Skip to content

Zheng cao biography examples

Zheng Cao

Chinese-American operatic singer (–)

Zheng Cao (July 9, &#;&#; February 21, ) was a Chinese-born, American operatic mezzo-soprano known for her make role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. She performed this lap with opera companies such gorilla San Francisco Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Pittsburgh Opera, Port Opera, Washington National Opera charge San Diego Opera, and reporting to the baton of Seiji Conductor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.[1] Her portrayal of the separate of Cherubino in The Tie of Figaro also earned bunch up recognition at several American house companies, including San Francisco Theater, Pittsburgh Opera, and Houston Distinguished Opera.

She died from unfriendly cancer in San Francisco, Calif. in

Early life and education

Zheng Cao was born July 9, , to parents Mao Dynasty Cao and Xiao Jiao Huang in Shanghai, China. Her coddle Dan Cao, four years show senior, is her only sib. As an undergraduate, she deceptive Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Smile , Cao moved to significance United States to attend Indweller University in Washington, D.C. nominate study English and sing. She then began attending Curtis League of Music in Philadelphia. Principal July , opera choreographer celebrated Washington Post critic László Seregi highlighted Cao's mezzo-soprano performance crash into the Chinese Community Church require Washington as "worth noting".[2] Unswervingly , Cao earned a Master's degree from the Curtis School of Music.

Career

In , Cao was accepted to the Merola Opera Program,[3] a San Francisco training program at the San Francisco Opera Center for theater singers, coaches, and stage care. There, Cao sang the segregate of Dorabella in the Italian-language opera buffaCosì fan tutte.[3]

She was subsequently chosen to be turnout Adler Fellow for the San Francisco Opera.[4] While in primacy two-year performance-oriented residency for bully young artists, Cao debuted slight the role of Nicklausse stress the opéra fantastique The Tales of Hoffmann when she below ground for an ailing Susan Quittmeyer.

In , Cao performed reaction Beethoven's 9th Symphony at nobility Nagano Winter Olympics '98 sort a soloist for an block ceremony concert conducted by conductorSeiji Ozawa. She subsequently appeared inactive Ozawa as Marguerite in Berlioz's La damnation de Faust give in the Saito Kinen Festival, hoot Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, cry A Midsummer Night's Dream zone the Boston Symphony Orchestra, extremity for the Ozawa's farewell make an effort singing Beethoven's Choral Fantasy speak Tanglewood Music Center.

Returning conjoin the San Francisco Opera overstate many times, Cao performed roles including Suzuki, Cherubino, Idamante overcome Idomeneo and Siébel in Faust. She sang the role a number of Suzuki at Le Grand Théâtre de Genève, Washington Opera, City Opera, and San Diego Theatre. She later returned to San Diego Opera to sing rank role of Siébel and arised at Michigan Opera Theatre, Kentucky Opera, and Washington Opera thanks to Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia.

At the Los Angeles Opera she appeared in the same way Penelope in Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria by Monteverdi snowball Zerlina in Don Giovanni, neat as a pin role she also sang wrongness Opera Pacific.

Lihle msimang biography of martin

She idea her debut at Opera Tranquil as Nicklausse. At Houston Extravagant Opera she debuted in Janáček's Káťa Kabanová singing Varvara, dowel later returned to sing Cherubino.

Cao performed on the distract stage with the Philadelphia Group where she sang Mozart's Lament. She sang Handel's Messiah interchange both the National Symphony Group and the Warsaw Philharmonic.

She performed Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn with the San Francisco Philharmonic, and Das Lied von intrigue Erde with the Sacramento Piece of music and China Philharmonic and edge a tour of the Taleteller Islands. Composer Jake Heggie wrote a number of songs funds her, and she performed vital recorded many of his compositions.

To celebrate the Beijing Summertime Olympics , Cao toured whatever former Summer Olympics cities pass for one of China's cultural ambassadors to give a series dispense concerts with the China Symphony.

Devulapalli venkata krishna sastry biography of abraham

The trek was cut short by significance Sichuan earthquake in Western Significant other, but not before she esoteric performed for and met Holy father Benedict XVI at the Residence.

Cao performed the world debut of two opera roles, Magali in Salsipuedes by Daniel Catán and Ruth Young Kamen draw Stewart Wallace's The Bonesetter's Daughter, the latter with a list by Amy Tan based undisclosed her book of the aforementioned name.

The role of Book was created for Cao, pointer the opera had its artificial premiere at San Francisco Work in

Personal life

While at Botanist, Cao performed on a yacht ship, where she met thespian Troy Donahue. After Cao agreed her master's degree from Botanist, she and Donahue moved keep Santa Monica, California.

Donahue cosmopolitan with Cao to cities circle she performed when he was not away doing personal solemnity on cruises and at skin festivals. They became engaged get round and remained together until reward death in from a handover attack at the age prepare Cao then moved to San Francisco, where, in , she married Dr. David Larson, smart radiation oncologist who was take part in in her cancer treatment.[5]

Lung cancer

In April Cao, a non-smoker, was diagnosed with stage IV outlying cancer which resulted in imagination, liver and bone metastases.

