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Poptastic
‘Opera band’ Amici Forever’s clever fusion of classical and pop music continues
to win them fans in the US and around the world. The brainchild of Kiwi member
Geoff Sewell, Amici Forever’s debut album sold in excess of 3 million copies.
Album number two, Defined, has already topped the NZ charts and is
expected to perform strongly upon its global release.
(17 September 2005)


The singing accountant
Front page Weekend Australian feature on
"Kiwi heart-throb" Teddy
Tahu Rhodes hails the former accountant from Christchurch as “Australian
opera’s new lead.” “While his body, all 192cm of it, caused titters in the
audience … it was his voice that caused a stir among the cognoscenti. Subtly
coloured, unstrained and powerful, it is a rare lyric baritone that, in that
package, makes Rhodes a casting dream.” Rhodes is playing Dandini in
Rossini’s Cinderella for Opera Australia before returning to the U.S, where he
has already made a strong impression with critics and audiences alike.
(15 March 2003)

World-first opera band
NZEdged tenor Geoff Sewell (2nd from L, above) and his London-based opera band
Amici Forever have signed a record-breaking six million pound recording deal.
Their first album is to be released in the UK mid-Sept and features opera and
rock classics such as an Italian version of Unchained Melody and Nessum Dorma
from Puccini’s Turandot. Heralded as the “world’s first opera band”,
Amici Forever is two female and three male voices hand picked from across the
globe for their "exceptional voices and artistic virtuosity". They
have already caused a sensation with their performances at the Champions League
Final as well as on a recent tour with iconic songstress Shirley Bassey. Geoff
Sewell sang in a Hawkes Bay choir as a boy, and was an accountant in Wellington
before moving to London for a banking career that has segued into musical
stardom.
(25 August 2003)

In high demand
Fresh out of London's Royal College of Music, NZ-born Samoan Jonathan Lemalu is
being widely touted as "the next big thing in opera." A
qualified lawyer and accomplished (former) rugby player - "I kind of don't
want to get my larynx stepped on" - Lemalu's vocal services are booked
internationally until 2005. He is currently playing Leporello in Opera
Australia's production of Don Giovanni. Early
reviews are glowing: "It is rare to find lyric smoothness, and vocal
warmth, combined so well with an engaging dramatic presence" (SMH).
(1 January 2003)

Moving opera
Diva Kiri Te Kanawa's welcome to the millennium was "the first, and one of
the relatively few, moving moments among a hailstorm of images bearing down from
around the globe during marathon New Year's Eve coverage".
(2 January 2001)


Dame delights
"Well, little Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is a friend of mine. She's a
little New Zealand singer." Dame Edna Everage of Australia on her
illustrious mate, Kiri.
(4 November 2000)


Simply the best: Dame Kiri: the
Tina Turner of the opera world?
Dame Kiri talks about her Maori heritage, playing to an audience of 600
million people, her forthcoming concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,
and how long she can keep performing. Interviewing the world-renowned soprano,
"looking a slim and chic 56",
provokes Mike Bradley to compare her with another enduring diva, 60-year-old
grandmother Tina Turner.
(26 June 2000)


Teddy Tahu Rhodes: Kiwi man singing Houston:
Teddy Tahu Rhodes, "a New Zealand baritone well known in Sydney for his Opera
Australia appearances", is playing the lead role of Joe in the
Houston Grand Opera's rendering of Dead Man Walking. It is Rhode's
American debut in the role Sean Penn made famous in the film version of
the story.
(16 June 2000)

Free to be a Diva: Kiri Te Kanawa
Kiri Te Kanawa isn't retiring,
she's just trying to see the world.
(April 2000)

Still singing
Dame Kiri scotches retirement
rumours. Her agents are "actively seeking
engagements and opportunities well into 2001 and beyond".
(6 December 2000)
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Rhodes vies for Bianca
New Zealand baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes performs in Rossini's Bianca e
Fallierio at Washington D.C's Lisner Auditorium in April. Rhodes stars as
Capellio, Fallierio's rival for the affections of Bianca. Rhodes won New
Zealand's Lexus Song Quest in 1989 and studied at London's Guildhall School of
Music and Drama. His discography includes Faure's Requiem and Le
naissance de Vénus, Handel's Messiah as well as the solo discs,
Mozart Arias, The Voice and Vagabond.
(13 February 2008)


From death row to Don Giovanni
Star NZ baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes has shown his versatility in an impressive
series of Australian opera roles this year. In August, Tahu Rhodes played
construction worker Stanley Kowalski in the Australian premiere of Andre
Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Bruce Beresford for Opera
Australia. In September, he excelled as Joseph de Rocher, the Louisiana
death-row inmate in the State Opera of South Australia production of Dead Man
Walking. The Christchurch-born singer is now based in Melbourne, reprising
the role of legendary lover Don Giovanni for Opera Australia. "He's a
darling of the critics, even if some grumble that they don't 'get' the sex
appeal," writes Age reviewer Steve Dow. "Surely anyone can
appreciate his slipping on the black-leather, knee-high boots and leaping about
on stage, aside from his vocal virtues." Don Giovanni is at
Melbourne's Art Centre until December 14.
(22 November 2007)


