Enjoy this look back at past our performances. It's where sections from our "Concerts" page come as seasons end.
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 Opera In Concert: ELEKTRA 7.30pm Friday 6 August 2010 The Auckland Town Hall |
Helen Medlyn - Klytemnestra The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Eckehard Stier - Conductor; Elizabeth Connell - Elektra; Nicole Youl - Chrysothemis; Tuomas Pursio - Orestes; Richard Greager -Aegisthus; Also Featuring Morag Atchison, Anna Pierard, Rachelle Pike, Rebecca Ryan, Kate Spence, Jenny Wollerman |
| Scarred by death and driven by revenge, Elektra is chilling, terrifying and deeply moving. Richard Strauss, whose opera Salome probed the darkest corners of human desire, intensified the drama and musical depth for this powerful recounting of the ancient Greek drama. The result is Strauss’ most daring musical masterpiece – not to mention one of the most demanding parts ever written. The lauded dramatic soprano Elizabeth Connell performs the title role in this historic performance supported by a cast of outstanding local and international talents. |
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NBR NZOpera presents The Marriage of Figaro - Mozart Le nozze di Figaro May 15,18, 20, 22 - Wellington St James Theatre June 3, 5, 9, 11, 13 - Auckland Aotea Centre |
Helen Medlyn - Marcellina The Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra The Vector Wellington Orchestra |
| Class war and a battle of the sexes wrapped in a witty, sophisticated package make this one of Mozart's most brilliant, unmissable operatic creations. In Act 1, Marcellina is trying to hold Figaro to his promise of marriage. By Act 3, he is buying time by begging to wait for his parents' consent. Little does he know who his parents will turn out to be! |
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Sunday 28 March 2010 Mercy Hospice Fundraiser Florence Court, 6 Omana Avenue Epsom |
Helen Medlyn and Penny Dodd - donating services |
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Saturday 20 March 2010 Musical Theatre NZ Conference Rydges Hotel, Federal St Auckland |
Helen Medlyn - Speaker |
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Tuesday 9 March 2010 Deloitte Summer Concert Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Guild Old Government House Gardens Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland |
Helen Medlyn - MC |
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LIGHT AND LATIN GOVERNMENT HOUSE, |
Helen Medlyn, mezzo-soprano Emma Sloman,soprano Brett Kelly, conductor Join the APO for a highlight of an Auckland Summer. Their Excellencies, the Governor General of New Zealand, the Honorable Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Susan Satyanand invite you into a terrific summer setting to enjoy Rossini, Respighi, baroque favourites, Latin-infused melodies of Villa-Lobos, and Gershwin. |
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The Last Night of the Proms 7.30pm Saturday 12 December 2009 Municipal Theatre, Napier Tickets through The Hawke's Bay Orchestra |
Helen Medlyn with the Hawke's Bay Orchestra conducted by Gregory Squire |
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 Last Night of the Proms 7.30pm Saturday 28 November 2009 ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland Tickets through The Auckland Philharmonia |
Helen Medlyn with The Auckland Philharmonia Celebrate the best of British. Listen to some fabulous music performed at its very best without the usual decorum of the concert hall. Let your hair down, fly your flag and sing-a-long to some of the best known and loved pieces of music to hail from the British Isles. |
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Oliver! by
Lionel Bart Season from Thursday 29 October until Sunday 22 November 2009 Sky City Theatre Tickets through The Auckland Theatre Company Read The Herald review here |
Helen Medlyn
as Widow Corney Mark Hadlow as Fagin Raymond Hawthorne - Director A dazzling new production brings this much-loved musical back to life. Dickens’ timeless characters and the ever-popular story of the boy who asked for more. |
