Local Focus: Rising stars face the music at the NZ Aria Awards in Rotorua

"The quality of singers we have in New Zealand is just amazing" says Jo-Anne La Grouw, event co-ordinator and chair of the Lockwood New Zealand Aria Competition.

She was excited about the return of Rotorua's prestigious singing competition.

"We're the first competition, or the first event, in the refurbished and strengthened Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre. And before it closed, we were the last event in there."

The final touches to the centre were completed just in time for the Aria competition, which boasts alumni such as Dame Malvina Major and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, to open to the world again on Saturday night.

La Grouw says the competition is unique.

"It's the only singing competition in the world, where there's no upper age limit... and you can come from any part of the world."

Music teacher and former Aria prize winner, Elisha Hulton, knows the importance of music and its impact on rangatahi.

"Music is life," she said. "It gets you through all the hard times.

"It's my passion. It's something that you can share with anyone and everyone.

"It's a universal language, and personally really fulfils my heart and soul."

Hulton sees a connection between opera and another popular form of musical performance.

"In Rotorua here especially, it's the heart of kapa haka. So as a music teacher here to Boys' High School, for example, I have a lot of students from that kapa haka background and I have the opportunity to teach them vocal techniques through classical music, and they're able to actually implement that into the kapa haka singing."

Several of Hulton's students competed in the Under 21 class. 17 year old Mathieu Boynton-Rata comes from a kapa haka background.

"Once I was introduced to this sort of style of singing, it was like it changed my whole perspective on opera. I really thought it was just like people just yelling, and now it's something that's really beautiful," he said.

For 14 year old Nikau Chater, another of Hulton's students, the long wait has been worthwhile.

"It's cool because we put in a lot of work to be able to do it last year and now it's on and our work is going to pay off."

Adults were competing as well, including Maria Kapa, who as classical music in her whakapapa.

"A lot of our nannies here in Rotorua, in kapa haka, they all sang beautifully high and so we all grew up watching them and singing with them."

Kapa studied opera at Waikato University where she learnt the tricks of the trade, including breathing techniques and ways to stay calm on stage.

"It's wairua, spirit, as well, and you share that with people. It's kind of like a spiritual, out of body experience."

Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono performs with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra at the NZ Aria Awards in Rotorua's Sir Howard Morrison Centre. Photo / Tony Whitehead, Wildlight Photography

With close to 800 people at the new Sir Howard Morrison theatre, the excitement reached a crescendo.

La Grouw was straight back to work this week, looking for sponsors to ensure another competition next year, and she knows what they will say.

"The response to me is, what do you want now?" she laughs. "Because I'm always coming to them asking for money or something.

"I know some Rotorua people really appreciate having the Aria in Rotorua. I don't know if the wider community realises how lucky we are to be able to keep it here."