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Zheng Cao Dies


Bonesetter08Act1TerrenceMcCarthyMezzo-soprano Zheng Cao died of cancer yesterday at age 46 in San Francisco. Cao was a participant of the Merola Opera Program in 1994 and was an Adler from 1995 to 1996. Cao was seen in 16 productions at San Francisco Opera including roles in The Bonesetter’s Daughter (pictured left as Ruth Young Kamen, photograph by Terrence McCarthy), Madama Butterfly, The Mother of Us All, The Rake’s Progress, Parsifal, Idomeneo, Le Nozze di Figaro, Elektra, Salome, Rusalka, and Faust.

SF Chronicle Article | Official Site | San Francisco Opera Press Release

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2 responses to “Zheng Cao Dies”

  1. Roberto Avatar
    Roberto

    So young. RIP.

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  2. sfmike Avatar
    sfmike

    She was a downstairs neighbor in the early 1990s while an Adler Fellow, living in a studio apartment with the old movie star Troy Donahue who had successfully seduced her as a young woman when she lived in Tahiti (“I should be ashamed of myself,” he told me once in the laundry room). Didn’t get to know her then, but did get to know her old movie star lover fairly well. They were a great couple.
    He died in 2001 and it felt like she’d lost the love of her life. Ran into her again when she was playing Suzuki to Patricia Racette’s “Butterfly” while a super, and was overwhelmed at how great she was onstage. Her voice was good, not great, but she added a theatrical alchemy to the equation that was unmistakeable. Loved her very much.

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