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Hell, Man Friday 18 September 2009, 8pm, Playhouse Theatre, Hastings 90 Minutes; no interval. Tickets from mid-July through Ticket Direct Hastings Blossom Festival Erotic and mysterious, smart, supremely confident and utterly engaging - Graham Reid, NZ Herald In the battle of the sexes we men have just been wickedly out-womanoeuvred. It’s wonderful, witty and warm - Rod Biss, Metro |
Helen Medlyn - voice Penny Dodd - piano Restraining her ‘outstanding attributes’, the curvy queen of song becomes a low-down, tuxedo-clad Jack the Lad. With their signature mix of music theatre songs, jazz ballads, opera arias, poetry, lieder and comic ditties, our favourite divas sneak a peek at the cards our boy is dealt in the game of love: choosing, losing, laughing, longing, taking, leaving. This is heartbreak and lust in a joker's world, with words and music from some of the big boys including Bob Dylan, George Frederic Handel, John Lennon, Billy Joel and Robert Schumann. It’s hell, man. |
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AMI Last Night Of The Proms Saturday 22 August 2009, 7.30pm, Wellington Town Hall  Vector Wellington Orchestra |
Helen Medlyn - mezzo soprano Marc Taddei conducts the Vector Wellington Orchestra Wave your Union Jack, throw your streamer, and sing along to Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia and Jerusalem. There's some naughty Noel Coward a la Medlyn. Michael Fulcher conducts the Orpheus Choir through Borodin’s voluptuous Polovtsian Dances. |
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Concert For The Birds Friday 12 June 2009, 7.30pm, The Playhouse, Glen Eden. Click here for The Ark In The Park |
Helen Medlyn - mezzo soprano |
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Music For The Children Saturday 16 May 2009, 7.30pm, Centrestage Theatre, Centreway Road, Orewa. Click here for The Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre |
Helen Medlyn - voice Penny Dodd - piano A fundraising concert for the Auckland Raukatauri Music Therapy Cenre. Featuring your favourite performers from Centrestage, Auckland Music Theatre, North Shore Music Theatre, and Hinewehi Mohi. 100% of the money raised goes to the Raukatauri Music Tehrapy Centre. |
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Hell, Man Friday 15 May 2009, 8pm, Civic Theatre, Tay St, Invercargill 90 Minutes; no interval. Erotic and mysterious, smart, supremely confident and utterly engaging - Graham Reid, NZ Herald In the battle of the sexes we men have just been wickedly out-womanoeuvred. It’s wonderful, witty and warm - Rod Biss, Metro |
Helen Medlyn - voice Penny Dodd - piano Restraining her ‘outstanding attributes’, the curvy queen of song becomes a low-down, tuxedo-clad Jack the Lad. With their signature mix of music theatre songs, jazz ballads, opera arias, poetry, lieder and comic ditties, our favourite divas sneak a peek at the cards our boy is dealt in the game of love: choosing, losing, laughing, longing, taking, leaving. This is heartbreak and lust in a joker's world, with words and music from some of the big boys including Bob Dylan, George Frederic Handel, John Lennon, Billy Joel and Robert Schumann. It’s hell, man. |
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Hell, Man Tuesday 28 April 2009, 8.30pm, Infinity Crystal Palace, Wanaka 90 Minutes; no interval. A feature of The Wanaka Festival Of Light |
Helen Medlyn - voice Penny Dodd - piano Helen Medlyn and music director Penny Dodd are dealing a rogue card. Words and music from some of the big boys including Bob Dylan, George Frederic Handel, John Lennon, Billy Joel and Robert Schumann. |
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New Zealand Premieres Concert Saturday 4 April 2009, 8pm, Auckland Town Hall The Auckland Philharmonia conducted by Hamish McKeich Featuring Medea Penny Dodd - composer Julia Booth, Barbara Graham, Barbara Peterson: sopranos Hadleigh Adams, Michael Gray, Matthew Landreth: baritones |
New Zealand composers present
the world premiere of six concert arias for solo singer and full orchestra. Penny Dodd, after working 22 years as a successful arranger, composes a piece completely from scratch by adapting a soliloquy from Euripedes’ Medea. Anthony Ritchie: Hone Tuwhare - Rain; Jeff Lin: Li Yu - Exile from the Native Land; David Hamilton: Bill Sewell - Breaking the Quiet; Matthew Crawford: Karlo Mila - A Place to Stand; Anthony Young: Leanna Brodie - The Angle of Reflection. Download the Texts here |
