THE NEW ZEALAND OPERA SOCIETY

Mary Newman-Pound is back from 20 years based in London and she says that NZ Opera Society helped her on her way. Mary says that when the Opera Society offered to promote and sell tickets for her farewell benefit concert, it was a great practical gesture but more importantly it was a vote of confidence in her future.

After graduating with Honours in Voice from the University of Auckland’s School of Music, Mary joined New Zealand National Opera as an emerging artist in the chorus of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, and then to sing Mrs Grose, Turn of the Screw, Isabella, Italian Girl in Algiers and Mercedes in Carmen.

Whilst singing a season of Flora in La Traviata in the Mercury Theatre, Mary, at the end of the performance each night quickly made her way on foot (with a shawl over her corset and petticoat) to nearby Theatre Corporate where she was premiering a one woman comic show written for her by William Dart. The alleyway route and its activities could have come straight from an opera set.

Mary also enjoyed singing in oratorio throughout New Zealand and being a Radio NZ artist and, on T.V., singing contemporary music on Kaleidoscope, 30s music in the show Radio Times and great fun was had filming for the feature as the ‘Singing Bus Driver’ on the 6 o’clock news!

After winning New Zealand’s major voice competitions and coming second in the Mobil Song Quest, Mary was awarded an Arts Council travel grant for and left for London - which was when the Opera Society came in with their support for her farewell recital held at the Mercury Theatre with Roger Creagh.

Based in London, Mary was a member of the Extra Chorus at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Solo operatic roles in English opera companies include Amneris Aida, Eboli Don Carlos, Santuzza Cavalleria Rusticana, Auntie Peter Grimes, Mistress Quickly Falstaff and Dido in Dido and Aeneas.

In the Contemporary Festival in Spoleto, Italy, Mary sang in the premiere of a Mexican opera and was described in Opera magazine as excellent, young and nearly naked!

Having performed in Sweeney Todd in Auckland’s Mercury Opera production, she enjoyed repeating the experience at Wormwood Scrubs Prison working alongside the ‘lifers’ in the cast.

Her versatile voice and musicianship involves her in a wide range of music, from learning the cello to accompany herself as Lady Jane in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience to cabaret shows written for her by William Dart; from Edinburgh Festival solo recitals to radio broadcasts; from being invited by two Archbishops of Canterbury to sing the Easter Hymn at Lambeth Palace to the premiering of works written for her.

Mary recently returned to New Zealand — with her cat Possum Dearie — and has settled on Auckland’s North Shore. Mary’s talents and experience are being enjoyed again with performances with the Wellington Chamber Orchestra, Auckland’s Opera Factory as the Mother in L’enfant et les sortilèges and a Howick Festival concert conducted by Peter Watts. She will be the alto soloist in Napier Civic Choir’s 40th anniversary gala performances of Messiah in December.