University Opera Theatre Presents Dream of the Red Chamber

The University Opera Theatre program is performing an adaption of the world-class opera Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓夢), based on the 18th-century classic Chinese novel by Cao Xueqin (曹雪芹), this November in partnership with the Twin Cities-based Chinese Heritage Foundation (CHF).

Destiny and a Love Triangle

Dream of the Red Chamber is about the tragic love story between three cousins—a young man Jia Baoyu (賈寶玉) and two young women, Lin Daiyu (林黛玉) and Xue Baochai (薛寶釵). Baoyu and Daiyu also have a mythical origin from a previous life. Baoyu was formed from a piece of jade by the creation goddess Nüwa (女媧), while Daiyu began as the Crimson Pearl Flower, nourished by the morning dew captured by the stone Baoyu.

The two become reincarnated as humans, with Baoyu leading a luxurious life as the heir to the prominent and wealthy Jia family and Daiyu born poor, as well as fragile and ill. In this life, she owes Baoyu a debt of tears for watering her as the Crimson Pearl Flower, and cannot have a happy ending. Meanwhile, Baoyu’s other love interest, Baochai, comes from new wealth. The Taoist monk Vanitas gave her a gold locket with an inscription that complements Baoyu’s jade pendant, signaling that they are fated to marry. While Baoyu and Daiyu are connected by their pasts, Baoyu and Baochai are connected by their futures, and the story follows what becomes of them all.

The Dream Project

The Dream of the Red Chamber opera was first commissioned by CHF in 2011 for the San Francisco Opera in what was called “The Dream Project.” They wanted to create a contemporary English-language version of the opera that could share Chinese heritage, history, and culture with Chinese American communities and beyond. The opera’s libretto was co-written by David Henry Hwang and Bright Sheng, with the music composed by Sheng. It premiered at the San Francisco Opera in 2016, and was later performed at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, in Beijing, and in several other Chinese cities. The production drew worldwide acclaim with its grand scale and opulent staging, and was revived in 2022.

A Moving Performance

With the success of San Francisco Opera’s Dream of the Red Chamber, the UMN School of Music and CHF collaborated to bring the opera to Minneapolis. They worked closely with Sheng and the rest of the creative team to create a scaled-down version that could be performed by universities and medium-sized opera companies.

“There was a need to present a smaller version of this opera, so we could bring the message to a wider audience,” explains Pearl Lam Bergad, Executive Director of CHF and the core organizer behind the commissioning of Dream of the Red Chamber.

The School of Music’s performance is directed by David Walsh, Director of Opera Theatre, with Artistic Director of Orchestral Studies Mark Russell Smith conducting. It will feature a mid-sized orchestra and immersive staging that will surround and emotionally connect with the audience. “We want to be able to focus more on the intimate aspects of the story, which will bring it closer to people,” Walsh says.

Another key part of the opera is the blending of Western and Eastern cultures, leaning into the spirit of classic Western operas while staying true to authentic Chinese culture and performance. Oscar-winning artistic director Tim Yip (of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame) was an artistic consultant for the visual conception of the production, including set, costume, and projection design. And Yip’s captivating March 2023 art exhibition of Chinese bronzes at the Minneapolis Institute of Art influenced Walsh’s creative vision of the stage.

“We're using much more extensive involvement in telling the story,” Walsh explains. “That will be a big aspect of what we try to do here because we are so much closer to the audience.”

Many other talented Chinese and Chinese American artists and performers were also involved in shaping the production, preparing for it during an eight-day workshop last February. Zhongmei Li, a classical Chinese choreographer from Beijing, instructed Minnesota and New York City dancers. She also worked with the singers from the School of Music to incorporate meaningful Chinese gestures in their performance, an addition to the San Francisco Opera version.

“Every gesture in Chinese opera has a particular meaning,” shares Xinyi Zhou, a soprano playing Princess Jia, who is pursuing a doctor of music arts in vocal performance in the School of Music. “Eye movement can express certain things, and also hand gestures, feet gestures, and body movement.”

Along with Zhou, this performance has young leads playing Baoyu and Daoyu, and Taoist philosopher and choreographer Al Huang as the monk Vanitas.

Oscar winner Tim Yip poses with Director David Walsh and visiting students at the Dream of the Red Chamber Workshop in February ‘24.

An Opera For All

Bringing Dream of the Red Chamber to Minnesota is exciting, especially given that the production first began with CHF.

“It’s great to bring this opera home since the idea started here,” Bergad shares. “It’s very meaningful for us to share this as part of our splendid cultural heritage with the greater Minnesotan community.”

The performance came together with the help of many dedicated artists, performers, and community volunteers with a heart for the story. While Dream of the Red Chamber shines a spotlight on Chinese culture, it also tells a universal story that audience members across different cultures can connect with. The main goal with this opera is to draw people together as they share in the rich and emotional story it depicts.

Walsh is dedicating UMN Opera Theatre’s performance to Ming Li Tchou (1924-2024), the founder of CHF who peacefully passed away on November 1 at her home in Minneapolis. Ming’s mission statement for CHF was and remains to promote Chinese heritage, history, and art in innovative ways and build mutual understanding and trust among all peoples.

“It’s my hope that [this opera] will get people to go beyond the music, and think bigger about what it means in this current world when you bring cultures together,” Walsh says. “I think that that's the essence of what this effort is about.”

 This story was written by Lily Zenner, an undergraduate student in CLA.