A life enriched by music, and vice versa

Chinese bass-baritone based in UK says his passion for singing continues to grow ahead of major concert

There are few greater gifts than to discover one's true passion in life. As such, the award-winning Chinese bass-baritone Charles Cao Quin says music has brought joy to his life - but only now, after the varied experiences he has had over time, has he been able to fully comprehend and take advantage of his musical abilities to the fullest.

"I have much to be grateful for. It (music) has given me purpose, accomplishment, and spiritual well-being," says Cao, 58. He credits much of his personal development to his passion for music, and believes his appreciation and understanding of the art has improved with time.

While he has taken part in numerous performances both at home and abroad, on Sept 13, for the first time, he will sing with the London Chinese Philharmonic Choir. The choir is staging a concert to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, in London's Cadogan Hall, which has a capacity of 900.

It will be the UK premiere of The Yellow River Cantata, written by Chinese composer Xian Xinghai in 1939, set during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

Born in Beijing, Cao initially came to Britain at age 28, in 1986, to take part in the Grimsby International Competition for Singers representing China. Hard work and a sensational voice won him first prize, much to the amazement of the British music community. It changed his life.

Afterward, he accepted a scholarship to study at London's prestigious Royal College of Music before becoming a freelance musician, performer and voice tutor for a decade - professions that took him all over the country and beyond.

Fate took another turn for Cao in 2000, when he spent a couple of years in China on a scholarship as a specially appointed professor with a senior management position.

Then, in 2002, he accepted a new challenge as director of the East Coast Music Academy in Grimsby. Since then, he has been vice principal at the Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education, Croydon College near London, and at Warwickshire College in the Midlands, and has worked independently as an education specialist.

Despite the shift from professional musician to teaching, Cao says he has always found joy in music. "Music is a reflection of life, for it takes the most dramatic emotions from life experiences. As a young man, I thought I understood the meanings behind songs. But looking back now, I was merely singing the words," he says.

In September's concert, Cao will sing the solo Ode to the Yellow River, which praises the history and presence of China's Yellow River, signifying cultural pride.

While it's a song Cao performed many times in China before he left for the United Kingdom, he says that this time will be different. After three decades of living overseas, singing the familiar words have made him feel nostalgic. Cao says he has seen how China has become a stronger nation, and his pride comes through when he sings the words.

"When Ode to the Yellow River was written, the words represented the musician's dream and his hope of China achieving great strength sometime in the future. However, singing them now, I know this dream has become reality. I now sing with confidence and pride."

He likens the role of the performer to that of the craftsman, who tirelessly strives for perfection, and in the process adds his own interpretation and artistic style.

"The music is the same, but every performer's artistic treatment of it is different. Every pause, punctuation and the loudness of the words can convey something special about the performer's own unique emotions," says Cao.

He points out that a performer cannot focus his time purely on the words and music on the page, but needs to use his life experiences to bring depth and intensity to his music. Looking back at all his ups and downs, Cao says his life never lacked variety, which made him a better musician.

Born into a musical family, he was inspired by his uncle, a Chinese vocal professor and also an outstanding baritone who became his tutor during his days at university.

Before coming to the UK, Cao was a soloist with the Beijing Song, Dance and Opera Company and sang with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, where he was appointed and remains an artistic adviser since 1998.

He reflects that he further discovered the depth and breadth of classical music during his time at the Royal College of Music in London, where he also fell in love with English music, including the compositions of Ralph Vaughan Williams and Charles Villiers Stanford.

"English music is very distinct from continental European music. I personally feel that the English language is highly synchronized with the music that great English composers have written, and I admire them enormously," Cao says.

But his favorite is still Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, whose operas' dramatic qualities continue to inspire him.

From 1996 to 2000, Cao often presented weekly music programs for the BBC World Service, and from 2004 to 2010, he gave Chinese language commentary for the BBC Proms concert live from the Royal Albert Hall in London to a Chinese audience every summer.

Cao says he has also derived great enjoyment from watching his students grow in their musical careers and become confident individuals in the process.

But as his career in education progressed, he gradually had to spend more time on administrative duties. He called his latest career shift "a pity" because he misses teaching, but it was a change that was necessary and has expanded his already extensive skill set.

In management, Cao has done a great deal to help students from China, in addition to promoting Sino-British cooperation through education.

Teaching did not take music away completely, and one tradition he continued to practice was to sing the traditional English hymn Jerusalem at his students' graduation ceremonies every year.

Feeling thankful for the great musicians that helped him in his student days, Cao has always had a soft spot for the Chinese students he met, and quickly became a father figure for them. He recalls in 2009 a Chinese student in Grimsby had his bag stolen from his room at the students' residence hall. The student became extremely worried over losing his passport. Cao helped him contact police, and within three days the bag and the property were found.

"The student wrote me a letter of thanks and sent me a big bouquet of flowers, which I still remember today. I was very touched."

Perhaps some of Cao's care for his students reflects his role as a father, and speaking about his own four children, his eyes sparkle with pride.

His eldest son has just graduated from the University of Surrey with a bachelor's degree in international politics and will start his master's studies at University College London in September. His second child, a daughter, is finishing her master's in international relations at the University of Warwick.

While the children are musically trained, Cao says his third child is the only one to follow in his footsteps.

He recalls taking his son to hear Chinese pianist Lang Lang perform at the Royal Albert Hall in 2008. Lang signed his name on the young boy's wrist as an autograph. "I'm not sure if that's what made him so talented in music," Cao joked.

His youngest son, aged 16, will be studying A-levels from September and wants to study Chinese and Oriental culture at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies upon graduation.

"I love my children, and it makes me proud to see them growing up and having a life of their own," says Cao. "I have so many reasons to be happy about life, and one of my greatest joys is seeing that my children have been inspired by my passion for music in their drive to succeed in whatever they do."

cecily.liu@mail.chinadaily.com