Bel Canto Trio
Silk Road Extravaganza
Singapore Chinese Orchestra — Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore
Music Director & Conductor: Tsung Yeh
Soprano: Ying Huang · Tenor: Jianyi Zhang · Baritone: Zhengzhong Zhou
Overview
From the legendary “Three Tenors” to today’s cross-cultural collaborations, vocal ensembles continue to reimagine the lyrical traditions of East and West.
The Bel Canto Trio—featuring renowned soprano Ying Huang, tenor Jianyi Zhang, and baritone Zhengzhong Zhou—joins forces with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) under Music Director Tsung Yeh to present Silk Road Extravaganza, an ambitious musical voyage that bridges continents, eras, and emotions.
Through symphonic arrangements and operatic splendour, the concert paints a panoramic portrait of the Silk Road—tracing musical connections from Western China to Europe, from Italian bel canto to Broadway, and finally returning home with heartfelt patriotic songs.
Each solo performance reveals the distinctive colour of a world-class voice; in duets and trios, these timbres fuse into a radiant choral tapestry that celebrates unity through song.
Silk Road Extravaganza unfolds as a five-part musical atlas—from the Western frontiers of China to Europe’s lyrical capitals, from Italian opera to Broadway, culminating in a homecoming of patriotic fervour.
The concert interlaces East and West, ancient and modern, through the universal language of voice—celebrating the shared human spirit that has always resonated along the Silk Road.
Program
Overture
The Pride of Bank of China — Hu Xiaoliu / Cui Baolin / arr. Phoon Yew Tien
The Silk Road — Jiang Ying
I. Journey to the West
Why Are the Flowers So Red — Tenor: Jianyi Zhang
Heavenly Road — Soprano: Ying Huang
The Vagrant’s Homesickness — Baritone: Zhengzhong Zhou
II. Golden Songs from Europe
Hungarian Dance No. 6 — Brahms
Les Filles de Cadix — Delibes · Ying Huang
Mattinata — Leoncavallo · Jianyi Zhang
La Promessa — Rossini · Zhengzhong Zhou
O Sole Mio — di Capua · Trio
III. Great Arias from Italian Operas
Una Furtiva Lagrima (L’elisir d’amore) — Jianyi Zhang
Largo al Factotum (Il barbiere di Siviglia) — Zhengzhong Zhou
Una Voce Poco Fa (Il barbiere di Siviglia) — Ying Huang
IV. Best Hits from Musicals
Dein ist mein ganzes Herz (Das Land des Lächelns) — Zhengzhong Zhou
V. The Motherland
Follow You — Jianyi Zhang
China, My Love — Ying Huang
Silky Acacia — Zhengzhong Zhou
My Homeland — Trio
Encore
Summertime (Porgy and Bess) — Ying Huang
Bring Him Home (Les Misérables) — Jianyi Zhang
Artists
Ying Huang — Soprano
Internationally acclaimed lyric coloratura soprano Ying Huang gained worldwide recognition as the first Chinese soprano to star in a major opera film—Madama Butterfly—earning her international fame.
She has since appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, Cologne Opera, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing), performing major roles such as Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), and Gilda (Rigoletto).
A frequent guest at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Vienna Musikverein, Huang has sung a wide symphonic and oratorio repertoire under maestros James Levine, Christoph Eschenbach, and Charles Dutoit.
A Sony Classical recording artist, she has released an album of operatic arias with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Conlon, and has been hailed by international critics as “the Nightingale from China” for her pure tone and radiant stage presence.
Jianyi Zhang — Tenor
One of the foremost Asian tenors on the international stage, Jianyi Zhang graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and The Juilliard School, later winning First Prize at the Vienna International Opera Competition and the Pavarotti International Voice Competition.
He has sung leading roles at over fifty major opera houses, including the Vienna State Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Berlin State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, and National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing).
Renowned for his elegant phrasing and warm, noble tone, Zhang has been praised by critics as “one of the most distinguished Asian tenors of our time.”
He currently serves as Professor and Chair of the Voice and Opera Faculty at the Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing).
Zhengzhong Zhou — Baritone
A laureate of both the Marmande and Toulouse International Vocal Competitions, Zhengzhong Zhoutrained at CNIPAL (Marseille) and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Jette Parker Young Artists Programme) before joining the Deutsche Oper Berlin as a principal baritone.
His repertoire includes major Verdi, Puccini, and Mozart roles—Valentin, Conte Almaviva, Figaro, Marcello, Don Giovanni, and Sharpless—and he has collaborated with Sir Antonio Pappano, Donald Runnicles, Andris Nelsons, Seiji Ozawa, Daniel Oren, Yu Long, and Lü Jia.
Zhou’s recordings include Werther (Deutsche Grammophon), Manon’s Portrait (Opera Rara), and numerous Royal Opera House productions (Anna Nicole, Rigoletto, Tosca, Madama Butterfly).
He has been described by The Times as “a definitive Valentin, masterful in tone, language, and poise.”
Tsung Yeh — Conductor
Renowned for his visionary artistry and cultural bridge-building, Tsung Yeh has been Music Director of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) since 2002, transforming it into one of the world’s leading Chinese symphonic ensembles. Under his baton, the SCO has gained international acclaim for its expansive programming and artistic innovation, uniting Chinese musical heritage with global symphonic traditions.
Yeh’s landmark productions—including Marco Polo and Princess Blue, A Moment of Millennium (with artist Tan Swie Hian), The Glory of the Tang Dynasty, Thunderstorm, and Zheng He—have been praised for their narrative scope, orchestral colour, and dramatic imagination. He has conducted at major venues across Asia, Europe, and the United States, collaborating with prominent orchestras and composers to elevate the visibility of Chinese orchestral music on the world stage.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions, he received the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s highest artistic honour, in 2013. He also serves as Advisor to the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra, continuing his lifelong dedication to artistic education and cultural exchange.
Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO)
The Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) is Singapore’s flagship professional Chinese orchestra and the only national ensemble of its kind. Founded in 1997 and currently under the patronage of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the SCO comprises over 80 full-time musicians and is based at the historic Singapore Conference Hall, a National Monument of Singapore.
Blending tradition with innovation, the SCO embraces a distinctive Nanyang identity—infusing Chinese orchestral art with the multicultural influences of Southeast Asia. The orchestra has commissioned and premiered numerous works by leading composers, toured internationally to critical acclaim, and collaborated with world-class artists across genres.
Under Music Director Tsung Yeh, the SCO has achieved new artistic heights, earning praise as “a model of excellence and imagination” for its unique role in redefining Chinese orchestral music for the 21st century.