Today in our "Young Artists" series, we meet countertenor (Andy) Liu Shen. At the age of 20, he has been called a "Chinese Wonder" in the international classical music scene. Showing outstanding talent in music at only months old, he's well-recognized by operatic productions, festivals and awards globally. Liu sat down with CGTN to share his stories and dreams. 

On an early winter evening at Beijing's most sought after jazz club Blue Note, Liu and his friends – all of them musicians – celebrated his 20th birthday with a whirlwind cabaret, something he calls "fun and intimate."

"Cabaret is like the most immediate way to connect with you and the audience. I've always wanted to do one. Now I'm turning 20, I think this is the best timing to do such a thing," Liu said.

"Especially this year I'm in China and a lot of my friends are back. So I think I'm extremely lucky on the day of my 20th birthday that I'm able to sing a cabaret of my own, celebrating not only my birthday, but also the artistry of my friends and friendship."

From Debussy to George Gershwin, from opera to jazz, Liu showed off his talented voice, mastery of performance, and his favorite golden era. 

"I'm a fan of roaring 1920s. That was after the World War I devastation and people needed that self-expression and creation. They wanted to fulfill themselves and to create more. And there was the hope for the prosperity and future. People were looking forward to a better life and better age. I think it is kind of relation to what we are right now," Liu told CGTN.

The pandemic has put a pause on the music industry, so these young talents were able to take a short break from traveling around the world and do something fun together in their home country. For Liu's guest performers, it's a great joy to listen and play with him. 

"He is so talented. I've never met someone who can sing like this," Broadway musical singer Yang Shuyan said. "His voice must have been kissed by God because every time you hear him singing, you feel the most joy."

"We don't have many countertenors in China. Maybe he is the future star of Chinese countertenor in the world. He has great value and artistic taste and very much experienced. In life he is a good buddy to me," pianist Shen Zeyu said.

Born in 2000 in Beijing, Liu's gift for music was discovered by his parents and his mom's best friend Zhang Hongyan, a master of pipa – a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument. They were playing La Traviata at home and were surprised to hear the months-old Liu humming along. 

Zhang hosted Liu's first solo concert on his tenth birthday and displayed his talents to some of the most important classical musicians and professors in China. 

"I didn't miss any important moments of his life. When he was little, he sat in the audience to watch me perform. And now we have changed roles. He has learned many singing skills by himself, not from any teacher. That is tremendous," Zhang told CGTN.

So that was how the story began. Liu started to perform at five and has been touring since the age of 12. He's appeared in numerous operas, musicals such as Zhang Yimou's Turandot and Oliver Mears' Noye's Fludde, and festivals around the world, such as the Edinburgh Arts Festival and Beijing International Music Festival.

A graduate of the Juilliard Pre-College Division – a program for young students who exhibit great musical talent – he is now studying at the Royal Academy of London. He says his biggest dream is to perform in major opera houses around the world, and more. 

"I consider myself a global citizen. I really love to travel because I think it is the greatest thing about being a singer. You get to travel all around and to see everywhere and leave your voices. It's quite exciting meeting all the people as well," Liu said.