Shenshen Zhang and 'The Monkey King’
S.F. Opera’s 'The Monkey King' by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang (co-commissioned with the Chinese Heritage Foundation of Minnesota), "a jaw-dropping feat of music theater" based on the opening chapters of the 16th century Chinese novel "A Journey to the West," was a Critic's Pick review by Joshua Barone in the New York Times on November 17, 2025:
“His orchestra includes a battery of instruments associated with Eastern music, like a Chinese opera gong and a microtonal pipa (played by Shenshen Zhang with scene-stealing brilliance in the second act).”
The opera was also reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Nov 19, 2025