Joshua Wickerham

IN CONVERSATION with Huang Ying and Joshua Wickerham

one of the world’s most promising operatic artists returns to Shanghai in Handel’s Messiah

by Joshua Wickerham for that’s Shanghai, September 2006

Last year, Shanghai-born Ying Huang (known to Chinese fans as Huang Ying) performed the soprano solo in the Chinese mainland premiere of Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah. In many ways, it was a landmark event in the history of Chinese exposure to Western music. Maestro John Nelson, conductor of L’ Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, led four soloists–Ying Huang, Warren Mok, Tian Haojiang and Liang Ning–and three choirs, in a performance that can only be described as deeply spiritual.

Though a large part of the audience was unfamiliar with choral music, the spirit of the sacred works did not require translation. Indeed, the experience was described by one member of the audience as “moving” another said she was “transported.” This year organizers from the Committee of 100 Cultural Institute hope to build on that success with Messiah, featuring Huang, and counter-tenor Larry Zazzo (the first counter-tenor to perform in China, and one that organizer Shirley Young says should be “a real treat”). The appearance of Zazzo and Huang will follow their debut this year at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

We spoke with Huang Ying in Rome, where she has been brushing up on her Italian after touring Japan, Germany, Canada and the US. She seemed intoxicated with the Italian spirit, rolling her Rs with great aplomb.

that’s: It seems you find Rome very agreeable.

Ying Huang: Very hot, wonderful. I’m learning Italian here, actually taking classes. For my work I need to understand the culture, not just the language. How’s Shanghai?

that’s: It’s hot here, too. And wonderful. Let’s talk about performing Elijah in Shanghai last year.

YH: Did you see it? Did you like the performance?

that’s: It was an amazing performance of spiritual music. I think it was a life changing event for many in the audience who had never heard or seen Western choral music performed live. What did it mean for you to bring such a famous work to your hometown for the first time?

YH: I accepted the engagement for a number of reasons. First, I was very happy to sing in Shanghai, my home. I always want to do more things for my country, for Chinese audiences. I was also excited to work with Maestro John Nelson, not only because he’s very famous, but because he’s an expert in this early music, especially choral music. It was a very precious opportunity; he is wonderful in every way, his musicianship, his humanity. Also, Elijah was a significant event in China. It lifted our culture and brought with it a higher standard for music interpretation.

that’s: Nelson has said that composers like Bach, Mozart, Handel and others put their souls into their choral works and operas. How does it feel to sing music that meant so much to these great composers?

YH: I have been studying more of the early music, like Handel and Mozart. I like the style of this music and want to perform it with authenticity. The four operas that suit me best are The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, and Cosi Fan Tutte. In the West, for the last ten years, I’ve sung these operas very often. I am trying to push the characteristics not only of the language and music, but of philosophy and culture as well. I like concentrating on Handel. His works fit my personality and spirituality. I’m happy to bring this music back to the Shanghai Opera House.

that’s: Have you sung any of these four operas in China?

YH: No, we’ve never really pinned down the dates. The good thing is that I am going to sing again in China very soon and hopefully do it more and more. Meanwhile, another good thing is that this year is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart, so everyone is talking about him and listening to his music.

that’s: Are you excited about your debut at the Met?

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terms of development: the uncertain state of Shanghai’s non-governmental organizations

by Joshua Wickerham for that’s Shanghai, September 2006

For those interested in Shanghai’s grassroots organizations, this year’s publication of the city’s first NGO Yearbook, a comprehensive directory of Shanghai-based Non-Governmental Organizations, is a fascinating read. Nearly 800-pages long, it lists thousands of civil-minded groups, and gives the impression, at least to the casual reader, that such organizations are thriving; indeed, that they are multiplying faster than cicadas in summer.

It is certainly true that the city boasts more NGOs than ever before, although the number depends on how the term is defined. All but a few dozen listings are quasi-governmental entities, known as “Government organized NGOs”, or GONGOs.

GoNGO is a term unique to China, though one that fails to indicate the highly-complicated regulatory environment that governs development work and non-profit organizations in Shanghai. According to John Kielty, placement coordinator for the Queens University-Fudan University course on Social Development, already in its second year this fall, “An organization’s official status is always an issue. It is key to have clear communication and a mutually understood set of goals [when dealing with the government]. Motives and goals,” he stresses, “aren’t always the same.”

That both parties see eye to eye is increasingly important in light of society’s more generous attitude towards charity. Donations, particularly from China’s nouveau riche, have been growing as fast as the economy, and consequently, those groups seeking to attract funds must legitimize their standing.

Dan Guttman, a visiting American Fulbright professor who taught Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s first class on NGOs, says that government plays a necessary role in a harmonious society, but that its means are limited. “I discovered that Americans and Chinese are using the same vernacular–words like rule of law, privatization, and civil society,” he says.

NGOs are often more effective in providing aid than under-funded government agencies, particularly in areas where commercial enterprises have little interest or expertise. Put another way, NGOs can address touchy subjects such as minority education, the environment, sexuality, disabilities, anti-discrimination, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment at a grassroots level, and therefore with greater efficiency and at less cost.

That said, for a number of reasons these organizations have great difficulty obtaining permanent legal status in China. Take the Rotary Club, for example, one of the oldest NGOs in China. This international service and professional group holds weekly meetings, funds scholarships, and gives time and money for projects like building potable water systems in remote villages.

The Shanghai branch held its first meeting 87 years ago, but only received “provisional” status this year. Why now? Perhaps because of their improved relations with one of the city’s largest GoNGOs, the Shanghai Charity Foundation, with which the Rotary Club partnered in a fundraising event for HIV/AIDS this summer.

While partnership with local organizations may be one path to legitimacy, the main criterion is absolute neutrality. As Rotary Club member Frank Yih, says, “We have two ground rules: no religion and no politics.” He says it jokingly, but it’s true.

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