I am a self-employed teacher, presenter and promoter of Chinese opera – the Peking opera and Kunqu opera varieties.

The topic of my Fellowship was Kunqu opera. The purpose was to further my Kunqu performance skills in Hangzhou, China, under Wang Fengmei, the renowned actor of the Refined Young Lady Role, typified by the virtuoso solo scene, In Pursuit of the Dream from the Ming Dynasty classic, The Peony Pavilion. Ms Wang is unparalleled in her fine interpretation of the role with unaffected elegance and in-depth understanding of the text. Her portraiture is a legacy to be passed on.

Since my return, I have performed the scene publicly in part or whole over 40 times across the UK, six times at the Venice Biennale Theatre Carnival 2006, and in Malta at the invitation of the Chinese Cultural Centre Malta and Heritage Malta the same year. I have taught the role to Chinese and British students in opera classes. Two of my students have learnt the role to performance level, and I have presented them publicly. One is a young British man who, as far as I know, is the first British 'Dan' in our fine tradition.

The Fellowship has taken my own learning to a higher level.