WENBO SHUAI

The Chinese countertenor WenBo Shuai holds a bachelor’s degree from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and is currently pursuing a master’s at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart. He participated in the 6th Internationale Opernwerkstatt Waiblingen (2025) and won 3rd Prize and the Critic’s Prize at the 3rd VINCERÒ Opera World Competition (2023). He was also a finalist at the 42nd Daegu International Vocal Music Competition (2024). He has performed roles such as Siebel in Faust and Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette, and has participated in various baroque music productions.

The first round opens with “Ja Gretelchen… Hurr hopp hopp hopp” from Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel. This is followed by Händel’s aria “Crude furie, e orridi abissi” from Serse, in which Princess Amastre, disguised as a man, expresses her anger and despair over the betrayal of her beloved Serse.

The semifinal continues with Vivaldi’s aria “Sorge l’irato nembo” from Orlando furioso. The piece is an example of a tempest and fury aria in which the protagonist Orlando, after seeing Medoro and Angelica, expresses his deep anguish and rage that will lead him to madness. This is followed by Rossini’s “Tu che accendi… Di tanti palpiti” from Tancredi. The program concludes with Mozart’s aria “Ah, di sì nobil alma” from Ascanio in Alba, an early work. The piece is a moment of grace and introspection in which Venus, Ascanio’s mother, expresses her joy and love for her son.