Irene Bartlett has an enduring career as a professional vocalist. As both solo artist and lead singer of MoodSwing she is in demand for both corporate, private and concert performances.

Irene lectures and develops coursework in Jazz/Contemporary Voice and Vocal Pedagogy while teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. She is Coordinator of the Young Conservatorium, Contemporary Voice Program, a visiting lecturer to the postgraduate Vocal Pedagogy program at the Sydney Conservatorium and an ANATS Master Teacher.

Irene’s students have been the recipients of prestigious awards including five James Morrison Scholarships, the Freidman Scholarship, the Montreaux Jazz Festival Emerging Artist, and the Churchill Fellowship. Many work professionally in the popular music industry or have appeared in nationally touring music theatre productions such as ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, ‘Miss Saigon’, ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ and ‘The Altar Boys’.

As a candidate in the Doctor of Musical Arts (Griffith University) she is investigating the working lives of professional contemporary gig singers in Australia.

After winning the inaugural Dame Sister Mary Leo Scholarship, and other major singing competitions, Glenese was awarded an Arts Council Grant for further study overseas.

Enjoying a successful singing career in England, Glenese developed an interest in vocal pedagogy which led to teaching positions at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Marylebone Voice and Therapy Unit.

On her return to New Zealand, Glenese was appointed Senior Lecturer in Voice at The University of Auckland where she developed an innovative and successful voice department.

She has been an active Council Member for NEWZATS locally and nationally, and working with Janice Webb promotes good teaching methods in the Auckland area.

Moving to Cambridge for a lifestyle change, Glenese and her husband Michael founded a new creative venture called The Music Shed, which actively promotes young singers and voice teachers.

Glenese recently completed her Master of Arts (Art Therapy) degree which enabled her to focus on her belief that music has the ability to heal and that voice is an integral part of the healing process.

Glenese recently resumed her singing career as Guest Soprano Soloist with Hamilton Civic Choir in Rossini’s Stabat Mater and looks forward to other engagements. She currently tutors Voice at Waikato University, and works with singers from all over New Zealand.

Paul Carnegie-Jones is a classical and jazz pianist. Paul's musical interests include solo performance, ensemble playing and accompaniment. As a concert and recital accompanist, Paul's emphasis lies within the vocal repertoire, including opera and music theatre. In addition to having accompanied hundreds of vocal students, he has been fortunate to work with some of New Zealand's finest vocalists. Occasionally dabbling in instrumental accompaniment, Paul has also recited with some of the country's most distinguished instrumentalists.

Since 2008, Paul has worked alongside multi-platinum artist Russian-born Yulia MacLean, as her concert accompanist and music director.

A jazz and rock enthusiast, Paul plays piano and keyboards in two jazz/blues/fusion quartets: the Stephanie Bishop Quartet, based in Wellington, and Rothko, based in Hawkes Bay.

As a theatrical répétiteur and orchestral pianist, Paul has undertaken productions of Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Cabaret, The Producers, Beauty and The Beast and Urinetown. In 2009 he musically directed a production of Red Hot and Cole, a musical about the life and music of Cole Porter, at the Hawkes Bay Opera House. Other recent theatrical productions have included Gian Carlo Menotti's opéra bouffe The Telephone, or L'Amour à trois, for Opera Hawkes Bay.

Paul is studying towards a master's degree in architecture at Victoria University.

Julie Coulson

Julie Coulson is a lecturer and accompanist at the New Zealand School of Music. She graduated Senior Scholar from Canterbury University and holds majors in music, European languages and literature, pedagogy, art history and music therapy. Her two areas of research are dyspraxia and music, and youth chamber music. She runs a private music studio, is the current Director of CHAMPS (a Wellington youth chamber music programme), and has a close relation with NEWZATS.

Christine Douglas began singing with the Victoria State Opera and after numerous leading roles with the state opera companies and Opera Australia, moved to directing for opera in 1998. Since then, she has directed the Magic Flute, Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, Hansel & Gretel, Cosi fan tutte, Il Mondo della Luna, the Barber of Seville, and assisted on Sweeney Todd and other productions for Opera Australia.

