On September 20, 2024, the 9th NTD World Chinese Vocal Competition entered the semifinals stage at the Merkin Hall of Kaufman Music Center in Manhattan. 14 contestants from around the world showcased their beautiful voices on stage, with 10 advancing to the final round.
During the semifinals, contestants were required to sing a Chinese song. Many participants expressed that it was both a challenge and a joy for them to interpret the traditional Chinese culture through Western classical singing techniques, feeling honored and proud to do so.
German mezzo-soprano contestant Zhang Chunqing, a graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music with dual doctoral degrees in opera singing from the Berlin University of the Arts, was attracted to participate in the competition by NTD’s mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. She found singing Chinese songs in the bel canto style to be a challenging yet enjoyable experience, believing it to be something that Chinese opera singers should do.
She emphasized the difficulty of Chinese pronunciation due to the four tones, stating that achieving the tight connection of notes in bel canto while accurately pronouncing the four tones of Chinese was extremely challenging. She viewed singing Chinese with bel canto as a significant challenge even for an opera singer like herself, but she embraced it to share the beauty of Chinese culture through music.
Malaysian professional opera singer Huang Junwen sang both a Chinese and an Italian song in the semifinals. He expressed satisfaction with his performance, noting that the biggest challenge of singing Chinese songs with bel canto lies in the wide vocal range inherent in Chinese songs.
Graduate of the Xinghai Conservatory of Music and the Central Conservatory of Music, Zheng Shaofeng sang the renowned Chinese art song “Three Wishes of Roses” by the 20th-century Chinese composer Huang Zi in the semifinals. He thoroughly enjoyed performing this Chinese art song and appreciated NTD’s requirement for contestants to sing Chinese songs, emphasizing the fusion of Chinese melodies with Western composition techniques to showcase Chinese culture to the world.
Zheng explained the differences in singing Chinese with bel canto, indicating nuances in pronunciation and occasional adjustments to match Chinese phonetics with original musical notes. He highlighted the emotional depth and resonance of singing Chinese with bel canto, describing it as a heartfelt expression rooted in his native language.
American contestant Milka Hale sang two Chinese songs in the semifinals and found expressing the depth behind each Chinese character to be her biggest challenge. She believed that every Chinese character carries significant meaning, requiring a profound understanding to convey its essence authentically.
Hale opined that the Chinese language itself is musical, finding great satisfaction in singing Chinese songs as they offered a profound resonance and a unique opportunity to understand and express beautiful sentiments through vocal placement.
The judges announced the finalists for the competition, including Zheng Shaofeng and Huang Junwen in the male category, and Zhang Chunqing, Lee Ji-eun, Nguyen Minh Chau, Zhang Yuchuan, Liu Fengzhen, Lee Lok, and Huang Jiayi in the female category. The final round will take place this Saturday, September 21, with live broadcast available through NTD’s website.
For more information, please visit NTD’s website at: [https://vocal.ntdtv.com/](https://vocal.ntdtv.com/)