Xiao Bai's "Farewell , My Concubine" Opera Makes U.S. Debut

China National Opera House Presents First Western-Style Production of the Classic Chinese Love Story "Farewell, My Concubine"

"Farewell, My Concubine" Opera kicks off a five-city tour in January in San Francisco, followed by Pasadena, New York and Houston. The tour will culminate in Dallas at the Eisemann Center Feb. 5 and 6th. Presented by the Chinese American Inter-Cultural Exchange Foundation (CAICE Foundation), this production is the first performance of the newly-scored opera, one of the rare times that an original Chinese opera will be performed in the U.S. by a Chinese cast and sung in Mandarin.

The well-known Chinese love story is also the inspiration for a play, a novel and a 1993 Oscar-nominated movie. Based on real events and characters from over 2,200 years ago in China, "Farewell, My Concubine, is set at the end of the Qin dynasty, with the love story revolving around the heroic warrior, Xiang Yu, and his beloved concubine, Yu Ji.

The heart and soul behind this Western-style production of "Farewell My Concubine" is internationally-renowned Chinese composer and conductor Xiao Bai. For the past 18 years, Xiao Bai labored to score a Western version of the traditional Chinese story, with the dream of one day presenting his opera to an international audience.

With the support of Emily Kuo Vong and CAICE Foundation, a Dallas-based non-profit organization promoting cultural exchange and understanding between China and the U.S. through the arts, Xiao Bai and the China National Opera House are presenting, for the first time, the Western interpretation of "Farewell My Concubine" outside of China.

Kuo Vong is staging this Western interpretation of "Farewell My Concubine" as a tribute to her musical mentor, Xiao Bai. A graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Kuo Vong is a professional musician and conductor in China and the United States. She founded the Dallas Li Sheng Ladies Choir in 2004.

"Xiao Bai and I both believe that culture knows no political, geographic or social barriers," says Kuo Vong, chairman of CAICE Foundation. "Through CAICE Foundation, I hope to introduce to Americans a deep and well-respected appreciation of China's rich cultural legacy. Bringing the China National Opera and this production of "Farewell My Concubine" to America is the first step in bringing together cultural enthusiasts and opera lovers from both sides of the Pacific."

To Westernize the opera, Xiao Bai worked with famed librettist Wang Jian. Together, the two artists developed a new "Western-style" production distinct from traditional "Beijing-style" opera (incorporating instrumental music, vocal performance, pantomime, dance and acrobatics). This version of "Farewell My Concubine" captures the framework of a classic Italian opera, but is sung entirely in Mandarin with English subtitles.

U.S. Tour Dates
January 12, 13 War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, CA
January 19, 20 The Pasadena Civic, Pasadena, CA
January 27 Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, New York, NY*
January 30, 31 The Cullen Theater at the Wortham Center, Houston, TX*
February 5, 6 Eisemann Center, Dallas, TX
* Concert-style production

www.FarewellMyConcubineUSA.com