Chinese opera singers have long had to learn foreign languages to perform classics like 'La Boheme' or 'Carmen.' Now a new program is flipping that scenario: 'I Sing Beijing' immerses western singers in Mandarin, teaching them Chinese contemporary operas and presenting the work to Beijing audiences.

More than two dozen of the performers will appear at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall on Feb. 16, marking the group's U.S. debut. Ahead of that big night before a New York crowd, Beijing-born New Yorker Hao Jiang Tian, who started the program two years ago, is trying to keep his students healthy and focused.

'I tell them to work hard, don't get sick,' said Mr. Tian, a 58-year-old bass opera singer and longtime veteran of New York's Metropolitan Opera. 'You don't know who will be in the audience. It could be agents. It could be music critics. It could be the heads of opera companies. It could be people from Europe.'

The students, most of them Americans under age 35, have participated in a summer program where experts teach them Mandarin lyrics, guide them in Chinese stage mannerisms and hone their voices for performances culminating with a gala show at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

Some singers can't quite believe that a trip to China ended at Lincoln Center. 'I didn't imagine it would ever happen in my life,' said tenor Anthony Kalil.