Shi Heng is an associate professor with Shanghai Conservatory of Music (SHCM). Wu Yue, Shi's wife, is an instrumental coach at SHCM. Shi Jingwen, their daughter, is passionate about music. For several years, Shi Heng and his wife have made unrelenting efforts to share opera culture with as many people as possible. 

Shi Heng has been fond of singing since he was young. He studied vocal performance at SHCM after he graduated from Suzhou Art High School, in Suzhou, his hometown and a city in east China's Jiangsu Province. After he graduated from SHCM, he completed further studies in France, and he received his master's degree, in singing, from Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, a well-known music conservatory in Paris. He won awards during numerous international vocal competitions when he studied abroad. 

Same Path

Shi Heng met Wu while he was studying in France. Wu was studying flute, in France, on a scholarship. She received that scholarship when she was 15. "At the beginning, I did not know she could play the piano. One day, she told me she hoped to accompany me on the piano. She was able to play the piece fluently after she had practiced it for a short time. She really has a great talent for music," says Shi Heng. 

Eventually, Wu began accompanying Shi Heng when he performed in concerts and vocal competitions. She witnessed the "unforgettable moments" when he received awards — and applause. Their common interest in music drew them closer together. 

In 2009, Shi Heng completed his studies in France, and the couple returned to China. Shi Heng became a teacher, in the Department of Vocal Music and Opera, at SHCM. Wu became the department's instrumental coach. Wu has accompanied her husband's students during competitions, and when they have performed during their exams. 

Spreading Opera Culture 

In the early days after Shi Heng began teaching at SHCM, he expended much effort into thinking about and devising better, more interesting ways to teach his students vocal music and opera. He decided to direct operas, to provide more opportunities for his students to perform on stage. However, opera was a niche art form at that time, and the students' performances did not attract many people. 

To draw larger audiences, Shi Heng innovated — boldly. For example, he translated operas' Italian lyrics into Chinese, and sometimes into the local Chinese dialects, and he integrated comedic elements, such as sketches and cross-talk performances, into the operas. In his adapted version of The Magic Flute, an opera masterpiece, the performers wore colorful, childlike costumes, and they used funny body language. Shi Heng also adapted several other classic operas, including Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro, to make the operas more interesting — and accessible — to the public. The end result? Shi Heng managed to show the charm of opera culture to more people. 

Thanks to Shi Heng's efforts, audiences not only derive pleasure from the adapted operas, but they also gain a better understanding of the operas — and opera culture. Shi Heng has also organized a series of lectures combined with the concerts to popularize opera. 

In 2012, he organized the first Shanghai International Opera Festival. In 2018, he established Shi Heng Opera Art Center, in his hometown, to promote opera culture, and to cultivate young opera performers. He also established a scholarship, at his high school, to support two less-fortunate students annually. In 2020, he established Shi Heng Opera Art Center, in Songjiang, a district of Shanghai. 

In recent years, Shi Heng has directed more than a dozen operas, and he has produced audio courses and programs, to popularize opera-related knowledge, and especially opera culture.

"During past years, my wife has given me support, so I can persist in promoting opera culture," says Shi Heng. 

'Do What She Wants'

When Shi Heng was young, he was greatly influenced by his mother. "At that time, she was a lead singer in her unit's chorus. She taught me how to sing, and how to perform on stage. I often watched her performances. I grew up in an artistic atmosphere, so I have yearned to perform on stage since I was a child," Shi Heng says.

Both he and Wu pay attention to their daughter's passions, so they can help her explore and cultivate her interests. When Shi Jingwen was 5, she began learning to play the piano. She often enjoys going to piano concerts with her mother. Shi Jingwen also studies dancing, and she especially loves the ballet. Influenced by her parents, she developed an interest in art. 

"Our daughter has a talent for music. She also has a good sense of rhythm. We will give her systematic vocal training, so she can pursue a career in music," says Wu. "However, no matter what major she chooses, we will support her. We will encourage her to do what she wants to do, and to do what she is good at, so she will live the life that she wants."

(Women of China English Monthly September 2024)

Editor: Wang Shasha