17 February 2012

Dame Malvina Major to share stage with students at Garden Arts Festival

New Waikato University Senior Fellow Dame Malvina Major will take the stage with past and present students at the Hamilton Garden Arts Festival next week.

Dame Malvina will perform alongside special guests Chase Douglas, a University of Waikato Sir Edmund Hillary Scholar, and past pupil at Canterbury University Amina Edris, on the Rhododendron Lawn on Saturday February 25.

“I’m really looking forward to performing at the Garden Festival with the young singers. I’ve made it my business over the last 10 years to include ‘up and coming’ singers in my concert programmes,” says Dame Malvina.

“I believe they learn much from watching a professional performing, and also learn what stamina is needed for performance. They discover what their capabilities are, and also if they are really cut out to be opera singers or maybe some other genre.”

Dame Malvina has had an outstanding international career, having major opera roles all over the world before returning to New Zealand to teach and perform throughout the country.

Chase Douglas, who recently toured the country with Hayley Westenra, says he feels “very privileged to be performing with Dame Malvina and even more so to have her as my vocal coach and mentor this year at Waikato University.”

“I believe performing with, and learning under Dame Malvina will be a very humbling and momentous experience. Just knowing that I have a long way to go before I reach the level of expertise of Dame Malvina, just makes me want to work harder in achieving my goal.”

The University of Waikato is an event partner and is supporting the performance by Dame Malvina. She’ll be supported by the Opus Orchestra, under the direction of Peter Walls.

Her appointment at Waikato University was announced in December. She will teach voice students in the University’s music programme and play an ambassadorial role for the university.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Roy Crawford said of the announcement “She brings extensive experience in performance and teaching to the Faculty where the music programme is flourishing.”

For more information visit www.hamiltongardensartsfestival.co.nz.

ENDS

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