Ricky Feng Nan 南枫

Born in Wuhan and raised in Guangzhou, China, Ricky Feng Nan has quickly established himself as one of the most versatile singing actors of his generation, working across opera, musical theatre, film, and televised performance. He gained national recognition through his appearances on the sensational Chinese singing reality television programs Super Vocal (声入人心) and The City of Musicals (爱乐之都), where his compelling performances and charismatic stage presence brought him widespread public attention.

In recent years, Ricky has been a frequent guest artist for major nationally televised concerts and gala performances throughout China. His performance of Serious Classical Suite (正经美声) on CCTV-1’s Chinese New Year Web Gala received over 15 million views worldwide. In 2025, he was invited to perform Ode to the Yangtze River (《长江之歌》) at the CCTV New Year’s Gala, one of China’s most widely viewed national broadcasts. Ricky has also appeared in numerous televised events including the Beijing Great Wall Concert, the Liyang Rice Field Music Festival, Guangdong Television Spring Festival Gala, Beijing Television special programs, and New York Chinese Television’s Lunar New Year Gala. He frequently collaborates in concert performances with his longtime mentor, renowned tenor Yijie Shi, in recital tours featuring operatic repertoire by Mozart and Verdi.

Throughout his career, Ricky has performed with premier orchestras and opera companies worldwide including China Opera Theatre Orchestra, Tianjin Opera Orchestra, Shenzhen Grand Theatre Philharmonic Orchestra, Suzhou Philharmonic Orchestra, Guangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra, The Orchestra Now, Central City Opera, Opera Theatre of Connecticut, and Tri-Cities Opera. A major career highlight was his debut at Carnegie Hall in 2019 as soloist in the world premiere of Zhou Long’s symphonic cantata Men of Iron and the Golden Spike.

Some of Ricky’s operatic and musical theatre roles include the title role in Marco Polo, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Young Gypsy in Aleko, Belfiore in La finta giardiniera, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Lu Jiachuan in Song of the Youth, Martin in The Tender Land, Allen in Joseph’s Gift, and roles in Dialogues of the Carmelites and Le Docteur Miracle. His musical theatre credits include Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance and the Russian Officer in Fiddler on the Roof. In 2025, Ricky appeared as Guo Xiaoguo in the Off-Broadway production The Bridge at Waibaidu in New York and portrayed Richard Loeb in the Cantonese production of Thrill Me. In the 2026 season, he will create the leading role of Zheng Yi, the Pirate King, in the new original Chinese musical The Pirate Queen(她的海) produced by Xu Jun Studio, followed by a national touring production across China.

Beyond the stage, Ricky has appeared in several film productions, portraying leading roles in Autumn in New York, Snafu, Teal Blue Echoes, and Jazz Is for Ordinary People.

Ricky received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton and completed two Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University and the Yale School of Music.