Wanganui Opera School's star pupil to sing on river

International opera singer Simon O'Neill as Siegmund in Richard Wagner's The Valkyrie at the Royal Opera House, London. Photo/Supplied

New Zealand-born international tenor Simon O'Neill has had a meteoric rise on world opera stages over the past 10 years.

Now he is booked in leading tenor roles all over the world until 2020 and new offers are coming in from major opera companies every week.

"It's amazing isn't it that they get so organised so far in advance."

Singing at a New Zealand Opera School event next week, the advance scheduling is why he has managed to take a rare couple of weeks off and go away on a camping holiday around the South Island with family this month.

"It's marvellous here. We are three families travelling in one huge van with all our gear and having the best time, two nights here and two nights there."

Ashburton-born Simon did his initial musical training at the University of Otago then Victoria University of Wellington, graduating with an honours degree in music.

He is one of the Wanganui New Zealand Opera School's most famous students and was there in 1994 and then left for the New York's Manhattan School of Music which was a culture shock of mammoth proportions.

"It was actually pretty frightening. It took a bit of getting used to for a small town boy from New Zealand."

He went on to study at the world's best opera school, the Julliard Opera Centre also in New York and from there his career took off.

It was pretty special having the time to return to Wanganui, he said.

"Even though it will a very short visit."

Simon will be singing next Thursday at Opera on the River staged on board the paddle steamer Waimarie moored at the jetty.

The audience is invited to bring their blankets, cushions and food (no alcohol) and relax on the river bank.

He will sing one of the greatest tenor arias of all time Nessum dorma (None shall sleep) from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot.

Simon is thrilled the man he most reveres in the opera world, Welsh international tenor Dennis O'Neill, is also in Wanganui.

"He is my hero. He is absolutely one of the most gifted singers and teachers in the world. What a coup it is for these students to have the chance to meet him and learn from him."

Many people throughout the world have confused the two O'Neill tenors, with many thinking Simon is Dennis's son.

"And the number of times I have come out from a show and people have been waiting at the stage door with CDs for me to sign thinking I'm Dennis ... so I just say that Dennis is my uncle and sign the CDs for them. It's easier."

A principal artist with the Metropolitan Opera, New York, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Simon has already worked with noted conductors including Riccardo Muti, Daniel Barenboim, Valery Gergiev, Antonio Pappano, and Sir Charles Mackerras.

He has performed the role of Siegmund in Richard Wagner's Die Walkure at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, with Antonio Pappano, Teatro alla Scala and Berlin Staatsoper with Daniel Barenboim, Hamburg State Opera with Simone Young, Opera National du Rhin, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, at the Metropolitan Opera with Donald Runnicles and in the 2013 Otto Schenk production and in the Robert Lepage production with Fabio Luisi.

Bookings for the concert which starts at 7.30pm can be made at Royal Wanganui Opera House. Tickets cost $35 (adult), $30 (senior), $25 (students16 +) $15 (15 and under).