He Hui

The soprano Hui He was born in Xi’An in China. She became known to the international music after winning the 2nd Prize in the Placido Domingo’s Operalia International Competition, held in Los Angeles in September 2000. All the members of the prestigious jury underlined the soprano’s great musical talent and extraordinary vocal style. On January 5th, 2001 she shared the stage in a concert with Placido Domingo in Shanghai. Two years later, she won the First Prize at the 42nd Verdi’s Voice International Competition in Busseto, Parma in April 2002. The president of the prestigious jury was the renowned soprano Leyla Gencer, who immediately expressed her enthusiasm about the singing capabilities of the soprano.

In February 2002 she gave her début in Italy at the Teatro Regio in Parma in the title role of Tosca (after an intense preparatory course on the role with the famous soprano Raina Kabaiwanska). She was awarded great success immediately obtained many offers of contracts: in the 2002 Verdi Festival the title role in Alzira and the title role in Aida with the Fondazione Arturo Toscanini of Parma (in the theatres of Lucca, Rome and Catanzaro); at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona and at the Nuovo Teatro Comunale in Bolzano, the role of Amelia in Un Ballo in maschera (November and December 2002); at Teatro Regio in Turin the title role in Tosca in July 2003.

In February 2003 she made her début in France, in the Bordeaux Opera House in the début role of Cio-cio-san in Madama Butterfly, where she was very successful with both the public and the critics. Also in 2003, she was Aida in Aida in Naples, Rome, Florence and Cio-cio-san in Madama Butterfly at the Puccini’s Festival in Torre del Lago (Italy), the city where the body of Puccini is buried.

In April 2004 she sang Cio-cio-san in Madama Butterfly at the Volksoper in Vienna (a new production) with great success. All the newspapers have spoken of great triumph, of enormous emotion, of very beautiful voice and of incisive acting. In June 2004 she gave two splendid recitals with orchestra and choir in Bordeaux (France), concerts that the Opera House has organized to honour her great success in Madama Butterfly in the preceding year. The two recitals were sold out and she received standing ovations from the public with repeated encores!

In autumn 2004, she played Cio-cio-san in a new production organized for the Centenary of Madam Butterfly and it was performed at Teatro Del Giglio in Lucca (the city where Giacomo Puccini was born) and then in eight Italian theatres (Livorno, Pisa, Sassari, Bolzano, Trento, Rovigo and Parma), with the production of a DVD. In November 2004 she made her début at the Staatsoper in Vienna in the role of Lina in Stiffelio, along with Renato Bruson and José Cura.

In 2005 she performed Tosca in Tosca at the Bordeaux Opera House; Manon Lescaut in Manon Lescaut in Toulon (France); Cio-cio-san in Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Regio in Parma (Italy); Liù in Turandot at the Arena of Verona, Odabella in Attila in Parma (Italy), Tosca in Tosca in Karlsruhe (Germany) and in concerts in Salzburg and Vienna (Musikverein).

In 2006 Hui He performed the role of Cio-cio-san in Madama Butterfly at the Opéra-Bastille in Paris and at the Staatsoper in Vienna; the role of Aida at the Opéra de Bordeaux (France); Tosca at Teatro alla Scala in Milan; Amelia in Un ballo in maschera at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo (Italy) and Aida at Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

This year, she sang Cio-cio-san at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Staatsoper in Vienna and at the Opèra de Marseille; Amelia inUn Ballo in Maschera at the Staatsoper in Vienna and Aida at Festival of Avenches (Switzerland).

In the next two years, she will appear at the Staatsoper in Vienna as Aida and Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, a role she will sing at the Opera House in Valencia (Spain) next year.

He Hui won the hearts of audience and critics alike in the title role of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s Madama Butterfly opera in concert last September.