Catrin Johnsson News Today

Scoop Auckland provides news and views from Auckland, New Zealand

An outstanding young Aotearoa New Zealand soprano has been awarded a 2023 Kia Ora Foundation Patricia Pratt Scholarship to support her study towards a Master of Music in Performance Classical Voice at San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM). <img ...

Meet the 2023 Aria competitors.

The heroine, played by Natasha Te Rupe Wilson, is a redhead schoolgirl teased by her peers. There was much to admire, starting with a sophisticated score that was both funny and flexible. The 20 Orchestra Wellington players, under Brent Stewart’s able direction, were excellent, the little darts of trombone and percussion especially effective as comic tone-painting. The staging suffered from not being at the Opera House (apparently the venue originally sought), as the Michael Fowler Centre, ...

Lachlan Craig, William King. Bach’ s St Matthew Passion is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most complex creations of Western music; his score, written for double choir and two orchestras, is a sacred drama about life and death. Its music touches the human soul, even if you are not a Christian. As the world is struggling with a pandemic, its comforting message couldn’ t be more relevant.” says Paczian. Rita Pacizan is an exceptionally gifted conductor with a hugely impressive in...