THE NEW ZEALAND OPERA SOCIETY

It has recently been announced that this year’s Moyra Todd Scholarship has been awarded to mezzo-soprano Brigitte Heuser. Established by the late Moyra Todd in 1983, this scholarship is given annually to a young singer of exceptional promise who, resident in the Wellington area, intends to continue studying here for at least a further year. Previous winners have included Paul Whelan, Martin Snell, Simon O’Neill, Andrew Sritheran, Wendy Dawn Thompson, James Rodgers, Madeleine Pierard and Alison Cormack.

One of the Trustees of the Scholarship Jeremy Commons writes:

Daughter of New Zealand Symphony Orchestra viola-player Norbert Heuser, Brigitte has lived with music all her life. Although she has not had the training in choral singing which has stood so many of our young singers in such good stead, she is an excellent musician, since she studied violin from age 5 until she was 16. At that point she was enjoying so many singing roles in school musicals that she decided to switch to singing.

After leaving school she went to Dunedin, where she gained her B.A. in Film and Media Studies, and her B. Mus. majoring in voice under Judy Bellingham. Now back in Wellington, she is studying for her B. Mus. Hons. at the New Zealand School of Music under Flora Edwards.

Success, she tells us, is beginning to come her way. Not only has she been awarded this scholarship: in May she sang the role of the maid Susan in Sirius Opera’s production of John Drummond’s The Genteel Pigeons, and the the alto part in Mozart’s Requiem for the New Zealand Choral Federation’s Wellington Workshop Weekend.

Garth Wilshere wrote in Capital Times of her performance in The Genteel Pigeons : ‘All the... cast... entered into the spirit well with good singing. But the singer who stood out for me was Brigitte Heuser in the small but pivotal role of the maid, her mezzo was excellent and she demonstrated great comic timing and natural stage instincts.’ Already a stylish performer, she has an exceptionally clear well-controlled voice, and an ability to project it with remarkable carrying power.

While opera remains her primary interest - she has her sights set on the many trouser-roles written for mezzo-soprano - she is also interested in lieder, and is studying Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer for her end-of-year recital at University. A German speaker (though, she insists, a little rusty), she also sings in Italian and French and is currently learning Spanish.

Priorities for the immediate future include auditioning for the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus and entering competitions. She is anxious to gain as much stage experience as possible, and says that one of the great attractions of participating in The Genteel Pigeons was to work alongside such experience as Linden Loader and Bruce Carson.

At the end of 2007 Brigitte hopes to go to Germany to audition for masters degrees and / or for places in opera studios. With clear goals and outstanding talent, her future would seem bright and extremely promising. We extend her every possible good wish!