia Troncoso｜Soprano

American soprano Sofia Troncoso made her mainstage Australian debut with Opera Queensland as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. She has since appeared in concert with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Opera Queensland, Pinchgut Opera, Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria, and is a sought-after recitalist at festivals throughout Australia.

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and an alumna of the National Opera Studio, Sofia’s operatic credits include the title roles in The Cunning Little Vixen and L’incoronazione di Poppea, Nannetta in Falstaff, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Despina in Così fan tutte, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has sung both Pamina and Papagena in The Magic Flute with Scottish Opera, and Nedda in Pagliacci with Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre, alongside appearances with the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra. In 2026, she sings Pamina in Beijing and Gretel in Hansel and Gretel for State Opera South Australia.

John Chest｜Baritone

American baritone John Chest’s “presence and delivery complement the dark, rich colours in his voice” (Opera Now). Recent and forthcoming engagements include La Bohème with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra; A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova; Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Teatro Regio Torino, and a thrilling debut as Rodrigue in a new production of Don Carlos at Theater Basel.

Other engagements include Festen at the Finnish National Opera; the title role in Billy Budd at Deutsche Oper Berlin, San Francisco Opera and Glyndebourne Festival; Pelléas et Mélisande at Glyndebourne; Albert in Werther at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées; The Great Gatsby for Staatsoper Dresden; Faust for Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse and Teatro Real Madrid; Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Ford in Falstaff, and Silvio in Pagliacci at Deutsche Oper Berlin, among many others.

In 2017 Chest represented the United States at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.

Aigul Khismatullina｜Soprano

In the 2026/27 season, Aigul Khismatullina makes anticipated debuts with Houston Grand Opera, the Beijing Music Festival as Königin der Nacht, and Seattle Opera as Lakmé. Future engagements include appearances with Lyric Opera of Chicago and Dutch National Opera. Recent highlights include a return to the Metropolitan Opera as Königin der Nacht, debuts with Palm Beach Opera as Leïla (Les pêcheurs de perles) and Gilda (Rigoletto), Los Angeles Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Semperoper Dresden and Opera Hong Kong as Königin der Nacht, and Dutch National Opera as Gilda. She also returned to Deutsche Oper Berlin as Gilda and Lucia. Earlier appearances include the Royal Ballet and Opera, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Opera Santiago de Chile, and a concert performance of Lakmé with the Berlin Philharmonic and Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Teddy Tahu Rhodes｜Bass

New Zealand–born international bass baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes has performed with many of the world’s leading opera companies, including Deutsche Oper Munich, Hamburg State Opera, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Théâtre du Châtelet, the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera and New York City Opera. His repertoire includes major world and Australian premieres such as Bendrix (The End of the Affair), Joe (Dead Man Walking) and The Pilot (The Little Prince by Rachel Portman), later filmed for the BBC.

Rhodes is particularly acclaimed for roles including Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Don Giovanni, Escamillo (Carmen) and Mephistopheles (Faust), combining dramatic authority with rich vocal depth. A frequent concert performer, he appears with leading Australasian orchestras, has toured nationally with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, performed at the BBC Proms and debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2009.

An award-winning recording artist, Rhodes remains one of New Zealand’s most distinguished classical singers, continuing to captivate audiences worldwide.

Jessica Dean｜Soprano

Australian soprano Jessica Dean is a Masters graduate of the Royal Academy of Music Opera Course, London, where she was awarded the Kohn Foundation Scholarship and performed as a soloist in the inaugural Bach Cantata Series.

For State Opera South Australia, she has performed Cinderella (Into The Woods) Despina (Così fan tutte), Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), Josephine (H.M.S. Pinafore), Papagena (The Magic Flute), Aline (The Sorcerer), Belle Bonner (Voss), Angela (Love Burns), and Marzelline (Fidelio), for which she received a Helpmann Award nomination. Other roles include Beth (Little Women), Yum-Yum (The Mikado), and Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel).

Jessica spent ten years with the Opera Australia chorus in Sydney, also performing Barbarina (The Marriage of Figaro), Papagena (The Magic Flute), and Zerlina (Don Giovanni) on national tour.

Concert highlights include appearances with Adelaide Baroque and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, performing works by Handel, Bach, Fauré, Haydn, Górecki, Mozart, Orff, and Tippett.

Mark Oates｜Tenor

Mark is excited to make his Beijing Music Festival debut reprising the role of Monostatos. He has been recognised by the Adelaide Critics’ Circle for his body of work, including premiering the dual roles of Ian Duncan/Don Dunstan in Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan (Adelaide Festival – Ruby Award–winning production), roles he reprised for Opera Australia in their 2024 Sydney and 2026 Melbourne seasons.

Adelaide Festival highlights include Mozart’s Requiem, Street Singer in Bernstein’s Mass, and Ruffiak in Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre. For Brisbane Festival, he performed as the Cantor in Astor Piazzolla’s María de Buenos Aires.

