Yu Bin

Yu Bin is a nationally ranked first class actor of China, performer of Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, and a member of the Shanghai Dramatists Association. She is a graduate of the Shanghai Chinese Opera Academy with a major in Kunqu Opera, and of the Shanghai Theater Institute College of Dance with a major in performing arts. While learning her craft, Yu Bin studied with the likes of Wang Yingzi and Zhu Xiaoyu, and later studied under the wings of Kunqu Opera masters such as Zhang Jingxian, Zhang Xun Peng, Liang Guyin, and Zhang Jiqing. Yu Bin specializes in the roles of Guimen Dan and Zheng Dan. She has a solid foundation in the art of Kunqu Opera, which combined with her wonderful voice, unique interpretations of classic arias, and outstanding performance skills, make her a true treasure of Kunqu Opera.

Yu Bin has performed many traditional Kunqu Opera pieces, and has enjoyed excellent critical reception. Some of her more well-known works include Peony Pavilion, Palace of Longevity, The Jade Hairpin, The Fall of the Pagoda, Miaoyu and Baoyu, Searching for Loved Ones, the Kunqu Opera version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and many others.

Yu Bin has also received many prestigious awards, such as the Kunqu Opera Newcomer Outstanding Performance Award, and the gold award at the Second Hongmei Chinese Opera Competition. In 2008, her performance in the Chinese rendition of Macbeth won her a Certificate of Merit. In 2009, she won the Oustanding Performance Award at the Fourth Kunqu Opera Festival for her role in Searching for Loved Ones. In the same year she also received the Special Committee Award at the Eastern Melody International Music Festival. The Shanghai Central Publicity Department selected Yu Bin as the Princess of Opera, and held several concerts headlined by her.

Yu Bin has travelled and performed all over China, including in Hong Kong and Macau, as well as many other countries around the world, such as Japan, Germany, Holland, Uzbekistan, Singapore, and the United States.