2016 Lexus Song Quest applications open

2016 Lexus Song Quest applications open as prestigious event gets set to celebrate 60th anniversary

In 2016 Aotearoa’s premier opera singing competition, Lexus Song Quest, will celebrate its sixtieth year, with $50,000 in prizes now up for grabs for the winner. Entries are open for this exciting quest to discover and nurture some of New Zealand’s finest young voices.

Across the next six months, the competition will take dozens of talented young singers on a journey that culminates in New Zealand’s most glamorous night of opera, where the final four contestants’ talents will be showcased at the Grand Final at the Auckland Town Hall on Saturday 23 July.

“Lexus is proud to continue to be associated with the Lexus Song Quest as it celebrates its 60th year,” said Andrew Davis, Lexus New Zealand’s General Manager of Marketing. “Every year we are amazed at the depth of talented young New Zealand singers that enter the competition which enables them to both showcase their talent and gain critical opera experience and support.”

Participating in this competition can be literally life-changing. Previous winners of Lexus Song Quest, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Dame Malvina Major, Jonathan Lemalu and Sol3 Mio’s Amitai Pati are now household names whose talent has graced the finest opera houses in the world. The 2014 Lexus Song Quest was won by Isabella Moore, who has since been continuing her studies abroad.

“Winning the Lexus Song Quest made a huge difference to my career. It’s helped me establish a name for myself in New Zealand and Australia, and opened so many doors. The exposure has been invaluable,” Isabella says.

In 2016 the illustrious judging panel for Lexus Song Quest will be led by one of the most distinguished sopranos of our time, Yvonne Kenny. With over 60 international titles to her credit, Sydney-born Kenny was made a Member of the Order of Australia for her services to music and is Professor of Voice at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Also new in 2016 is a refreshed selection process. After entries close on 31 March, auditions will be held in Auckland and Wellington in mid-May to determine ten semi-finalists. Auditions may also be held in Christchurch or Dunedin, depending on the number of South Island entries. The ten semi-finalists will compete over two days in Wellington on 16 and 17 July 2016, with the four finalists announced live on the last night. The four finalists will compete for the title a week later at the Auckland Town Hall.

“We recognize singers often need to pursue their studies overseas and the costs involved in those studies, so the Lexus Song Quest prize-winners will receive both a cash prize and a Lexus Song Quest Study Scholarship,” said Mr Davis.

A further $15,000 prize will be awarded to the most promising singer, selected by Yvonne Kenny from the ten semi-finalists, and presented at the Grand Final by the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation.

Please visit www.songquest.co.nz to find out more. Closing date for applications is 31 March 2016.

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