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Following popular demand, Auckland Opera Studio will again present The Shades for their annual Twilight Opera in the Garden concert in Matakana on Saturday, February 23.
Studio founder Frances Wilson says it may be one of the last opportunities to see the Pacific Island quartet perform together.
“They have been picked out as boys of special talent and special interest. This will be about the last time we can get them because by next September they will have disappeared off to Europe or wherever, so they can study further,” she says.
“I thought I would grab them while they are here.”
The Shades comprise two Samoans, Samson Setu and Ipu Laga’aia, and two Tongans, Taka Vuni and Manase Latu.
They achieved international prominence in 2016 after they sang the national anthems for the Netball Quad Series, which was televised worldwide.
The men were all born and raised in Auckland where music was part of their upbringing. Classical singing brought them together and provides the cohesive element in the sound they produce.
They have either been Young Artists for the NZ Opera Apprentice programme or sponsored by the Kiri Te Kanawa Trust to help develop their talents.
Frances says their programme for this concert will be a well-balanced combination of solos and ensembles, from operatic classics to iconic popular music and Pacifika.
“Their perfect blend of strong operatic voices and irresistible Pacific island charm promises an evening of quirky and humorous entertainment, with everything from Puccini to Presley, mostly in four-part harmony,” she says.
Guest artist for the evening will be Pasquale Orchard, a Wellington soprano who this year was one of the major prize winners of the prestigious IFAC Singing Competition in Australia.
She recently won the annual PACANZ (Performing Arts Competition Association of New Zealand) aria competition, featuring the best singers in the country.
“A very big feather in a very big cap for one New Zealand’s important young emerging sopranos,” Frances says.
The twilight concert will be held in a new venue – the extensive gardens of a private house on the corner of Matakana Valley and Ward Roads in Matakana.
Attendees are invited to bring their own picnic and wine to the event, which starts at 5.30pm.
Tickets are available via iTicket. Adults $50, children under 16 free.
