Arts and Culture

U.S.-China Co-Production Premieres at Metropolitan Opera, with Placido Domingo as 'The First Emperor'

New York, December 21, 2006—A dramatic new opera bringing together creative talents from the United States and China is now in its premiere run at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

The opera features the talent of China’s leading creative artists: award-winning composer Tan Dun and filmmaker and director Zhang Yimou. The opera house welcomes Yimou as its first Chinese director in the Met’s 124-year history. Placido Domingo will star in the title role as China’s First Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who unified China in 214 BC and is known for constructing the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors.

Supported in part by the Ford Foundation, the Met has readied for the premier with workshops and training programs in both Shanghai and New York. Aimed at strengthening cultural ties between the United States and China, the workshops have engaged the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Opera and the Shanghai Conservatory. Music and production internships, classes and public lectures have also been offered. In New York, the Met has been conducting a series of seminars and lectures for both students and the general public to familiarize them with the opera and its historical significance.

"The First Emperor" runs between Dec. 21, 2006, and Jan. 25, 2007.

For more information on the production, visit
www.metoperafamily.org.

For more information on the Ford Foundation’s China Office, visit
http://www.fordfound.org/global/office/index.cfm?office=Beijing.

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has been a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide, guided by its goals of strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation and advancing human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Russia.