Star Soprano Madeleine Pierard Returns to NZ

Star Soprano Madeleine Pierard Returns to NZ for 10-centre Tour in August

“Pierard’s sound is the purest tempered steel ...” The Independent (London)

Rising international star soprano Madeleine Pierard returns to New Zealand in August to perform 10 concerts as part of Chamber Music New Zealand’s 2012 ‘Kaleidoscopes’ season.

Madeleine won the 2005 Lexus Song Quest before pursuing an MMus at London’s Benjamin Britten Opera School and she is currently a Jette Parker Young Artist with the Royal Opera in Covent Garden.

New Zealand pianist Terence Dennis will be performing alongside Madeleine on the 10-centre tour which begins in Napier on Saturday 4 August. Madeleine’s sister, Anna Pierard, who recently performed the role of Lola in New Zealand Opera’s Cavalleria Rusticana will join them for four concerts – in Napier, Palmerston North, New Plymouth and Auckland.

The concerts feature Canteloube’s gorgeous Songs of the Auvergne, selections from Schumann’s Spanisches Liederspiel, and Berg’s lush Seven Early Songs, along with arias from Bellini and Rossini. All 10 concerts also feature a specially commissioned work from Ross Harris, Songs for Beatrice. Ross worked closely with poet Vincent O’Sullivan to create the work which honours New Zealand astronomer Beatrice Tinsley.
This is the seventh collaboration between the pair, and Vincent says choosing the subject or theme takes place over a “kind of ritual of coffee and Swedish buns, until we hit on something that strikes us both as an exciting possibility”.

Composer Ross Harris says Beatrice Tinsley was a pioneer who was famous in her field of scientific research, but she was little known in New Zealand. She was Professor of Astronomy at Yale University and was part of the team which discovered that the universe was infinitely expanding. Beatrice also played cello and loved Bach and this is reflected in one of the songs in the work ‘True Romance’.

Vincent says Ross and he took the chance to engage with her personality and interests. “I wrote a group of poems in various registers that I hoped Ross would find musically useful. The name Beatrice of course has marvellous resonances, while her dealing with galaxies as 'a job', and the tragedy of her early death, spurred us both. It was also a way to celebrate and honour who she was and what she did.”

Madeleine Pierard and Terence Dennis perform in 10 centres nationwide from 4-23 August as part of Chamber Music New Zealand’s 2012 ‘Kaleidoscopes’ season, with Anna Pierard joining the pair for the Napier, Palmerston North, New Plymouth and Auckland concerts For more information and to book tickets, visit www.chambermusic.co.nz.

Chamber Music New Zealand acknowledges major funding from Creative New Zealand.

ENDS

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