Christine is passionate about training the next generation of Australian opera singers to the highest professional standards. In acknowledgement of that commitment Christine was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2001. In 2008 Christine directs the Magic Flute for Opera Queensland and continues in her capacity as Artistic Director of Pacific Opera, steering the Sydney based company which specialses in developing emerging opera artists.

Having worked with a number of the world’s finest directors, Christine insists on the equality of drama and music, in her own performances and in those she directs.

Flora Edwards has had a long performance career in opera in the theatre, on television, solo roles in oratorio and as a recitalist. Her roles for NBR National Opera were Azucena in Il Trovatore, Mrs Sedley in Peter Grimes and The Nurse in the 2003 production of Boris Gudenov. Opera direction has been a large part of her career and she directed more than twenty-five chamber operas for students at Massey University’s Conservatorium of Music, where she was Head of the Conservatorium. She also directed Il Barbiere di Seville and I Pagliacci for the Dunedin opera Company.

She has devoted much time to singing teacher education in New Zealand in the past twenty years, initiated the formation of a professional association for New Zealand teachers of singing, NEWZATS, brought the Third International Congress of Voice Teachers to New Zealand in 1994.

She is an experienced vocal adjudicator and an accredited examiner for AMEB. Flora has a strong interest in the science of the singing voice and in the knowledge base needed for professionalism in singing teaching. She has published in academic journals, presented papers on vocal teaching at international conferences and undertook two research projects for Massey University.

Flora received an ONZM in the recent New Year’s Honours list for services to music.

Pianist Rachel Fuller studied at the University of Canterbury with Dierdre Irons and at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Michael Dussek and Tatiana Sarkissova graduating with a Masters in Music in Piano Accompaniment.

Rachel works in the UK as a freelance accompanist, repetiteur and vocal coach and teaches piano at St. Paul’s Boys School and Latymer School. Rachel has worked as a repetiteur for Opera Holland Park, Iford Arts Festival, Pavillion and Diva Opera.

Among her engagements, Rachel has toured Norway with Fjosopera, made several tours for Chamber Music New Zealand, performed with violist Takashi Kikuchi at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and performed in Sweden, France, Norway and the UK with mezzo soprano Catrin Johnsson.

Lesley Graham (FTCL, PGDip Mus.) studied singing at the Wellington Polytechnic Conservatorium of Music under Anthea Moller and Flora Edwards. Over the past 25 years she has been a regular performer in Oratorio, Opera and Ensemble works in Wellington and around New Zealand. Lesley has a special interest in New Zealand vocal music and premiered the leading roles in two New Zealand operas, 'Waithui' and 'Tanz der Schwane’, both by Ross Harris and Witi Ihimaera. In 2003 Wellington composer Helen Fisher composed for Lesley a chamber work entitled 'The Wheel Turns’, consisting of a cycle of songs set to words by New Zealand poet Lauris Edmond, which was released on CD Taku Wana.

Lesley regularly sings in the chorus of NBR NZ Opera. Lesley has a busy singing studio with approximately 50 full time students and provides many performing opportunities for them during the year. She formed Boutique Opera in 2002 and to date has produced three major productions for her students. Lesley is a Past President of NEWZATS (NZ Association of Teachers of Singing), and is currently on the committee of the New Zealand Opera Society.

Lesley enjoys working with students of all ages and abilities and feels that she has something positive to offer in all genres of the singing repertoire from classical through to contemporary.

David Harper - born and raised in the Waikato but resident in London for many years – originally trained as a concert pianist before deciding to re-direct his professional musical focus towards recital accompaniment, detailed research into the physiology and mechanics of classical singing technique, and extended study of the vast range of repertoire available to singers.

Nowadays his career as a world-reknowned vocal coach and concert accompanist takes him to all points of the globe, and his client list includes numerous prominent international artists and aspiring student professionals in equal number.

Discography includes 12 CDs for the series ‘Il Salotto’ (The Salon) for Opera Rara London, and several for Trust Records NZ.

