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Isabella MoorePhoto credit: Tony Whitehead

A note from Dame Malvina Major What a year! For the Foundation, a big focus for 2015 has been our rebrand, and with that the development of a gorgeous new website and brochure, and this lovely new look Rhapsody.

We have had a fabulous year of concerts across the country. The Share the Dream concert in Christchurch in July was a truly special occasion, offering a sample of the talent New Zealand has produced – artists that the Foundation has supported in some way during their development. Towards the end of this year we have worked with our long-term supporters, Ryman Healthcare, to deliver concerts at four of their rest homes. A highlight for me was singing alongside the very talented singers from Project Prima Volta in Napier. It was wonderful to be able to bring a concert to this part of New Zealand where the Foundation currently has no ongoing presence by way of a regional committee.

As you may know, in early October I announced my decision to retire from professional singing. It was not a decision I took lightly, but one I needed to take. I have been performing 50 years in opera and concerts and before that 20 years in country music – that’s a long time!

I feel very blessed for the opportunities I have been given from a young age to follow my dream as a professional singer. I have performed with some of the world’s fi nest singers in some of the world’s grandest concert halls and venues – including Zion Canyon in Arizona, the Pyramids and Outback Australia. I want to leave the profession on a high note.

But I do need to make it clear that I haven’t stopped singing. I will still be performing in a minor way with my students for the University of Waikato, and at Dame Malvina Major Foundation and Ryman Healthcare events. And I will continue to sing with my great-grandchildren! As the Foundation approaches its 25th birthday in 2016, my focus on developing the next generation of talent remains as strong as ever.

Young and Emerging Artists 2015/16

Three talented young sopranos are the latest participants in New Zealand Opera’s acclaimed internship programme. The programme has been supported by the Dame Malvina Major Foundation since 2000, and underlines the commitment of both organisations to nurture and develop the next generation of opera talent.

Sopranos Katherine McIndoe and Madison Nonoa were selected by audition to become Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artists, with soprano Emma Fraser invited as the 2016 Dame Malvina Major Young Artist.

As Emerging Artists, Katherine and Madison will receive tuition from leading vocal coaches and other industry professionals, as well as opportunities to perform in New Zealand Opera productions. As Young Artist, Emma will undertake the role of Pamina in New Zealand Opera’s production of The Magic Flute. She will also be supported by the company to develop a new role from scratch, including vocal and language coaching.

Emma Fraser

Katherine McIndoe

Madison Nonoa

“The Emerging and Young Artists programmes are the bedrock of the Foundation’s sponsorship and its investment in the programmes will increase from 2016, the Foundation’s 25th birthday year,” says Dame Malvina Major.

Tenor wins New Zealand Aria

Amitai Pati took out the $20,000 Dame Malvina Major Foundation first prize at the New Zealand Aria in Rotorua in November.

The tenor, who is part of international singing sensations Sol3Mio sang Lensky’s Aria from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin for the top spot. On his win, Amitai said he was inspired by his brother, Pene Pati, who won the competition in 2009.

“That has been a real motivation for me, he has left me huge footsteps to follow.”

The Geyser Community Foundation La Grouw second prize of $10,000 went to tenor Boyd Owen with the Waiariki Institute of Technology Prize third prize of $5,000 won by former Dame Malvina Emerging Artist baritone Jarvis Dams.

Dame Malvina, who presented the first prize, said the 2015 New Zealand Aria was simply spectacular.

“It’s been enthralling. There is some beautiful talent, it’s been absolutely fantastic to listen to.”

Commenting on the decision Sydney-based adjudicators Barry Ryan and Anke Hoeppner-Ryan had before them, Dame Malvina said it was not one she would have liked to have made.

“They all gave superb performances … it was obviously a very difficult decision for the adjudicators.”

Share the dream concert ChristchurchBy Anna Midgley, Trustee and Chair of the Christchurch Committee

As I look back at the concert on 11 July at the Isaac Theatre Royal, my overwhelming memory is of the support that we received from everyone, beginning with Ryman Healthcare, our sponsors.

Christchurch has not fully recovered and there were many challenges. The orchestra pit had no furniture, so chairs, stands and lights were individually carried in by the volunteers. Artists including Dame Malvina flew in on the day to perform and rehearsed half an hour before the curtain went up. Apologies and warm wishes were received from Europe, Russia and America. Age and experience, youth and optimism shared the stage together to ‘Share the Dream’ with a near capacity audience who were thrilled to be back in the beautifully restored Isaac Theatre Royal. A last minute approach to ANZ Private for sponsorship so that we could offer supper to our artists was generously agreed.

