Bringing Henan's music scene to the hilt

"First, as we build our conservatory, a beneficial environment is required. Just as a person or a tree needs a suitable environment to grow, we need to create a music environment for our students," Dai says.

Of the 200-plus-person cast, 90 percent are local artists. The Henan Symphony Orchestra provides live accompaniment and the Zaiyu Choir provides the singing. Many of the principal members of the orchestra and choir are faculty and students from the conservatory.

The Zaiyu Choir was established last September under the conservatory's guidance and is run by Henan Poly Art Center Management. Since many members lacked experience in large-scale productions, Dai encouraged them by sharing the methods he used in his early years and divided the choir into small groups, each led by an instructor to teach them the Italian lyrics and practice the songs.

"It was a tough process, but we are happy with the outcome. This is an important part of education: instilling confidence in the students and knowing they are capable," he says.

Through this initiative, Dai also hopes to cultivate musical talent while providing platforms for young opera singers in order to boost the development of the entire opera scene.

"La Traviata is the first attempt. Later, we will bring many more productions. We have a professional responsibility to provide better productions for opera enthusiasts in Central China and beyond," he adds.

He describes this production as a "youth version" of the classic opera, as the average age of the cast is under 30. Yet many of these young Chinese opera singers, such as soprano Dai Ziyi and tenor Zhang Long, are already active on the international stage.

Dai Ziyi says she wanted to play Violetta since she was in high school. Despite loving the opera, she felt her age and vocal ability were inadequate for the role.

"Now that I'm approaching my 30s, it feels like the right time to tackle this role. It's very challenging with many coloratura passages and extremely high notes. Without reaching a certain level of maturity and skill, it's impossible to perform this role properly," says the 29-year-old soprano.