Lei Jia:Voice Heard Round the World

The audience continued applaud- ing for a full 10 minutes after Lei Jia left the stage of the China National Convention Center near Beijing’s landmark Bird’s Nest stadium. At the 2015 New Year’s Concert， themed around the Silk Road， Lei performed three folk songs from three respective regions along the road， Shaanxi， Qinghai， and Xinjiang. Her cooperation with China’s Philharmonic Orchestra was expressive and creative one couldn’t tell it was only the second time they worked together. Only adding to the fun， as the concert neared its end， Lang Lang， a talented young Chinese pianist， accompanied Lei on the well-known Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower， which led to repeated curtain calls. It’s no surprise that Lei’s distinctive singing style combining Chinese folk music， bel canto， and Chinese traditional opera has injected new life into Chinese music.

Musical Prodigy

Lei hails from Hunan Province， a region that has produced many artists， especially singers. As a teenager， she braved a trek to Beijing from her small hometown in Hunan to audition for some of the best music professors in the country. Today， Lei has ventured out of her home country to work with world-class artists and orchestras， such as Mariinsky Theater Orchestra and New York Philharmonic.

The soprano was born into a family lacking a concrete connection to music. However， her parents loved to sing and their daughter exhibited prodigious talent as a toddler. “My mom jokes that I could sing before I could talk，” she told China Pictorial. As she grew， the girl began demanding to perform for guests visiting her home. She spent considerable time in a village with her grandparents during summer and winter holidays， where she caught fish， climbed trees， and disturbed bird nests.“I was very close to the nature and had a free spirit，” she recalls. “I think my strong attachment to music started in that period. I sang both when I was happy and upset. With hindsight， I believe that a free spirit is what artists need， and I am grateful for my childhood experience.”

Lei achieved many things early in life. At 14， she stunned teachers from Hunan Provincial Art School despite lacking any formal training and was admitted to study huaguxi， a local opera that emphasizes singing. At 18， she traveled to Beijing alone to sit for entrance examinations for both People’s Liberation Army Arts College and the China Conservatory， two of the best art schools in the country， and was offered admission to both. As a student at the China Conservatory， she was cast as the lead of the opera Farewell to Cambridge Again， which ran for 25 shows at Beijing People’s Art Theater.

As for whether talent or diligence is more important for success， Lei weighs both equally. “Some things in music are impossible to learn from professors or textbooks， such as your personal understanding and interpretation， and your unique way of expressing it. However， you cannot depend on talent alone. Only by taking inherited gifts and passion for music and combining them with hard work can you become an excellent artist.”

Lei consistently wins the hearts of spectators at both intimate recitals and the grandest of stages， at both performances for government leaders and the general public. In 2008， her album Songs from China’s 56 Ethnic Groups was presented to distinguished guests attending the Beijing Olympic Games. In November 2009， she began playing the heroine of the Chinese Opera Mulan Psalm and toured many countries with the production.

She was very busy in 2014. On May 20， she was invited to be the featured entertainer and sang “Reed Flowers” at the evening party of the Fourth Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia （CICA） Summit， winning thunderous applause from leaders of various countries. On August 16， at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games， she sang the anthem“Endless Dream.” On September 30， at the big symphony concert with the theme“Beautiful China ・ Glorious Dream” to celebrate the 65th birthday of the People’s Republic of China， she sang “On the Land of China，” overwhelming the audience with a breathtaking performance in the upper register. In November， she performed as a featured soloist for the APEC Gala with the classic piece “Isatidis Flower Bloom.”At the December 31 New Year tea party hosted by the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC） National Committee， she performed “My Folks and My People，” the highlight of the event attended by top CPC and government leaders.

Despite of all her achievements， Lei still maintains her initial inspiration， which continues to burn： passion for music. In her childhood， passion introduced the curious girl to music， and that childlike excitement has stayed with her continuously and continues propelling her.

“Opera is a Great Tool”

The soprano has continued to stay active in opera in recent years. Over the past few years， she has starred in several Chinese operas including Mulan Psalm， Canal Balled， Yangko Opera， and Mizhi Woman and Suide Man. “Opera is a great tool to introduce Chinese culture and music to Western audiences，” she opines. “With the right efforts， we can show Chinese culture to the West through art forms with which they are familiar.”

She takes great pride in Mulan Psalm， an original Chinese opera she began to perform in late 2009. The opera is based on the well-known Chinese folktale heroine Mulan， who disguises herself as a man to take her ailing father’s place in the army. After fighting for twelve years and gaining widespread acclaim， she refuses rewards and retires to her hometown. The story is well known not only in China， but also across the globe， especially after Disney produced an animated musical based on the story in 1998.

Lei found herself performing Mulan Psalm in Japan only three months after she was cast， and Crown Prince Naruhito was among her audience. “I didn’t feel exceptionally worried or nervous，” she claims. “I was fully prepared and I always treat all my audience with the same utmost respect.” The performance was a huge success. In 2010， Mulan Psalm travelled to Russia for staging at the Kremlin and Mariinsky Theater. The production was such a hit that Lei was awarded the “Distinguished Artist Award” from Valery Gergiev， general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre.

It’s hard for Lei to hide her pride when speaking of Mulan’s success. “First of all， the plot is universal filial duty advocated by traditional Chinese culture and aspirations and love for peace so it is easily accepted by both Chinese and Western audiences，” Lei explains. “Second， we adopted Western ways to tell a Chinese story. Our writer reworked the whole story to this end. During performances， I used bel canto style when necessary.” Their efforts worked. At its core， the story is Chinese， and the opera blends elements of Chinese folk music， singing， national costumes and martial arts. At the same time， it employs various forms of performance such as symphony， musical， theater and dance， which are familiar to international audiences.

“The opera has now visited many countries and is a hit everywhere it goes，”Lei declares. “How we express Chinese music has really become an important issue today. To deliver Chinese music to greater numbers of ears， you need a better carrier. If we stick to our old ways， even some international spectators who would otherwise like it will think Chinese music strays too far from their everyday lives.”

New Musical Concept

Lei enjoys performing for audiences of all sizes and cultures. “You need to put your efforts into something you think is a priority. Today， I consider promoting Chinese culture overseas through music and further developing China’s folk music my priority，” she says.

In recent years， Lei proposed and has been advocating the “new Chinoiserie music” concept. “In very ancient China， music mostly hailed from folk people，” she explains. “It developed as songs they sang at work， for celebrations， and when they expressed feelings such as sorrow， anger， and happiness. Music should be based on people. In terms of new Chinoiserie music， it should also be based on people， but also feature modern China.”

Lei hopes that new Chinoiserie music will effectively incorporate Chinese culture and speak China’s authentic voice in a modern way. “New” refers mostly to advanced technical methods and adaption.“Music from various eras possesses different features，” she adds. “Today， communication through music is already drastically different from ten years ago or even five years ago. For international audiences， I hope to present my music comfortably and familiarly while conveying traditional Chinese culture in a cutting-edge form.”