Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences presents, Peking Opera – the Quintessential Chinese Art of Singing, Dancing and Martial Art with guest performers, Madame Ping Sun and Mr. Jinsen Ye, on Monday, May 5, 2014 in the Science Center, Room 150 (Irvine Lecture Hall) at 2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS: Madame Ping Sun and her husband Jinsen Ye, both world-renowned Peking Opera artists, hail from Beijing, China, where Peking Opera originated more than 220 years ago. Madame Sun is an all China First-Class Artist. She is Professor and Director of Center of National Drama Studies Renmin University of China as well as Director of the Institute of Arts Beijing Foreign Studies University, both in Beijing, China. Mr. Ye is an adjust professor of drama studies at both the two universities. In the autumn of 2000, the couple, on invitation, cooperated with National Symphony Orchestra, Washington D.C, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra of University of Pennsylvania and performed Peking Opera with symphony music which created much of a stir. In May of that year, the troupe visited China and also caused a stir. The couple was a visiting professor of University of Pennsylvania and Temple University. Besides regular lectures and performances in China, the couple often conducts performance/lecture tours in both Europe and the United States.

In this performance, the couple, dressed in the Peking Opera costume, will not only perform segments of some famous Peking Opera pieces based on classic Chinese literature works such as A Journey to the West and the Three Kingdoms, but also explain some typical roles of different Peking Opera actors and artistic skills of acting and singing in comparison to the Western style.

This event is free and open to the public. It is in Chinese with English translations on the spot. For more information, please contact Dr. Wenshan Jia at (714) 997-6725.

Download Peking Opera Flyer