Vocal talents cheered by masters, masses
By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-08-20 07:03

How do you go from singing in the shower to becoming the next Whitney Houston or Pavarotti?

If there was a 12-step programme, it might include a leg-up from a master singer or participation in a runaway hit show.

Super Girls, a TV singing contest modelled on American Idol, is captivating the nation with its mix of gossip and rivalry. Ratings have shot through the roof. Each weekly show reportedly attracts hundreds of millions of viewers.

The top three super girls (L to R), Li Yuchun, Zhang Liangying and Zhou Bichang, stand after a night competition on August 19, 2005. [sina.com]

Pundits attribute the success to the exercise of a grassroots form of democracy, as the ranking of the contestants is determined by text votes. Some fans have even taken to the street to rally votes for their respective "idols."

"It has always been the so-called elites who determine which person should be a star. I like it when I can have a say in it," enthused a fan who called herself Hama.

Some viewers believe that the show is becoming more popular because it now highlights voices more than faces.

However, the serious vocal talents are not to be found in the tabloids. Instead they are being polished and refined by one of 20th-century's leading Italian tenors.

The number 4 ranked super girl He Jie sings during a night competiton on August 19, 2005. She was eliminated. [sina.com]

Carlo Bergonzi, one of the top Italian tenors of the last century, has just finished a ten-day master class coaching 24 of China's most promising singers. "I never expected to encounter so many beautiful voices here," he raved.

This outpouring of Chinese vocal talent, in both the pop and bel canto areas, has taken many by surprise. In a land of karaoke mania, singers strutting their stuff on stage or television are not always those who can be associated with the word "talent."

Super Girls claims to discover singing talents. In the process, it stumbled upon a large gold mine as revenues for each show reached millions of yuan from advertising, naming rights and text messaging.

Bel canto is considered too high-brow, but its fan base is growing. "In the national vocal competition just concluded in Chongqing, we had to whittle 350 applicants in this voice category down to 36 contestants, more than any other category," revealed Tian Yubin, one of the judges of the contest. Tian, director of Chinese Musicians Association, is also an organizer of the Bergonzi master class.

These voices are like diamonds in the rough. They need polishing and guidance, which Maestro Bergonzi has provided with panache and gusto, said Tian. "He teaches by demonstrating, by showing both the right and wrong way and letting you compare. One cannot learn that from recordings."

The number 5 ranked super girl Ji Minjia acknowledges the crowd as she performances during a night competiton on August 19, 2005. She was eliminated. [sina.com]

The maestro has a magic touch. He adds elegance and expressiveness to phrasing. Students are taught to caress the words and sing with feelings and contrast. "The result is nothing short of miraculous," said Tian.

Despite the lure and glamour of a career in opera, a bel canto singer requires the utmost degree of discipline and devotion, such as learning several foreign languages and immersion in foreign culture. "And sacrifice. You have to give so much before it's possible to reap the rewards," said Tian Haojiang, a bass at Metropolitan Opera in New York, who was coached by Bergonzi in 1988.

To be fair, pop singers also need multiple talents. Besides vocal prowess, they must command charm, presence, acting skills such as smiling and crying on cue and posing for paparazzi.

In other words, the faint-hearted should just stick to the shower or karaoke bar.

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