Recent and forthcoming engagements include recitals and guest coaching invitations throughout Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, and Australasia – including a much anticipated fourth return visit as Guest Tutor at the 2011 NZ National Singing School.

Lea Henderson (with a B.Mus in Piano Performance) has been performing for over thirty years, the last fifteen as a freelance accompanist. This work has encompassed Music Theatre (local and touring shows in NZ and Australia), vocal recitals, chamber, orchestral and choral work, recordings, auditions, surtitle-operating and repetiteuring.

It has been Lea’s great privilege to perform with many of New Zealand’s most accomplished and notable singers, and to have been the principal accompanist for NASDA from 1994-2002.

Lea’s non-musical interests range from vegetable gardening, playing tennis and canasta, and caring for her geriatric dog.

Angela gained her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Canterbury and her LTCL in solo singing. She then attended the highly regarded Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).

Angela has worked consistently in professional Music Theatre for many prominent production companies in Australia and New Zealand.

Here in New Zealand, Angela has appeared on many occasions as guest soloist with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, most recently in Broadway Broads, An Evening with Rodgers and Hammerstein and An Evening with Sondheim and Bernstein.. She has appeared in The Jungle Book and choreographed A Slice of Saturday Night for the Fortune Theatre. For the Court Theatre she appeared in My Fair Lady, South Pacific and Jerry’s Girls. For Canterbury Opera she played Mrs Anderssen in A Little Night Music.

Angela is also the co-ordinator of the singing programme and a director of musicals at The National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art (NASDA) which is based at CPIT in Christchurch.

Winner of the Christina Nilsson Award from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, Mezzo Soprano Catrin Johnsson studied at the Royal University College of Music, Stockholm, and the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Based in the UK, Catrin’s career includes; operatic performances with leading British companies such as Opera North, Opera Holland Park and English Touring Opera (roles include Carmen, Hermia, Stephano, Hansel, Dorabella, Nicklausse, Cherubino and Zerlina); concert engagements in venues such as the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, St John's, Smith Square and in collaboration with artists Emma Kirkby, Malcolm Martineau and The English Consort, as well as concerts in Spain, Sweden, Norway, France and New Zealand. Catrin also teaches singing, both privately and at St. Paul’s Boys School, London.

Jane Keller has lived in NZ for 21 years. She trained at The Ohio State University where she received a Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education and a Master of Vocal Pedagogy. Although classically trained and with over 30 years of operatic experience, Jane's real loves are musical theatre, cabaret and jazz. Her cabaret shows, "Bigger Is Better" and "Do I Have To Get Naked", got rave reviews in the U.S. and NZ. She debuted "So Many Disappointed Men" in The St James Cabaret Series in November 2009 to critical acclaim and will debut a new show, "Boomers Behaving Badly" in The St James cabaret series in May 2010.

Jane has a large private singing studio in Wellington and teaches singing at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand National Drama School. She travels the country doing her cabaret shows, teaching workshops and doing vocal coaching.

Richard Marrett (B.Mus., LRSM) is in demand as a musical director, vocal coach, arranger and composer. With a background in teaching, he works as a freelance musical director and as a Senior Lecturer at CPIT in the Bachelor of Performing Arts programme (NASDA).

Between his arranging and conducting, credits include Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Wellington Vector Orchestra, Orpheus Choir, Christchurch City Choir, Dunedin Operatic, Showbiz Christchurch, Wellington Musical Theatre, The Court Theatre and the Choral Federation. Several of his orchestrations have been recorded with the NZSO and he has appeared in cabaret with Ali Harper and Juliet Reynolds-Midgley.

With the musical direction of more than 30 major productions to his credit, Richard has most recently finished Cats, The Producers and Chicago in Christchurch and is preparing for the summer season of La Cage Aux Folles at The Court Theatre as well as Classical Sparks with Hayley Westenra in Hagley Park.

New Zealand born Richard Mapp graduated from the University of Otago, and later undertook postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he also held a teaching fellowship. Following a very successful Wigmore Hall debut, he spent over ten years based in London performing and teaching. From 2000 – 2009 he was Senior Lecturer in Piano at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington.

