Lexus Song Quest is a competition which can change the winning singers' life and two Dunedin-based students are giving it their all in the semifinals this weekend. Rebecca Fox talks to Sophie Sparrow and Harry Grigg.
Receiving a telephone call to say they had made the semifinals of New Zealand's premier classical voice competition shocked Dunedin singers Sophie Sparrow and Harry Grigg.
"I definitely cried on the phone. I said 'Nah, you're joking; you must be','' Sparrow said.
The phone call left Grigg speechless: "It was incredible''.
Competing against 50 singers for 10 semifinal places, the pair now go on to perform in Wellington this weekend for one of four grand final places to be announced on Sunday night.
"The singers we listened to were of the highest quality, vocally and artistically. It was a very satisfying experience indeed,'' preliminary judge Patricia Price, a former British opera singer now a teacher at the Western Academy of Arts in Australia, said.
Previous winners include Jonathan Lemalu, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Dame Malvina Major and more recently Sol3 Mio's Amitai Pati.
Sparrow and Grigg will perform two songs each, including an aria on Sunday night, and this week are taking part in workshops and a masterclass with head international judge Australian soprano Yvonne Kenny, who is also professor of voice at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
It is an experience the young singers cannot wait for and have been busy preparing for during the past few weeks.
Grigg, a baritone, has been home on the farm at Cheviot preparing his music and practising his part.
"I can scream my lungs out and no-one judges me. The sheep look up from the grass and then go back to eating. They're not fazed,'' he joked.
The second-year University of Otago bachelor of music student, majoring in classical voice, decided to audition for the competition because it was good practice for young singers to audition in front of a panel.
"I thought I'd give it a try.''
Hence the shock at his success, especially given he is only 19. "It's a big step.''
The semifinal experience, working with Terence Dennis, also from the University of Otago, and the tutoring from Kenny, will be invaluable, he says.
"It'll be incredible to work with the other singers who are all incredible performers. It's really exciting.''
Singing is a central part of Grigg's life, having decided when he was "9 or 10'' that he was the "best thing since sliced bread'' and convincing his parents he needed lessons.
"I loved it. Loved classical music and singing.''
He continued his passion for music while boarding at Medbury and St Andrew's College before he came to Otago to study under Judith Henley.
"I realised in high school that I wanted to make it a career.''
Sparrow, who grew up in Whangarei, also knew at an early age that she wanted to be a singer, taking lessons from the age of 8 and performing in as many musicals and opera showcases as she could.
"I was always pestering my parents for lessons, then I sang the part of the flea in my primary production. It was a solo and I was only 8 years old.''
She moved to Dunedin to attend the University of Otago and study performance voice under Isabel Cunningham and then Frances Wilson.
Along the way she was also studying for a bachelor of commerce in accounting but put that on hold to do her honours year.
However, determined to finish her commerce degree, she put music on the backburner, doing just one paper, and went back to studying accounting.
She did take time out to perform Pamina in the Otago Opera Company's production of the Magic Flute, was runner-up in the 2015 Dame Malvina Major Foundation Aria Competition in Dunedin and runner-up in the 2015 Dunedin Performing Arts Competitions Society Recital Award.
Last month she achieved her goal of finishing her accounting studies, although admitted the pressure was on as she was also rehearsing for her Song Quest audition while doing her final exams.
Back in Auckland to prepare for the semifinals with help from Wilson, Sparrow (23) is also looking forward to the experience and to the opportunities it offers to get her name in front of those in the music industry.
"I have nothing to lose. You have to have an open mind and sing with all your heart.''
She "can't wait'' to meet Kenny and the other semifinalists.
Sparrow, a soprano, plans to take the same approach she took for her audition and try not to expect too much in an effort to keep the nerves at bay.
Whatever happens with Song Quest, she has graduation and then a fixed-term accounting job to go to in Auckland after the competition. She will then decide what her next step will be, which could involve auditioning for study places overseas.
"I'm realistic about it; not everyone is going to make it, but I don't want to get to 30 and regret not trying. So I'll try as hard as I can.''
If either one gets through to the finals, they have a chance to win thousands of dollars in prizes - the winner receives $50,000, and the runner-up an immediate cash prize of $8000, plus a study scholarship of $10,000; third and fourth placegetters receive $1000 each.
A further $15,000 prize, sponsored by the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation, will be awarded to the singer who has demonstrated great potential through the semifinals stage of the competition.
• The Grand Final Lexus Song Quest Gala is on July 23 at the Auckland Town Hall.
