Join us for an unforgettable evening of music!
In September, Christchurch soprano Emma McClean is heading to London to complete a Master of Performance at the Royal College of Music, the Global No. 1 for Music and Performing Arts. All proceeds from this concert will go towards funding this exciting new step in her career.
Come along and hear some of the great melodies in song, opera and music theatre. Emma is joined by some of New Zealand’s finest classical artists; Cook Island tenor Ridge Ponini, and pianist Catherine Norton.
Bring along friends and family, this is a concert for all ages.
Emma McClean is a soprano from Christchurch, studying under the tutelage of Anna Leese. In 2022 she graduated from the University of Otago with First Class Honours in Music and Law and she is currently a solicitor at Anderson Lloyd. She is an alumna of the New Zealand Opera School (2020, 2024) and New Zealand Singing School (2019) and was a member and soloist with the New Zealand Youth Choir (2020-2022). Emma has performed as a Freemasons Regional Singer and she is a member of Voices New Zealand. She made her debut with Opera Otago in 2019 performing the role of Pitti-Sing in The Mikado, and in 2022 she performed the role of Miss Constantia Pinner in Daughters of the Late Colonel. She is a member of the New Zealand Opera Chorus, performing in Macbeth (2022), Così fan tutte (2023), Die tote Stadt (2023), and Le comte Ory (2024). Emma was a recipient of the University of Otago Callis Trust Performance Scholarship from 2017-2019. She was awarded the Muriel Herbert Prize by the University of Otago Council for demonstrating excellence in the practice of music in 2021, and she was a 2020-2022 RSA Choir Vocal Scholar. She competes successfully at regional aria competitions where she placed second equal in the Canterbury Opera Foundation Aria (2024), and third in the ODT Southern Aria competition (2023) and the Canterbury Opera Foundation Aria (2022). Recent concert engagements as a soprano soloist include with Bach Musica NZ, the Auckland Opera Studio, New Zealand Opera School and the Freemasons Foundation. Emma is the 2024 Circle100 Scholar and will commence a Master of Performance at the Royal College of Music, London, in September 2024.
Ridge Ponini:
Proud Cook Island tenor 28-year-old Ridge Ponini completed his Honours degree in Music at the University of Otago, majoring in classical voice performance under the tuition of Judy Bellingham. In 2021, Ridge was awarded the Enari Iosefa Opera Award from Creative New Zealand. Ridge was a semi-finalist in the prestigious Lexus Song Quest 2022 and was a Studio Artist with New Zealand Opera in 2023.He was also part of New Zealand Opera’s Schools tour cast, performing ‘Sleeping Beauty’ for over 10,000 tamariki in New Zealand. Ridge has been selected to attend the New Zealand Opera School for four consecutive years and was awarded ‘The Spirit of the School’ and the Freemasons Foundation and New Zealand Opera School runner-up award in 2024. Ridge is currently completing his studies toward a Masters degree as a member of the Tanzos programme.
Catherine Norton:
Catherine Norton is a busy and versatile pianist specialising in the vocal repertoire, based in Wellington, New Zealand. She studied with Thomas Hecht at Victoria University of Wellington, winning the VUW Concerto Competition, and after further study in languages became an Emerging Artist with New Zealand Opera. She completed her postgraduate studies in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Eugene Asti and Pamela Lidiard, where she was the winner of the Guildhall Accompanists' Prize, the Paul Hamburger Prize for duo, Concert Recital Diploma for an exceptional final recital, and was appointed an Artist Fellow. She received numerous other awards and scholarships, including the pianist’s prize at Britain's AESS National English Song Competition. Catherine has been a Britten-Pears Young Artist, a member of the Young Songmakers' Almanac, and is an alumna of Austria's acclaimed Franz-Schubert-Institut for Lieder. She has appeared in recital in concert halls including the Barbican Hall, St John’s Smith Square, and LSO St Luke’s, and at the Oxford Lieder Festival, as well as around Great Britain and Europe. She currently coaches privately, and is the official pianist for a number of competitions around New Zealand. She is in demand for vocal and instrumental recitals and is a frequent guest player in the NZSO.
