Leah Thomson, 16, has been accepted into the A Cappella Academy 10-day international camp in Los Angeles in July. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
Leah Thomson, 16, has been accepted into the A Cappella Academy 10-day international camp in Los Angeles in July. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
Whanganui’s Leah Thomson will fly to Los Angeles to mix and mingle with some of the most talented teenage singers in the world at A Cappella Academy.
The 16-year-old Whanganui Girls’ College student auditioned for a place in the highly competitive A Cappella Academy programme on December 26.
About 350people auditioned for the academy’s 10-day international camp in July, with 90-100 accepted.
Leah was encouraged to audition by a family friend who attended the camp a few years ago.
Leah recorded her audition just before leaving for a folk music festival in Taranaki and had to edit and upload the video to YouTube on the car ride in time to get her audition fee waived.
“It was pretty unbelievable. I had no thought in the world that I would get in. I honestly thought, ‘it doesn’t matter, I’ll audition and if I get in, then cool but if I don’t then that is fine’,” she said.
“[Mum] read out the email to me and I was just so shocked – it was actually insane.”
The A Cappella Academy international camp for singers aged 12 to 18 will take place at Pitzer College in Los Angeles from July 3-13.
It will consist of vocal training, performance lessons, songwriting lessons, producing and more.
Pitch perfect: Leah Thomson's rendition of a nursery rhyme at the age of 2 told her parents all they needed to know. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
Her mother, Anna Thomson, said Leah was “very music-focused” from an early age.
Anna said she remembered Leah singing Twinkle, twinkle little star at the age of 2 and being “perfectly on pitch”.
“[Leah’s father] and I looked at each other and thought, ‘oh, we have a singer’ – it was really clear from early on,” Anna said.
“Later, we brought her big sister a guitar for her birthday ... but couldn’t leave the music shop until [Leah] had a ukulele in her hands.”
Leah took singing lessons throughout primary school but said she started taking singing seriously in her first year of secondary school.
Leah, who plays cello and guitar, said she enjoyed everything about music.
“I want to treat music as if it is my sport – that is just what I do,” she said.
She was drawn to indie-folk music and influenced by artists such as Lizzy McAlpine, Adrianne Lenker and Phoebe Bridgers.
She hoped to return from the camp feeling inspired and having gained knowledge about the skills she needed to progress in her music career.
“I hope that I come back a completely different person; hearing feedback from people who have been before, they say that it completely changes your outlook on life and music,” Leah said.
“They say it is such an amazing experience. I feel like being accepted has made me realise that I’m actually a little bit good.”
Anna Thomson said she was proud of Leah for auditioning and being accepted after years of dedication.
