Yuma Kagiyama - "Turandot: Christopher Tin Finale" Free Skate

Yuma Kagiyama's free skate for the 2025-2026 season is set to Christopher Tin's completion of Giacomo Puccini's unfinished opera 'Turandot'. The version Yuma skates to is a special medley arranged and recorded for him by Christopher Tin, in close collaboration with choreographer Lori Nichol. The collaboration between Yuma Kagiyama, his choreographer Lori Nichol, and Christopher Tin on this program has been much celebrated in the figure skating world since it was announced, with Lori and Carolina Kostner (Yuma's coach) attending the recording sessions in London, and then collaborating for months afterwards to refine the music for Yuma's routine. Christopher crafted a musical arrangement around Yuma's technical and timing demands for the routine, recording extra material to smooth transitions and match the accelerated pace of his routine. Meanwhile, with libretto in hand, Lori created choreography that channels the story of 'Turandot' into each of Yuma's movements. NBC Sports commentator Mark Hanretty said, after Yuma's NHK Trophy win: "I defy anybody not to be moved by the emotion of the music, the story behind the creation of this piece, specially recorded for Yuma... ... it just has Olympic moment written all over this piece. I feel and sense it's set to be an iconic piece in the history of our sport to come." 'Turandot: Christopher Tin Finale' comes out February 6, 2026, and is performed by Christine Goerke (Turandot), Clay Hilley (Calàf), the English National Opera Chorus and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and recorded at Abbey Road Studios and conducted by Christopher Tin. Set in legendary China, Puccini’s Turandot tells the story of an icy princess who vows never to marry, subjecting her suitors to a deadly challenge: solve three riddles or be executed. Prince Calàf falls in love with Turandot at first sight. Ignoring warnings, Calaf answers all three riddles correctly. However, Turandot, desperate to avoid marriage, refuses him. Seeking her love rather than submission, Calaf offers her a wager: if she can learn his name by dawn, she may execute him. Puccini died in 1924, before he could resolve the plot with a credible way for Turandot and Calàf to fall in love by the end of the opera. In 2024, Washington National Opera commissioned and premiered a newly composed ending by librettist Susan Soon He Stanton and composer Christopher Tin, that sought to complete the opera in a more dramatically plausible manner. It was a critical and commercial success, with a sold out run at the Kennedy Center and rave reviews in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and others. TURANDOT: CHRISTOPHER TIN FINALE Listen to the full recording here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/christophertinroyalphilharmonicorchestra/turandot-christopher-tin-finale Libretto: Susan Soon He Stanton (https://susansoonhestanton.com) Turandot: Christine Goerke (christinegoerke.com) Calàf: Clay Hilley (clayhilleytenor.com) Ping/Chancellor: Ethan Vincent (ethanvincentbaritone.com) Pong/Head Chef: Jonathan Pierce Rhodes (jonathanpiercerhodes.com) Pang/Majordomo (and Offstage Tenor): Nicholas Huff (nicholashuff.pw) English National Opera Chorus (eno.org) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (rpo.co.uk) Conducted by Christopher Tin (christophertin.com) Chorus conducted by Matthew Quinn (matthewquinnmusic.com) -- CONNECT WITH CHRISTOPHER -- Visit https://www.christophertin.com for concert updates, sheet music, performance resources, lyrics, merchandise, and contact information. Christopher can be found on: TikTok: https://christophertin.lnk.to/TikTok Instagram: https://christophertin.lnk.to/InstagramID Facebook: https://christophertin.lnk.to/FacebookID Twitter: https://christophertin.lnk.to/TwitterID Spotify: https://christophertin.lnk.to/SpotifyID Apple Music: https://christophertin.lnk.to/AppleID Amazon: https://christophertin.lnk.to/AmazonMusicID