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Cabaret Friday 3 April 2009, 7pm, Brisbane City Hall Auditorium The Queensland Orchestra conducted by Guy Noble |
Helen Medlyn
- mezzo soprano Bernadette Robinson They say ‘life is a cabaret’ and for this, the first Prom in 2009, The Queensland Orchestra presents divas centre stage with a programme of music by Ellington, Weill, Brecht, Piaf and more. |
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AMI Summer Symphony At The
Basin Saturday 7 March 2009 Basin Reserve, Wellington Gates open at 3pm for 5pm concert |
Helen Medlyn
- mezzo soprano Jenny Wollerman, Richard Greager, Footnote Dance The Vector Wellington Orchestra conducted by Marc Taddei The perfect way to spend a summer afternoon! Concert highlights include the William Tell Overture, the great tenor aria Nessun Dorma, and the exquisite ‘Flower Duet’ from Lakmé. |
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Last Night of the Proms Friday, 27 February 2009, 7:30pm in the Dunedin Town Hall; Saturday, 28 February 2009, 7:00pm in the Oamaru Opera House. |
Helen Medlyn
- mezzo soprano The City of Dunedin Choir The Southern Sinfonia conducted by Kenneth Young Tom McGrath - Piano Ginette McDonald - MC Dig out your party-best, and warm up those vocal cords. The Last Night of the Proms will be a night to remember. |
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Auckland
Philharmonia Summer Matinee Saturday 14 February 2009 Government House Gardens, Auckland. Gates open 12pm; Performance 2pm. |
Helen Medlyn
- mezzo soprano Simon O'Neill The Auckland Philharmonia conducted by Ken Young Celebrate the romance of Valentine’s Day at Auckland’s most popular outdoor concert picnic, featuring orchestral works, arias and songs filled with romance. |
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Vinesongs Saturday 31 January 2009 Cable Bay Vineyards, Waiheke Island |
Helen Medlyn
-mezzo soprano Peter Urlich, Elizabeth Marvelly, Shane Cortese The Auckland Philharmonia conducted by Marc Taddei Presenting the best of jazz, swing and show tunes while you relax and unwind on the sun-drenched slopes of this renowned Waiheke Island vineyard. |
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Sealord Opera
In The Park Saturday 24 January 2009 Trafalgar Park, Nelson 7.30-10pm, gates open at 5.30pm |
Helen Medlyn
- mezzo soprano Penny Dodd - piano Simon O'Neill, Anna Leese The Vector Wellington Orchestra conducted by Marc Taddei Stars on stage and high above - a night of fabulous music in a picnic atmosphere, with a spectacular fireworks finale. |
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Auckland Town Hall Mon 15 & Tue 16 Dec 2008 8pm Auckland Choral Society Website The tradition continues: every year for over 100 years, Christmas in Auckland has been celebrated with an Auckland Choral Society performance of Handel's sacred oratorio. First performed in Dublin in 1742, Messiah has a singular power that endures nearly 300 years later. More about Handel's Messiah here. |
Messiah "Few arts organisations in Australasia
can rival Auckland Choral..." - Willaim Dart, NZ Herald |
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TelstraClear Pacific Events
Centre Sat 6 Dec 2008, 7.30pm; Sun 7 Dec 2008, 2.30pm. Manukau Symphony Website After Wagner's Prelude to Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg, Helen Medlyn shines in Gustav Mahler’s expressive Rückert Lieder. Then be awed as the orchestra plays Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55, "Eroica". More about Mahler here. |
Eroica Helen Medlyn - mezzo soprano Uwe Grodd - Conductor, The Manukau City Symphony Orchestra |
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Auckland -
Aotea Centre, Sat 20 Sep thru Sat 27 Sep 2008 Wellington - St James Theatre Sat 11 Oct thru Sat 18 Oct 2008 Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Vector Wellington Orchestra Wyn Davies - Conductor |
THE
GENESIS ENERGY SPRING SEASON OF JANACEK'S JENUFA Helen Medlyn Anne Sophie Duprels, Margaret Medlyn, Tom Randle, Jamie Allen The Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus |
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The NBR New Zealand Opera's third
production for 2008, The Genesis Energy Spring Season of Janacek's
Jenufa comes to New Zealand from the world famous Glyndebourne Festival.
