About

Mrs Joanna Wong Quee Heng （胡桂馨）is a well-known name and face in Singapore, not only for her contributions to the arts, but also for her professional achievements and community service. She is the first traditional Chinese opera artist to be awarded the Cultural Medallion by the Singapore government, in 1981. Born in Penang in 1939 where she started learning opera at the age of 12, she moved to Singapore to pursue her studies at the University of Singapore where she obtained a Bachelor of Honours degree in Science. At university, she was the first female student to win the gold medal for being the best all round student.

In 1981 after leaving the Kong Chow Wui Koon opera troupe, she co-founded Cantonese opera company Chinese Theatre Circle (CTC) where she is both Artistic Director and Chief Leading Actress of the company. Under her leadership. Chinese Theatre Circle has performed over 2,000 shows in Singapore and over 20 countries, from east to west. 

Joanna is considered one of Singapore’s cultural pioneers, who led her fellow opera enthusiasts to revive Cantonese opera in a rapidly urbanising modern Singapore and gave it a new lease of life by elevating the art form to a different level, shifting it from the “street” into theatres where today, it is regarded as one of Singapore’s iconic performing arts traditions. Among the innovations she pioneered, was the introduction of English subtitles to accompany performances for the benefit of non-Cantonese-speaking audiences – a move prompted by the increasing number of English-educated Singaporeans in the 1970s. Her troupe was also the first to bring Chinese opera to the community through a series of performances in community centres 3 decades ago.

Specialising in playing female characters, Joanna’s versatility has seen her take on a variety of roles successfully, from warrior princesses to female scholars. Faithful audiences remember her well-known stage partnerships over the decades with Wei Mong Lan, Ng Yim Hoong, Lou Mee Wah and most recently, Ou Kai Ming. A uniquely skilled performer, Joanna is known for her versatility and can perform a range of female roles from a young maid to a woman warrior to the Empress Dowager of China. She was the first performer in Singapore to master the art of performing in ‘bound feet’.

She has nurtured new generations of opera artists including Lou Mee Wah (who also received the Cultural Medallion, in 1997), See Too Hoi Siang (recipient of Junior Chamber International’s 10 Outstanding Young Persons in the World award), and Lee Sze Yau, an accomplished Teochew opera artist. She continues to teach and lead workshops at Chinese Theatre Circle and in Singapore educational institutions.

With Chinese Theatre Circle, Joanna participated in festivals such as the Edinburgh Festival in 1988, the International Theatre Festival in Tokyo in 1990, the Budapest Festival in 1998 and the International Theatre Festival in Brazil in 2000. In 1993, the company had the privilege of being inviting by the Chinese Theatre Association in China to perform their signature operas, “The Poet Emperor Li Yu” and “A Costly Impulse” in Beijing. Joanna played the leading female role in these operas opposite Lou Mee Wah. At the same time, both actors received Commendation Certificates from China’s Ministry of Culture for their contributions to the promotion of Chinese Opera and for artistic excellence. 

One of her most memorable performances was the massive “Warriors of the Yang Family” performed on 31 December 1999 to usher in the new millennium. This had a cast and crew of 200, the largest Chinese opera production ever staged in Singapore. Joanna was both director and leading actress in the production, which was a collaboration between CTC and the Zhejiang Qu Zhou Wu Opera Troupe from China. In another artistic milestone, in October 2001, Joanna played the lead role in a new opera, “The First Woman Emperor Wu Ze Tian”, a highlight of the Singapore Cantonese Opera Festival that year. This was a role written by playwright Norman Cheung with Joanna in mind. Playing opposite her was Ou Kai Ming, a winner of China’s prestigious Plum Blossom Award.

While Joanna practised her art continuously since her youth, she also had a distinguished career in the public service. She was Registrar of the National University of Singapore until her retirement in 2001. She also served for many years on the Women’s Subcommittee of the Kreta Ayer Community Centre, and received the Public Service Star (BBM) in 1974. Her illustrious career in public service was capped by her appointment as a Justice of the Peace in 1998 by the President of Singapore. Among her other awards, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) in 2014, and in 2015 was honoured at the National University of Singapore’s Alumni Awards. 

In 2004, Joanna celebrated her Golden Anniversary on stage with a special performance at the Singapore International Cantonese Opera Festival. In 2015, a book about her life and her journey in Chinese opera was published. In January 2019, the Cantonese opera doyenne celebrated her 80th birthday. Although retired from the stage (save for special occasions), she will be seen again in a special performance in August 2019 to celebrate her 80th birthday year.

She is one of the few opera artists to be effectively bilingual in English and Chinese. Truly a treasure of Singapore’s arts scene, she was featured in the Esplanade’s Tribute SG project in 2016 honouring the nation’s arts and cultural pioneers (https://www.esplanade.com/tributesg/performing-arts/joanna-wong-quee-heng).