Soprano Felicity Tomkins in recital last year at Waikato University with Francis Cowan on piano.
There have been plenty of firsts in the last 12 months for Te Puke-raised soprano Felicity Tomkins.
Her first performance in the US, her first visit and performances in Germany - and currently her first tilt at the Lexus Song Quest are on that list.
The song quest is a competition that began in 1956 and which has opened many doors for young artists.
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Dame Malvina Major and Sol3 Mio's Amitai Pati are previous winners.
The contest has not been held for the past four years.
"It's pretty exciting to have a chance to be part of it, it's a big part of the operatic scene," says Felicity. "There have been some pretty big names involved in the past."
Currently studying in the US, prior to her return to New Zealand she spent five weeks Germany and Austria as part of her studies.
"It's pretty exciting to be home and to share what I've been doing with people, seeing friends and just hanging and enjoying singing."
She says it is virtually impossible to predict how competitions will go.
"I think you always have to go into things with the primary goal of enjoyment and sharing with everybody. Anything else that happens is a bonus."
Born and raised in Te Puke, Felicity attended Te Puke Primary School then went to Tauranga Intermediate School and Tauranga Girls' College.
She graduated from the University of Waikato as a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholar and Adastra Foundation Scholar, with conjoint Bachelor of Music (voice) and Bachelor of Science (biochemistry) degrees.
She joined the Freemasons New Zealand Opera Chorus (Auckland) in 2019, and was a Dame Malvina Major Foundation Studio Artist with New Zealand Opera in 2020.
Her further studies took her to the US, where she is working towards her Artist Diploma in Opera Vocal Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) under the tutelage of internationally acclaimed tenor Stuart Skelton.
Felicity was in Germany and Austria on CCM Opera's Language and Culture Immersion Program.
The scheme is about experiencing the local culture and being immersed in the musical environment, especially at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich.
"The Artist Diploma is a level above masters," she says. "It's one of the top schools and it's so cool, I'm really loving it. It's exciting to be somewhere else, but also to be really thankful for the foundation New Zealand has given me."
She says singing is a collaborative process.
"That's one part of it that I love."
Another is the actual performance.
"It's a very immediate setting and I am having conversations with the audience - even with something that's in a foreign language. That's one of the things that attracted me the most - you have a shared experience with the audience."
She says the magic of live performance is hard to explain, "but it's quite special".
Felicity says her ambition is to have bigger roles and perform in bigger venues around the world.
"To be able to sing and have a good career would be an absolute dream - it's a very special thing to be able to do."
The 10 artists selected for the Lexus Song Quest are currently preparing for the semi-finals that take place on Saturday and Sunday, with the live-judged final on July 23 in Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre.
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