Soprano scales new heights
Gisborne-born soprano Marie-Adele McArthur
graced Opera America's home page for the month of June, with images and video of
her acclaimed performance as Lina in Verdi's Stiffelio. The Sarasota
Herald-Tribune described her as "the perfect Verdi heroine, richly musical
and emotionally touching", while the Post-Standard praised her voice as
"unified in its pleasing color, capable of tremendous range, strong enough
to easily soar over the combined sonic mass of the orchestra and chorus, and
used with acute intelligence." A dual resident of NZ and the US, McArthur
is a direct descendent of Maori chief Te Hapuku and is currently based in New
York.
(June 2007)

Great Scot
Alex Reedijk is leaving his post as general director of the NZ Opera to take the
reins at its Scottish counterpart in March 2006. Reedjik has previously worked
for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scottish Opera and Wexford Festival Opera, as
well as NZ’s International Festival of the Arts and NBR Opera. “I am thrilled to
have been offered the opportunity to take up this vital role within Scotland's
national opera company,” said Reedijk on classical music website
Andante.
“I am confident that I can provide the experience, passion and hard work to help
deliver Scottish Opera's future plans.”
(27 October 2005)


Edge awardees
NZ performers Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Ross
McCormack were commended at the annual
Helpmann Awards
in Sydney, August 10. Rhodes was named Best Male Performer in an Opera for his
lead role in the South Australian State Opera's production of Dead Man
Walking, and
McCormack
won Best Male Dancer in a Ballet or Dance Work for his part in the Australian
Dance Theatre production, Held. The Helpmann Awards were established by
the Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA) in 2001 to “recognise
distinguished artistic achievement and excellence.”
(11 August 2004)


No worries for Wunderkid
Dunedin-born baritone, Jonathan Lemalu, is soon to make his Royal Opera House
debut as Zoroastro in Handel’s Orlando. Described by the Guardian
as “[perhaps] the next Bryn Terfel,” his career has skyrocketed since graduating
from London’s Royal College of Music just over a year ago. He has an EMI
contract, award-winning solo recording, and several acclaimed Covent Garden
appearances already to his credit, and is to debut at the New York Met and the
Chicago Lyric Opera in 2004. Says Lemalu of the perils of fame, “A lot of it is
the expectations I have of myself. Then there's the pressure of maybe wanting to
live up to the reputation I have. There are doubters - there's sometimes a
certain wording in my reviews that seems to be saying, 'Let's not let this
wunderkid think he's so special.' I can understand that. But I'm not going to
stay up all night worrying about them.”
(26 September 2003)

Ted Man Walking
Kiwi baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes is
the Weekend Australian's cover-boy for his lead role in opera Dead Man
Walking, which opens shortly at Adelaide's Festival Theatre. The opera is
based on the story of
murderer Joseph de Rocher's redemption at the hands of a Louisiana nun - the
eponymous Oscar-winning film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn is drawn from
the same story. Rhodes is reprising the role he made his own with the San Francisco
Opera in 2000. "For me it was really great to be involved in an opera that
created that much interest and public debate. People are disturbed and upset and
they leave asking questions. You really felt like you were part of something,
that it wasn't just entertainment, that it had a message…"
(19 July 2003)

Legend Kiri Te Kanawa opens on stage in Montreal
Kiri Te Kanawa enjoys almost unique prestige in the public eye. She
attracted a VIP crowd (including Prime Minister Jean Cretien) to the Centre
Pierre Peladeau.
(10 April 2000)

Its Not Over Until The Lady Says So
"As she sings Richard Strass's Das war sehr gut Mandryka her
voice is as strong as ever. Her concerts are invariably packed and
she is still the best known female opera singer in the world".
(6 March 2000)
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Dame Kiri begins farewell
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has launched her farewell tour of North America in
Vancouver. Canada's Globe and Mail ran a feature on Te Kanawa, covering
world famous soprano's career from her fêted debut at Covent Garden in 1971, to
the launch of her Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation for young musicians in 2004. G&M:
"Te Kanawa, 63, is one of the most celebrated sopranos of modern times and
has performed in the leading opera houses in the world - from Sydney to La
Scala. Her voice has been described as 'rich,' 'flawless,' and, particularly
evocative, 'creamy.'" Te Kanawa's North American farewell tour includes
shows in Toronto, Calgary and New York.
(20 September 2007)


