MIKE: The two highlights of the Whanganui Opera Week for me are always the Master classes, where students are guided by knowledgeable tutors as to how they can better their performance. They generally follow a similar pattern — a nervous start, some encouraging hints, a boost in confidence and an improvement perceptible to the audience.
Last Friday's event, in front of a generously-sized audience in the Prince Edward Auditorium, was no exception. The tutor was Glenn Winslade from Sydney, whose credentials include having sung at famous opera houses around the world . As well as in his native Australia, he has entertained opera aficionados in Britain, Italy, France, Austria, America , Germany and the Netherlands.
In a brief address, he stated that his aim is to help students understand how the voice functions, and, when he notices a problem, to help them repair it. "Speech pathology" is the key factor, with almost all vocal problems able to be solved by "physiological methods".
For the first student, Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono, a tenor from Hastings, he concentrated on the position of neck and chin, to improve his breathing technique. Singing an aria from Verdi's La Traviata, Emmanuel was clearly nervous at the start, but his infectious grin and little asides soon had both audience and tutor smiling with him.
Next came a soprano, Carla Camilleri, to sing Ach, ich fuhls from The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote) by Mozart. Here Glenn placed emphasis on the value of the abdominal muscles in order to maximise delivery, along with a few vocal exercises. We enjoyed watching a somewhat fragile Carla blossom into a confident performer.
Another soprano, Michaela Cadwgan, who offered us Senza Mamma, from Puccini's Suor Angelica, sang with confidence, yet she too improved markedly under tuition.
It was interesting to note that, for both ladies, Glenn inserted himself quietly into their arias, providing a physical presence for the character they were addressing. The evening ended with a baritone, Samuel Downes, singing Questo Amor from Edgar, another Puccini composition. A large, imposing presence, Sam was told by the tutor that he had a large engine, but had produced a Mini, not a Rolls! Twenty minutes later, we heard the Rolls!
All four students are to be congratulated. It can't be easy to stand on stage in a Public Master class, in front of a large audience, and open themselves up for a critical review. Beneficial, of course, but still not easy.
Afterwards I asked Jonathan Alver, the director, if I could interview a couple of students for this article. Of course! The next morning I went to Godwin House, the base for the two-week session, and was presented with three of the previous evening's participants, only Emmanuel missing. It was a delightful half hour, which I thoroughly enjoyed. All three are from Auckland, though Michaela moved to Wellington a few years ago for her university education. Carla and Sam have studied together in Auckland over the past four years.
What benefits did they find in spending these two weeks in Whanganui? Carla immediately mentioned the intensity of studying all day, every day, for that period, being able to focus solely on performance and development. The others agreed, Michaela adding that it was like a light bulb moment, when advice from the tutors suddenly "clicked".
Although he knew several course members from Auckland, Sam had found it valuable meeting new, like-minded friends. All of them stressed how much they appreciated the opportunity to study under renowned international tutors. They all had extremely complimentary remarks too about their audience, Sam making the point that it had been so supportive, Michaela adding that she could feel the warmth and energy emanating from it, which made her "want to give back".
Nervous, as she said, at the start of her first Public Master class, Carla commented that she also found it strangely liberating, knowing that any mistake she made would be corrected by the tutor and accepted by a generous, sympathetic group.
The fortnight is, in Sam's words, "an isolated paradise", without the normal demands of daily urban life. He emphasised too how much was owed to Donald Trott, without whom and others of his ilk, "opera would die".
Both ladies agreed — "always to the fore", "the sweetest man", "sits in on our classes", "constantly involved".
I did say that I had regularly written things of this nature over the years, but will take the opportunity to repeat myself. The Opera School is a Whanganui treasure, existing because of the imagination and drive of Donald Trott.
He is an even bigger Whanganui treasure.
Opera students Carla Camilleri (left), Samuel Downes and Michaela Cadwgan.
PICTURE / MIKE STREET
My thanks to the three young people who talked to me. My mention of
prompted Sam to ask if there was an on-line version which I could e-mail them. Embarrassed and shifty like a naughty schoolboy, I pointed out that I have little skill in that area, being an antediluvian dinosaur. However, I will go to the
Chronicle
office early on Wednesday for three copies which I will personally deliver to Godwin. Surprise!
