A grand Spring Festival gala combining classic Chinese folk music, Kunqu Opera and pop songs turned to be a hot party Monday night in Scottsdale, Arizona.
At Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts, when Teresa Carpio, a famous Hong Kong English pop and Cantopop singer, actress, and singing teacher, started the last song I Really Love You, which was popular in China in the 1990s, more than 1,000 Chinese and Americans followed her together.
"I think the show was fantastic, it was an honor and a privilege to be here. Everybody was so talented. The lady who was singing at the end, I've heard her singing before, she's pretty famous," a Phoenix local who called himself Tom told Xinhua. "A lot of talent here tonight, and the Chinese-American community was blessed to have it here for tonight."
Initiated in 2009 by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of China's State Council, it was the tenth consecutive year that the show was presented to people on the U.S. Western Coast but was the first time to be that diverse.
Aventurina King, who has a Chinese name Jin Xiaoyu, hosted the gala. King was born in Paris. Her father is British and her mother American. She came to Columbia University in 2003, and started learning Chinese and became a TV host, actress and singer in China.
The climax of the show was the performance of American operatic tenor Orson Van Gay II from Los Angeles Opera who sang a famous Chinese song "I Love You, China" in Mandarin and won big applause from the audience.
W. J. "Jim" Lane, mayor of Scottsdale, told Xinhua that he really enjoyed this international Spring Festival party.
"It was a wonderful evening to be able to experience just about every element of it, and some just dramatic interplay between American music and Chinese music to bring to the whole thing together for us. It was just great. It was just wonderful," he said.
Named "Cultures of China, Festival of Spring", the gala arrived in the Greater Phoenix Area as part of a global tour to celebrate Chinese New Year with overseas Chinese as well as locals.
