A Wintery-Summer

3/10/2018

What a wonderful summer it has been! Although, I haven't seen much sunshine - going home to New Zealand, I managed to miss nearly all of the unusually good weather in the U.K. Thankfully, sunshine doesn't determine the quality of a season.
I flew back to New Zealand mid-June and promptly caught a cold that frustrated my singing for nearly a month. But this didn't stop me from putting on a benefit concert in Whangarei with my friends Jonathan Eyers and David Kelly. We had so much fun putting together a programme of arias, song and music theatre. I even got the chance to sing some jazz with my sisters and younger brother, something I've missed since moving to the other side of the world! Thank you to everyone who came to support us, it meant so much.

After the benefit concert, my time at the Lexus Song Quest began!
The semifinals were held in Wellington, where 10 semifinalists were given the opportunity to work alongside adjudicator Lisa Gasteen in the days leading up to the concert. It was incredibly special to be able to spend this time with some of my greatest friends, all of whom sang fantastically! So I was thrilled to be announced as a finalist, alongside Joel Amosa, Filipe Manu, Manase Latu and Joe Haddow.
Finals week was filled with media interviews, rehearsals, and a lot of laughter. Ever since I began my opera journey, I've imagined what it would be like to be on the Lexus Song Quest finals stage and I can tell you, it was everything I hoped. My finals pieces were "Green Hills o' Somerset" by Eric Coates, "Dieu! quel frisson... Amour, ranime mon courage" from Romeo et Juliette by Gounod, and "E Susanna non vien... Dove sono i bei momenti" from Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart.
Performing with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra was a dream, and the Auckland Town Hall is glorious to sing in. I came off stage and almost couldn't believe that it had happened; it was absolutely the most exhilarating performance experience I've had to date, and being placed as runner-up was amazing! Thank you to Lisa Gasteen, the New Zealand Festival team, and the Dame Malvina Major Foundation for your sponsorship of the prize.

If you are interested, you can listen to Radio New Zealand's broadcast of the competition here:
https://www.radionz.co.nz/collections/lexus-sound-quest/lexus-song-quest-2018

In August I said goodbye to friends and family, and flew to Nice, France for what was a terrifically fun two weeks with Les Azuriales Festival.
The second day with the Festival consisted of their International Voice Competition, and I was amazed to win first prize! Having listened to the other singers in rehearsal, I realise what an honour this is. Over the remainder of the festival we all became fast friends and I know they all have exciting careers ahead of them.

The next ten days were extremely busy. I sang in two public masterclasses; one with Peter Lockwood and the other with Bryan Evans and Sarah-Jane Davies. The remainder of the time we were in rehearsal for Les Mamelles de Tirésias - an absurdist one act opera by Poulenc. I was cast in the role of Thérèse/Tirésias, who was a lot fun to play.
Everyone worked extremely hard to put the show together in such a short space of time, and the final product was very well received! Overall, the Festival was an extremely beneficial time for me, and I'm grateful to the organizers and creatives for the opportunity.

So, after what has been an exciting summer, I am back in Manchester and back at the Royal Northern College of Music. There is no easing into it though - my first week back consisted of two performances, a professional audition, lessons and coachings, and the start of rehearsals for our Puccini Double Bill: Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica. These operas will be performed in December; you can click on the banner below if you would like more information. This production will be my main focus for the term, as well as preparing to audition for Young Artist Programmes in various places.
First up however, I am singing the role of Mimi in Act 4 of La Boheme with the Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra. This is a concert performance on the 14th of October, and will mark my first external engagement in the U.K - what fantastic music for it!

As you can see, there's plenty going on to keep me busier than ever. I am confident that this year is going to grow and stretch me, and provide many exciting opportunities.

On that note, I will sign off and go learn music!
Eliza x