The Second Shangyin Opera House & Gulangyu Opera Competition

Zhang Guoyong is an esteemed Chinese conductor and music educator. He graduated from the Conducting Department of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1983 and received his doctorate in music from Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 1997. He successively studied with the Chinese conductor and music educator Prof. Huang Xiaotong and the world-renowned master conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky.

Mr. Zhang is currently a professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and serves as the Music Director of both the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra and the Guiyang Symphony Orchestra. He is also the Vice-Chairman of the China Musicians Association and the Shanghai Musicians Association. Additionally, he is a member of the Four Batches of Talents Program of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. Mr. Zhang has been bestowed the honorary title of  “A Leading Figure in Shanghai” and has received special government allowances from the State Council of China. Previously, he held the position of Music Director of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra and served as the President and Artistic Director of the Shanghai Opera House.

During his impressive artistic career, Mr. Zhang has successfully conducted a diverse range of classical works, encompassing operas, ballets, and symphonic choruses, collaborating with esteemed opera houses and symphony orchestras both in China and abroad. Notably, Mr. Zhang excels in conducting Russian works, and is recognized as one of the best interpreters of Shostakovich’s symphonies in China.

Zhang’s style of conducting is clean, natural and soulful with a passion complemented by a profound rationality, resulting in a strong artistic tension appealing to the audience. With his keen ear, excellent skills, effective rehearsal methods and comprehensive grasp of the structure of the works, he impresses orchestras and audiences every time he takes the stage.

In recent years, he has acted as China’s cultural ambassador in many significant international cultural exchange events, representing the country in the Year of Culture activities co-hosted with the U.S., Russia, Germany, Italy, France, and Latin America.

In 2014, Mr. Zhang conducted the critically acclaimed HD opera film Carmen and Rickshaw Boy, both produced by the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in China.

In 2015, he was invited by the NCPA to participate in the Italian tour of Chinese operas. The following year, he conducted the China Philharmonic Orchestra’s debut performance in Russia, earning widespread acclaim.

In 2006, he was invited as a jury member of the 8th Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition in Spain.

Zhang’s mentor, Maestro Gennady Rozhdestvensky, once told music critics excitedly, “I gave Zhang Guoyong the highest marks in the Moscow State Conservatory’s history. He will always have a place in any orchestra all over the world.”

Markus Eiche is a renowned German baritone and a vocal professor at the Freiburg University of Music. Internationally acclaimed for his rich stage experience and outstanding musical expressiveness, Eiche has performed in leading opera houses and music festivals around the world.

He began his professional career in 1997 with a successful debut as Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Estates Theatre in Prague. He subsequently became a key member of the ensembles at the National Theatre Mannheim and the Vienna State Opera, where he portrayed numerous iconic roles including Don Giovanni, Papageno, Marcello, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Gunther, and Olivier.

From 2012 to 2018, he was actively engaged at the Bavarian State Opera, performing significant roles such as Lescaut, Goloud, Kurwenal, and Beckmesser. As a frequent guest artist, Eiche has appeared on the stages of La Scala in Milan, Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Berlin State Opera, Zurich Opera House, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and the Salzburg Festival. Since 2007, he has been a regular guest at the Bayreuth Festival, taking on major roles such as Wolfram von Eschenbach and Gunther.

Eiche has collaborated with many world-renowned conductors including Riccardo Muti, Christian Thielemann, Kirill Petrenko, Seiji Ozawa, Alan Gilbert, and Marek Janowski, earning widespread acclaim for his performances.

In addition to his operatic achievements, Eiche has made significant contributions to the concert stage, performing works by Bach, Mahler, Beethoven, and Brahms, as well as 20th-century repertoire by Britten, Strauss, and Dallapiccola. He has given recitals in cities such as Barcelona, Zurich, Vienna, and Tokyo.

Since 2016, Markus Eiche has been a professor of vocal studies at the Freiburg University of Music, dedicated to training the next generation of vocal talent.

Shi Yijie, a talented tenor, currently serves as a professor and Vice Dean at the Music College of Hunan Normal University, a distinguished professor at the China Conservatory of Music, and a visiting professor at the School of Music of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen.

Shi Yijie is an accomplished Chinese vocalist who has been active around the world. In 2007, he won four gold medals in international vocal competitions. Since then, he has graced the stages of many prestigious opera houses and music festivals globally, including the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Phoenix Opera House in Venice, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Madrid Royal Opera House, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Opéra municipal de Marseille, Opéra de Toulouse, San Francisco Opera, Bolshoi Theatre, Rossini Opera Festival, and Edinburgh International Festival.

Shi Yijie has been recognized as one of the world’s best interpreters of Bel Canto works, celebrated for his compelling interpretations of masterpieces by Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and Mozart. Over the past decade, he has delivered over 500 performances of 41 operas worldwide, including La Fille Du Regiment, L’elisir d’amore, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, I Puritani, Die Zauberflöte, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Das Land des Lächelns, The Dream of the Red Chamber, etc. Notably, his excellent rendition of the famous 19 High C in La Fille Du Regiment has established him as one of the leading tenors in the world.

