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Dame Malvina Major Makes Music
Dame Malvina says:
“I’ve been looking for sometime to an opportunity to sing and entertain in venues in which I’ve never appeared in or not for a considerable time. Now, with three special friends I’m looking forward to appearing in an intimate recital this April.”
Malvina-My Life In Song reflects her love of all things musical. The entertaining two hour programme will include many well known arias and popular favourites including - Ave Maria, The Nuns Chorus, Climb Every Mountain, O Mio Babbino Caro, Only a Rose, A Heart thats Free, Vilia, Danny Boy, I Could Have Danced All Night and Over the Rainbow.
Her three special guests are brilliant young soprano Rachelle Pike, popular cabaret entertainer Vicki Lee, plus acclaimed accompanist Kirsten Simpson, who is returning especially from London.
Rachelle Pike is a 24 year old mezzo soprano from Blenheim. She has recently completed her Bachelor of Music with first class honours, majoring in Performance Voice at Canterbury University under Dame Malvina Major. Rachelle was a 2006/2007 PricewaterhouseCoopers Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist with the NBR New Zealand Opera and the recipient of the Circle 100 scholarship.
Vicki Lee, once part of the dynamic singing duo ‘String of Pearls’, has been entertaining New Zealand audiences for well over twenty five years with a variety of genre styles from the 50’s era to current day - including pop classics, Rock & Roll and light classical. Vicki’s career has seen her work internationally in Australia, Samoa, Fiji and Las Vegas.
Vicki has accompanied Dame Malvina Major on a number of occasions in recent years, her highlight being part of the backing band on the ‘Knight with a Dame’ New Zealand tour with Dame Malvina and Sir Howard in 2006.
Kirsten Simpson was born in New Zealand, graduating with a MMus in performance piano from the University of Canterbury in 2002.
Kirsten then studied at the Royal College of Music in London, was a finalist for the RCM concerto competition and was awarded two distinctions for piano accompianment.
Kirsten has performed in many prestigious venues in London including the Wigmore Hall, the Purcell Room, St James’ Piccadilly and St John Smith’s Square. Kirsten accompanied Dame Malvina Major and Sir Howard Morrison for the New Zealand tour: ‘A Knight with a Dame’, and more recently accompanied Dame Malvina Major and Hayley Westenra for the Christchurch Cathedral Choir concert at St James’, London.
Kirsten is looking forward to working for the Cardiff International Acadamy of Voice later this year.
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