Manukau Symphony Orchestra In Opera Night

The Manukau Symphony Orchestra is serving up a ‘ten-course classical degustation’ of operatic and concert masterpieces featuring not one, but four soloists in an Opera Night sitting on Saturday 22 August, 7:30pm at the Vodafone Events Centre.

The Manukau Symphony Orchestra will be joined by Dame Malvina Major Foundation Studio Artists, Harry Grigg (tenor), Anna Simmons (soprano) and Felicity Tomkins (soprano), performing well-known arias by Mozart, Lalo, Léhar, Puccini, Bernstein and more.

New Zealand Opera’s General Director Thomas de Mallet Burgess says the Company is delighted to collaborate with Manukau Symphony Orchestra for the first time.

“These three talented young singers are just about to wrap up their time as Dame Malvina Major Foundation Studio Artists and head overseas to further their careers. Performing with a symphony orchestra is a wonderful opportunity for Anna, Harry and Felicity, and the audience has a special opportunity to see this exciting talent early in their careers.”

Ray Chan returns as guest conductor, and is thrilled to be working with prize-winning cellist Dominic Lee in Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme and Piazzolla’s Oblivion.

“Dominic is an extraordinarily gifted artist with a musical aptitude and technical facility of rare proportions. It has been no surprise to follow Dominic’s meteoric rise to success to becoming one of our country’s foremost young musicians on the global stage,” says Chan.

“After a tough 2020 for our country and our arts industry, I look forward to uniting with the MSO in their first post-lockdown concert to celebrate the progress we have made, as the team of five million, to be able to present this concert.”

Beethoven’s Fidelio Overture and Verdi’s La Forza Del Destino Overture will set the tone for each half of the concert.

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