Morgan-Andrew King from Tahāroa in Waikato is one of five grand finalists for the 2024 Lexus Song Quest.
An accomplished 24-year-old bass opera singer from the small Waikato town of Tahāroa was shocked to discover he was a grand finalist in the Lexus Song Quest and a bit nervous about performing in front of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.
Morgan-Andrew King told Waikato Herald that during his time at the University of Waikato, Dame Kiri was a strong musical figure for him in opera. Dame Kiri’s own musical career took off after winning the Song Quest in 1965.
“I’m feeling a bit nervous, she’s the top soprano in the world and probably of all time, I’m going to have to step up my game but I’m also happy that she’ll be there.
“She’s had a massive international career and is a previous winner of this competition, so by winning this we can find ourselves in similar footsteps as her, she kind of led the way for all of New Zealand opera singers.”
King said his musical career started as a kid stringing guitars and singing with his three brothers and dad.
“We’re not musical but we can all sing and play guitar ... it was a way we all connected. We still jam out and sing waiatas together, it was a really cool experience to have when I was young.”
He said his performing side came about as a way to meet girls.
“I went to an all-boys boarding high school and the only way you could meet girls was if you did the school choir or the musical ... I did both,” King laughingly said.
Now that he’s out of high school, King was asked if his experiences still revolve around meeting girls.
“I mean I’m still meeting girls which is kind of nice,” he laughingly said.
“But I enjoy hanging out and the social side of things, and also because the music just comes naturally. I always enjoyed that it was a very natural process that kept on going and then eventually led me to America and around the world.”
King has travelled and sung in various locations worldwide including Sicily in Italy, Australia, and different cities in America. He was also a leader of the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir from 2017 to 2018 which toured Hong Kong and Shanghai.
King said although he’s been on opera stages worldwide, his dream venue would be at home in Waikato.
“At university last year, I did a farewell concert where all of my aunties and uncles, my friends and family, they were all there. I was so proud and so were they.
“Opera is a new environment to many, especially my family, so I’d like to perform back home so they can have the same experiences that I have. They don’t see me perform much here.”
King said his family are driving from Hamilton to Wellington to watch him perform in the grand finals.
“I’m excited because this is the first time they’ll actually see me sing with an orchestra ... it’s not something they’re used to seeing because it’s not like they go to orchestra concerts. It will be cool for them to see that.”
For his future aspirations, King said in the next five years he’d like to see himself on a massive opera stage.
“One of the big opera houses in Europe, USA, or the UK, I’d love to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco, or Covent Garden. I think it would be so cool to start singing on the main stages as a lead role.”
In the lead-up to the event, King said he’d be doing a lot of rehearsals, heaps of sleeping, drinking a lot of water, and staying warm.
The five grand finalists of the Lexus Song Quest all have the chance to win a share of $92,000.
The competition is in association with the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation, a charitable trust set up by Dame Kiri herself, to help provide financial and career support for young opera singers into international musical careers, which has assisted King along his journey.
The Song Quest kicks off at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, on August 3.
Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.