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Special Edition-
----------------- ____ August 17, 2011
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Unlikely Star in World of Chinese Opera
Teen crosses
cultural lines
Tyler Thompson is an unlikely
star in the world of Chinese opera.
The black teenager from Oakland
has captivated audiences in the U.S.
and China with his ability to sing
pitch-perfect Mandarin and perform
the ancient Chinese art form.
"As soon as he opens his mouth
and sings in Chinese, the Chinese
are very surprised and then feel
very proud of him," said his music
teacher Sherlyn Chew. "When he
puts on the costume, and all the
acting, you can see that he's pretty
good."
Tyler, 15, is a standout student in
Chew's Oakland-based Purple Silk
Music Education program, which
teaches children and youth —
mostly from low-income immigrant
families — how to sing and play
The African American Men ’s Clu6, Inc.
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Tyler Thompson rehearses with the Great Wall Youth Orchestra.
The Oakland, Calif, teenager has captivated audiences in the U.S.
and China with his ability to sing pitch-perfect Mandarin and
perform the ancient Chinese art form.
traditional Chinese music. The
program's Great Wall Youth Orches
tra & Chorus has performed around
the country.
Tyler has learned to sing several
well-known pieces of Chinese op
era, a centuries-old form of musical
theater known for its elaborate cos
tumes, clanging gongs and cym
bals, w ide-ranging vocals and
highly stylized movements.
At the World Children's Festival
in W ashington in June, Tyler,
dressed in a black robe emblazoned
with golden dragons, got a stand
ing ovation when he performed as
Justice Bao, a famous Song Dy
nasty judge who fought govern
ment corruption, from the Chinese
classic "Bao Qing Tian."
"The music is very beautiful, and
it's very passionate. You can hear it
when it's being played," said Tyler,
a theater student at the Oakland
School for the Arts. "It's made me
want to know more about the world
outside of America or California or
Oakland."
David Lei, chairman of the Chi
nese Performing Arts Foundation
in San Francisco, has seen Tyler
perform several times and arranged
to have him sing at the opening of a
Chinese opera exhibit several years
ago.
"It's very authentic because he
hits the tones just right, so you
understand everything," Lei said.
"People just don’t expect an Afro-
American kid to be doing it. It's the
initial shock. There's a sense of
novelty."
Tyler, who comes from a music-
loving family, began learning how
to sing in Chinese a decade ago
when he was a kindergartner in
Chew's music class at Oakland's
Lincoln Elementary School, where
about 90 percent o f students are
Asian.
Chew quickly recognized Tyler's
talent and recruited him to join her
Purple Silk music program, where
students learn to sing Chinese songs
and play traditional instruments
such as a two-string
Tyler became a sensation in China
several years ago after Chinese
Central Television broadcast his
performance at a Lunar New Year
show in San Jose.
In recent years, he has begun
studying theater and acting more
seriously, but he plans to keep per
forming traditional Chinese music,
which has opened up a world of
opportunities to him.
"I've been sticking to this to see
where else it will take me," he said.
—The Associated Press