This was an emotional occasion when we looked back over 15 years of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation in Christchurch and realised how much talent there is in our city. These wonderful young people all gathered for a brief moment in time before going their separate ways.

Opera Australia experience for New Zealand stage manager

Freelance stage manager Kate Middleton-Olliver has had the opportunity to experience a whole new world across the ditch as recipient of a $2,500 Peter Lees-Jeffries Memorial Scholarship awarded by the Dame Malvina Major Foundation.

Kate spent a month-long professional secondment at Opera Australia based with their stage management department in Sydney and Melbourne. She shadowed the stage managers throughout rehearsals and production week for The Marriage of Figaro and The Elixir of Love. She also spent time with the props manufacturing and stage props departments, company management office and the design office.

“I met many new people who welcomed me warmly into this huge organisation. I am in awe of the resources available to their staff and the scale of their operations. I saw things I never imagined and have gained a new perspective on what is possible in the opera art form.”

Kate graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 2010 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Management). She has since worked as a freelance stage manager for New Zealand Opera and the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

The Peter Lees-Jeffries Memorial Scholarship was set up in honour of Christchurch theatrical designer and teacher Peter Lees-Jeffries, by his wife Sarah. An occasional scholarship of up to $2,500 is awarded to young New Zealand designers and directors to visit opera theatres and workshops overseas. Recipients have included Jessica Verryt, Andrew McKenzie and Hedda Oosterhoff.

“Taking opera to the people” in the 1960s

Retiring trustee and Wellington Committee Chair Angela Gorton took a walk down memory lane earlier this year when she and Dame Malvina Major Young Artist 2015 Amelia Berry compared notes on playing Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola. The pair shared the coincidence of performing the role of Cinderella’s step-sister in the last two New Zealand Opera productions of the opera in Wellington – a mere 50 years apart!

The meeting sparked recollections for Angela of performing as a young artist (as Angela Shaw) with New Zealand Opera and “taking opera to the people” in smaller townships. One year the company did 126 performances of La Traviata from the top of New Zealand to the Bluff.

The two Clorindas – Amelia Berry and Angela Gorton

Angela Shaw (on right) performing in La Cenerentola 1964, with Grant Dixon and Corinne Bridge, photo credit: Selwyn Rogers.

Angela says the singers were billeted locally and travelled in all manner of vehicles with the set, which the male singers put up and took down, with the costumes and props the responsibility of the female singers. The operas were performed with piano accompaniment only.

“The opera scene was very different back in my day. When singers of my era were invited to sing for Donald Munro’s NZ Opera company we learned in and through performance, there were no such things as vocal degrees and opera schools. We certainly didn’t have television, but we did have the great 33 1/3rd Tebaldi and Victoria de los Angeles records to listen to and learn from.”

From the regions Across New Zealand, our hard-working committees, all volunteers, organise local events to showcase young artists and raise funds to assist them to achieve their dreams through Arts Excellence Awards. The very existence and work of these local committees underpins Dame Malvina’s catchphrase “from grassroots to excellence”.

Over $37,000 was awarded to ten young artists by our committees in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin in 2015. Over $100,000 was distributed to many individuals and organisations by the Taranaki Committee

with support of the TSB Community Trust. Recipients included percussionist Dominic Jacquemard, music theatre performer James Cameron, classical guitarist Jake Church, flautist Hugh Roberts, baritone Christian Thurston, pianist Edward Giffney and violinist Karla Norton.

The regional committees also organised a number of successful events, including the Christchurch Committee’s Share the Dream concert, two Ryman concerts in Whanganui and Waikanae organised by the Wellington Committee, and a concert at Selwyn Village organised by the Auckland Committee.

In addition, the Foundation provided the fi rst prize in Dame Malvina Major Foundation Aria Competitions in Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin, with the respective winners, Madison Nonoa, Katherine McIndoe and Eliza Boom going on to compete in the New Zealand Aria.

James Buchanan

Where are they now?The Dame Malvina Major Foundation has been nurturing promising young talent since 1991. On the eve of our 25th birthday, here’s a glimpse of how some of that potential has unfurled.

New Zealand Aria 2009 winner Pene Pati is a member of Sol3Mio, a San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow and was awarded second place and the audience prize at Plácido Domingo’s Operalia in 2015.

Dame Malvina Emerging Artist 2013/14 Oliver Sewell is studying for his Master’s at the Manhattan School of Music and will be lead tenor in the School’s upcoming main stage production of The Dangerous Liaisons.

Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist 2007/08 Hadleigh Adams has performed several times with San Francisco Opera and recently sang the title role in Vivaldi’s Bazajet at Pinchgut Opera, Sydney.

