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Music lovers attending the annual Matakana Opera Picnic on February 15 will not only be able to enjoy the vocal talents of some of New Zealand’s best young professional singers, there will also be a more diverse range of music at this year’s concert.
There will still be plenty of operatic favourites, of course, but the programme for the 2025 picnic will also include musical theatre classics, plus a few torch songs and power ballads as well.
Auckland Opera Studio co-founder Stephen Fitzgerald said he was confident the decision to “change it up a little” this year would prove popular with the picnic crowd and make for another unforgettable evening of song.
“Along with the familiar opera, we’ve got brackets from Wicked, traditional Neapolitan and some of the great music theatre anthems from the 50s through to the present,” he said.
“We’ll give you our own versions of Sinatra, Presley, Bocelli, Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand, to name a few.”
Familiar faces returning to sing will be soprano Amelia Berry, bass-baritone Joel Amosa, tenor Ipu Laga’aia, tenor Ridge Ponini and baritone Alfred Fonoto-Fuimaono, while up and coming sopranos Sarah Mileham and Jasmine Jessen will be appearing at the picnic for the first time.
They will all be accompanied by renowned pianist Somi Kim, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London and member of popular chamber music ensemble NZ Trio.
As usual, the outdoor recital by Auckland Opera Studio singers will take place on a lakeside stage in the tranquil gardens of Simon and Robin Barclay’s property on the corner of Ward and Matakana Valley Roads.
Gates open at 4.30pm, with the concert starting at 6pm and running until around 9pm. BYO blankets, cushions, food and drink. Tickets cost $65, under-16s free.
Info and bookings: https://www.aucklandoperastudio.co.nz/