Driven by his profound love for Chinese culture and music, Shi Yijie has been dedicated to promoting Chinese art songs to an international audience. His album Chinese Art Songs, recorded with renowned pianist Chen Sa and released under the Universal Edition and DECCA labels, has been well-received by the fans.

Patrizia Pace is an acclaimed Italian soprano whose remarkable journey in opera began at just 16 years old with her debut in Genoa in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. Her international career flourished when she took the stage at Teatro alla Scala in Mozart’s opera Lucio Silla at the age of 19. Since then, she became a resident artist at the theater, where she has brilliantly portrayed iconic roles such as Micaëla in Carmen and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro.

Patrizia Pace rapidly ascended to international fame through her remarkable triumphs in a series of high-profile competitions. In 1983 alone, she conquered three prestigious vocal contests: the Aureliano Pertile Competition, the Gian Battista Viotti International Music (Voice) Competition, and the Maria Callas International Grand Prix. In 1987, she received the Silver Mask Award, whose past recipients included the legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti. In 1996, she added the Golden Mascagni Award to her growing collection of accolades. With her emotive voice and expressive performance, Patrizia has breathed life into over 60 iconic roles. including Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Liù (Turandot), Nannetta (Falstaff), Micaëla (Carmen), Gilda (Rigoletto), and Oscar (Un ballo in maschera), earning prestige particular for her unparalleled renditions of operas by Mozart, Rossini, and Puccini. Patrizia shined on the stages of the world’s most prestigious opera houses, including Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper), and the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, performing under the baton of celebrated conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, and Herbert von Karajan. Her appearances in landmark productions, such as Don Giovanni conducted by Claudio Abbado, Le Nozze di Figaro conducted by Riccardo Muti, and Mozart’s Requiem with the Berlin Philharmonic, have mesmerized audiences worldwide. Patrizia’s artistic footprint extends across more than 30 countries, participating in the world premiere of numerous operas at venues like the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Bastille Opera House.

As an expert in Baroque music, Patrizia has redefined the boundaries of concert performances. Her recordings of Don Giovanni and Le martyre de saint Sébastien, released under Deutsche Grammophon and other leading international labels, have set new standards in the industry. Since the 1990s, Patrizia has been a prominent figure on the international opera scene, taking on iconic roles such as Mimì in La Bohème and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte at prestigious venues and festivals, such as the Puccini Festival and the Roman Theatre of Avenches. Her artistry continues to flourish into the 21st century. Renowned for her technical finesse and remarkable versatility, Patrizia Pace stands as an important torchbearer of the Italian bel canto tradition.

Susanna Stefani Caetani is the founder of Only Stage.

During her career as a piano soloist, she has played in different continents with orchestras like Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, Novosibirsk Philharmonic Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonic, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Norwegian Radio Symphony Oslo, Robert Schumann Philharmonie, Chamber Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and has worked with conductors like Vladimir Fedosseyev, Arnold Katz, Fabio Luisi, Oleg Caetani, etc. Her repertoire includes classical and modern works, notably Mosolov’s Piano Concerto No.1, Bartok’s First Piano Concerto and both of Shostakovitch’s Piano Concertos. Her recording of Pizzetti’s Piano Concerto “Canti della Stagione Alta” is a world first.

As an accomplished chamber musician, she played in 2005 with the Quartetto di Roma for the Italian President, a concert which was broadcast all over Europe. At the side of his musician career, Susanna has also created different TV programs about classical music and a TV series called Maggio Notes (together with Marco Giorgetti and Massimo Tarducci) about the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, interviewing among many artists Seiji Ozawa, Zubin Metha, etc.

In 2014, Susanna founded the Only Maestros, an innovative management company that catered only conductors. Since February 2017, it has merged into her new management company Only Stage, a bold wide reality in the international music business, where she also takes care of special projects and events for different clients and artists, like Fondazione Pavarotti, Scenario2, Teatro Arcimboldi Milan. She has been a jury member of the Nikisch Conducting Competition and of the SOI Scuola dell'Opera Italiana Fiorenza Cedolins First Virtual Opera Competition. Recently, Susanna has worked on Only Stage First Digital Season “All about Bach! Festival” and has launched the Only Stage International Conducting Competition.

Iris Wei Lanfen holds a PhD in Drama Aesthetics from the Central Academy of Drama. She is a second-grade stage manager, and a member of the Four Batches of Talents Program of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. Currently, she serves as the Director of the Drama Production Department at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in China.

Since 2003, Iris has occupied a vanguard position in China’s most significant cultural projects. She has been integrally involved in the artistic production and management of the nation’s premier and largest-scale cultural spectacles in the 21st century. These include the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the 2009 grand gala marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the P.R. China, the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, and numerous large-scale productions of the NCPA.

