Ｓｉｎｇｅｒ Ｓｉｎｇｓ ｔｏ Ｈｅｒ Ｈｅａｒｔ’ｓ Ｃｏｎｔｅｎｔ

Chen Fenfang sent me a short text message on mobile phone one day in August， 2007. Part of the message read， “The show was a great success. President Hu enjoyed our show very much.”

Chen is a singer with Hangzhou Singing and Dancing Troupe. The message came from Bishkek， the capital of Kyrgyzstan， where the troupe was participating in an art festival in celebration of a summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The opening ceremony took place in a concert hall， attended by the six presidents of the member states of the organization. Chen was one of the six sopranos respectively singing in their own national language the same popular Kyrgyzstan folk song entitled “Mama”. The show was jointly staged by artists from the six member states of the sco.

Back in Hangzhou， Chen went to great lengths to describe to me the success of the grand show. She was still excited at her memory: how the Chinese president waved to them， how they reacted when learning how the Chinese artists received the biggest and longest handclapping and how they received congratulations from leaders.

The second show given exclusively by Chinese artists in the capital of Kyrgyzstan was also a big success. It was attended by presidents， ministers and diplomats. Chen Fenfang was honored to emcee the show. She also staged two songs as a soprano and then sang a song with a tenor.

Remembering the glorious moments， Chen said， “The show is unforgettable. President Hu Jintao and presidents of other countries were in the front row. I felt overwhelmed by a sense of good fortune and happiness!”

Chen’s brilliant singing career began in 1989 when she graduated from junior middle school. At that time， however， she was not much of a singer. Hu Suyin， Chen’s singing instructor at the Zhejiang Academy of Performing Arts， remembered the first time she heard the girl singing. She recalled， “Chen was a blank piece of paper at that time and her young voice was natural， unadorned， unaffected and extremely melodious.”

Hu Suyin and Chen worked together to train the voice professionally for twelve year. Chen graduated from the academy in 1993 and began to appear at various singing competitions. She joined the Hangzhou Singing and Dancing Troupe after winning her first professional singing award in 1993. In the following years she won numerous top prizes and awards in provincial and national contests.

In 2001， the troupe and the cultural bureau of the city sent her to the China Conservatory of Music where she took advanced singing lessons from Professor Wang Bingrui， president of the conservatory and noted vocal educator. Chen spent a year studying and training. Under the tutelage of Wang， she improved her skills， expanded her repertoire， and pushed back her musical horizons. When she came back from the advanced study in Beijing， a concert was jointly held by her sponsors to showcase her new musical achievement. It was a great success.

Born in 1974 into a family of intellectuals in Wencheng County in southwestern Zhejiang， Chen Fenfang grew up with the loving care of her parents. The local cultural ambiance nurtured the talented girl. Some people believe that her distinct folksy way of singing is mature now. Since her graduation， Chen Fenfang has participated in various performances on grand occasions such as the opening gala show of the Night of West Lake International Musical Festival. She has also entertained her hometown people， children of migrant workers， and physically challenged people with her delightful songs.