Highlights for State Opera South Australia include Monostatos in The Magic Flute, Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro, The Defendant in Trial by Jury, Lt. Tom Radclyffe in Voss, Gastone in La Traviata, Jack in Love Burns (Adelaide and national tour), Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd, Njegus in The Merry Widow, John Styx in Orpheus in the Underworld, and the Cantor in María de Buenos Aires (co-production with Leigh Warren Dancers and Adelaide Festival Centre).

Pelham Andrews｜Bass-Baritone

Pelham Andrews is an acclaimed bass singer who trained in Australia, the UK and Germany. He has performed with the leading orchestras in Australia and New Zealand and with Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, State Opera South Australia and the Adelaide Festival in more than fifty roles including Banco in Macbeth, Padre Guardiano in La Forza del Destino, Timur in Turandot, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Colline in La Bohème, Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, Judd and Bonner in Voss, Méphistophélès in La Damnation de Faust, Lodovico in Otello, Fernando in Fidelio, Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Professor Bhaer in Little Women, as well as the bass soloist in the Requiems of Verdi, Mozart, and Fauré, and the cantatas of J.S. Bach.

In 2025, Pelham performed Alidoro in La Cenerentola for State Opera South Australia, and Lo Zio Bonzo in Madama Butterfly with the Auckland Philharmonia. This marks his first visit to China.

Candice Chung｜Soprano

Candice Chung is a Hong Kong-born soprano whose performance career has taken her internationally, with appearances in the United States, Italy, France, Singapore, Taiwan, and her native Hong Kong. Her opera repertoire features notable roles such as Pamina in The Magic Flute, Hanna in The Merry Widow, Norina in Don Pasquale, and Micaela in Carmen.

As a concert soloist, Candice has showcased her talent in Beethoven’s Mass in C in New York, as well as Bach’s Mass in B Minor in Hong Kong. She has performed as a soprano soloist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, where she was featured in Tan Dun’s orchestral works Requiem for Nature and Buddha Passion.

Kitty Whately｜Mezzo-Soprano

British mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately is celebrated for her distinctive artistry, expressive musicianship, and compelling performances on the opera stage and concert platform. A former BBC New Generation Artist and winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Award and Royal Overseas League Award, she is recognised as one of the UK’s most versatile singers, with a particular reputation as an interpreter of contemporary opera and art song.

Kitty has performed leading roles with major international companies and festivals, including the Royal Opera House, Aix-en-Provence Festival, English Touring Opera, Opera Holland Park, and Bergen National Opera. Her repertoire ranges from Mozart and Britten to world premieres by composers including Mark-Anthony Turnage, Missy Mazzoli, Mark Adamo, and Vasco Mendonça. She has appeared in Beijing as Hermia in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and is a passionate advocate for song, new music, and greater equality within opera.

Yajie Zhang｜Mezzo-Soprano

Yajie Zhang holds a double doctorate in opera and chamber music performance from Germany and is a recipient of international vocal competition awards as well as honorary medals from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China. She was a member of the International Opera Studio at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich and became the first Chinese member of the ensemble at the Leipzig Opera from 2022 to 2024.

She is active on international stages including the Opéra National de Paris, Zurich Opera, Vienna's Musikverein, and the Salzburg Easter Festival, collaborating with leading artists and ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, Kirill Petrenko, and Vladimir Jurowski. With a wide-ranging repertoire in opera and Lieder, she has won critical acclaim and audience recognition for her rich, penetrating tone, mature dramatic characterisation, and outstanding stylistic versatility.

China National Opera House Chorus

The China National Opera House is a national opera company directly under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The China National Opera House Chorus is one of the company's principal departments and is currently the largest full-time professional chorus in China, with the most comprehensive strength and influence. It is among the most active and acclaimed choruses on China's opera stage and in concert halls, consistently receiving high praise from audiences and critics wherever it performs. The chorus is well-trained, known for its pure tone and expressive power, and has built an extensive repertoire of operatic and concert works through years of performance.

Beijing Philharmonic Choir

The Beijing Philharmonic Choir was founded in 1983 by Prof. Yang Hongnian, a renowned conductor and music educator. Prof. Yang Li is now the Artistic Director and Resident Conductor of the Choir.

Over the past four decades, the choir has nurtured nearly ten thousand music-loving children, accumulated over a thousand Chinese and foreign choral works, performed nearly a thousand concerts, toured extensively across Europe, the Americas, Asia, as well as many other countries and regions including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, recorded and released thirty-two sets of audio-visual materials (including CDs and DVDs), published seven collections of children's chorus scores, and has won over forty major awards at various international competitions.

In 2008, the Choir performed the official Olympic anthem--the Olympic Hymn, adapted by Prof. Yang Hongnian at the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympiad in Beijing. In February 2022, the Choir was invited to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games, performing the theme song Snowflake.

With the mission of “Love & Devotion”, the Choir has been active in charitable events and public concerts, sharing love and the beauty of music with everyone.

Opera Hong Kong

Founded in 2003, Opera Hong Kong (OHK) is Hong Kong's first professional opera company. Over the years, the company has gone from strength to strength under the artistic direction of Warren Mok, the internationally acclaimed Hong Kong tenor. OHK has elevated opera in Asia's world city, with many world-class productions covering all major works in the operatic canon and has collaborated with opera houses and festivals including Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Taormina Opera Festival, Theater Erfurt, Opéra de Nice, National Centre for the Performing Arts and the Shanghai Opera House.

