Spring Update: Hansel and Gretel, competitions and the end of my first year

24/5/2018

It has been a while since I last wrote and there are many exciting things to fill you in on! I have been kept busier than ever since the beginning of the year; I had three new modules start and I seem to always have various performances to work towards.

Despite a few weeks of mild stress regarding all that I had to do and all the music I had to learn, my studies at the Royal Northern College of Music are going extremely well. My main focus for the first few months of the year was our spring opera: Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. I was cast in the role of Gertrud (Mother), a role I have come to love. In fact, I have fallen in love with the whole opera! It's a musical masterpiece and the production our director Stephen Medcalf and designer Yannis Thavoris came up with was witty and heart-wrenchingly beautiful. After a thorough rehearsal process, we opened the show on 17 March; it received an enthusiastic response from the audience and the production will soon be making its way to Grange Park Opera.

I continued my immersion in Hansel and Gretel and used the opera as the topic of my Repertoire Research paper; I looked at three different productions and analyzed how they highlight different aspects of the story. So Hansel and Gretel was the majority of my life for a good four months! Though it's over for now, I would love to have the opportunity to perform it again some day.

Frederic Cox Award

In February I was absolutely thrilled to be named the winner of the prestigious Frederic Cox Award at the RNCM. The award is for a student who will be continuing their studies the following year. I've put links below to two of my performances, so do have a listen.

I am very excited to announce that I will be staying on at the college for the next academic year on the prestigious International Artist Diploma. This is an elite course that allows the singers on it (this year it will be myself and an Australian tenor) time and opportunity to hone their performance skills. As part of the course I will be working on roles in two Puccini operas: Nella in Gianni Schicchi and the title role of Suor Angelica. I'm so happy to have the opportunity to continue developing my craft under the guidance of my teachers and coaches here as well as receiving regular input from external coaches of the highest calibre.
I am in the process of finding funding for my next year of study; though my course is under full scholarship, I have a substantial amount of living costs to cover. I'm hoping I will not need to work too much, but instead be able to focus on my vocal development.

Visiting Dame Kiri

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of going down to Dame Kiri's home to work with her and two wonderful coaches on repertoire that I will be performing over the next month or two. It was a terrific day, we got a lot of work done and enjoyed some time in the (all too rare) sunshine. And it was wonderful to be able to catch up with fellow Kiwis Katherine, Madison and Filipe. So, thank you for your hospitality Dame Kiri!

Upcoming Events

Though the term is winding down, I do have a few performances before I fly back to New Zealand for the summer. This week I sang in a conducting masterclass with Sir Mark Elder. We worked on the Act 2 finale of Le nozze di Figaro, in which I sang the Countess. It was fantastic to be able to sing the piece with orchestra for the first time and Sir Mark had some wonderful insights to offer to both the conductors and singers.

On the 6th of June I am competing in the finals of the Joyce and Michael Kennedy Award for the Singing of Strauss (quite the mouthful - more commonly referred to as the Strauss prize!). I will be singing a short 15 minute recital alongside some of my very good friends here at college. It promises to be a night of some wonderful singing! If you click on the photo to the left, you will be directed to the event page on the RNCM website.

My final performance for the academic year is as one of the soprano soloists in Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle on the 15th of June. What a lovely way it will be to finish off my Masters! Again, if you click on the photo to the left, you will be taken to the event page.

Once I have finished the academic year at college, I will be flying home to spend some time with family and prepare for my upcoming roles. I am also planning a fundraising concert in Whangarei and I will be looking for further performance and fundraising opportunities while I am home.
I will be in New Zealand until the 10th of August, when I fly to Nice to take part in Les Azuriales Festival. While there, I will be competing in their prize, working with coaches in masterclasses and singing the role of Thérèse in Poulenc's Les Mamelles de Tirésias. It looks like it is going to be a lot of fun and a wonderful learning opportunity.

Well, I think that is all the news from me at the moment. It has been a marvelous year for me here at the RNCM and I truly am excited to see what opportunities the next year will bring!

Thank you so much for all your support,

Eliza x