Hongni Wu

Mezzo-soprano

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Hongni Wu 2425 website biog English

“Hongni Wu brought technical agility, warm colourings and an ample sound…she sang with youthful bloom and richness.”
(New York Times)

A former member of Royal Ballet and Opera’s Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, Hongni Wu’s recent returns to Covent Garden as a principal guest brought unqualified success: in the 2022/2023 season as Kuchtik in a new production of Rusalka, conducted by Semyon Bychkov and last season, conducted by Kevin John Edusei, as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, hailed by The Guardian as “a mezzo of rich mellow dignity”.

As a young artist at Covent Garden, Wu made her main stage debut as Flora in Richard Eyre’s popular production of La traviata under Antonello Manacorda, subsequently appearing as Mercédès in Carmen, Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte and Siébel in Gounod’s Faust. At the Linbury Theatre, she was praised for her gritty interpretation of Hans Werner Henze’s Phaedra and as part of the Young Artists’ Summer Showcase she performed scenes from both Pelléas et Mélisande and Il barbiere di Siviglia.

Excerpt from Dream of the Red Chamber © San Francisco Opera

As part of Hongni Wu’s 2024/25 season, she returns to Opéra National de Montpellier as Farnace in Mitridate, re di Ponto, conducted by Philippe Jaroussky, she reprises Siébel in David McVicar’s production of Faust at the Royal Ballet and Opera Covent Garden under Maurizio Benini, and she debuts as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at Santa Fe Opera under Harry Bicket. In concert, Hongni joins Ensemble Resonanz and Riccardo Minasi in a curated programme of Handel and Cherubini at Kölner Philharmonie.

Hongni Wu has recently delighted critics with her Rossini portrayals: as a spirited Angelina in La Ceneretola at Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova under Riccardo Minasi and as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia at both Opera Theater of Saint Louis under Jonathan Brandani and at Macau International Music Festival. She debuted as Dorabella in Così fan Tutte at Pacific Opera Victoria, as Der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos at Opéra National de Montpellier and returned to the roles of Kuchtik at Opera Royal de Wallonie under Giampaolo Bisanti, and Suzuki at The Royal Danish Opera under Paolo Carignani. Further important appearances include her creation of the dual roles of Comrade Chin and Shu Fung in the world premiere of Huang Ruo’s M. Butterfly at Santa Fe Opera, and Bao Chai in Bright Sheng’s Dream of the Red Chamber at San Francisco Opera.

Equally comfortable on the concert and recital platforms, recent seasons have seen Mahler’s Symphony No.3 at London’s Royal Festival Hall with Paavo Järvi and Philharmonia Orchestra, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with Yu Long conducting Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and Tan Dun conducting Shanghai Symphony Orchestra as well as Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra. In Tan Dun’s epic Buddha Passion, Hongni Wu debuted with Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by the composer himself. Last season, in a programme focused on Brahms, Dvořák and De Falla, Hongni Wu and her pianist Sergey Rybin gave sold-out recitals at Quangzhou Xinghai Concert Hall and Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall

Whilst studying at the Manhattan School of Music, Hongni Wu gave performances as Angelina, Sesto in La clemenza di Tito and La libellule in L’enfant et les sortilèges, garnering praise from the New York Times for her “technical agility, warm colourings, and ample sound,” and was a 2018 winner of The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.