San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Historic Visit to Shanghai – Armstrong Music & Arts Joins Core Delegation to Witness Multiple Bilateral Engagements
In the presence of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, Zhang Qingxin, Vice President of Shanghai Opera House, and Doreen Woo Ho, Board Director of San Francisco Opera, signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). As San Francisco Opera’s strategic partner in Asia, Armstrong International Music & Arts Management Co., Ltd. – represented by its Founder & Chairman Wray Armstrong and CEO Evita Zhang – participated as a core member of the mayor’s delegation, playing an integral role in facilitating this historic moment.
This marks another major bridge in China-U.S. cultural exchange, following Armstrong Music & Arts’ successful 2017 tour of San Francisco Opera’s Dream of the Red Chamber across China – a project that was later selected for the 2018 China-U.S. High-Level People-to-People Dialogue and Cultural Exchange Mechanism.
🔹 Core Delegation Members: More Than Witnesses – Active Driver
From April 18 to 21, Mayor Daniel Lurie led a high-level delegation to Shanghai – his first official visit to Asia since taking office in 2025. The delegation included the Mayor’s wife, Becca Prowda (Director of Protocol for California Governor Gavin Newsom); Penny Coulter (Chief of Protocol, City of San Francisco); Doreen Woo Ho (Board Director, San Francisco Opera); David Stull (President, San Francisco Conservatory of Music); Daphne Fong (Chair, San Francisco-Shanghai Sister City Committee); Salle Yoo (Board Chair, Asian Art Museum); and other prominent figures from politics, business, and culture.
Wray Armstrong, Founder & Chairman of Armstrong Music & Arts, and Evita Zhang, CEO, were core members of the delegation. They took part in the Mayor’s meeting with Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng, the Shanghai–San Francisco Sister City Economic & Cultural Forum, and other events.
“It is a tremendous honor to be part of the delegation and to witness the multiple agreements reached between San Francisco and Shanghai in culture, tourism, and urban governance,” said Evita Zhang at the signing ceremony. “This is not only a testament to the friendship between our two cities, but also a vivid illustration of Armstrong Music & Arts’ mission – building bridges through culture.”
🔹 Signing Ceremony: Shanghai Opera House and San Francisco Opera Join Hands
On the afternoon of April 19, at Shanghai Grand Opera House, Vice President Zhang Qingxin and Board Director Doreen Woo Ho signed the MOU. The ceremony was witnessed by Mayor Daniel Lurie; Zhang Songhua, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Grand Theatre Arts Management Center; Wray Armstrong; and Evita Zhang.
Key provisions of the MOU include:
- Regular artistic exchanges and mutual visits of artists, conductors, directors, and stage professionals.
- Joint programs to nurture young opera talent.
- Workshops, masterclasses, and community outreach activities centered on the sister-city relationship.
- Mutual promotion of repertoire and exploration of future co-productions or tours in China and the U.S.
The signing marks an extension of the two cities’ cooperation from economy and tourism into high-end cultural and creative industries, setting a new benchmark for China-U.S. subnational cultural collaboration.
From Dream of the Red Chamber to The Monkey King: An Unbroken Cultural Bridge
In 2017, Armstrong Music & Arts – together with Poly Theater Management Co., Ltd. – successfully toured San Francisco Opera’s English-language Dream of the Red Chamber in Beijing, Wuhan, and Changsha, to great acclaim. The project was subsequently selected for the 2018 China-U.S. High-Level People-to-People and Cultural Exchange Mechanism, becoming a flagship example of bilateral cultural exchange.
Today, Armstrong Music & Arts once again serves as a “cultural ferryman.” During this visit, the two sides held in-depth discussions on bringing San Francisco Opera’s highly anticipated original English-language opera The Monkey King to Shanghai. Based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, with music by renowned Chinese-American composer Huang Ruo and libretto by Chinese-American playwright David Henry Hwang, the opera sold out its world premiere in November 2025 in San Francisco. The New York Times hailed it as “A visually stunning, culturally significant, and theatrically ambitious opera that reimagines a Chinese classic for the global stage.” and it has been invited to open the 2027/2028 season of the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
🔹 Voices from All Sides: People-to-People Friendship and Cultural Exchange
Evita Zhang, CEO of Armstrong Music & Arts:
“As a delegation member, I have been privileged to witness the many cultural partnerships forged between San Francisco and Shanghai. From the strategic MOU between our two opera houses to exchanges in tourism, trade, and urban governance, I deeply feel the breadth and warmth of pragmatic cooperation between our sister cities. Culture is the softest yet strongest power that connects hearts. The collaboration between San Francisco Opera and Shanghai Opera House is a vivid example of China-U.S. cultural exchange. Armstrong Music & Arts will continue to drive such projects forward, contributing to mutual understanding and friendship.”
Wray Armstrong, Founder & Chairman of Armstrong Music & Arts:
“From the 2017 Dream of the Red Chamber tour to today’s strategic MOU, I have witnessed firsthand the enthusiasm of Chinese audiences for world-class art and the tremendous potential of Chinese and American artists working together. The partnership between our two opera houses is not only a win-win artistically, but also a concrete practice of mutual learning and people-to-people connection. As a member of the mayor’s delegation, I am deeply honored to have helped make this happen. I look forward to more co-creations and artist exchanges, and to seeing more cultural institutions on both sides walk this path together.”
Doreen Woo Ho, Board Director of San Francisco Opera:
“This MOU opens a new chapter of long-term collaboration between two great opera houses. Opera is an art form that transcends language. The partnership between San Francisco Opera and Shanghai Opera House will not only bring world-class performances to both cities, but also add lasting warmth to people-to-people ties between China and the United States. I believe that through opera, the people of San Francisco and Shanghai will grow closer and understand each other better. That is the original aspiration behind projects like The Monkey King – using culture to build bridges, letting understanding and friendship take root in the hearts of people from both nations.”
Mayor Daniel Lurie of San Francisco:
“This year marks the 46th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Shanghai and San Francisco – a friendship that has grown stronger over nearly half a century. The signing of this MOU between San Francisco Opera and Shanghai Opera House is the most vivid expression of that friendship. Cultural cooperation is a lubricant and a glue in U.S.-China relations. I look forward to even more fruitful outcomes in culture, tourism, economy, and other fields between our two cities, injecting sustained energy into U.S.-China subnational exchanges and adding bricks of mutual understanding and respect.”
