Jazz Vespers presenter John Redman
For the past 108 years, Easter in Hawke's Bay has had the additional attraction of the annual Napier Performing Arts Competitions Society Festival.
Again this year, from Thursday, April 13 to Monday, April 17 there is the opportunity to hear and see talented performances in dance, singing, speech and drama and instrumental music, from both local and visiting competitors.
Dance classes will be in the Napier Municipal Theatre beginning on Friday morning, instrumental classes in the Pan Pac Foyer of the Napier Municipal Theatre beginning at 6pm on Thursday and continuing on Friday.
Junior singing will be in St Paul's Church, Tennyson St on Friday afternoon, speech and drama in the St Paul's Hall all day Friday and Saturday.
Senior singing classes are in the Pan Pac Foyer of the Napier Municipal Theatre beginning with the Recital Class at 7.30 on Friday evening, with the Final of the Aria Competition in the MTG Century Theatre at 7.30 on Sunday evening.
All sessions are open to the public.
There are 16 singers entered for this year's IFAC Handa NZ Singing School Aria Competition, competing for prizes of $4000, $2000 and $1000, plus prizes of $200 from Clean Earth for each of the unplaced finalists.
The Aria Competition will provide a real highlight of the festival. Winners of previous aria contests have gone on to win national singing honours, leading to international careers.
This year's aria contestants have a wide range of professional and educational achievement. Many are well advanced in performance degree courses, some are at post-graduate level and have had extensive operatic and recital experience, both in this country and overseas.
Entered are eight sopranos - Imogen Thirlwall, Felicity Tompkins, Olivia Sheat, Olivia Pike, Anna Mahon, Katherine McIndoe, Clare Hood, and Laura Loach, one mezzo-soprano, Elizabeth Harris, two tenors - Filipe Manu and Kalauni Pouvalu, four baritones - Will King, Angus Simmons, Jarvis Dams and Aidan Phillips, and one bass, James Henare.
Each competitor will sing an aria in the preliminary round on Saturday evening and up to six finalists will also sing a second aria.
Most of the aria competitors will also sing in the recital class on Friday evening and there will be a singing masterclass with the visiting adjudicator in the MTG Century Theatre from 10.30 on Sunday morning which is also open to the public. Admission $10.
Adjudicator for the senior singing classes and the aria will be bass Conal Coad from Australia.
Coad received his first training in New Zealand and then at the NSW Conservatorium of Music Opera School before joining Opera Australia, followed by a move to Europe where he has sung in the major European opera houses and also in New York and Washington DC and in Tokyo and Israel.
Napier singing teacher Orlena Wakeman will adjudicate the junior singing classes, former Royal Schools of Music Scholarship recipient and now based in Sydney, Catherine McKay, will adjudicate the instrumental classes, Auckland teacher Glenda Pearce the speech and drama classes with tap dance classes adjudicated by Courtney Cann from Auckland and the ballet and jazz classes by Rowan Cann, also from Auckland.
Admission $4 adults, Children $2 a session, with a day pass $6/$3. Aria preliminary admission - $10/$5. Final $25/$10. Singing Recital Class $10. For further information phone 844 1573 or visit www.napierpacs.org.nz