Christchurch Arts Excellence Award 2012 recipient Amina Edris is a San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow and has just sung the role of Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro at Opera San José.

Dame Malvina Major Young Artist 2015 Amelia Berry is heading to New York for the 2015-16 opera audition season.

Dame Malvina Emerging Artist 2012/13 Bianca Andrew is studying at the Guildhall in London and is part of the acclaimed Takiri Ensemble with fellow Dame Malvina Major Foundation artists Anna Leese, Andrew Glover, Robert Tucker and Kirsten Simpson.

Bianca Andrew

Pene Pati

Ryman Healthcare concerts 2015

In late 2015, the Dame Malvina Major Foundation presented a series of showcase performances at Ryman Healthcare homes in the North Island. The first was held in Napier in September, at the Princess Alexandra Retirement Village. Taking part were young singers from Project Prima Volta, a mentoring programme for young people. Other concerts were held in Hamilton, Wanganui and Waikanae in November.

Managing Director Simon Challies says Ryman Healthcare’s partnership with the Dame Malvina Major Foundation is an extremely important part of the company’s activities.

“Our residents love seeing the stars of tomorrow perform and it gives us great satisfaction to know we’re supporting their international careers.”

Dame Malvina with Anna Pierard and some of the young singers from Project Prima Volta, Napier

Grants and prizes awarded in 2015

Dame Malvina Major NZ Opera Young Artist programme 2015: Amelia Berry, soprano, to return from New York to perform in New Zealand Opera’s La Cenerentola.Dame Malvina Major NZ Opera Emerging Artists programme 2015/16: Katherine McIndoe, soprano; Madison Nonoa, soprano

Arts Excellence Awards Auckland: Eddie Giffney, pianist; Emily Scott, soprano Taranaki with support from the TSB Community Trust: to many individuals and groups associated with the performing arts

Wellington: Christian Thurston, baritone Christchurch: James Cameron, music theatre; Hugh Roberts, flautist; Stephen Watson, pianist and Callahan Laird, classical ballet

Otago: Modi Deng, pianist; Karla Norton, violinist

Prizes in vocal competitions New Zealand Aria, Rotorua, first prize: Amitai Pati, tenor Dame Malvina Major Foundation Christchurch Aria, first prize: Madison Nonoa, soprano Dame Malvina Major Foundation Wellington Aria, first prize: Katherine McIndoe, soprano Dame Malvina Major Foundation Dunedin Aria, first prize: Eliza Boom, soprano Waikato University Aria Competitions (Greenlea Foundation Grants): first prize: Filipe Manu, second prize: Madison Nonoa, third prize: Eliza Boom

Scholarships Dame Malvina Major Mina Foley Scholarship: Rachelle Pike, soprano

Sir Howard Morrison Vocal Scholarship: Madison Nonoa, soprano; Jarvis Dams, baritone; Oriana Kershaw, soprano

Cecily Maccoll Memorial Scholarship: UC Christchurch Youth Orchestra

Alice Cole Piano Scholarship Auckland: Arnold Lee

Peter Lees-Jeffries Memorial Scholarship: Kate Middleton-Olliver

Greenlea Foundation Grants Waikato: to be announced

Sponsorships For Patricia Hurley’s Masterclasses and Concerts for New Zealand Opera Singers in Italy: Isabella Moore, soprano; Madison Nonoa, soprano; Bianca Andrew, mezzo soprano and Jarvis Dams, baritone.

Angela Gorton and Alan Pollock retire A warm farewell and thank you to Angela Gorton and Alan Pollock who retired from the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Trust Board in July this year. Both have served as trustees of the Foundation since its early days – Angela since its inception in 1991. Angela has also chaired the Wellington Committee for several years.

Share the dreamBy supporting the work of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation you can help us do more for young talented performers. As a registered charity we rely on and hugely value the support of our donors, sponsors and partners.

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Please email your details to info@dmmfoundation.org.nz or send this completed form to: Trust Administrator, The Dame Malvina Major Foundation, PO Box 9976, Wellington 6141.

The Foundation is a registered charity, Charities Commission No. CC10225. Donations qualify for a 33% tax credit and are acknowledged with a receipt.

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Interested in volunteering for the Dame Malvina Major Foundation?

The Dame Malvina Major Foundation is a charitable organisation that runs largely on the generosity of our volunteers. We’re always on the lookout for people with a passion for the performing arts who are keen to support the next generation of talent.

If you are interested in getting involved in a regional committee please email info@dmmfoundation.org.nz or call 04 384 9745.

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