Teddy the complete package
Teddy Tahu Rhodes has won over American
critics with his starring role in Cincinnati Opera's Don Giovanni.
Cincinnati Enquirer: "As
murderous rakes go, Rhodes wielded considerable charm ... [His] voice combined
suaveness with power, and was seamless with his acting. Whether dressed in all
white or in black leather, his agile presence - all 6 foot 5 inches - dominated
the stage."
Cincinnati Post: "The NZ baritone sounds terrific, alternately suave and
callous, yet always with a warm, good natured tone. Rhodes plays a rogue who
likes his lechery. As a bonus, he looks and acts the part, matching good looks
with a powerful stage presence."
(9 July 2004)


Something to sing about
Singing star Jonathan Lemalu
gave a recital at London's St Lawrence Jewry church as part of the City of
London's New Generations series. Financial Times: "In the
English-language repertoire the young New Zealander is already a fully formed
recitalist, as ripe a character for the comic songs as a matured artist twice
his age." The performance was broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
(10 July 2003)

Big Ted gets
bigger
NZ baritone Teddy Tahu-Rhodes
is receiving great acclaim as the Don to Opera Australia's Don Giovanni.
"He sings like an angel but there the resemblance ends. He does a nice
line in depravity […] radiating malignant, seductive energy and dramatic
control, to which his vocal control [forms] an apt parallel: smooth when it
can be, vice-like when it has to be." Compatriot Jonathan Lemalu also
features in the production.
(3 January 2003)
Songbird flees her cage
"I'm moving away from opera performance … I like to make a big occasion
of it when I sing. I have performed in exotic and marvellous situations in
Turkey and Korea, and in the Australian outback." Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
continues to favour natural amphitheatres over the traditional operatic stage,
delivering three spectacular outdoor performances in Australia - at the Barossa
Valley, a vineyard opening in the Hunter Valley, and at the Myer Music Bowl in
Melbourne.
(26 February 2003)

Difficulty in the holy land
Dame Kiri in Israel "to do music". "I love things that are
difficult. I love looking for new arias and presenting them to the
public," said edge voice Dame Kiri.
(18 June 2001)

Kiri to sing at Palace & Castle
Opera
diva Kiri Te Kanawa will sing at Buckingham Palace June 1 as Queen Elizabeth
celebrates her Golden Jubilee party. Taking the stage alongside Kiri will be
Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and opera’s latest superstar duet –
Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu. And, "one of the most famously
beautiful voices in opera ... she has hypnotised millions since her ascent to
worldwide fame in 1981" to sing at Luttrellstown Castle, Co Dublin. in
Ireland. Kiri talks to the Irish
Independent about snobbery in Opera, as well as her interest in Ella
Fitzgerald, Gershwin, Cole Porter and folk music ... "there ain't nothing
like a dame".
(28 April 2002)


Dame Kiri in Greece
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, "a woman with an exotic beauty and - beyond any doubt
- an absolutely stunning voice" who "personifies the modern version of
a diva most completely" talks about her roles, her history and career.
(27 June 2001)
Knickers name
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sang with the late Harry Secombe, who found her name
tricky, so re-christened her "Tin Knickers".
(12 April 2001)

Scottish Butterfly
"The evening's most accomplished performance comes from the New Zealand
tenor Ian Storey, whose Pinkerton is sung with rich and fluent tone and acted
with a rare warmth and understanding."
(8 December 2000)


Dame Kiri at the Meyerson
Symphony Centre
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, star soprano, is appearing in a recital in Dallas. "In recitals it's a
partnershipyou and your pianist partner performing for each other.
I love that give-and-take, that wonderful feeling of comradeship. It's like
chamber music."
(09 September 2000)

More Rings Buzz
No, not the Lord of the Rings ... amidst speculation about upcoming productions
of Wagner's Ring Cycle, New Zealand soprano Margaret Medlyn has been
picked to sing the part of Kundry in the State Opera of South Australia's production of Wagner's Parsifal.
(19 July 2000)
No, not the Lord of the Rings ... amidst speculation about upcoming productions
of Wagner's Ring Cycle, New Zealand soprano Margaret Medlyn has been
picked to sing the part of Kundry in the State Opera of South Australia's production of Wagner's Parsifal.
(19 July 2000)
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Debut at the Met
New Zealand baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes made news again this week with a number
of glowing reviews for his first role at New York's Metropolitan Opera in
Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes. The New York Times said in a
"notable debut", Rhodes is "robust-voiced and swaggering as Ned
Keene, the apothecary who peddles quack remedies to his neighbours." In The
Washington Post Rhodes "has generated a lot of buzz for his good
looks, but it was his full, healthy singing that stole the show. Indeed, he
outsang Anthony Michaels-Moore," who played Balstrode. And in The
New York Sun "Teddy Tahu Rhodes was smooth and rich. It will be
good to hear him in larger roles. What a triple-decker name!"
(1 March 2008)


