On August 30 (Saturday), at the semifinals of the 10th New Tang Dynasty Vocal Competition held at the Kaufman Music Center in Manhattan, New York, a contestant pursuing a music doctoral degree in the United States advanced to the finals with performances of the songs “Vietnamese Song” and “I Want to Play the Role of a Naive Rural Girl.” The contestant expressed that the competition organized by New Tang Dynasty has provided her with opportunities to learn and grow, helping her to achieve her artistic dream in the future – to have the chance to perform on the stages of world-famous music halls and theaters.
The contestant, known by the stage name “A-Xing,” hails from a music academy in Virginia and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree. She was not entirely satisfied with her performance in the semifinals.
“The choice of songs is crucial. The song ‘Vietnamese Song’ was one I sang in college, and I haven’t ‘polished’ it recently. Combined with excessive nervousness, I felt that I didn’t perform well,” A-Xing told the reporters after the competition. “Actually, the waiting time today wasn’t long. I wasn’t as nervous as yesterday, but I suddenly became nervous while waiting backstage…”
However, A-Xing approached this competition with the mindset of gaining experience, without placing excessive expectations on the outcome. “I came to New York for a leisure trip, and there’s a place to sing. I just wanted to practice and accumulate experience. I didn’t think too much about making it to the finals or the final ranking. The main goal was to discover my own shortcomings.”
A-Xing’s repertoire in the preliminary round included the songs “When Will the Spring Flowers and Autumn Moon End” and the aria “I Am the Despised Wife” from Geminiano Giacomelli’s opera “Merope.” She emphasized that singing Chinese songs in bel canto style is quite challenging.
“Chinese songs are not easy to sing. They require clear enunciation, and people can tell the singer’s level and state by just listening,” A-Xing remarked. “But bel canto is the most scientific way of singing. Chinese poetry indeed deserves to be sung well… It’s a very difficult art form that requires deep cultural literacy.”
From this perspective, A-Xing believes that the New Tang Dynasty competition is unique in the world and holds great significance.
“Because, well, in the realm of bel canto, most other competitions involve foreigners, and there are few competitions where the contestants are mostly Chinese. So, I feel like I’ve met my compatriots here,” she said, expressing her homesickness while singing “When Will the Spring Flowers and Autumn Moon End” during the preliminary round, “Singing on the international stage in New York feels completely different from performing domestically. It’s a whole new experience.”
A-Xing has loved singing since she was young. South Korea’s Sumi Jo, Italy’s Cecilia Bartoli, and France’s lyric coloratura soprano Sabine Devieilhe are her idols. She hopes to become an outstanding coloratura soprano like them and perform on the world’s major stages.
“My dream is to sing in the world’s major opera houses, to step onto the stages of renowned music halls all around the world,” she said.