An internationally acclaimed tenor who was scheduled to perform in The Villages apparently is being detained in China.
Fanyong Du, who was scheduled to sing at an upcoming event put on by the Opera Club of The Villages, had been traveling throughout Europe and the Mideast. He apparently was delayed in China and isn’t being allowed to leave the country, his attorney in New York City told a representative of the Opera Club recently. Some are speculating that recent U.S. tariffs imposed on China may be triggering the “retaliation” toward Du, a graduate of the Mannes Conservatory of Music in New York City who has performed throughout the world.
Du is being replaced in the upcoming show by Andrew Struhar, a tenor who had to get a release from the Palm Beach Opera for the Feb. 2 event.
Struhar was most recently in The Villages in November when he performed alongside his wife, Michelle, in the “The Magic Flute,” which was put on by the Central Florida Lyric Opera at the Savannah Center. He also performed at St. Timothy Catholic Church in July 2016 as part of a show called “Celebrate America.” And he was part of a February 2016 show paying respects to the late Oscar Feliu at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center.
Du also is no stranger to Florida’s Friendliest Hometown. He performed in an Opera Club show titled “Catch A Rising Star” in August 2017. He was part of a Harold S. Schwartz scholarship concert titled “Three Tenors Plus One” at The Sharon in February 2017. And he was one of several singers and musicians who performed at the Opera Club’s scholarship benefit concert in the La Hacienda Regional Recreation Center in October 2016.
