Yu Chinen
Mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Yu Chinen, from Japan, studied at Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts before completing her Master of Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music, supported by the A & N Kendall Award.
She subsequently completed a Continuing Professional Development course at the RNCM, where she further developed her practice in contemporary music under the guidance of Hilary Summers.
Yu has participated in international training programmes across a diverse range of genres, including the Barock Vokal Akademie in Mainz, Germany, Hamlet Opera Studio in Denmark, and TAK LAB in New York.
She was a member of the RNCM Chamber Choir and is currently a member of the Hallé Choir in Manchester. She has appeared as a soloist in Haydn’s The Creation with the Hallé Orchestra at Bridgewater Hall under the baton of Matthew Hamilton.
Her operatic experience includes the world premiere of Zakiya Leeming’s contemporary opera Dangerous Matter, in which she performed the role of Inoculator at the RNCM Opera Theatre.
With over 20 years of ballet and contemporary dance training, she brings a distinctive movement-led approach to her vocal artistry, exploring the relationship between voice and physical expression across both traditional and contemporary repertoire.
For Mahogany Opera: Ecstasy of the Virtues
