Calla Knudson-Hollebon (19) has been selected for a voice scholarship for at least three years of study at the University of Waikato.
Dame Malvina would be her main teacher in the undergraduate course.
The former Otago Girls' High School pupil said she had been singing since infancy but was in her early teens when she realised she could make it a career.
To gain entry to the course, she was interviewed by a panel of three judges in Hamilton in September, singing three songs - Se Tu M'Ami, by Alessandro Parisotti, Tell Me, Lovely Shepherd, by Richard Bonsall, and Coming Thro' the Rye, by Robert Burns.
The news in November she was accepted and won the scholarship created a "shaky excitement''.
"It was pretty amazing.''
In November, she performed as soprano soloist in Remember O Thou Man at Knox Church, a piece written by her mother, Karen Knudson.
She had learnt how to control her performance by transforming nervousness to excitement, Miss Knudson-Hollebon said.
"I try to change the way I view that adrenaline because it does give you that extra boost when you perform.''
She has been a soloist in concerts for City Choir Dunedin, Taieri Musical Society's production of Les Miserables, St Kilda Brass, played violin in the Dunedin Youth Orchestra and was a member of Knox Church Choir.
Last year, she started music classes for pre-schoolers at Knox Church, a pastime she plans to continue in Hamilton.
Her long-term goal was postgraduate study overseas and a career in opera and she knows the toil needed to make it a reality.
"It really depends on the people you meet, the connections you make and how hard you work.''
The scholarship covers the tuition fees and requires grades of a B average or better.
