2020 has demanded flexibility from us all, none more so than artists. When all the theatres closed in March, I was in the midst of my year of training at the National Opera Studio. However, I was in the fortunate position of being able to fly home to New Zealand to shelter the storm. You know what they say: every cloud has a silver lining. While it was incredibly disappointing to have to cut my time in London so short, I got to spend six months with my family and actually had the opportunity to do some wonderful music making in New Zealand. 

I had the absolute privilege of singing in Ngū Kīoro… Harikoa Ake - a very special concert with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Simon O'Neill that marked the world's first large scale concert without social distancing since COVID-19.  Conducted by Hamish McKeich, it's hard to fully describe what it felt to be back on stage after so long. Simply put, I felt incredibly lucky. The whole concert was live streamed, and I have put a link to the YouTube below. You can find me singing at 19:14 and 1:24:51.

One of the other highlights of my time in New Zealand was performing alongside a bunch of incredibly talented friends with the Auckland Opera Studio. The concert was recently streamed on RNZ Concert, and can be listened to here. 

Another large part of my time in New Zealand went into co-founding Reo Takurua Winterless Opera with Kawiti Waetford and Sophie Sparrow, who were also based in Whangarei at the time. Thanks to an arts grant from Creative New Zealand, we were able to bring intimate concert performances to Whangarei audiences and schools, hold two weekends of intensive masterclasses with Northland singers, and translate opera arias into Te Reo Māori. The music community of Northland responded incredibly well to the project, and it was a privilege to give a little bit back to the community that gave me my first taste of opera. 

When the time came to leave, I was definitely a bit sad to be leaving this little haven, but this was quickly overshadowed by the wonderful prospect of going back into full time work! I arrived in Munich in early September, and I can say without a doubt that I have fallen in love with the city, and this beautiful opera house. There are 11 singers and 2 pianists on the opera studio programme, all of whom are extremely talented and exceptionally lovely. We are lucky to be receiving some of the best training available, and I can already see the difference it has made in my performance. 
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Unfortunately, the recent rise in Coronavirus cases has meant the opera house is currently closed for performances, but we are still training and working hard. ​We are hoping that performances will resume in December. I did manage to make my mainstage debut just before we closed, in a new production of Die Vögel by Braunfels! Although it was the one and only performance of the show, we were incredibly grateful to be able to be able to share our work with the (very small) live audience, and everyone who was watching the stream online - which you can still pay to watch here. 

When we do start back up again, the rest of my season will be busy with 7 different productions and plenty of concerts. The Bayerische Staatsoper has truly impressed me in these two months, and I am so thrilled I get to spend the next two years working here. 

Last and not at all least, you can watch me and my brilliant opera studio colleagues in concert on Monday 23rd November at 20:15 CEST, or Tuesday 24th 08:15 NZST. The concert will be broadcast live for free on Staatsoper.tv, or you can pay to watch it on demand a few days after the performance. It's shaping up to be a terrific concert, so don't miss it! I will be singing scenes from Clemenza di Tito and Die Fledermaus. Click here to watch.

With all the best wishes for everyone at this challenging time, 
​Eliza x

Hello from New Zealand, where I am currently sheltering from all the madness of Covid-19.

Amidst everything that is going on, I’m so excited to officially announce that I will be joining the Bayerische Staatsoper Opera Studio in September 2020. I cannot wait to be part of such a glorious opera house, and the prospect of two years in Munich isn’t such a hardship either! 🤩🇩🇪

I had a rather difficult few months over this last audition period, sending off application after application, and in most cases not being given a chance to audition. I was taken aback by how much this rejection affected my mentality. Even though part of my brain was rational about it (1000+ people apply, it’s just one opinion etc), I started to doubt my ability, doubting I had “what it takes”. Frankly, it became rather disheartening! I got to the point where I dreaded opening emails, bracing myself for rejection - a feeling that so many people will resonate with. So when I got the email with my acceptance in Munich, I almost couldn’t believe it and immediately started to cry.

I don’t say all this for sympathy of any kind, but wanted to share it publicly to give a fuller perspective of what this opportunity means to me and more importantly, to encourage others that we are all in the same boat. Keep powering on, and please don’t be ashamed of your low points. They make us who we are.
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Wishing you all health and happiness,
Eliza x

We close the show on Saturday and then I am extremely excited to be flying home to New Zealand. I will be performing concerts in Wellington (6 August, St Andrew on the Terrance), Matakana (17 August, Sculptureum) and Auckland (18 August, Auckland Opera Studio). Please do come along if you are free! I’m also thrilled to be travelling to Sydney to compete in the finals of the Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award in September. 
 
In May I travelled to Warsaw for the International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition. I was one of eighty pre-selected singers, and the calibre of both the competitors and the panel was very impressive. They were all very supportive, but it’s still intimidating to step out onto the stage and see a long table full of people who potentially could make or break your career! So, I was over the moon to go through to the semi-finals and get to sing for them again. Though I didn’t get through to the final round, I was very happy with how I performed, and considering I was one of the youngest there, I am truly happy with how it all went. 

In June I officially finished my time at the RNCM! And what an incredible time it has been. I started 2019 busy as ever with auditions, competitions and several concerts, including a gala concert at Bridgewater Hall. In the midst of all this, I auditioned for the National Opera Studio in London and I am thrilled to be going there as a Young Artist in September. It is a wonderful next step; I’m very excited to start my time there and see where life takes me afterward.

Through the RNCM this year I have been able to work with some wonderful coaches and conductors, such as Sir Mark Elder, Mark Shanahan, Julius Drake, Ann Murray and Susan Bullock. I’ve had the opportunity to perform plenty of new repertoire across England, including lots of Lieder and Chanson, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Mahler’s 4th Symphony, Haydn’s Nelson Mass and a new song cycle by young composer James McIlwrath. I also performed as part of Buxton Opera’s opening gala.

​I also had the privilege of singing Mimi in Act 4 of La Boheme with the Nottingham Philharmonic in October. This was my first big chunk of the role, and I was excited to find that it fit my voice like a glove - now I can't wait for the opportunity to sing the role in its entirety! ​

It's audition season on this side of the world, and since October I have been sending off dozens of applications to young artist programmes, opera studios, opera companies and summer schools. Some days I think I spend more time on administration for this sort of thing then I do singing! Still, it must be done. 
I had a few very frustrating weeks, where I was offered auditions at three major houses in Europe and America, but ended up not being able to go because UK Immigration had my passport. I tried everything I could, but had no luck. Obviously, it was not meant to be.
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I was lucky enough to be able to go home to New Zealand for the Christmas period, taking a much anticipated break. 
When I came back in January, I had a couple of days to settle back in before flying to Basel, Switzerland for an audition and then on to Dublin to compete in the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition. While I didn't get the job in Basel or get where I wanted to in the competition, it's all experience and exposure! Though I will say, that doesn't necessarily make it easier to hear a "no". But, as a friend told me recently, every no you get is one step closer to a yes. ​

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

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