By Brandon A. Stanley, Opera Carolina

Opera Carolina brought a new cultural event to the Charlotte community with Art to Poetry to Music on January 20, 2013. This event, presented in collaboration with the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and the Confucius Institute at Pfeiffer University, explored Chinese cultural arts by featuring performance by Chinese musicians and a demonstration of traditional Chinese calligraphy. Art to Poetry to Music infused together the best of visual arts, the spoken word and music. The event was connected to artwork in the Bechtler collection; two pieces by American Abstract Expressionist Mark Tobey were displayed and discussed.

Art to Poetry to Music performers: Sun Yu, bass-baritone Hong Zhao, master calligrapher and philologist Xue’er Ding, guzheng musician Emily Jarrell Urbanek, pianist Tanja Bechtler, cellist Marvin Ridge High School Women’s Ensemble (Union County, NC)