Mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao, a vivid and dramatically resourceful artist who appeared regularly with the San Francisco Opera and on stages worldwide, died Thursday night at her home in San Francisco after a long battle with cancer. She was 46.
Cao (pronounced Chow) was a notable presence in the Bay Area's cultural life, not only for the vibrancy and beauty of her musical gifts but for her forceful personality and her ability to gather friends and admirers into her circle.
Among her closest confidantes and boosters were mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, composer Jake Heggie and novelist Amy Tan. Cao's last appearance with the San Francisco Opera was in the 2008 world premiere of Stewart Wallace's opera "The Bonesetter's Daughter," based on Tan's novel.
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Cao spent her final days surrounded by friends, family and loved ones, Heggie said. At one point, the entire room sang "Voi che sapete," an aria from Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" sung by the pageboy Cherubino, one of Cao's signature roles.
"Her breathing completely changed, and she began breathing at the ends of the phrases," Heggie said. "So we know she heard that."
Cao was born July 9, 1966, in Shanghai. Her career took shape in San Francisco, first as an Adler Fellow and then in repeated performances at the Opera. Suzuki, the patient servant in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly," was a signature role, which she sang numerous times at the War Memorial Opera House. She also had roles in Mozart's "Idomeneo" and Virgil Thomson's "The Mother of Us All."
But her biggest assignment was in "Bonesetter," in which she created the role of Ruth Young Kamen, the American-born protagonist torn between her Chinese roots and the demands of a new life.
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It was shortly after that opera that Cao was first diagnosed with cancer, which was already in Stage 4. The tumors had spread to her liver, lung, neck, and spine, and she was given six months to live.
But through a bold series of treatments, she survived three more years. She gave performances with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and appeared at tributes for von Stade and fundraising events. The Merola Opera Program has established a scholarship in her name to fund the studies of an Asian artist or a deserving mezzo-soprano.
Cao is survived by her husband, Dr. David Larson, her parents and a sister.
Joshua Kosman is The San Francisco Chronicle's music critic. E-mail: jkosman@sfchronicle.com
