Lemalu NBR Homecoming Tour

15 September 2004

King Of The Proms Returns Home Lemalu NBR Homecoming Tour

"Jonathan Lemalu's rich bass baritone has brought him from the South Pacific to the brink of international operatic superstardom." Michael Church, Evening Standard, July 2004.

At only 28, Jonathan Lemalu is already among the very forefront of today's young generation of singers. Critics are hailing him as the next Bryn Terfel following performances by the Dunedin-born bass-baritone at some of the world's greatest opera houses and concert halls.

After four years, Jonathan is returning home to New Zealand at the end of September to tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, conducted by NZSO Music Director James Judd, in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin.

In 2003, a year after leaving the Royal College of Music with its prestigious gold medal (presented to the year's top student by college president Prince Charles) he made his debut at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, with English National Opera (Barber of Seville), at Glyndebourne, the Sussex opera house and at the 2004 Proms to a sold-out Albert Hall.

Since leaving New Zealand to study at the Royal College of Music, Lemalu has been the recipient of a number of awards including joint winner of the 2002 Kathleen Ferrier Award and the recipient of the 2002 Royal Philharmonic Society's Award for 'Young Artist of the Year'. His debut that same year at Wigmore Hall saw The Times comment, "At the core of his voice is a tone as black, hard and glinting as polished ebony... Elsewhere, without sacrificing any weight of timbre, he is capable of cloaking his voice in the most mellifluous and honeyed guises."

While in New Zealand he will perform arias from some of the world's best known operas, including Tchaikovsky's Eugine Onegin, Mozart's famous Le Nozze di Figaro Wagner's first great opera Der fliegende Holländer.

Lemalu is already in demand in opera and on the concert platform. He has performed at the Tanglewood Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (Mozart's Requiem) and at the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven's Symphony No.9) under Conlon. Recent engagements include La Damnation de Faust and Peter Grimes with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis in London and in New York with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Dutoit. He will debut at The Metropolitan Opera in 2005.

Following these concerts, Jonathan will record an EMI CD with the NZSO under the direction of Maestro Judd for release next year. This will be the first time the orchestra has recorded with EMI in over 30 years.

PROGRAMME 2004 CELEBRITY SERIES LEMALU'S NBR HOMECOMING TOUR

Tuesday 28 September, 8pm ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre AUCKLAND Thursday 30 September, 8pm MICHAEL FOWLER CENTRE WELLINGTON Saturday 2 October, 8pm TOWN HALL DUNEDIN The NZSO celebrates the exceptional voice and star quality of New Zealand's Jonathan Lemalu, on his triumphant homecoming tour to Dunedin. James Judd conductor Jonathan Lemalu bass-baritone Music by MOZART (Le Nozze di Figaro), WAGNER, VERDI and TCHAIKOVSKY

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ENDS

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