This production has helped bring the genius of Janacek to the world
and see him placed as one of the four titans of the 20th century operatic
canon. Composed in 1904 by Czech composer Leos Janacek, Jenufa is driven by strong female characters. It is a gripping tale, a powerful statement of loss and redemption; raw and harrowing, yet compassionate and uplifting. And the music is very individual, with a lyric beauty to it. Mezzo-soprano Helen Medlyn stars in the role of Starenka Buryjovka. The role of Jenufa is performed by French soprano Anne Sophie Duprels, acclaimed for her acting as well as her singing as witnessed when she performed Marguerite in 2006's Faust. Dramatic soprano Margaret Medlyn performs the role of Kostelnicka Buryjovka, while two exciting tenors - Tom Randle and Jamie Allen - play Laca and Steva respectively. The rest of the large cast comprises entirely New Zealand singers. Auckland - Aotea Centre, THE EDGE® Sat 20, Thu 25 and Sat 27 September (7:30pm), Tue 23 September (1:00pm) Wellington - St James Theatre Sat 11, Thu 16 and Sat 18 October (7:30pm), Tue 14 October (6:00pm) |
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Aotea Centre, Auckland Saturday 30 August 2008, 7.30pm Take leave from the traditional decorum of a concert hall, wave a Union Jack to the strains of Rule Britannia, Land of Hope and Glory and other traditional (and not-so-traditional) numbers to celebrate the Best of British. |
Last Night Of The Proms Helen Medlyn Anna Leese Wyn Davies, Conductor Auckland Philharmonia Website. |
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Touring
NewZealand Sun 29 Jun 2008 thru Wed 13 Aug 2008 Players from the Auckland Philharmonia and Christchurch Symphony conducted by Tecwyn Evans & Michael Vinten. |
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NATIONAL TOUR OF HUMPERDINCK'S HANSEL AND GRETEL Helen Medlyn Ana James, Anna Pierard, James Harrison, Barbara Graham, Barbara Paterson |
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The NBR New Zealand Opera's second
opera for 2008, Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, will engage
with audiences in 15 centres from Kerikeri to Invercargill, including
two new cities - Manukau and Timaru.
The century-old take on the popular Grimm fairytale Hansel and Gretel is ever true today, as the audience follows Hansel and Gretel along the overgrown path from childhood innocence to adult awareness. This production is sung in English, and boasts an entirely New Zealand cast and creative team. Making his long-awaited opera directing debut is acclaimed theatre director and actor Michael Hurst. Joining him is John Verryt, renowned for his dynamic, stylish design. Two rising stars, soprano Ana James and mezzo-soprano Anna Pierard, play Gretel and Hansel respectively. Leading mezzo-soprano Helen Medlyn, highly regarded both in New Zealand and overseas, performs the roles of Witch and Mother. James Harrison returns following an excellent portrayal of Valentin in 2006's Faust to play Father, and two of The NBR New Zealand Opera's current PwC Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artists, Barbara Graham and Barbara Paterson, share the role of Sandman/Dew Fairy. |
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NZ Bloodstock Centre, Karaka, Sat 24 May 2008 - 7.30pm; Sun 25 May 2008 - 1.30pm. The Concert at Karaka has been running for nine years. Funds raised support our Education Trust and many of our Rotary projects local and overseas. The Concert is held at the New Zealand Bloodstock Centre, Karaka, south of Auckland. |
Concert At Karaka: Hell, Man excerpts Helen Medlyn & Penny Dodd Presented by The Rotary Club of Papakura. |
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Crater Room, Great Lake Centre,
Taupo Epicentre Wednesday 14 May 2008 6.30pm Erupt Festival website “She’s the package, Medlyn – great voice and superb acting skills. It’s a rare talent that can hop genres like this with integrity” - Nelson Mail. |
Hell, Man Helen Medlyn & Penny Dodd An eclectic mix of music theatre, jazz ballads, opera arias, poetry, lieder and comic ditties by the likes of Bob Dylan, Samuel Barber, Fats Waller, George Frideric Handel, Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, Stephen Sondheim and Johnny Mercer. |
 
