The Huntington Will Present ON GOLD MOUNTAIN Opera In The Chinese Garden

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens and LA Opera Connects will present an outdoor, site-specific staging of On Gold Mountain, an opera based on author Lisa See's bestselling book about her Chinese American family's immigrant experience in California. The opera features a colorful musical score by Nathan Wang, The Huntington's newly inaugurated 2022-23 Cheng Family Foundation Visiting Artist in the Chinese Garden. Eight performances will be held Thursday, May 5, through Sunday, May 15. Tickets go on sale Feb. 15 at huntington.org.

On Gold Mountain, which premiered in 2000 at the Aratani Theater in Los Angeles, tells the story of See's great-grandfather, Fong See, who emigrated from China to California in the 19th century. Arriving in the United States alone at age 14 in search of his father, Fong See faced discrimination and challenges, but with hard work, determination, and ambition, he eventually became a successful businessman. Despite laws against interracial marriage at the time, he married a white American woman, Lettice "Ticie" Pruett, and they had five children. Fong See's journey takes the audience from China to Los Angeles' Chinatown, where he became a prominent community member and opened an antique shop that is still owned by the family today. More...

To post a comment, you must register and login.