About Livio Li

From Guǎngzhōu to Milan

For the Academy, the time of the Institutional Concert, the day when opera singers receive their final diploma at the end of the two-year specialisation course, is drawing ever closer.

But what is it like to live these two years as a student?

Huanhong Livio Li, a bass from HeNan (China) who graduated from the Academy in 2024, tells us about it for the Hall of Fame.

Livio, can you tell us about your audition for the Academy? 

I remember that it all started one morning in June: I had just taken an exam at the Conservatory the day before and was tired, so I was resting when I received a call from an unknown number. It was the Academy's Music Department, which had received positive feedback on my work and was proposing that I participate in the selections to enter the free two-year specialisation programme for opera singers. I hung up the phone not believing it. I obviously knew about this opportunity and I knew about the competition, but I didn't think I was ready.

La Scala? Attempt an audition there? I couldn't tell if it was something real or not, but in any case I had to try.

I applied, and then I was also summoned to Milan. What happened next was like a dream... I stepped onto the huge stage of the theatre, the one most coveted by any singer, and I started a new life.

What is the most unforgettable memory of your time at the Academy?

I have to say that all the moments spent at the Academy are unforgettable. It is a very different environment from the Conservatory, we had master classes every month with incredible artists, performances, events of all kinds, concerts around Italy and abroad. The teachers are all renowned singers, who have shared their wealth of experience on stage with us. Each day is dedicated to studying the opera you will be performing or preparing for a new concert or audition. It is structured in a very career-oriented, practical way.

All this has created a solid basis for my current career and the fast pace of work that this environment requires.

You have recently been engaged in many roles at La Scala, including your second season opener this year in ‘La forza del destino’. How has your life changed since the Academy? How is your career progressing?

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the theatre for the opportunity it has given me: this is already the second year I have taken part in the opening opera, and I have learned so much from the great artists I have worked with. I have been really lucky to be able to take part in so many projects.

Even before the theatre, I thank the Academy, because my career officially started when I auditioned with the Askonas Holt agency in London. This took place in Milan at the Academy, as it was organised by the Music Department for us two-year students. These meetings with theatres, agencies, casting managers are fundamental for us and were never lacking during the course.

As for my life after the two-year course, I thought the pace at the Academy was hectic, but actually the life of a professional singer is even more dynamic. And then there is so much more to study....

What do you think about contemporary opera? Would you be interested in being part of a production that would see you performing new music?

It is well known that contemporary opera is facing an increasing difficulty in attracting audiences. In the age of fast consumption culture, finding a balance between accessibility and artistic depth, for this art form that requires intellectual engagement, is an issue that deserves to be explored. Personally, I would be thrilled to participate in new works commissioned from living composers: every innovative method, from technological experimentation to hybridisation of artistic languages, is worth knowing and learning about.

What does being able to sing represent for you? What characteristic should an opera singer have, in your opinion, in 2025?

For me, being a singer today requires not just the voice, but something that really burns in your mind, in your heart, and all around you. It doesn't have to be a passion limited only to music for me, but to art in general. After all, opera is the most complete art form, isn't it? ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’, as Wagner called it.

And the fundamental characteristic, for me, is theatricality: I love being an actor because I believe that acting broadens the horizon of life, not only work but also personal life. Playing a character is like living in another person and thus learning things about myself that I did not know before.