Singers chosen for quest

Press, 10 August 1985, Page 3

Singers chosen for quest

Seven Canterbury singers are among the 36 chosen for the broadcast elimination finals of the 1985 Mobil Song Quest on Sunday. The largest contingent, of 15 singers, is from Auckland. Wellington is represented by nine, Christchurch, six, and Napier, two. Single entrants come from Hamilton, Palmerston North, Dunedin and Kaikoura. According to the chairman of the judging panel, Mr Geoffrey Newson, there was an enthusiastic response from singers to the contest. There were 200 entries. Mrs Vera Rozsa, a Lon-don-based teacher and voice consultant, will judge the finalists, selected from the radio rounds, on their stage performance at the public concert in the Auckland Town Hall on October 11. The judges of the preliminary rounds are Mrs Anthea Moller, international artist and Auckland University lecturer, and Miss Dorothy Hitch, a Radio New Zealand music producer. The semi-finalists in the contest will appear in the television programme, “Opus,” from September 22 to October 6, and the final will be televised. As well as $5OOO first prize, the winner will have the chance to appear with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. The Canterbury entrants, are Judy Bellingham (Kaikoura), James Baines, Jillian Bartram, Sara Bell, Anne Condon and Ursula Ryan.