Chris Webb
Budding singers are being put through their paces at the New Zealand National Singing School in Taradale this week, practising their "north and south mouths" and Latin pronunciation.
Dame Malvina Major officially opened the school on Monday evening, and was busy tutoring students in the finer points of performance singing
yesterday. The school will run until January 12.
Despite its name, the school teaches much more than how to hold a tune. Classes include vocal and dramatic activities for solo singers and ensembles, sessions including opera, musical theatre, dance, language, stage lighting, make-up and even personal grooming.
Wellington music student Georgia Jamieson-Emms, who is about to finish an honours degree majoring in performance voice at Victoria University, said she was looking forward to meeting and learning from some of New Zealand's best music teachers.
"The tutors are so knowledgeable, they really know the game of singing and language. We all have so much respect for what they can teach us," she said.
As well as those attending fulltime, observers are welcome, at a cost of $40 per day or $20 per half day. Concerts, open to the public, will be held at the EIT most nights, except Sunday, January 9 and Monday, January 10.
Lectures on topics such as "How to keep your accompanist happy", "Music Theatre Styles and Microphone Technique" and "Pinnacles and Pitfalls - Starting your Career" will be presented at the EIT at 3.50pm on most days.
A final concert will be held at the Century Theatre on January 12, at which the winners of the Hawke's Bay Today Lieder Scholarship of $1000, given as two separate awards of $500, will be named.
