This upcoming opera season, Festival Opera will "push boundaries" with its showcase of the double act Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci.
Project Prima Volta (PPV) students will make up the chorus – of which Samoan tenor Lila Junior (LJ) Crichton, who's currently studying Classical Performance at Victoria University, is sharing the role of Beppe in Pagliacci with Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono.
Were you singing from a young age? Who or what were your musical influences growing up?
My parents were my biggest musical influences growing up. They are pastors of a full gospel church so from an early age, singing was a huge part of the way we lived.
Describe what it's like to be involved with PPV and what impact it has had on your life?
It's a family in the sense that everyone is constantly looking out for one another and trying to find different ways to support each other from things as little as transport and lunch to students wellbeing. In other words we genuinely rely on each other for various things that apply both inside and outside of PPV.
Who are your favourite operatic artists, or the ones who most influence you?
My list isn't short! Vocally I listen to a huge mix, including Franco Corelli, Enrico Caruso, Nicolai Gedda and Simon O'Neil but in terms of the artist I aspire to be like, I look at the Sol3 Mio singer Pene Pati in terms of his upbringing and early goals in life. I've always felt an enormous sense of pride towards him and hope one day that I can create a similar impact.