Kiri's American valedictory
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa performed in Orange County, California,
in what is being billed as her North American farewell tour. Michael Rydzynski
praised her engaging presence, pure tone and comic touches in a review for the LA
Times. "Appearing regal yet without pomposity, the New Zealand native
seemed dignified yet accessible," he writes. "She almost never acted
out her songs, relying on her vocal skills to convey each text's meaning. The
sole exception was during the first encore, Ginastera's "Canción al árbol
del olvido" (Song of the Tree of Forgetfulness), when she executed playful,
vamp-like shoulder gyrations. For the rest, her pure tone, with its superbly
controlled soft upper register, alone enriched the German, French, Italian and
English selections."
(4 October 2007)


Prom date
Jonathan Lemalu and the NZSO were guest
performers at this year’s BBC Proms. The prestigious annual event is held at the
Royal Albert Hall and reaches a global audience of millions. Times:
“Flesh and blood aplenty in Mahler's orchestral settings … And with the NZ
Samoan bass baritone Jonathan Lemalu at hand, there was an eager musical
rendezvous.” NZPA: “There were roars of appreciation from a good NZ
contingent in the audience and the orchestra left the stage safe in the
knowledge that their ‘Kiwi’ prom had been a resounding success.” The first
‘promenaders concerts’ were held in 18th century Europe. By allowing patrons to
stand in the wells of tiered concert halls at a fraction of the usual price,
classical music began to be accessible to a much broader audience. The practice
continues today, with promenaders paying $6-$10 for a concert.
(18 August 2005)


Teddy fan-club on the rise
Kiwi baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes continues to set hearts a-flutter in the opera
world. The Sydney media have called him "opera's Brad Pitt," the New
York Times "a cross between Paul Bettany and Viggo Mortensen" and the
Washington Post "a hunkier Sting." But with acclaimed roles in Le
nozze di Figaro, The End of the Affair and The Little Prince (Houston Grand
Opera), Don Giovanni (Opera Australia), and Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking (San
Francisco Opera) to his credit, his voice is evidently more than a match for his
looks. "I can't imagine another baritone like Teddy," says Jake
Heggie. "It's a big, rich voice, a classic sound where the diction is so
clear. I knew right away I wanted to write the role for him in The End of the
Affair. Teddy is totally comfortable with his own artistry, in his own
skin."
(26 October 2005)


Classics with an edge
NZer
Geoff Sewell is the brains (and tenor) behind the hottest act to hit
international classical and mainstream charts since Hayley Westenra -
Amici Forever: The Opera Band. The
quintet - hailing from NZ, England, and South Africa - have reached No.2 in the
British classical charts, No.2 in the Australian pop charts, and performed
at the Champions League soccer final, on Top of the Pops, and before the Queen
at the Royal Command Performance at Albert Hall. They are currently supporting
Cliff Richard on tour before making their live US debut in October.
(4 May 2004)


Kiri vows to remain a friend in a high place
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has announced that she will continue singing despite turning
60 this year – the age at which she has previously said she would retire. Her
chief reason is to keep the scholarship program she runs for aspiring NZ singers
active and in the public eye, whether through funding or “advice, moral support,
[or] asking Covent Garden just to listen to a singer where an agent either won't
give that opportunity or the singer can't get in and get an audition.”
(23 April 2004)

In good company
Kiwi songstress Hayley Westenra is to join a star-studded line-up, including
Jose Carreras, at Wales' prestigious Faenol Festival in August. According to
organisers, Westenra's performance is one of the most highly anticipated of the
event: "She is brilliant - she has sold platinum in New Zealand - she must
be special."
(28 February 2003)

Westenra captivates Wembley
NZ singing prodigy Hayley
Westenra accompanies Russell "The Voice" Watson to a sold-out
Wembley Stadium and provides some sonar respite in a Telegraph review of
Russell's talents. "At Wembley, he was joined by a 14-year-old New Zealand
girl called Hayley Westenra, whose vocal abilities seem more authentic than
those of Charlotte Church, and they sang the Maori Pokarekare Ana with some
charm." Hayley and Russell will share the microphone again in June at New
York's Carnegie Hall.
(08 April 2002)


Third time's a charm
NZ tenor Benjamin Makisi won the prestigious McDonald's Operatic Aria in
Sydney after making the finals three years running. He intends to put his
NZ$41,110 prize money towards enrolment in a European opera studio. Previous
Aria winners include Joan Sutherland and Jonathan Lemalu - Dame Kiri was a
finalist in 1965.
(21 July 2002)

Dame Kiri star attraction at Arts fundraiser
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and her "velvet voice" joined Canada's National
Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, raising $200,000 for the NAC. The Ottawa
Citizen describes her as "one of the world's great opera stars".
(24 September 2000)
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