Yu Guanqun

Born and educated in China, young soprano Yu Guanqun has gained international attention since winning the first prize at the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in 2008.

In June 2010 she made her debut in Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc under the baton of Bertrand de Billy at the Musikverein Wien. This was followed by Mimi (La Bohème) at the Pacific Festival in Sapporo conducted by Fabio Luisi and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) in Bologna. Yu’s US debut at the Metropolitan Opera was in 2012 and in the same year she was awarded the Placido Domingo Operalia Singing Competition. At Domingo’s invitation she sang Lucrezia in Verdi’s I due Foscari at Palau de les Arts Valencia, and in 2013/14 she made her debut at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, when she stepped in as Desdemona (Otello).

In February 2017, she sung in The Ghosts of Versailles which won Grammys for Best Opera Recording and Best Engineered Classical Album. This season, Yu will sing Liù in Turandot at Metropolitan Opera New York, Elettra in Idomeneo at Zürich Opera House, Mimi in La Bohème at Bavarian State Opera and L’Arlesiana at Deutsche Oper Berlin.