Richard Mapp has given solo recitals, performed chamber music and concertos, and has made radio recordings in more than fifteen countries. His CD of music by Granados for Meridian Records was extremely well reviewed in the BBC Music Magazine. He also appears on CDs with the New Zealand Piano Quartet (Naxos and Kiwi Pacific), the NZ Symphony Orchestra and with flautist Amanda Hollins (Atoll).

Since his return to New Zealand, Richard Mapp has appeared as soloist with the NZSO, the Christchurch Symphony, Auckland Philharmonia and the Auckland Chamber Orchestra. He is the pianist in the New Zealand Piano Quartet, and a regular guest performer with other leading New Zealand musicians.

Born in New Zealand, Fiona McCabe studied piano performance at Wellington Polytechnic and Victoria University. In 1993 she completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Accompaniment at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

As a repetiteur Fiona works for the NBR New Zealand Opera and the NZ International Arts Festival. In 1997 she was an Opera Australia repetiteur in training and worked on numerous productions until 2006.

As well as having an international career as an accompanist, Fiona has a passion for the voice. She has an AmusA in singing; has studied and worked with Anthea Moller and David Harper in Sydney and with Janice Chapman and Raymond Connell, London. She is currently a student of Lesley Graham.

Fiona is Assistant Musical Director of the Orpheus Choir; performs with the NZSO, Vector Wellington Orchestra and Stroma. Fiona is a member of the Chapman Tripp Opera chorus, Nota Bene and was a member of Tower Voices NZ.

Hugh McMillan is a full-time self-employed musician, and makes music in as many ways as he possibly can (including providing keyboards in a rock band). He teaches piano and theory, accompanies singers and instrumentalists for auditions, competitions and recitals, makes CDs of accompaniments for singers and instrumentalists who need to practice with the accompaniment but can’t find a pianist (usually these people are somewhere out in the wop-wops). Hugh has been, on three very successful occasions, Music Director for the Wellington Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s productions (The Gondoliers, The Mikado and Iolanthe).

Born in Christchurch, and a pupil of Ernest Empson and Maurice Till, pianist Susan Melville has had wide performing and teaching experience in Australasia and in Europe. She has given recitals with some of NZ finest musicians, including Jonathan Lemalu, Patrick Power, Roger Wilson and Deborah Rawson; has recorded for Concert FM and appeared as guest artist with internationally acclaimed saxophone ensemble Saxcess.

A long-standing association with Opera Hawkes Bay has included the musical direction and piano accompaniment for four salon operas and several appointments as chorus mistress. In 2006 Susan conducted the opera segment at the opening of the re-furbished HB Opera House.

Susan has been conductor of the Hawkes Bay Youth Orchestra since 1995, piano tutor at Iona College since 1997 and Director of Choirs at Havelock North High School, including the award-winning Colla Voce, since 2002. She is currently in demand as an accompanist, chamber music coach and competitions adjudicator.

Colleen Rae-Gerrard’s prestigious career as accompanist and concert pianist began with studies in Europe with Karl Ulrich Schnabel and Paul Badura-Skoda. In Auckland she performed extensively with Dame Malvina Major, Anthea Moller and other eminent NZ singers. As a concert pianist Colleen has performed in Australia, Malaysia, Brunei and Europe. Colleen worked with Professor Rudolf Piernay (Guildhall London) at an earlier National Singing School.

Resident in Australia for many years she was a Lecturer, Accompanist and Repetiteur at the Australian National University School of Music where she was associated with many young singers in Opera Productions, Graduation Recitals and fund-raising Embassy concerts.

Colleen is now resident in Hawke’s Bay continuing her active concert and teaching career and finding time to be a National Singing School Trustee.

Kay Shacklock has concentrated on accompanying from an early age. She studied piano at Auckland University under Janetta McStay, Bryan Sayer and Tamas Vesmas, before attending the Guildhall School of Music in London for the Post-Graduate Accompanist course under the guidance of Graham Johnson.

