Conducted by young artistic director Lin Daye of Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SSO), China’s best vocal talents will present a concert Friday evening singing the most beloved arias from operas accompanied by the orchestra.

    Friday night’s concert will feature baritones Liao Changyong and Su Mu as well as sopranos Sun Xiuwei, Chen Li’an and Zhang Hao.

    One of the best Chinese operatic baritones active on the stage today, Liao won first prize in three different international competitions in 1996 and 1997: the Operalia, The World Opera Competition, the French International Toulouse Singing Competition and the Queen Sonja International Music Competition. The New York Times once commented that he was the most graceful baritone to come along in recent years. While his performance career has mainly been in China, he has appeared as a guest artist with opera companies and orchestras internationally.

    Recognized as one of the best Chinese spinto sopranos, Sun studied with Italian soprano Rita Orlandi Malaspina after winning her first prize in the Varallo Val Sesia International Vocal Competition in Italy in 1994. She then won six first prizes in various international vocal competitions within two years. Following her opera debut of “La Traviata” as Violeta in 1994, she was invited by the Verdi Theater in Italy to perform “Norma” in the title role in 1995.

    Liao will sing “Toreador’s Song” from Bizet’s “Carmen” and “Make Way for the Factotum of the City” from Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville.” Sun will sing “For Art, for Love” from Puccini’s “Tosca,” “Peace, Peace, My God” from Verdi’s “The Force of Destiny,” and “The Peaceful Night” from Verdi’s “The Troubadour.”

    The program will also include “That Glance” from Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale,” excerpts from Mozart’s “Thus Do They All” (Cosi fan tutte) as well as works by Massenet and Arditi.

    To make the opera medley more palatable, also to mimick an opera in form, SSO will perform overtures of “The Force of Destiny” and “The Barber of Seville” at the beginning of the concert and after the intermission. The orchestra will also perform intermezzos from “Carmen” and Mascagni’s “Rustic Chivalry” respectively during the first and second half of the concert.

    The concert, presenting the best of opera art in two hours, will be broadcast live from Shenzhen Concert Hall. Audiences will be able to enjoy it free on all terminals of LeTV, including its APP and website.

    Time: 8 p.m., Dec. 9

    Tickets: 50-380 yuan

    Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)

    Metro: Line 3 or 4, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D(Debra Li)