Stars line up at Decca bash

"This 90-year-old label is experiencing a phenomenal new lease of life. Helping young musicians to reach their full potential is the key idea behind the label. By discovering and introducing young talent from around the world, the label stays vibrant and alive," says Mark Wilkinson, senior vice-president of Universal Music Global Classics & Jazz, at the NCPA. "There's an exciting music scene here in China, so we would like to present young Chinese musicians to audiences."

During the event, Universal Music China unveiled their latest signing, Super Vocal, a male vocal ensemble, who rose to fame with the Hunan Satellite TV Station's reality show of the same name in 2018.

The quartet of young Chinese singers-Cai Chengyu, Tong Zhuo, Gao Tianhe and Ju Hongchuan-showcased their bel canto techniques with performances of two classics, Nessun Dorma and O sole mio, as well as the Chinese pop song, Night, Night & Night, and Into the Unknown from the Disney animation Frozen II.

"The reality show has developed China's first male bel canto group. We are excited to see how audiences learn about and appreciate classical music," says Wilkinson.

"The first Western tenor I heard was Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, and he soon became my idol," says Cai, 21, who is a student at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. "He didn't just perform operatic pieces, but also teamed up with pop bands like the Spice Girls and U2. I want to sing like him in a versatile voice."