To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, five young musicians born in 2000 are taking center stage at the closing concert of Beijing Music Festival on Tuesday. Among them is opera prodigy, Chinese countertenor Liu Shen. CGTN's Shen Li caught up with him during the festival's "Music at Noon" concert to find out how he came into this career and his future plans.

At this mini recital at the Beijing Music Festival, Liu wowed the audience with his performances of Henry Purcell's "Music for a While," arias from some of Handel's operas, and Claude Debussy's Art Songs. He said this varied program helped express "my many sides."

Liu is a countertenor, which means he has a vocal range that extends upwards from his natural tenor into mezzo-soprano.

At the age of 5, his parents took him to see "La Traviata" and he has been obsessed with opera ever since.

He went on to study at the Juilliard School and has collaborated with maestros like conductor Yu Long and the world's leading orchestras.

Now at 20, the opera prodigy said he's still finding his voice.

Liu said, "The countertenors, they don't just sing operas, there's a lot of non-gender specific pieces that we could do, so it's the best way to express myself."

When asked about whether he could like to try music from other genres, Liu revealed his interest in jazz, Broadway music and even Peking Opera. "It's important to understand other genres of music," he added.

Liu is able to sing in many different languages, including Italian, French, German and even Hebrew. "My passion for opera really sparks my passion for languages, the twos are somehow connected," he said.

Apart from being active on stage as a countertenor, Liu is equally passionate about acting. "Through opera, I found out so many things about acting and music combined together – the beat, the rhythm," he said. "I would love to be an opera director because you get both the perspectives," he added.