Opera Star Is Reigning ‘Queen Of The Waves’

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29827, 21 May 1962, Page 2

Opera Star Is Reigning ‘Queen Of The Waves’

Miss Mary O’Brien, who plays Rosina in the New Zealand Opera Company’s production of “The Barber of Seville,” is the reigning “Queen of the Waves” of the Auckland EighteenFooter Flying Squadron Club. Every year the club holds a special race for 18ft yachts to include a woman in the crew. “The girl in the winning yacht is named ‘Queen of the Waves’,” she explained in Christchurch last evening.

Married to Mr Bernard Skinner, 1950 world champion yachtsman of the 18ft class, she was sailing with him when she won her title in January last “1 race with my husband quite often and also go as a crew member with friends but so far we have not taken our 16-month-old son to sea with us," she said Mr Skinner arrived back in Auckland from Florida, U.S, after representing New Zealand in the Olympic Flying Dutchman class, just before his wife left on tour with the opera company When preparing for a role In an opera. Mary O'Brien practises singing up to four hours a day. fitting it in between looking after her small son her husband and home “When you are really keen you make time for singing practice and I have trained my son to noise—he sleeps through it and keeps to a strict routine." she said While she is on tour her parents are looking after her husband and son in Auckland Miss O’Brien trained in sineing with Sister Mary Leo at St. Mary's Schoo) of Music in Auckland She won the

Mobil song quest in 1959 She has sung parts in “The Barber of Seville" more than 100 times, including her role in the company's 1959 tour with this opera After the present tour she has several engagements in Auckland, including the company's presentation of ‘The Barber’’ at the Auckland Festival. In September she will sing Queen of the Night in a concert performance of Mozart’s “Magic Flute” with the National Orchestra in Wellington Easier Tour ’The New Zealand Opera Company’s present tour has been much easier than the one we did three years ago," she said ‘‘We had to do six performances a week then This time 1 am only doing three or four a week I love the role of Rosina in ‘The Barber’ and the opera is really good fun.” The 25-year-old soprano has sung many leading roles in other operas—Violetta in “La Traviata,” Norina in “Don Pasquale” and Mimi in “La Boheme’ to name a few “But it is my great ambition to sing Lucia in ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’ some day It is my dream to sing it like

Joan Sutherland does,” she said. With her husband she plans to go overseas before the end of this year to further her studies and try her luck. “I particularly want to go to Germany at some time because I am so fond of Mozart’s works.” she said. When she has any leisure time. Mary O’Brien enjoys a game of golf “Several members of the company are keen golfers and we are all practising for a special game we hope to play in Auckland against our national sponsors, New Zealand Breweries Ltd.” Miss O’Brien said. While in Christchurch she is staying with an uncle and aunt. Mr and Mrs W. O’Brien of Craven street, Riccarton.