Media release
13 July 2014
Young soprano Isabelle Moore wins The Dame Malvina Major Foundation Christchurch Aria
Fast-rising soprano Isabelle Moore has won the prestigious Dame Malvina Major Foundation Christchurch Aria.
The 23-year old New Zealand-born Samoan returned from her vocal studies in Wales to take out the $5,000 first prize.
Second place and a prize of $2,500 was awarded to soprano Eliza Boom, with baritone, Edward Laurenson, awarded third
prize of $500.
Organised by the Christchurch Competitions Society, seventeen vocalists from Christchurch, Dunedin, Auckland, Wellington
and Hamilton performed in the preliminaries in Avonhead on Friday evening with six going through to the gala finals on
Saturday night.
Distinguished tenor and vocal lecturer Patrick Power, ONZM adjudicated the competition and says all three of these young
singers have the qualities required to make an international career.
“Isabella has already embarked on the first stages having completed her first year at the Cardiff International Academy
of Voice with Dennis O’Neill.”
The Dame Malvina Major Foundation Christchurch Aria is the first of the 2014 regional Dame Malvina Major Foundation Aria
Competitions which lead into the NZ Aria Competition held in Rotorua in early November.
Dame Malvina Major says that she was encouraged to see so many entries from young New Zealand vocalists with huge
potential and thrilled to see Isabella once again recognized for her talents. Last year Isabella was awarded a Dame
Malvina Major Arts Excellence Award of $5,000 towards her studies in Wales and won The Dame Malvina Major First Prize at
the Nelson Aria last year.
"For these talented young performers, the opportunity to perform and participate in a competition of this calibre is
invaluable as they prepare for a professional career. For The Dame Malvina Major Foundation, it is very rewarding to
invest in the next generation of aspiring young opera singers. I congratulate Isabella – and Eliza and Edward – on your
success.”
Background
The Dame Malvina Major Foundation was established in 1991 to enable Dame Malvina Major’s vision to “share the dream”
with talented young performers.
The Foundation helps young New Zealanders in the performing arts achieve their potential by providing education and
training opportunities, supporting them to prepare for professional careers. It does this through a range of grants,
competitions, prizes and scholarships.
The Foundation is a charitable trust with regional committees in Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki, Wellington, Christchurch
and Dunedin, all run by local volunteers.
The Dame Malvina Major Foundation Christchurch Aria is part of the annual vocal competitions organised by the
Christchurch Competitions Society. Many of the competitors are already studying vocal performance at New Zealand
universities. The first prize enables the winner to compete in the New Zealand Aria in Rotorua.
The prize monies are sponsored by The Dame Malvina Major Foundation ($5,000 first prize); The Opera Foundation ($2,500
second prize); and Pegasus Bay Winery ($500 third prize).