Chinese tenor to perform Italian arias

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-09 15:29

Chinese tenor to perform Italian arias Chinese tenor Deng Xiaojun will give a concert at the Media Center, accompanied by the orchestra of the China Opera and Ballet Theater. The 44-year-old tenor will perform the arias of Italian operas as well as Chinese songs.

Born to a painter-father in Nanjing, Deng did not follow in his father's footsteps and took to music at a young age. After graduating from the China Conservatory of Music in 1988, Deng won six gold medals at international vocal competitions within four years and had his Metropolitan debut in 1995.

As a tenor, Deng possesses the power, drama and beauty reminiscent of the lirico-spinto tenors of past decades. His vocal strength and timbre make him a true Verdi and Puccini tenor of the highest order.

Impressed by his talent, the renowned Italian tenor Carlo Bergonzi took him as his student in 1996.

In 2001, Deng suffered a salmonella infection and had to leave stage for medical treatment. Four years later, he recovered enough to throw away his crutches and be back on stage; he gave a recital in Beijing to mark his return.

Then he founded the Los Angeles-based American Angel's Vocal Arts Center to preserve and promote Italian Opera. Recently, Deng joined the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing as a teacher.