In 2008, Iris contributed to the artistic tapestry of the Beijing Olympics, masterminding both its spectacular opening and closing ceremonies. As the creative coordinator, she was engaged in the whole process from conception and planning to organization and execution.

Since joining the NCPA as a producer in early 2011, she has presented nearly 90 stage productions spanning opera, drama, ballet and musical theatre. Her impressive portfolio features over 60 international opera masterpieces and original Chinese operatic works, including Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Les Pêcheurs de perles, Simon Boccanegra, Eugene Onegin, Aida, Falstaff, Macbeth, The Long March, The Song of Youth, Summer Rainbow, and Minning Town, produced in collaboration with leading artists such as Francesca Zambello, Wim Wenders, Plácido Domingo, Myung-Whun Chung, Zubin Mehta, Valery Gergiev, Chen Xinyi, Tian Qinxin, Wang Xiaoying, and Wang Xiaodi.

Iris served as a visiting professor of music and art management at the Central Conservatory of Music, and offered professional courses at Peking University School of Arts, Peking University Academy of Opera, and Shanghai Theatre Academy. She has participated in academic exchanges at the Central Academy of Drama, Beijing Normal University, Shanghai Grand Theatre, Guangzhou Opera House, Shaanxi Performing Arts Center, and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region.

Iris was engaged in a visiting scholar program at the Lincoln Art Center, funded by the Sino-American Cultural Exchange Scholarship from the Rockefeller Foundation’s Asian Cultural Council (ACC). She also served as a member of the review panel for the China National Arts Fund projects in 2021, 2023 and 2024.

Iris is the author of the academic monograph titled The Context of Opera: An Analysis of Wagner’s Der Ring Des Nibelungen, which was published by Sanlian Press.

Naomi Schmidt, Music Director, International Opera Studio, National Theatre Mannheim.

Naomi Schmidt is one of Germany’s most influential contemporary vocal coaches and collaborative pianists. She currently serves as Music Director, Principal Vocal Coach, and Assistant Conductor at the International Opera Studio of the National Theatre Mannheim. Since the 2019/20 season, she has held key responsibilities in vocal training, rehearsal leadership, and musical coordination of opera productions, playing a pivotal role in shaping the studio’s artistic development and reputation.

Born into a German-Japanese musical family in Stuttgart, Ms. Schmidt demonstrated exceptional musical talent from an early age, studying both piano and violin and winning numerous national competitions. She pursued piano performance studies at the Freiburg University of Music and in Kyoto, Japan, before specializing in Lied accompaniment under Jan-Philip Schulze at the University of Music, Drama and Media Hanover.

As a sought-after collaborative pianist, Ms. Schmidt has performed across Europe and Japan, appearing at renowned international festivals such as the Würzburg Mozart Festival, Bruckner Festival Linz, Samos Young Artists Festival, and the Aldeburgh Festival in the UK. Her performances have been frequently broadcast and recorded by media outlets including BR, NDR, SWR, ARD-alpha, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, and Catalonia Radio.

In addition to her performance career, Ms. Schmidt is deeply committed to vocal pedagogy and opera coaching. She has served as vocal coach and music consultant at institutions including the Bavarian State Opera, Frankfurt Opera, and Staatstheater Darmstadt. She is regularly invited as a faculty member and coach for international masterclasses and music academies.

In 2018, she collaborated with conductor Nimrod David Pfeffer on a production of Puccini’s La Bohème in Guatemala, serving as vocal coach and assistant conductor, further demonstrating her versatility in cross-cultural opera production.

As a conductor and music director, Ms. Schmidt has led productions including Fiddler on the Roof (Anatevka), the NTM’s adaptation of Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne, and La voix humaine / La dame de Monte-Carlo, all of which have garnered critical acclaim.

Ms. Schmidt has received numerous prestigious awards and scholarships, including those from the German Music Life Foundation, Baden-Württemberg Foundation, DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), and the Richard Wagner Foundation. In 2025, she was selected for the highly competitive Women Opera Makers Workshop at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, a distinction awarded to only a few exceptional artists worldwide.

Hans-Otto Ehrström was born into a distinguished Finnish family of artists and musicians, immersed in a rich musical environment from an early age. He studied at the Sibelius Academy and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon, later continuing his training at the Opera Studio of the Zurich Opera House, where he obtained his soloist diploma.

Initially focusing on chamber music and art song, he joined the Finnish National Opera in 2000 and was a regular guest artist at the Savonlinna Opera Festival for nearly two decades. He has also contributed to numerous productions in leading opera houses across Europe, serving as a music coach and rehearsal pianist.

Ehrström’s operatic repertoire spans over 100 works in 10 different languages. Since the 1990s, he has been a sought-after official accompanist at numerous international vocal competitions and is highly respected in the field. His performances have taken him to stages, radio, and television across Europe, Asia, and even the Arctic regions.

Since May 2023, Ehrström has been working as a Repetitor at the Vienna State Opera.

Slide left and right

Slide left and right

Slide left and right