To that end, I Sing Beijing, now in its third year, holds annual auditions for Western opera singers. Those who are selected receive scholarships for intensive Chinese-language study coupled with musical coaching in Beijing during the summer. None of the 20 to 30 Western opera singers selected for the program had prior knowledge of Chinese.

The music that captivated the audience is the brainchild of artistic director Hao Jiangtian.

Tian came of age during the "cultural revolution". A professional opera singer in the West for more than 27 years, he says he always dreamed of bringing not only singers but also conductors and instrumentalists to China to help them get a sense of the texture of Chinese culture. Many of the songs popular during Tian's youth were adapted for the I Sing Beijing program.

I Sing Beijing may be masquerading as an old art form in the guise of opera but is, in fact, something new.

For a mingling of operatic traditions, it seems this is just the beginning.

Hu Haidan contributed to the story.

Contact the writer at dbosko@chinadailyusa.com.