In 2019, OHK was selected by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council as one of the three recipients of the coveted "Eminent Arts Group Scheme". The Scheme's consecutive five-year funding has become a boost to further the company's development. In 2024, OHK was named as a recipient of the "Eminent Arts Group Scheme" for a further five years.

OHK is committed to promoting the city's brightest, young opera singers. In 2015, OHK launched the Jockey Club Opera Hong Kong Young Artist Development and Education Programme (the Programme), a three-year opera training programme designed to nurture ten young local artists. The success of the Programme led to its renewal by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for another three years from 2019 to 2022. In 2024 OHK launched the inaugural "LKSF-OHK Young Artist Overseas Fellowships" Programme, generously sponsored by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, to provide short-term international residencies for six selected young artists who are Hong Kong residents to elevate their vocal artistry.

OHK also places a strong emphasis on education and community activities. Opera school tours, summer schools and master classes are held regularly to reach young audiences. OHK provides a wide range of courses for early-age children to adults in addition to Children Chorus classes. The OHK Chorus and the OHK Children Chorus were established in 2004 and 2008 respectively and are recognised contributors to the local choral scene.

The recent development of the Greater Bay Area has created an environment for OHK to initiate more collaborations and bring the art of opera to a wider audience.

State Opera South Australia

State Opera South Australia is the opera company of South Australia. Established in 1976 by an Act of Parliament (the State Opera of South Australia Act), State Opera forms part of the extraordinary cultural legacy of Premier Don Dunstan in South Australia.

State Opera upholds its commitment to more opera for more people through the presentation of exceptional productions of the operatic canon alongside engaging productions of contemporary operatic works, all the while championing Australian talent on and off the stage.

Taking over iconic destinations has become a trademark of State Opera's more opera mission and includes Carmen in the Square (Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga 2019), and La bohème on the Beach (Glenelg Beach, 2022).

From creation to ovation, an opera company is nothing without its talent. State Opera has made a firm commitment to championing Australian and particularly South Australian talent on and off the stage, ensuring that we support the education, development, creative and performance opportunities that our talented people and audiences deserve.

China National Opera House

Founded in 1952, China National Opera House is a state opera house affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The Opera troupe, chorus, symphony orchestra, and stage design and production centre under the theatre have gathered a large number of singers, performers, composers, conductors, editors, playwrights and stage artists. The China National Opera House has become a cultural landmark in the capital creating a stage for the people, a place for elegant art, and a place for Chinese and foreign cultures.

In the course of more than seventy years of development. The opera house has created a remarkable legacy, including an extensive array of outstanding operas and festivals, and has earned prestigious accolades such as the national 'Five-One Project Award, the Wenhua Performance Award, and more than 100 national awards.

The opera house has successfully fulfilled performance assignments for major events, including the BRICS Leadership Summit, the APEC Summit, and the 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong's Return to China. It has brought honour to the nation through these achievements.

The opera house has premiered, produced, and preserved a repertoire of classical operas from around the world, such as Turandot, The Lady of the Camellias, Carmen, and Pagliacci. Additionally, it has created and performed a collection of Chinese operas, including The White-Haired Girl, Marco Polo, The Long March, The Red Detachment of Women, and Manus, among others.

Notably, the opera house made history by launching Hua Mulan, a remarkable addition to its collection, showcasing the richness of Chinese opera. Its mission is to inspire audiences to appreciate and cherish the art of Chinese opera and its troupes.

The opera house has been an active figure on the international stage of art exchange on behalf of China. It has shone with its performances on international stages such as United Nations Palais des Nations, Puccini Art Festival, Budapest Spring Festival, Ljubljana Festival, etc., spreading China's voice and promoting mutual learning.

Overture

● Ouvertüre

Act I

● No. 1 Zu Hilfe! Zu Hilfe! sonst bin ich verloren!
● No. 2 Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja
● No. 3 Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön
● No. 4 O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn!
● No. 5 Hm! Hm! Hm! Hm!
● No. 6 Du feines Täubchen, nur herein!
● No. 7 Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen
● No. 8 Finale: Zum Ziele führt dich diese Bahn

Act II

● No. 9 Marsch der Priester
● No. 10 O Isis und Osiris
● No. 11 Bewahret euch vor Weibertücken
● No. 12 Wie? Wie? Wie? Ihr an diesem Schreckensort?
● No. 13 Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden
● No. 14 Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen
● No. 15 In diesen heil'gen Hallen
● No. 16 Seid uns zum zweiten Mal willkommen
● No. 17 Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden
● No. 18 Chor der Priester: O Isis und Osiris, welche Wonne!
● No. 19 Soll ich dich, Teurer, nicht mehr seh'n?
● No. 20 Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen
● No. 21 Finale: Bald prangt, den Morgen zu verkünden

This program will last approximately 2.5 hours with a 15 minutes intermission, sung in German, dialogue in English with Chinese and English surtitles

The program is subject to change