NTD’s 9th International Chinese Vocal Competition kicked off with its preliminary round on Thursday in New York City’s Kaufman Music Center. Contestants from eight countries performed in the traditional bel canto style, with 14 contestants qualifying for the semifinals.
According to many vocalists, the art of bel canto produces the most beautiful vocal tones.
Ancient Chinese theater and early European opera once shared the same singing technique, which is believed to produce the purest tones of voice. That purity, however, comes with considerable volume and can be a significant challenge—one that caused contestant Mika Hale to give up the technique in her teenage years.
“When I started singing professionally, when I was 17, I couldn’t sing bel canto because it’s too loud for the microphones,” Hale said.
Even without a microphone, a bel canto singer’s voice can reach every corner of even the largest theaters—which sometimes have as many as 3,000 seats.
Because opera singing is not amplified, one of its basic techniques is developing sufficient breath support to enable the voice to be heard in a 3,000-seat theater without microphones and speakers.
After singing for 40 years, Hale picked up the art of bel canto again.
“I think it is a calling back to what’s true and what’s good, and tradition,” she said. “And I think society is going so far in the opposite direction, we can only move forward, or else we’re going to crash and burn. So I want to be a part of the movement forward to what can inspire people in the long run—their good side, their true side, their heart.”
Another contestant, Chunqing Zhang, said she simply enjoys sharing her voice with others. She performed an aria from Carmen during the competition.
“When I was standing on the stage, I didn’t feel I was myself, that I was Zhang Chunqing: at this moment, I was Carmen. So I wanted to share her music with everyone,” she said.
Contestant Ben Li sang about his own life experience in a song called “Wandering Around.”
“Because that was my life for over a decade in mainland China. That’s how I came through, so I like that song,” Li said.
“I want to bring out the feelings in that song with my singing, because it was about the life experiences of many people who suffered under Beijing’s persecution.”
Other contestants said the competition is an excellent learning experience.
“The competition gave me a deeper understanding about art and culture, and helped me improve myself a lot vocally,” said Nguyen Thu Trang.
“I just like making friends, and also listening to many different styles of the other competitors, and learning from the way they trained,” said Lai Thi Phuong Thao.
