FEDORA - Ye Xian: A Story Untold, the New Creation of Composer Alex Ho

250717_Ye Xian Southbank_5072 © Mike Skelton © Michael Skelton i

Ye Xian: A Story Untold, the New Creation of Composer Alex Ho

Industry News, Winners

Ye Xian: A Story Untold is the latest project from composer Alex Ho, winner of the FEDORA Opera Prize 2023 with Here and There – Untold. This new concert staging revisits Untold in a fresh format, reimagining it through the lens of the Chinese folk tale Ye Xian, a story that antecedes the European Cinderella.

In this version, Alex Ho intertwines Ye Xian’s journey with personal stories from the performers, offering a reflection on identity, belonging, and diasporic life. Alternating between narration and song, the piece immerses audiences in themes of loss, isolation, and unexpected revelation, while leaving Ye Xian’s fate open-ended.

The ensemble brings together Eastern and Western traditions: Keith Pun (countertenor), Ziyang Huang (erhu), Daniel Shao (flute), Beibei Wang and Joanne Chiang (percussion), with Alex Ho himself on piano. Together, they create a rich and engaging soundscape that supports the storytelling.

With this new concert format, Alex Ho extends the life of Untold, the prize-winning work that first captivated audiences, demonstrating how the Ye Xian story continues to inspire across contexts and cultures.