NZSM voice graduate lands position in China
NZSM graduate, soprano Xing Xing has recently taken up a permanent position at Jiujiang University (九江学院) in Jiangxi province in China, as an Associate Professor.
Xing Xing studied singing with Jenny Wollerman at NZSM, and graduated with a BMus in 2008, and in 2011 with PGDipMus (along with a BCA in Accounting). After graduating she was accepted for the NZ Opera Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artists programme, winning the $15,000 ‘Circle 100’ prize, before travelling to Germany to further her studies.
Xing Xing completed her doctoral level studies (DMA/Meisterklassenexamen) at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig in April 2015. She took up several professional contracts in Germany after this, singing for Oper Leipzig (Geni in Die Zauberflöte), and MDR Rundfunkchor, a full time professional choir based in Leipzig. She gave the German premiere of Italian composer Piero Mottola's 'sequenzial relationale' and 'sequenzial emotionale', and sang the role of Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier in HMT Leipzig's concert production.
Xing Xing says she enjoyed her study time in Germany, expanding her German art song repertoire extensively, and feels much more confident as a performer, particularly in comic roles.
She is very excited to have won the position in China, which comes with many benefits, including accommodation for her and her fiancé. She is looking forward to having the opportunity to further her singing career through more performances, and promoting New Zealand and Czech music in China, making recordings and taking part in other international competitions.
Under the terms of her contract at Jiujiang University, she is expected to continue to perform internationally and within China, as well as contribute to the university's music programme through masterclasses and teaching.
She hopes to return to NZ, where she holds permanent residence, for future performances.