Penn State Greater Allegheny will welcome the Ningbo Yong Opera Troupe from Ningbo, China on Monday, October 13 at 7 p.m. in the Wunderley Gymnasium. The 27 member troupe from Ningbo Performance & Arts Group is traveling to the US from Ningbo, China. The group is planning an approximately 1.5 hour performance, which will include parts from Andi, adapted from Eugene O?Neill?s Pulitzer-winning Anna Christie, as well as highlights from a few other plays.
According to the website Ningbo.gov, the "Ningbo opera originated from the countryside of Zhejiang Province. As one of the most important local operas, it is widely popular in Ningbo, Zhoushan, Taizhou, and Shanghai." With a wide repertoire featuring traditional Chinese opera and interpretations of modern works, the Ningbo Yong Opera Troupe has performed in France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the United States, among other countries.
The group?s recent performance of ?The Red Dress? at New York City?s Lincoln Center won the 11th National Spiritual Civilization Five Top Project Prize and the Excellent Repertoire Award of the Seventh China Dance Lotus Award.
Zhihao Song, a Penn State Greater Allegheny business major, had the idea to bring the group to the campus. Back home in Ningbo, China, he is neighbors with one of the Opera?s performers. He contacted the troupe, which was performing at Grinnell College in Iowa, and asked them to come to Penn State Greater Allegheny while they were in the United States. ?We are so excited and fortunate to host the award-winning Ningbo Yong Opera Troupe. We are always looking for cultural and educational opportunities for our students, and to have a world-renowned musical group perform on our campus is an experience consistent with the campus emphasis on a global curriculum,? Director of Academic Affairs Margaret Signorella said, adding, ?Zhihao showed great initiative in arranging the visit.?
The public is invited to attend and admission is free. For more information, please contact the Academic Affairs Office at 412-675-9140.
