Placido Domingo will play the lead role in the opera Thais. [Photo by Wang Xiaoxi/China Daily]

Placido Domingo, a veteran artist from Spain, will play the lead role of Athanael.

He has performed in NCPA productions since 2010, including Verdi's operas Nabucco and Macbeth.

In 2012, Operalia, an annual international voice competition, which was founded by Domingo in 1993 as a platform to help launch the careers of many of today's opera stars, held its 20th edition at the NCPA in Beijing. Among its winners were Chinese soprano Sun Xiuwei and mezzo-soprano Yang Guang.

"Over 70 years old, Domingo is still pursuing new challenges and we are excited to have him in Thais," says Zhu He, head of program production at the NCPA.

Besides Domingo, the main cast members include Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho and soprano Davinia Rodriguez who was born in Las Palmas, Spain. Chinese singers Li Yi, Zhang Wenwei and Dong Fang will also perform in the opera. French conductor Patrick Fournillier will take the baton, collaborating with the NCPA's in-house orchestra and chorus.

Since it was established a decade ago, the NCPA has produced 58 operas, including original works.

Thais is the fourth French opera production by the NCPA after Carmen by Georges Bizet, The Tales of Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach and Samson and Delila by Camille Saint-Saens.

This year, the NCPA will produce another French opera-Charles Gounod's Romeo and Juliet.

If you go

7 pm, Feb 2-6. 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.