KEY POINTS:
Yulia Townsend is going back to school.
The Russian-born 21-year-old has enrolled with vocal coach Emily Mair from the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington.
Townsend emigrated to New Zealand from southeast Russia in 2002 aged 16, when her mother, Galina, married Christchurch real estate agent Bill Townsend.
She has never had professional lessons and says she is excited about strengthening her voice.
"It's like gym training, you need to be confident with your vocal exercises so that you retain the ability to perform for long periods of time."
Her manager and fiance, Glyn MacLean, said she would be performing in more than 200 shows from September and needed to learn how to better preserve her singing abilities.
"Even Celine Dion has vocal coaches who teach how to protect the voice."
Emily Mair said she considered Townsend among the best of today's young singers.
Townsend will be recording and arranging 50 songs in the next few months and hopes to market them in Europe and United States.
- NZPA
