Masterton tenor Daniel Dew has returned from a year in Sweden training in voice and saxophone, and will showcase his freshly-tuned skills in a Masterton musical.
Dew was studying at the music line in the De Geer Gymnasiet (college) in Norrkoping.
"It's a big school, but only three years long," Dew said.
"They
run it a bit like a university with the different courses."
Dew left for Sweden last August and returned this week.
No stranger to the life of a travelling troubadour, in 2006 Dew had toured with the New Zealand Secondary School Choir to China for the Choral Olympics.
The New Zealand team, including Dew and fellow Wairarapa College student Josh Kidd, were declared world champions.
Dew left school that year with Bursary, a year ahead of his peers, and spent the first part of last year working in a Wellington cafe and performing in the stage version of High School Musical.
The past 12 months, however, have been a fresh learning curve and Dew is keen to return to Sweden if he can find a way to do so.
His courses at the school were singing and saxophone lessons,
So how was singing and speaking in Swedish?
"We sang in English as well. Singing in Swedish it's more the pronunciation and understanding what you're singing, which at the beginning was quite hard."
Having no Swedish language training, Dew was grateful for the Swedes' impressive command of English, but soon improved his skills in the local lingo.
"In the start I got really, really tired," he said.
While in Sweden, Dew played the part of the Tin Man in Wizard of Oz musical The Wiz, and performed with the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra.
So what is Sweden like?
"Beautiful.
"Very dark green, with lots of pine forests," Dew said.
"They're nice people, very modern and environmentally conscious very fashionable."
"A lot of them are very musical and very appreciative of art and culture."
Daniel is now playing the part of Cookie, a lovestruck spaceman in the MATS musical Return to the Forbidden Planet.
When he arrived back in Wellington, Dew popped back into his old workplace for a coffee, and was offered his old job back, so he will be leaving Masterton when this latest musical is over.
So Wairarapa, enjoy this performer while you can.
