With the up tick of interest in Chinese classical music and expanding market in Chinese classical music, singers are faced with new career opportunities in Mandarin-language vocal repertoire. Singing in Mandarin: A Guide to Chinese Lyric Diction is a comprehensive guide to mastering vocal repertoire in Mandarin . In part one, Katherine Chu and Juliet Petrus focus on diction and language, providing detailed descriptions on how to create the exact sounds and pronunciations through International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and 'Pinyin'. Part two outlines the historical context of Mandarin vocal tradition, chronicling the development of the language and Chinese vocal repertoire over the last 100 years. Audio files narrated by native speakers are also included. Singing in Mandarin provides guidance for both novices and those with previous experience singing or speaking in Mandarin. It is the first book of its kind to help bring the rich, previously inaccessible heritage of Chinese vocal music to Western audiences. | Singing In Mandarin by Katherine Chu, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters