Xiqu opera is taught in the throat first. The melodies are old, the makeup is older, but the discipline that holds them together lives in a single chain of teachers. We came to record that chain before another generation went uncredited.
Region
Guangdong, China
Years
2022 to 2024
Discipline
Performance, ethnomusicology
Partners
Three regional Xiqu troupes
A long-form recording project with three Xiqu opera troupes in southern China, capturing the vocal training, the silences before a phrase, and the lineage of teachers behind each role.
The Teachers
We worked with three troupes to produce a verified lineage chart for each principal role, naming every teacher and student across four generations. The chart is now used by the troupes themselves as a credentialing reference.
The Studio
Sessions were recorded in the troupes' own rehearsal halls, in the light they prefer, with the warm-ups left in. The unedited audio is held in trust by the troupes' archives; the edited release reaches the public only with their sign-off.
The Apprentices
Royalties from the public release fund six apprentice seats per year across the three troupes, with guaranteed stage time. The contract is renewed annually by the troupe directors and our patronage council.
“Recording the song is easy. Recording who taught the song is the work.”
Director Li, Guangzhou, 2023
