"We decided to bring the soprano and the program back for the new season next May," Ren adds.

As this new season's Artist-in-Residence of the NCPA, He is also expected to perform a new production of Puccini's opera Tosca this November under the baton of conductor Xu Zhong. In a video, the soprano says that it will be her first time performing the opera in China.

"Tosca means a lot to me personally. Floria Tosca is one of the roles I carry in my heart, it is the role that opened the doors of the most important international opera houses to me," says He, who celebrated her 100th performance of Tosca in 2021. Since her debut at the Teatro Regio di Parma, Italy, in 2002, He has made the role one of the most significant in her repertoire and career, performing the part on some of the most important stages in the world, such as Teatro alla Scala and the Wiener Staatsoper.

"I will give my best for the audience as always," says He, who worked with the NCPA for the first time back in 2012 with a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball).

According to Ren, the new season will feature 149 shows all together, including 53 symphonic performances, 23 chamber music recitals, 22 choral singing concerts and 51 operas.