Russian hits high note

Russian-born Viktoriya Dodoka has taken the top prize in this year's Lockwood Aria competition.

Dodoka stunned judges and audience alike at the Rotorua Convention Centre, with a powerful rendition of the aria E strano! E strano! from Verdi's opera La Traviata.

She has lived in New Zealand only for the past three-and-a-half years and does not yet have a high profile, Aria president Ian Edward said.

But some of the judges said her voice was the most powerful they had heard in Australasia.

Dodoka said she felt overwhelmed by achieving her goal.

"At the moment I don't think I can understand what has happened ... maybe if I wake up tomorrow I will, but right now it is all too much," she said.

She said she had thoroughly enjoyed the Aria experience and was quite taken with Rotorua, as was the competition's guest artist, Simon O'Neill.

A contestant in two previous Lockwood Arias, the last 10 years ago, O'Neill has never won it. He has, however, gone on to other accomplishments, not least understudying Placido Domingo at the New York Metropolitan Opera.

O'Neill let his feelings for Rotorua be known in a rendition of Di Capua's O sole mio with the words "Rotorua, my heart is yours" - an impromptu switch of lyrics that was met with a roar of approval from the audience.

Second place went to Aucklander Shaun Dixon, who was also runner-up last year. Penelope Muir, of Dunedin, was third.

Rotorua's Kate Spence won the New Zealand Operatic Society Prize, and Tauranga music teacher Laura-Rose Mears won the Maori Song section with her own composition, Hoki mai ki au.

All contestants were accompanied by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

- NZPA