Rare talent hits Masterton

In his first visit to the Southern Hemisphere, young Chinese countertenor Xiao Ma will be treating a Masterton audience to a diverse and genre-bending performance at Aratoi tonight.

Ma made his debut as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro with the Shanghai Opera, and has a reputation for being able to sing genres from baroque to Chinese pop, as well as being able to sing in both male and female registers.

He will be accompanied by talented pianist Gao Ping, also from China, who holds a composition lectureship at the University of Canterbury School of Music.

Aratoi director Marcus Boroughs said finding someone as exotic and as talented as Xiao Ma was rare.

"He has a huge reputation that's growing, and it's certainly a bit of a find," he said.

"We get the opportunity to hear a countertenor in full, really showing us what he can do."

While Xiao Ma is unquestionably the star of the show, Gao Ping is no slouch himself. His compositions have been presented by Michael Houstoun, John Chen, the Christchurch International Arts Festival, the New Zealand String Quartet and the NZ Trio.

Mr Boroughs said the show was sure to be a winner.

"The combination will make for some really extraordinary entertainment," he said. The performance is at 7pm, and tickets cost $25.