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Etta Fung
Coloratura soprano Etta Fung is known for her “charm and verve” (Opera Today) and powerful stage presence. Etta made her European debut as Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel) at the Neue Eutiner Festspiele (2011) in Eutin, Germany and received critical acclaim in the Hamburger Abendblatt: “(Fung) acted with great enthusiasm, her powerful soprano voice underscoring the Wagnerian sounds of the score”. Since then Etta has performed actively in Europe. She appeared as Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) in the Trentino Music Festival at Mezzano, Italy; and La Fée (Cendrillon) and die Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte) in the Siena Music Festival.
Etta made her American debut as Peep-Bo (Mikado) with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City (2012-2013). Other roles she has performed in the United States include Musetta (La Bohème), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Lucia (Rape of Lucretia), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Atalanta (Serse) and Anne Trulove (The Rake’s Progress) and the cover of Adele (Die Fledermaus) at Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance.
Upon her return to Hong Kong, Etta has been cast as Aninna (La Traviata), Musetta (La Boheme), Serpina (La Serva Padrona), Susanna (Il Segreto di Susanna) and Zerlina (Don Giovanni). She is best known for her portrayal of the Queen of the Night (Magic Flute) with Opera Hong Kong in 2018.
Etta is the creator of Opera Sull’Aria - aerial opera: an act in which she performs coloratura arias in the air combined with aerial silks. Being the only opera singer/aerialists in Asia, Etta was invited to perform the role of L’Amour on aerial silks in Gluck’s Orphée in 2018 at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada and was hailed by the press as “brilliant”, “Show-Stealer” and “Cirque-du-Soleil meets opera”. She was featured in one of the episodes of the artist docu-series “Artspiration” with RTHK 31, scheduled to be broadcasted later in 2022. She also recently appeared on episode 11 of ViuTV’s Popcorn Show, and has been interviewed by SCMP, Apple Daily, China Daily, and HOKKfabrica.
Etta works closely with contemporary composers and regular makes world premieres of various vocal works. She created the role of Keiko in British-Russian composer Elena Langer’s new opera Beauty and Sadness, working with renowned Oscar-winning designer Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and award-winning director Carolyn Choa.
Etta sings regularly for the Asian Young Musician’s Connection, premiering new vocal works such as “the Lotus Script – a chamber opera” and “Bent Shadow – Story of Hong Kong”. She recently starred in Rita– an Opera Movie (Donizetti), filmed at the historical site of the Haw Par Mansion in Hong Kong. The movie was released on RTHK31 on Jan 31, 2021. In the same year, she played the main role in Waitress on Top, another new opera movie loosely based on La Serve Padrona by Pergolesi, which was filmed at the Peninsula Hotel. Both movies can now be found on IMDB.
Etta was a winner of the Metropolitan Opera District Auditions (Kansas City) as well as the winner of the Vocal Division of the Naftzger Competition (Wichita, Kansas). She is the receiver of the Anton Rubinstein International Vocal Competition Award for best interpretation of chamber music in Düsseldorf, Germany.
After completing her Doctoral Degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Kansas, Etta made an appearance in American reality TV show The Little Couple as a musician in their Season 8 Finale in Houston, Texas; and act as guest judge in musical talent in the 46th Annual Miss Chinatown Houston Scholarship Pageant.
Etta will be playing the role of Catherine in Jacques Offenbach’s Pomme d’api this summer, which is part of Le French May 2022.