Yi-Kwei Sze

YI-KWEI SZE

His voice was “pure velvet” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He sang at the White House for President Kennedy, and in major concert and opera houses across the globe. Even San Francisco Opera founder Gaetano Merola referred to him as “one of the most musical singers [he’d] ever heard.” With such accolades, one might assume these are words in praise of one of the 20th century’s many operatic voices whose fame rose to super-stardom. And yet, chances are you’ve never heard of him until now.

Bass-baritone Yi-Kwei Sze (pronounced Yee-Kway Zee) would become the first Chinese-born male singer to establish an international career in Western-Classical Music. He was born in Shanghai in 1915 – a time in which western influence was enjoying a high point in China, and American singers like Al Jolson were regularly featured on the airwaves.

Sze’s formal musical training began on the violin. At age 17, he entered the National Conservatory of Music in Shanghai, where his musical interests thrived and soon turned to the human voice. By 1947, after a long string of successes on mostly Chinese stages, he made his U.S. recital debut at Town Hall in New York City. By 1949, this artist was on stage at Carnegie Hall. The following year, Sze’s story met with our own as he made his U.S. operatic debut in Giuseppe Verdi’s Aïda at San Francisco Opera.

Over the next many decades, Sze was a regular guest on our stage and with many of the finest companies and orchestras world-wide. His numerous recordings showcased a diverse range of repertoire and gained him such awards as the Dutch Edison Prize, and for two consecutive years he claimed best album at the Académie du Disque Lyrique in France. He then went on to become a Professor of Voice at the acclaimed Eastman School of Music from 1971-1980.

Sze passed away in San Francisco in 1994. Despite the impressive contribution to our world of opera, his roster of character portrayals consists almost entirely of supporting roles. While San Francisco Opera is proud of its long history in showcasing artists of every color and background, our founder’s own words perhaps betray the true reason Sze’s artistry is not more celebrated nor remembered – Whoever heard of a Chinese bass?

As we approach our centennial season, San Francisco Opera affirms our commitment in this next century to ensure that everyone’s story is told, and that opera is for everyone.

For more information on this important artist, please visit http://www.yi-kweisze.com