Two singers received the gold award of $10,000 at the NTD 9th International Chinese Vocal Competition, where singers from eight countries performed for three days at the Merkin Hall of Kaufman Music Center in New York City. The final round took place Sept. 21.
Mezzo soprano Chunqing Zhang and soprano Yue Li, both based in Germany, received gold awards. Mezzo soprano Fengzhen Liu from the United States received the silver award. Three singers were awarded the bronze award: Baritone Shaofeng Zheng, based in the United States; tenor Jun Wen Wong, based in Malaysia; and tenor Vincent Ji, based in the United States.
Awards of Excellence were given to soprano Chau Nguyen from Vietnam, soprano Jieun Lee from Korea, soprano Chia-Yi Huang from the United States, and soprano Yuchuan Zhang from Canada. The competition is unique in that singers are to sing in the bel canto style only, and are required to perform at least one song in the Chinese language. The competition is also part of a series of cultural events hosted by NTD to promote truth, beauty, and goodness, and advance its mission of reviving traditional culture.
NTD stands for New Tang Dynasty, a reference to the cultural golden age of China. Lucy Zhou, head of the competition organizing committee, congratulated all the singers who traveled far and wide to join NTD in New York City. “All of these singers are truly impressive, to have stood on this stage and joined in our mission to revive traditional culture, contributing to .