Maotong Yu

Biography

Baritone Maotong Yu is an emerging vocal artist devoted to opera, concert repertoire, and art song. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education from the Tianjin Conservatory of Music and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music under the tutelage of Matthew Plenk.

Yu’s leading operatic credits include the title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Dr. Falke in Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus. In 2026, he will take the stage at the Estates Theatre in Prague to perform the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Alongside the standard repertoire, he actively explores highly demanding contemporary roles, such as Oppenheimer in John Adams’s Doctor Atomic. Beyond the operatic stage, he has appeared as a baritone soloist in Schubert’s Mass in G Major, Bach cantatas, and selections from Handel’s Messiah. He has also participated in productions such as Opera Colorado’s La traviata and the Tianjin Song and Dance Theatre's Goddess of the Luo River.
In addition to his pursuit of vocal excellence and dramatic tension, Yu is a capable collaborative pianist. He is also an active advocate for digital music; he independently developed a music-themed interactive game and founded a free online score library dedicated to the promotion and accessibility of Chinese classical music.

(6/2026)