Liao Changyong, principal of Shanghai Conservatory of Music. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Shangyin Opera House is hosting its first opera and musical festival in May with four productions, three of which will be performed by the students and staff of Shanghai Conservatory of Music: the classical opera La Traviata, a new original opera Tea composed by Tan Dun, an original musical named Shanghai Spring 1949, as well as The Flying Dutchman by Shanghai Opera House.

The festival will also feature six salon events and four workshops.

Shangyin Opera House is an integrated part of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Since its opening in 2019, the theater set a goal to become a show center for young talent, a bridge between the school and the public, as well as a hub for international exchanges, said Liao Changyong, principal of SCM.

Cai Chengyu, a graduate student of SCM and a star tenor in China's opera scene, will take the leading role of Alfredo in La Traviata, performed on May 5-6. Liao, one of China's best known operatic baritones, will play the supporting role of his father Girogio Germont.