A native of New Zealand, Simon O’Neill has established himself as one of the finest helden-tenors on the international stage. He has frequently performed with the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Berlin, Hamburg and Bayerische Staatsopern, Teatro alla Scala and the Bayreuth, Salzburg, Edinburgh and BBC Proms Festivals, appearing with a number of illustrious conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle, James Levine, Riccardo Muti, Valery Gergiev, Sir Antonio Pappano, Pietari Inkinen, Pierre Boulez, Sir Mark Elder, Sir Colin Davis, Daniele Gatti, Edo de Waart, Fabio Luisi, Donald Runnicles, Sir Simon Rattle, Thomas Hengelbrock, Jaap Van Zweden and Christian Thielemann.
The choir for me has been very beneficial, not only for my musical and theoretical skills, but also my ability to listen, which for a solo singer is fairly important….You need a lot of skills linguistically, physically-even things like looking after the voice….which the National Youth Choir over the five years I was in it did very well.
See our feature on Madison’s adventures since her time in the NZSSC
See our feature on Tecwyn’s career development from NZSSC member to international conductor based in Sweden.
See our feature on Amelia’s exciting career since her time with NZSSC.
See our feature on Chris and his role in one of the world’s most internationally renown choirs, The Kings Singers.
Susan is conductor, singer and multi-instrumentalist. She began her professional singing career in 1986 with Canterbury Opera and has performed with Queensland Opera and New Zealand Opera. Susan has sung as a soloist for many choral societies within New Zealand and Australia, touring extensively overseas with a number of ensembles.
After completing her music degree and teaching qualifications in Christchurch she studied voice at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. In Queensland she worked with the Queensland Arts Council and Opera company performing opera in schools across the state.
Susan currently works as an Itinerant Teacher of Music at Burnside High School where she teaches voice and conducts two award winning choirs. She is a past Music Director of the Jubilate Singers and the University of Canterbury Chamber Choir (Consortia).
As a chorister Susan has sung in the Jubilate Singers, The Queensland University Chamber Singers, the New Zealand Youth Choir and is a current member of Voices New Zealand.
Brent Stewart is currently Orpheus Choir Wellington’s Music Director, Orchestra Wellington’s Principal Percussionist, and NZSSC’s Assistant Director. On the side, Brent also serves as NZSO’s director of filming. Brent was HoD Music at Wellington East Girls’ College from 2010-2019 and Music Director of the Hutt Valley Orchestra from 2007-2017. Coming up, Brent will be conducting Benee’s New Zealand tour with the NZSO and Auckland Philharmonia, plus the NZ Synthony tour with Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Wellington and APO. Brent is also conducting Red! with New Zealand Opera in August and preparing for a French programme with the St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra in September. Also on the calendar to conduct this year is Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater and Bach’s B Minor Mass with Orchestra Wellington and Orpheus Choir Wellington.
Benjamin Madden is a proudly born-and-bred Dunedin tenor trained by Pat Scally-Richardson and Judy Bellingham. Since finishing vocal study at the University of Otago, Benjamin has been working as a freelance singer, a choral director and private singing tutor in Dunedin. Ben currently teaches singing and directs choirs for Otago Boys’ High School and Otago Girls’ High School, and teaches instruments (guitar, drums, keyboard and singing) at Abbotsford Primary School and Mornington Primary School. Benjamin has enjoyed the opportunity to work with the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir as a conducting intern, guest vocal tutor and now as Vocal Consultant. Benjamin is an alumni of the NZSSC, the New Zealand Youth Choir, and a current member of Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir. Benjamin works with the New Zealand Choral Federation as a mentor for primary school singing leaders as part of their ‘Singing Matters’ programme. Benjamin was delighted to work with City Choir Dunedin in a vocal coach capacity in 2020. Outside of singing and teaching music Benjamin is an avid endurance athlete and rock climber, enjoying running distances up to and beyond the marathon.
Anna graduated from the University of Otago in November 2003, with a first class honours degree in music. In 2006 she graduated from the Benjamin Britten International Opera School at the Royal College of Music, London, and won the Queen Elizabeth Rosebowl, which was presented by HRH Prince Charles in 2007.
