Some of the finest up-and-coming vocalists in the country showcased their skills at the annual Otago Daily Times Southern Aria Final on Saturday.
Six singers sang two arias each, with four different languages — French, Italian, German and English — used during the occasion at the Burns Hall at First Church.
The winner was soprano Rhiannon Cooper who secured the top prize of $5000 from the Cleveland Charitable Trust Foundation.
She said it felt surreal to win the competition.
"It’s a competition I’ve watched for the last seven or so years since moving to Dunedin and the second time I’ve managed to compete in it, so it feels pretty special.
"It’s a nice acknowledgement of the work I’ve been putting in and even nicer to be able to pay my rent," she said.
Ms Cooper studied music endorsed in classical performance at the University of Otago and had appeared on stage as Fiordiligi in scenes from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte in the past.
She said the others singing in the competition were wonderful artists and it felt more like a concert performing with her friends than a competition.
Sopranos Erin Connelly-Whyte and Emma McClean placed second and third respectively in the competition.
Dunedin Performing Arts Society president Judy Bellingham said the competition’s adjudicator, Frances Wilson, of Auckland, told her she was impressed by the standard of singing.
Miss Bellingham said the competition was hugely important and the singers took it very seriously because it gave them opportunities to have an international career.
She said previous winners of the competition included the likes of Grammy award-winning opera singer Jonathan Lemalu.
