How did you get into opera?
“I came up through choir in high school, before that I hadn’t done any singing. One day, my mum actually told me I was going to start going to singing lessons. At first, I wasn’t too interested – but then she was like ‘you’re going’, so then I thought, ‘Right, I guess this is happening!’. The rest is history really!”
Is there a standout or challenging moment for you that got you into opera?
“There have been so many challenges, and that’s what has made it so rewarding. A defining moment was in 2020 at Opera School – during my time here I had a lot of challenges for many reasons. The caliber of singing was really great, and quite technical. I felt so stoked to be there, but at the same time experienced a bit of self-doubt that there was no chance I’d ever be as good as the other singers. About a week and a half into the course, what got me out of this mindset was my teachers Simon and Terence. They showed me their love for music. That’s when I realised, I had actually fallen out of love with music somewhere along the way as I was so stressed. During this time, we didn’t even sing. They just showed me their inspirations and we got talking. After that, I thought – ‘OK, I know why I’m doing this now.”
Who inspires your practice? Do you have any creative influences or heroes?
“There is a long list! But the top people who come to mind are Lachlan Craig – there is no chance I’d be where I am right now. In high school he really taught me how to work hard. His love for music was also really inspiring, he showed me a world of repertoire outside of opera. Another person is Gracie Francis, she was my old piano teacher. I felt like between her and Craig they had a good cop, bad cop thing going. Gracie inspired me to see singing and music as a career.
Lastly, Te Oti Rakena refined my practice to the level I’m at now. I have no words really for how much he has helped me to this day. Along with a big thank you also to Emma Pearson, Kristin Darragh, Pene Pati and Amina Edris. Their sessions at the NZOS were transformative and inspiring."
What are your goals for the future?
"Currently, I have recitals coming up for my Masters. After that, I’ll look at doing some auditions for overseas schools. This is a massive step into the unknown for me, I’m at the stage where I’m excited to put my feelers out to see what the world has to offer! The chance to go to school in the States would be amazing. There is just nothing quite like having first-hand experience that comes with traveling, you can only learn so much over Wikipedia. I'm also currently working on a podcast called Sidscussions where I have conversations with young performers and creatives about their motivations, inspirations and how these inspire their actions regarding their art form! It’s a small little passion project I have. "
What do you hope to get out of LSQ?
"Coming this far in the process has been amazing already. If it hadn’t been for Simon and Terence I would have never even applied! I have no expectations, I’m just looking forward to being open and receptive to the learnings that will come from the week of coaching."
