News


Bright Sheng's newest album will be released by Naxos on February 12th. 2021, celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year! It's now available for order at iTunes. (Cover art by Fayfay Sophie Sheng in 2017)



This new album feathers Sheng's most recent violin conerto LET FLY, and ZODIAC TALES, a concerto for Orchestra, as well as his new orchestral work SUZHOU OVERTURE. This is a collabration with Shanghai Symphony and Suzhou Symphony, conducted by Bright Sheng himself, with Dan Zhu as the violin soloist, one of the finest and busiest in the world.


All-Asian cast revives ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ at San Francisco Opera



Soprano Meigui Zhang as Dai Yu in “Dream of the Red Chamber.”
Photo: Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera, the year of 2022

Watch a "Dream of the Red Chamber" Moving Moment, featuring Meigui Zhang

The New York Times: "In March, the opera 'The dream of Red Chamber' will travel to the Hong Kong Arts Festival, which co-produced the work, and may tour elsewhere in Asia."

This stunning co-production with the San Francisco Opera marks another milestone, which is bound to be a highlight of the Hong Kong Arts Festival’s 45th anniversary. Performance will be on March 17 & 18, 2017 at Hong Kong culture center.



The Mercury News review of "Dream of the Red Chamber", the new "enchanting" opera by Bright Sheng, with co-librettist David Henry Hwang and director Stan Lai, with "dazzling sets and costumes by Academy Award-winning designer Tim Yip".

Read the SFGate on the "intermittently exquisite opera" with a "lush and varied score by composer Bright Sheng"

Also, check out the San Francisco Opera's photo gallery, with breathtaking images from "Dream of the Red Chamber":

Bright Sheng's newest album is released on Naxos for his chamber music and piano solo works titled: A Night at the Chinese Opera. The album is now available to order or download at Amazon or iTunes




Bright Sheng's Seven Tunes Heard in China was commissioned and recorded by Yo-Yo Ma in his solo album. Available to order and download at amazon




Bright Sheng's Seven Tunes Heard in China was recorded by Alisa Weilerstein in her debut solo album. Now is available to order and download at Amazon or iTunes



Recent and Upcoming Major Performances

World Premiere


January 29th, 2023
Of Time and Love - 《不朽之爱》
Concerto for Viola and Ochestra (25')

January 29th, 2023
Hot Pepper for violin and marimba

February 11th, 2023
Tibetan Swing for orchestra

February 12th, 2023
Three Songs for pipa and violoncello

March 3rd, 2023
Shanghai Overture
George Gershwin, Rhapsody in blue
He Zhan-Hao/Chen Gang, The Butterfly Lovers Violin concerto
Maurice Ravel, Bolero

March 6th, 2023
My Other Song for solo piano

March 12th, 2023
Arnold Schoenberg, Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night)

May 5th, 2023
Three Fantasies for violin and piano

May 26th, 2023
The Dream of Red Chamber Overture
Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.2
Shostakovich Symphony No. 9

July 1st. 2023
Angela Slater, Distorted Light
Bracha Bdil, In Memory of Voices
Adrian Wong, Glass Flowers
Bright Sheng, String Quartet No.3
Arnold Schoenberg, Pierrot Lunaire Op.21

July 2nd. 2023
Angela Slater, Distorted Light
Bracha Bdil, In Memory of Voices
Adrian Wong, Glass Flowers
Bright Sheng, String Quartet No.3
Arnold Schoenberg, Pierrot Lunaire Op.21

July 22nd. 2023
Bright Sheng The Stream Flows (for string orchestra)
Shostakovich Chamber Symphony Op.110a

October 20th, 2023
H'un: Lacerations for orchestra

October 28th, 2023
Angel Fire for violin and viola

November 6th, 2023
Concertino for clarinet and string quartet

World Premiere 2023 TBD

Roosters of Dawn for Orchestra (12')



Bright Sheng conducting Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra for The Intimacy of Creativity World Premiere Concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology April 21st. 2016

Dream of the Red Chamber


Opera Dream of the Red Chamber World Premiere--a World-wide Success Story:


-Within one week of the premiere, the entire run was sold out!
-A Chinadaily online video clip received 4 million hits in one week!
-Many audience went back to see it the second time!
-Many audience members, Chinese AND Americans alike, reported tearing eyes watching the opera
-Many, many more

The opera is based on the most important and popular novel in the history of Chinese literature also called The Story of the Stone, an autobiographical novel by the 18th Century writer Cao Xue Qing (曹雪芹).

An opera in two acts, music by Bright Sheng, libretto (in English) by David Henry Hwang and Bright Sheng, stage design by Tim Yip, directed by award-winning director Stan Lai had an incredible run at San Francisco War Memorial Opera House.


For more information about the opera please contact Peggy Monastra

After a successful premiere in San Francisco last fall, this beautiful production was again sold out at Hong Kong Arts festival in March 2017. On Setperber 8th and 9th, this San Francisco Opera production had its exciting Chinese premiere in Beijing at Beijing Poly theatre!

The Opera has subsequently toured to Changsha on September 15th. &16th. and Wuhan on 22nd. & 23rd.


Opera Dream of the Red Chamber brought back to San Francisco Opera House in June and July 2022.



Intimacy of Creativity

Hailed by the Financial Times as a festival with a “finely hewn sense of craft,”

Intimacy of Creativity returns for another innovative season from May to June, 2023


The Last Train: Bright Sheng at TEDxUofM