Shi Yihong (史依弘) will speak on her knowledge and expertise of Jingju, her personal story of Jingju training and acting career, and her negotiations between tradition and experimentation and between stage performance and film.
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Royce Hall Rm 243
This lecture features the prominent award-winning jingju actress Shi Yihong. Jingju or Beijing opera, the best-known genre of Chinese opera, is a form of classical Chinese theatre that integrates singing, speaking, dancing, and acrobatics--what the West calls “total theatre.” In her lecture, Shi will share her knowledge and expertise of Jingju, her personal story of Jingju
training and acting career, and her negotiations between tradition and experimentation and between stage performance and film. Her lecture will also include demonstrations of arias and movements and interactions with the audience.
Shi Yihong is a renowned Peking Opera artist from the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe and a leading performer of the Mei School（梅派）. She holds the title of National First-Class Actor in China and specializes in dan (female) roles（旦角）. Shi studied under Zhang Meijuan (a renowned martial dan actress and educator) as well as Lu Wenqin (an expert in opera vocal techniques). In 1999, she graduated from the first Master’s Program for Peking Opera Outstanding Young Performers in China. Shi Yihong began her training with martial dan roles （武旦） and later devoted herself to studying the Mei School, becoming a versatile artist skilled in both literary and martial roles. Her distinctive style combines traditional techniques with modern influences, making her a leading figure in contemporary Peking Opera. Her repertoire includes traditional classics such as The Female Generals of the Yang Family（《杨门女将》）, Legend of the White Snake（《白蛇传》）, Farewell My Concubine（《霸王别姬》）, The Drunken Beauty（《贵妃醉酒》）, Wang Zhaojun Goes Beyond the Great Wall（《昭君出塞》）, and The Unicorn Purse（《锁麟囊》）. She has also starred in innovative productions, such as The Bells of Notre Dame（《情殇钟楼》）, adapted from Victor Hugo’s novel, and New Dragon Inn《新龙门客栈, based on the film of the same name.
Shi Yihong has held three major national tours themed “Civil, Fight, Kunqu, and All,” “A Dazzling Elegance,” and “Four Great Schools: Mei, Shang, Cheng, and Xun,” which gained widespread acclaim among opera fans across China. Committed to promoting Peking Opera internationally, Shi Yihong has performed extensively abroad. She staged 12 performances of Farewell My Concubine at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Princeton University in the United States. She also held a special performance in Tokyo to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mei Lanfang’s visit to Japan.
史依弘，上海京剧院梅派大青衣，国家一级演员，工旦角。师从著名武旦演员、京剧教育家张美娟以及戏曲声乐专家卢文勤。1999年毕业于首届中国京剧优秀青年演员研究生班。史依弘由武旦开蒙，又潜心研究梅派艺术，文武兼擅、风格鲜明、具有新时代特色的京剧领军人物。代表作既有《杨门女将》、《白蛇传》、《霸王别姬》、《贵妃醉酒》、《昭君出塞》、《锁麟囊》等传统经典，也有根据雨果名著改编的京剧《情殇钟楼》、根据同名电影改编的京剧《新龙门客栈》等创新大戏。史依弘先后以“文武昆乱”、“占尽风华”、“梅尚程荀”为主题，举办了三大巡演，在全国戏迷观众中引起轰动。史依弘致力于京剧走向国际的艺术实践：她赴美国大都会博物馆和普林斯顿大学演出12场京剧《霸王别姬》；为纪念梅兰芳先生赴日演出一百周年，她在东京举办了专场演出。
Sponsor(s): Center for Chinese Studies, Department of Ethnomusicology