THE NEW ZEALAND OPERA SOCIETY

NZ Opera is on tour, with a scaled down English language Don Pasquale. By a happy quirk of timing, it hit Dunedin last night, just two days before opening night of the University production of Carmen. Two operas in one year is a rare enough treat in this neck of the woods; two in one week is just plain bizarre. With the operatic drought which reigns here most of the time, it's tempting to feel so grateful for any relief that even a mediocre performance receives automatic praise, purely because it's better than nothing at all. However, this Don Pasquale is thankfully in no danger whatsoever of mediocrity — it's a beautiful show, and though it might be an oasis in our desert, I've no doubt it would succeed just as well in far lusher surroundings. 

I was lucky enough to get to Auckland for the Lexus Song Quest last Thursday. And what a magnificent experience.

It was a very close competition. But there’s no doubt: Madeleine Pierard is a star.