Young shining star of Tauranga's future shares her musical dreams
Shenazzar Sta Lucia has been able to sing in tune since she was 2 and has pursued her passion for music ever since.
The talented 15-year-old vocalist has just won two prestigious individual awards at the 41st National Youth Jazz Competition held at Baycourt over Easter weekend.
In a rare feat, Shenazzar was named the Most Outstanding Young Musician and Most Outstanding Vocalist in the competition with a record 320 students competing.
The Year 11 Tauranga Girls College student said when the chief judge read out her name for the first award she did not immediately stand up to accept it.
"I was shocked and genuinely thought they had made a huge mistake, particularly as our combo group only came together seven weeks ago," she said.
"Then the judge read out my name a second time and I just couldn't believe it. I was blown away and so rapt. It's the first time a singer has won both awards," she said.
Shenazzar was the vocalist member of a Tauranga Girls College and Katikati College Jazz Combo group called Thomas the Tank Engine, also awarded the Best Jazz Combo title.
The five members of the combo took inspiration from a piece of music they performed called Blue Train - the animated TV character Thomas the Tank Engine is coloured blue.
Shenazzar Sta Lucia, 15, an award-winning Tauranga vocalist, dreams of one day performing on Broadway. Photo / George Novak
Eighteen combo groups and 14 big bands competed in the national youth competition.
Shenezzar's schoolmate Gena Gray won the Most Outstanding Keyboard Player award and Katikati College member Louie Campbell was named the Most Outstanding Bassist.
Not a bad haul of gongs after only seven weeks of rehearsals.
"We were all really stoked," Shenazzar said.
The group's music director, Murray Mason, said he was "overwhelmed" with emotion watching Shenazzar and the others perform, and said she was destined to go far in music.
Shenazzar paid tribute to the "amazing" support she receives from well-known music teacher Carol Storey and Tauranga Girls College head of music Stephanie Goer.
The bubbly teenager intends using her $200 prize money to buy a new ukulele.
But performing to a large audience under pressure is nothing new to Shenazzar.
In 2015 the then-Year 6 Selwyn Ridge Primary student was one of dozen hand-picked musicians invited to perform at a one-off Baby Jazz concert at Tauranga Art Gallery.
A year later she sang at the Sydney Opera House as a member of the Tauranga Girls College Chorale group at the 2016 International Youth Music Competition.
Shenazzar said she cannot help singing wherever she goes and growing up in a musically talented household means her parents and older sister Shekinnah, 20, share her passion.
Proud mum Meddy Sta Lucia said Shenazzar gets her musical bent from her father, Sammy, and her late grandfather, who was a professional entertainer in the Philippines.
"Shenazzar started singing at 2 in church and she was able to stay in tune even then. We're very proud of her achievements and support her in everything she does."
Shenazzar is currently in rehearsals for her lead role as Belle in a joint school stage production with Tauranga Boys College of Beauty and the Beast at Baycourt next month.
The teenager said she dreams of one day performing on Broadway, but for now she planned to study music fulltime at university and gain her teacher's qualification.
"I love singing and performing for an audience. Music is so uplifting and I really enjoy everything about musical theatre and performing on stage, it's the best feeling."
