N.Z. woman to give London concert

Press, 6 August 1981, Page 7

N.Z. woman to give London concert

NZPA London A Wairarapa woman who set out to study music generally, and took up singing seriously only three' years ago, will give a concert in London this week.

Rosemary Quinn, of Carterton. did not take singing seriously until she was 22.

She studied music at Victoria University for five years, completing a bachelor of music degree with honours and obtaining a grant to study music at Kings College, London University, for a year.

Then singing stepped in. It had been a quiet interest in the last year of her degree, and Miss Quinn had taken singing lessons with Max Fernie.

The turning point was a concert just before she left, when she sang with the Schola Polyphonia. “People said, ‘Well, you've actually got a voice’.’’ she said. “That was it — the

minute I thought that perhaps I had a voice, I knew that was what I wanted to do.’’

She continued with her planned course in London in 1978. but at the same time followed the advice of the New Zealand pianist, Rae de Lisle, and approached a singing teacher. Noelle Barker, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Then Miss Quinn moved to study singing full-time at the Guildhall, coping as best she could with the $3122 fees until she was given an Arts Council grant in December. Even so, she has had to eke out her living with a variety of part-time jobs, including teaching singing. She has no regrets. “There is nothing to compare with singing,” she said. As a budding mezzosoprano she has, so far. steered clear of opera. “I would probably be restrictcd to parts which re-

quire a mature voice." she said. “But I hope to move to opera in at least five years time.

“I find the big chance from purely academic study is that singing is intuitive. There is not much room for purely academic teaching. Now I have to integrate the two.

“But I do not regret having a solid background in musicianship. Nor do I feel I’m a late starter. In fact, there has been a swing against ‘wonderchildren' lately."

After her New Zealand House concert in London. Miss Quinn will return to New Zealand as part of her obligations to her scholarship. for a year's study at Victoria University.

She will return to Europe, but has no regrets about going back to New Zealand.

“New Zealand will never develop culturally if people do not go back." she said.