About this Artist

Chinese-born bass-baritone SHENYANG was propelled into the spotlight in 2007 when, at the tender age of 23, he was crowned BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. After initial studies at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, he went on to graduate from the Julliard School, the Salzburg Young Artist Project and to join the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program, which marked the beginning of an ongoing relationship with the prestigious theater where he most recently appeared as Sprecher in Julie Taymor’s beloved production of Die Zauberflöte, conducted by Antony Walker.

Opera highlights of the intervening seasons include the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro which he sang for the first time at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and subsequently for Seattle Opera, and Alidoro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola marking his debuts at Glyndebourne Festival, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, and Washington National Opera. At the Metropolitan Opera, he has appeared in La Cenerentola under Fabio Luisi, as Masetto in a new production of Don Giovanni under Sir Andrew Davis, as Garibaldo in Handel’s Rodelinda under Harry Bicket – released on DVD by Decca - and as Colline in La Bohème under Marco Armiliato. In a nod to a new, more dramatic future repertoire, Shenyang made two major role debuts last season: a unanimously-praised Gunther in Wagner’s Götterdämmerung with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Jaap van Zweden, recorded for future release by Naxos; and Jochanaan in concert performances of Strauss’ Salome, with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Alexander Liebreich. 

Concert appearances have played a pivotal role in Shenyang’s career to date. He has amassed an impressive repertoire and made numerous major debuts around the world by request of some of the world’s most influential conductors.  

Shenyang not only embodies a 21st century bridge between the cultures of East and West, breathing life into the vocal treasures of his native heritage, but was also appointed Brand Ambassador for Montblanc in 2011 in recognition of his emerging stature as a prominent musical and cultural figure in Asia. He has been Artist-in-Residence with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra where he performed varied programs with conductor Long Yu, including works by Bach, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, and Mahler. He gave the world premiere of the orchestral song cycle, Song of Farewell (written for him by composer Xiaogang Ye) in Beijing, before taking it to the Berlin Philharmonie with the China National Symphony Orchestra. Shenyang is a regular feature of the Beijing Music Festival where he has recently performed Des Knaben Wunderhorn with Daniel Harding and the China Philharmonic, been presented in a solo Liederabend featuring songs by Schubert, Loewe, and Mahler, performed as part of Jing Xiang’s opera, Yuan Ye, conducted by Long Yu, and appeared as part of the nationally televised gala concert celebrating the music of Chinese composer Huang Zi. 

A dedicated lieder singer, Shenyang received the Alice Tully Vocal Arts Award which led to his New York recital debut at Lincoln Center in 2009 with pianist Vlad Iftinca, and he has subsequently appeared in duo recital with soprano Susanna Phillips and pianist Brian Zeger at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and as part of Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer with Daniel Barenboim at Carnegie Hall.