ABOUT
Etta
“Fung not only showcases impressive vocals but does so while suspended in midair- often upside down- in a billowing web of aerial silks.”
--Broadway World
“Then there’s Etta Fung, who nearly steals the show despite short bookend appearances as Cupid, climbing the hanging silks and twirling in the air, singing impeccably as she does.”
--Edmonton Journal
"Die Solisten, aus Amerika mit angereist, überraschten mit starker Bühnenprsenz, allen voran die aus (Hong Kong) stammende, sehr mädchenhafte und sehr spielfreudige Etta Fung mit einem kräftigen Sopran, der die Wagner-Anklänge noch weiter verdeutlichte.”
-- Hamburger Abendblatt
Coloratura soprano-aerialist Etta Fung is known for her "charm and verve" (Opera Today) and powerful stage presence. Etta made her European debut as Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel) in Eutin, Germany and received critical acclaim: "(Fung) acted with great enthusiasm, her powerful soprano voice underscoring the Wagnerian sounds of the score". (Hamburger Abendblatt).
Upon her return to Hong Kong, Etta sang the roles of Queen of the Night (die Zauberflöte) with Opera Hong Kong and Musetta (La Bohème) with Musica Viva; and created Opera Sull’Aria - aerial opera: an act in which she sings arias in the air combined with aerial silks.
Etta was invited to perform the role of L'Amour on aerial silks in Gluck's Orphée+ in 2018 at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada and was hailed by the press as "brilliant", "Show-Stealer" and "Cirque-du-Soleil meets opera". She reprised the role at Edmonton Opera in 2023 and was consequently nominated for the 2022/23 Elisabeth Sterling Haynes Awards for Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role.
Performing new repertoire and exploring new roles is one of Etta’s main pursuits as an artist. She created the role of Keiko in British-Russian composer Elena Langer's new opera Beauty and Sadness, working with Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and director Carolyn Choa. Etta is a resident singer of Opera Lab Asia. She performed the title role of Rita in Rita-- an Opera Movie (Donizetti) (IMDB/Spotify), filmed at the historical site of the Haw Par Mansion in Hong Kong in 2020.
In the next year, she sang Serpina in Waitress on Top (IMDB), another new opera movie loosely based on La Serve Padrona by Pergolesi, which was filmed at the Peninsula, Hong Kong. Etta played the role of Catherine in Jacques Offenbach's Pomme d'api (Le French May, HK 2022); and Susanna in Il Segreto di Susanna (Italia Mia, 2022) She sang the role of Laurette in Offenbach’s Le docteur Miracle and reprised the role of Rita in May, 2023.
Etta was selected as a featured artist in one of the episodes of the artist documentary “Art Like There is a Way" by RTHK 31, Hong Kong. She also made a guest appearance on Hong Kong ViuTV's Popcorn Show with talk show host Vincent Kwok. She is regularly interviewed by local and international media on her aerial-opera endeavours and OSA Academy (HK), where she trains young talents to perform singing and aerial silks.
Etta was a winner of the Metropolitan Opera District Auditions (Kansas City) as well as the winner of the Vocal Division of the Naftzger Competition (Wichita, Kansas). She is the receiver of the Anton Rubinstein International Vocal Competition Award for best interpretation of chamber music in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Etta holds a Doctoral Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Kansas. She was invited to take part in American reality TV show The Little Couple as a musician in their Season 8 Finale in Houston, Texas; and acted as guest judge in musical talent in the 46th Annual Miss Chinatown Houston Scholarship Pageant.