News

2010 Young Artist Announced

15/10/2009

Congratulations to our newly appointed 2010 PwC Dame Malvina Major Young Artist, DAVID KELLY (Repetiteur).

David started piano at 10 and 2 years later was accepted into the Specialist Music Programme at Burnside High School, Christchurch. While there he was a finalist in the National Secondary Schools' Chamber Music Competition, and received an Exhibition Award from the Trinity College Examinations Board. He spent three years studying Performance Piano at Canterbury University under Diedre Irons, and then privately with Dr. Maurice Till. David worked as an accompanist at the University of Canterbury in the studios of Vernon Midgley and Dame Malvina Major, and was also involved as pianist for Christchurch City Choir, Christchurch Symphony and NASDA. He was awarded the Cynthia Magner Scholarship in association with the Dame Malvina Major Foundation.

A 2006 PwC Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist for The NBR New Zealand Opera, David was principal repetiteur for Mozart's The Magic Flute and Donizetti's Don Pasquale as well as playing for many concerts and rehearsals. After graduating David played for the NZSO's Maher #2.

Although contracted to The NBR New Zealand Opera for 2007, he was released in order to pursue an opportunity with the Australian Opera Studio in Perth, Western Australia, where he played for productions of Mozart's La Finta Giardiniera, La Clemenza di Tito, and Idomeneo, Weill's Dreigroschenoper, Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel, Chabrier's L'Etoile, and the "triple-bill" of Rimsky-Korsakov's Mozart and Salieri, Stravinsky's Mavra and Poulenc's La Voix Humaine.  After graduating in 2008, David returned to New Zealand to undertake the roles of principal and chorus repetiteur on Eugene Onegin and chorus repetiteur on The Italian Girl in Algiers.

Alongside this David works closely with the NZO's emerging and resident artists as a vocal coach and as an accompanist for the many intern concert events undertaken by NZO.

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Did you know?

Early opera resembled the atmosphere of a race course - chatting, food, laughter and loud comments were the norm.

During all our opera performances an English translation of the libretto is projected on screens above the stage, so you can easily follow the story.

If you are 25 years old or under you can purchase $25 tickets at the venue box office before any performance.

The world's longest opera is Wagner's The Ring Cycle, lasting over 14 hours plus intervals. That's 18 hours at the theatre.

The world's longest applause lasted for 1 hour and 20 minutes as a standing ovation. The opera: Otello starring Placido Domingo.

On average, an opera will last between 2 and 3 hours, with one interval in a two act show, and two in a three act show. Operettas and musicals tend to be shorter.

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