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Christchurch Town Hall Friday 9 May 2008 7.30pm CSO Website Beca presents a sophisticated night out with a sultry mix of cabaret music from the nightclubs, dance halls and stages of Berlin, Paris, New York, and Chicago. Bring your friends and colleagues, and start the weekend with a social night out that everyone will enjoy. Hear all the show tunes you know and love, and a few you may not have heard before. |
CSO Cabaret Tom Woods - conductor Helen Medlyn - mezzo with cabaret songs from Coward, Strayhorn, Ellington, Sondheim, Kandar & Ebb, Weill, Brel and orchestral jazz. |
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Auckland Town Hall Friday 18 April 2008 8pm Auckland Philharmonia Website Strauss’ richly woven tapestry of orchestral sound reveals a vivid portrait of decadence and obsession – epitomised by the charged eroticism of the famous Dance of the Seven Veils. Spiralling into madness and destruction all the way to its chilling climax, this work promises an evening of riveting drama. More about Salome here. |
Salome - Richard Strauss Helen Medlyn - Herodias Richard Greager - Herod Margaret Medlyn - Salome Martin Snell - Jokanaan Patrick Power - Narraboth Sarah Castle - The Page Eckehard Stier - Conductor Grant Dickson, Richard Green, Jamie Allen, Derek Hill, Terry Barry, Benjamin Fifita Makisi and Malcolm Ede |
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A Southern Opera production.
March 26th Nelson, 29th Dunedin, 31st Invercargill
April 3rd Queenstown, 7th, 9th & 11th Christchurch |
Time Pieces Southern Opera’s next production - ‘Time Pieces’ is set to delight audiences throughout the South Island in March and April 2008. ‘Time Pieces’ is a situation comedy which juxtaposes Ravel’s one-act opera ‘The Spanish Hour’ with ‘Ticked Off!’ - a sensational entertainment of comedy and musical classics. Concepción: Helen Medlyn Gonzalve: Derek Hill Torquemada: Richard Greager Ramiro: Jared Holt Don Iñigo Gomez: Richard Green |
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7pm Saturday 16 February 2008 Sealord Opera in the Park The event is part of the Nelson City Council's Summer Festival. |
Dame Kiri and Friends
Helen Medlyn mezzo soprano Jonathan Lemalu bass Simon O'Neill tenor |
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Dame Kiri te Kanawa will be back in
New Zealand next year for a one-off performance at Nelson's Sealord
Opera in the Park. The event's tenth anniversary also celebrates the
150th anniversary of Nelson being granted city status by Queen Victoria.
Dame Kiri says she is particularly pleased the organisers have managed to secure bass Jonathan Lemalu, tenor Simon O'Neill (Arts Foundation Laureate 2005) and mezzo soprano Helen Medlyn (Arts Foundation Laureate 2002) for this very special occasion. |
PLEASE CONTACT US HERE FOR PRE 2008 INFORMATION
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| Enjoy delicious music whenever the mood strikes! Those two "hell" cabaret divas - the divine Miss Medlyn and Miss Dodd - have put a microphone where Helen's mouth is and where Penny's piano-playing fingers are! "darling, it's hell", described as "pillow music", is not their usual eclectic mix of disparate musical genres, big characters and in-your-face storytelling. Instead they deliver eleven delicious songs of love that lie in the warm, luxurious lap of jazz. Joined by Neil Hannan on double-bass, the girls give us songs they seem to have made their very own - Peel Me A Grape, Send In The Clowns; songs they've always sung - Summertime, The Man I Love; and songs they've rarely sung - Moonshine Lullaby, I Concentrate On You. At Stebbing's renowned recording studios in Auckland, these three artists, no more than a few feet from each other and using old valve microphones, recorded 'live'; what you hear on the album is what you would get at a gig - heaven! Because "darling, it's hell" has been made this old-fashioned way - no artifice, no trickery - you hear it all; the hesitant heart, the mischievous smile, the wistful sigh. Love and the other catastrophes; darling, it's hell. Click here for more about "darling, it's hell". |
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Click here for clippings & quotes |
This page was updated
SEPTEMBER 2010
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