MEDIA RELEASE February 26, 2018
Ryman backs Dame Malvina Major Foundation to bring Kiwi opera singers to New Zealand
Amelia Berry wins the Ryman-backed Mina Foley Scholarship
Amelia Berry and James Benjamin Rodgers in NZ Opera’s Sweeney Todd in 2016. Photo: David Rowland
Long-term supporter of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation, Ryman Healthcare, is helping bring young New Zealand singers
back home to perform.
In partnership with the Foundation, Ryman Healthcare will sponsor the Ryman DMMF Mina Foley Scholarship to enable
talented young singers to return to New Zealand to perform in a professional season with New Zealand Opera.
The scholarship was started in 2008 in memory of one of New Zealand’s most promising vocal talents of yesteryear. The
soprano, Mina Foley, captivated New Zealand audiences with the quality and technique of her singing in the 1950s. Her
career was an inspiration for singers like Dame Malvina Major and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.
This year’s Ryman DMMF Mina Foley Scholar, soprano, Amelia Berry, is returning home from New York for the roles of
Cunégonde in Candide and Musetta in La bohème. Born in Wellington, Amelia is a graduate of the New Zealand School of Music and has a Master’s degree from the
Manhattan School of Music.
She is a 2010/2011 PwC Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist and 2015 Dame Malvina Major Young Artist with New Zealand
Opera and her wins include the New Zealand Aria in 2010 as well as the Napier, Wellington and Otago Arias.
Dame Malvina said the Foundation was thrilled to cement its long-standing relationship with Ryman Healthcare and “Share
the Dream” through this worthy scholarship.
“The Dame Malvina Major Foundation has enjoyed a rewarding partnership with Ryman over many years. Through concerts at
Ryman villages featuring our young artists, and broader support for our work, we share a mutual love of the arts and the
enriching contribution it makes to all our lives.
“Ryman is clearly committed to supporting the future of performing arts in New Zealand and in ensuring its residents get
to enjoy the talent being nurtured across the country today.
Ryman Healthcare Chief Executive Gordon MacLeod said it was a pleasure to be able to support the Mina Foley Scholarship
and to help bring Amelia back home to perform.
“Ryman has been supporting the Dame Malvina Major Foundation for more than 15 years and over that time Dame Malvina and
her students have entertained thousands of our residents. We can’t think of a better way to support our talented
artists.’’
About Ryman: Ryman Healthcare was founded in Christchurch in 1984 and owns and operates 32 retirement villages in New Zealand and
Australia. Ryman villages are home to over 10,500 residents, and the company employs over 4,500 staff.
Contacts: For media information or images contact David King, Corporate Affairs Manager, on 021 499 602 (+64 21 499 602) or email david.king@rymanhealthcare.com.
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