Yes, New Zealand is the home of the world champion rugby team, the All Blacks.
But it is also home to a team of highly accomplished singers who have made their mark on the international stage.
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Donald McIntyre, Dame Malvina Major, Inia Te Wiata, Christopher Doig, Richard Greager, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Simon O’Neill, Deborah Wai Kapohe, Suzanne Prain, Jonathan Lemalu… the list is comprehensive and growing.
For a small country with a tiny population, New Zealand has produced an amazingly large collection of world-class singers and musicians.
They are appearing in opera productions, oratorio performances and on concert platforms throughout the world.
Occasionally they come home and if we are lucky enough, perform for their own communities.
Christchurch will be fortunate on August 16, 2007 to welcome back two of its favourite sons, baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes and tenor Simon O’Neill. The two “locals’ are both in their early 30s and both are enjoying hectic international careers from their bases in London.
The performance on August 16 is called “Opera with the Stars” and will be the first public concert by Southern Opera. A fundraiser, it will be held in the Christchurch Town Hall, and will also feature sopranos Suzanne Prain and German-born Dorothee Jansen.