About
Praised for his "iridescent countertenor" (The New York Times), "liquid elegance" (Seen and Heard International), and "intense stage presence" (Classical Voice North America), Chuanyuan Liu (刘川源) is a rising force among the new generation of countertenors. His deep passion for storytelling inspires him to connect with audiences through empathy, authenticity, and creativity.
In the 2026–27 season, Chuanyuan makes his Opera Lafayette debut in Rameau’s Les Surprises de l’Amour and his St. Petersburg Opera debut as Prince Orlofsky in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, and sings Ulisse in Handel’s Deidamia as part of a residency at National Sawdust. On the concert stage, he appears as the alto soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Oratorio Society of Virginia, Handel’s Messiah with the Handel Choir of Baltimore, and Beethoven’s Mass in C Major with The Virginia Consort. He presents Call Me By My Name, a recital with pianist Tongyao Li as part of Carnegie Hall Citywide, exploring themes of identity, cultural belonging, and the significance of names.
Chuanyuan’s operatic highlights include the title role in the world premiere of Jorge Sosa and Cerise Jacobs’ Monkey with White Snake Projects, Tolomeo in Handel’s Giulio Cesare at Hudson Hall, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus with Cedar Rapids Opera, and Song Liling (cover) in Huang Ruo’s M. Butterfly at Santa Fe Opera. He performed Priest/Medium in Christopher Cerrone and Stephanie Fleischmann’s In a Grove at the PROTOTYPE Festivaland Opera Saratoga, following his professional opera debut in the work’s world premiere at Pittsburgh Opera and returning for its commercial studio recording with the Metropolis Ensemble. Other engagements include Raven in the world premiere of White Raven, Black Dove with White Snake Projects, Polinesso in Handel’s Ariodante at Pittsburgh Opera, Painter (cover) in The Seasons with Boston Lyric Opera, and appearances with American Modern Opera Company and Victory Hall Opera. As an apprentice artist with Chautauqua Opera Company, he sang the role of Elise Traynor in the orchestral workshop of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s Lincoln in the Bardo. A Renée Fleming Artist at the 2023 Aspen Music Festival, he performed César in Jimmy López and Nilo Cruz’s Bel Canto.
“Liu’s SUPERHUMAN COUNTERTENOR seemed CAPABLE OF ANYTHING — from POWERFUL, IRON-TONED HIGHS to GROWLING LOWS and a cheeky Broadway run for good measure. He had FULL COMMAND OF THE CHARACTER, too, telling all with a gesture, a gait or a flash of his eyes behind yellow-tinted glasses.”
—EVAN BERKOWITZ, THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE , Giulio Cesare, 2025
Chuanyuan’s concert highlights include his Philadelphia Orchestra debut in the concert-version world premiere of Kevin Puts’ The Hours under Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Handel’s Messiah with the Kansas City Symphony and Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with The Virginia Consort and Handel Choir of Baltimore, and The Lark with the New York Choral Society. He made his Carnegie Hall debut as a Young Artist in Renée Fleming’s SongStudio and has appeared as a recitalist for the Albany Symphony’s Clara Schumann Festival.
Raised in China and now based in the United States, Chuanyuan is passionate about exploring the intersections of culture, identity, and belonging through music. He is particularly drawn to projects that amplify Asian and LGBTQ+ voices and challenge conventional boundaries of operatic storytelling. His interdisciplinary work includes Memoirs of a Gaysian with ChamberQUEER, Wear Yellow Proudly, Philly Pride Arts Festival, and East Passyunk Opera Project; neither here nor there, a recital exploring the Asian-American experience at Bard College; and a short film of Christopher Cerrone’s That Night With the Green Sky, which he directed and performed for AAPI Heritage Month. He appears in YAPs, a documentary produced by Victory Hall Opera exploring the lives and aspirations of emerging opera singers.
"Countertenor Chuanyuan Liu’s Monkey is ESPECIALLY MOVING – not only for his NIMBLE VOCALS, but also for his EARNEST STAGE PRESENCE, imbuing the titular character with BOUNDLESS, CAPTIVATING PASSION."
—MAEGAN BERGERON-CLEARWOOD, THE NEW ENGLAND THEATRE GEEK, Monkey, 2023
Chuanyuan is a 2024 winner of the prestigious Sullivan Foundation Award and a two-time National Semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (2023, 2021). He received Third Prize at the 2024 Cedar Rapids Opera Esther & Myron Wilson Vocal Competition and the 2024 Pasadena Vocal Competition, and the Murray Rosenthal Award at the 2022 Opera Index Vocal Competition. He has also won awards from the Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition, Butler Opera International Competition, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, Camille Coloratura Awards, and Vero Beach Opera Vocal Competition.
Chuanyuan holds an Artist Diploma in Opera Vocal Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, a Master of Music in Vocal Arts from Bard College Conservatory, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Statistics from the University of Virginia. He is a Troupe member of Victory Hall Opera in Charlottesville, VA.