Painted Skin 画皮 is composer Hao Weiya’s modern operatic interpretation of a haunting story from Strange Tales of Liao Zhai* (1740), a famous collection of renowned Qin Dynasty author Pu Songling’s ghost stories from the early 18th century.
The opera made its debut in 2018 at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center. For the 2022 China Now Music Festival, director Michael Hoffman and conductor Jindong Cai have created a new production that transports this supernatural tale into the fabric of modern American society. The cast of three characters includes two Western opera style singers and acclaimed NY-based Kunqu opera singer Qian Yi, accompanied by a 24-piece Chinese orchestra.
EAST
OF WEST
OCTOBER 7-22
2022
Tickets on sale now!
$25, $50, $75, $100
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS
ALL-NEW PRODUCTION HERE
*Pu Songling’s ghost stories have been widely reproduced, translated, adapted into film, television, and now opera. The collection is also known in English as “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.”
PERFORMERS
The 2022 China Now Music Festival is presented in collaboration with the Central Conservatory of Music, China in celebration of the first five years of the US-China Music Institute at Bard College.