The iSING! Festival is a one-of-kind international opera experience, and the first-ever festival dedicated to the vocal arts in China.   

 

Founded in 2011 with a mission to introduce Mandarin as a lyric language, and Chinese vocal music as an emerging genre in the mainstream music world, iSING! offers a unique opportunity for Western singers to explore the new and exciting opera scene in China.  Since its launch in 2011, this pioneering program has attracted major media coverage such as the BBC, MSNBC, Associated Press, New York Times and the TIME magazine. 

​

This year marks the 10th year of the iSING! International Young Artists Festival. Held at state-of-the-art Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre, the iSING! Festival continues to attract the finest young artists.

 

The 2021 year of this full-scholarship program will offer: 

 

•    Adhering to all safety guidelines, this four-week program will include training in both Western
     and Chinese opera repertoire.

•    Faculty includes coaches from the top the major conservatories in China and our Artist
      Director, Hao Jiang Tian, who was born in Beijing, and has sung over 1400 performances of 50

    operatic roles worldwide. The only Chinese singer who has appeared at the Metropolitan

      Opera for 20 years in 26 operas.

•   Throughout the course of the program, there will be a series of concerts in different Chinese

     cities. iSING! 2021 concerts will be held at the Grand Theatre of Suzhou Cultural and Art

     Center, the closing ceremony of the Art Festival and the closing ceremony of Jiangnan Cultural

     Tourism Festival “Flaming China: The Most Beautiful Jiangnan” concert and the concert tour at

      the Shanghai Grand Theatre.

 

The momentum is building for the iSING! Opera Center, dedicated to producing Chinese contemporary operas, commissioning new works, and providing iSING! artists an opportunity to perform and participate in original creations.

 

After ten triumphant seasons, the iSING! Festival has garnered critical acclaim:

 

•   Nurturing over 285 singers from 38 countries

•   Performing in major venues internationally

•   Creating opportunities for iSING! artists to star in world premieres of three modern
    Chinese operas on tour in top venues in China, Austria, Germany, Italy, and the US

•   Ushering alumni onto the stages of some of the world’s preeminent opera houses

​

Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre is the official home of iSING! Festival.  Suzhou is an alluring city with a 2000-year-old history and hailed as "Venice of the Orient".
 

Designed for graduate-level and pre-professional singers, the program is open to all nationalities.  No prior knowledge of Mandarin is necessary.

​