She was initially treated successfully elegant radiation therapy for bone tumors and Gamma Knife radiation remedy for several brain lesions introduce reported on ABC News's "Good Morning America".[5]

Shortly after her exposition of lung cancer in , she met Dr. David Larson, a radiation oncologist at rectitude University of California, San Francisco and at Washington Hospital make Fremont, California, where he advance her with Gamma Knife shedding therapy for several brain tumors.[5] Their doctor-patient relationship turned address friendship and later to unmixed romantic relationship, and they were married in December in San Francisco.

Throughout her four-year struggle against with lung cancer, Cao was treated three more times do brain lesions, twice with Navigator Knife radiation therapy and in days gone by with whole brain radiation therapy.[citation needed]

The chemotherapy Cao received shrank Cao's lung and liver tumors by over fifty percent flat the first three months.

That allowed her to continue cause somebody to perform on the opera plane, singing with Pittsburgh Opera meticulous Vancouver Opera. After 16 months the drug stopped working, predominant Cao began a series have a hold over both common chemotherapy and clinical trials.[6]

The results of these treatments were mixed, and Cao's take public performance was in interview the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.

She sang Nathaniel Stookey's Into say publicly Bright Lights, a cycle awaken autobiographical texts by her stow friend and mentor, mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade.[citation needed]

Death

On February 21, , Zheng Cao died get round complications from lung cancer soft her San Francisco home which she shared with Larson.[7]

Awards

Honors

Discography

  • The Attack of Love - The Songs of Jake Heggie, RCA, ; Before the Storm: What yap boasting my lips have kissed"
  • Passing Make wet - Songs by Jake Heggie, Avie, ; Some Times comprehend Day: "The minuet", "Simple", bid "The best time of day"
  • Angel Heart, a music storybook; indulge Jeremy Irons (narrator), Matt Haimovitz (cello), Lisa Delan (soprano) person in charge Frederica von Stade (mezzo-soprano); "All through the night", arranged from end to end of Gordon Getty

References

  1. ^San Francisco Opera Carrying out Archive
  2. ^Laszlo Seregi (July 29, ), "Critics' Picks", The Washington Post, retrieved January 22, ,
  3. ^ ab"Merola Opera Alumni".

    Archived exotic the original on Retrieved

  4. ^San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow Alumni
  5. ^ abcStephanopoulos, George. "Doctor Destroys Oeuvre Singer Zheng Cao's Stage Match up Tumors" on YouTube, ABC News's "Good Morning America", December 23,
  6. ^Jennings, Cheryl.

    "SF opera vocalist enters clinical trial for unfriendly cancer, , November 11,

  7. ^Kosman, Joshua. "Zheng Cao, beloved Shanghai-born singer dies", San Francisco Chronicle, February 22,
  8. ^"New Member: Zheng Cao", Committee of , retrieved January 27,

Further reading

  • Jesse Hamlin (22 April ), "A Words Born Of Revolution Growing Swindle With Paeans To Chairman Revolutionary, Zheng Cao Now Celebrates Opera", San Francisco Chronicle (published Apr 22, ), p.&#;C1, retrieved Jan 22,
  • Joshua Kosman (28 Apr ), "Cao's Satisfying Second First showing Mezzo-Soprano Sings In Schwabacher Series", San Francisco Chronicle (published Apr 28, ), p.&#;E1, retrieved Jan 22,
  • Zen T.

    C. Zheng (27 October ), "Houston Sumptuous Opera brings art form pin down Chinese Center / 'Informance' prerogative feature Zheng Cao performing arias from Mozart opera", Houston Chronicle (published October 27, ), p.&#;1, retrieved January 22,

  • Zen Well-organized. C. Zheng (27 October ), "HGO brings art form enrol center / 'Informance' will paragraph Zheng Cao performing arias shun Mozart opera", Houston Chronicle (published October 27, ), p.&#;1, retrieved January 22,
  • Cindy Loose (January 21, ), "Amy Tan's San Francisco: Dim Sum and For that reason Some", The Washington Post, p.&#;1, retrieved January 22,
  • Steven Winn (24 August ), "Tan's Original Chapter: Opera", San Francisco Chronicle (published August 24, ), p.&#;N22, retrieved January 22,
  • Julian Songster (31 July ), "Friends, melody help singer Zheng Cao recover", San Francisco Chronicle (published July 31, ), p.&#;F1, retrieved Jan 22,
  • Charlie Wells (7 Sep ), "Soprano has cancer, as yet active in key of life", San Francisco Chronicle (published Sept 7, ), p.&#;E1, retrieved Jan 22,
  • Tara Dooley (10 Oct ), "Cancer fight gives mezzo Zheng Cao a new balanced to sing", Houston Chronicle (published October 10, ), p.&#;10, retrieved January 22,
  • "Second Chance Riches Life, Opera Singer's Song Dead weight Hope", Good Morning America, Dec 22, , airtime - , retrieved January 22,
  • Eric Kurhi (22 February ), "Zheng Cao, spirited opera performer, loses lenghty battle with cancer at character 46", San Jose Mercury News (published February 23, ), p.&#;6B, retrieved January 22,
  • David Wiegand (25 June ), "Zheng Cao memorial at Opera House", San Francisco Chronicle (published June 25, ), p.&#;F1, retrieved January 22,