Since returning to New Zealand in the mid 90’s, Kay has worked extensively with leading singers and instrumentalists, and continues to appreciate the variety of playing for - and learning from - artists of all persuasions and abilities. She enjoys a special partnership with soprano Gina Sanders, with regular performances and recordings, and is also one half of a piano duo alongside well-known musician, Peter Watts. Realising the advancement of grey hairs did not necessarily mean the advancement of skill, she recently completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in collaborative piano with Sarah Watkins (New Zealand Trio) at Auckland University.

Since 1992, Janice Webb has been one of Auckland’s most respected voice tutors. Her extensive intellectual knowledge of the vocal instrument and her lifetime of experience as a singer, actress and recording artist, has seen her sought after as a singing teacher and adjudicator, and she is regularly asked to judge all levels of classes at major singing competitions throughout New Zealand.

As a singing tutor, Janice’s main focus has always been to develop the voices of her pupils, but she was also aware of the importance of stagecraft for her pupils, so she developed the innovative idea of monthly concerts. These have made an invaluable contribution to her students’ tuition, many of whom have gone on to thriving careers in opera and musical theatre, here and overseas.

Originally a school teacher, Janice’s thirty years at the chalkboard was paralleled by her performance career, which included the making of numerous recordings and broadcasts for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (now Radio New Zealand) as well as taking lead roles in operas, operettas, musicals and oratorios throughout the country. But, the growing successes of her students – including winners of the Mobil (now Lexus) Song Quest and the New Zealand Herald Aria – saw her leaving the schoolyard and the stage to concentrate solely on teaching singing.

Alex played various instruments in her early years, including violin, ‘cello and piano, as well as learning singing with Angela Shaw and Sister Mary Leo. She also studied conducting with the late Juan Matteucci, which afforded her the opportunity to conduct the National Ballet’s Nutcracker Suite and National Opera’s production of Marriage of Figaro, amongst others.

Alex worked for TVNZ as a session musician for shows such as Radio Times, Stars on Sunday and 12 Bar Rhythm & Shoes, and was a quiz researcher for Mastermind and University Challenge for several years. She was also Musical Director for the Mercury Theatre productions of Godspell, Gershwin, The Boyfriend, and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, as well as musical directing touring shows such as Evita and Playing Our Song, in New Zealand, and Big River in Australia.

Living in Australia for 16 years, Alex worked for the Cameron Mackintosh Production Company, Victoria State Opera, and The Really Useful Company, on such commercial musical productions as CATS, Les Miserables, The Pirates of Penzance & Phantom of the Opera in a variety of roles including conductor, repetiteur, keyboardist and vocal coach.

Alex also trained as a Counselling Psychologist in Melbourne after first completing her Bachelor of Science at Victoria University in Wellington. She currently works as a private counselling therapist, is a Specialist Arts tutor at Taupo Nui A Tia College, and tours as an Accompanist for the professional singing group, Operatunity, which performs concerts in 23 centres across NZ almost every month.

Robert Wiremu, classical singer, accompanist, composer/arranger and conductor studied at Victoria University with Emily Mair, Auckland University with Beatrice Webster and Queensland Conservatorium of Music with Gregory Massingham. Robert achieved success in many singing competitions, notably as a semi-finalist in the Mobil Song Quest.

His principal focus is with classical voice students at Auckland University’s School of Music on the performance and academic staff where he has taught keyboard and aural musicianship, trained choirs in vocal technique and coached chamber music ensembles.

Robert’s choir interests include the NZ National Youth Choir (as vocal consultant) Tower Voices NZ, recent appointment as Director of Music to the NZ Secondary Students’ Choir and Director to the NZ Academy of Choral Music. He is vocal coach for NBR NZ Opera, working closely with the Dame Malvina Major PWC NBR Emerging Artists Programme.

Robert has been an Accompanist at the NZ National Singing School since 1997 and returns in 2011 as Deputy Artistic Director.

Jenny Wollerman MMus, BSc, LTCL, one of New Zealand’s best known sopranos, continues her performing career while teaching at the NZ School of Music. In 2005 her teaching gained national recognition when her students won First and Second Place in the Lexus Song Quest.

Jenny studied at Curtis Institute in Philadelphia with Marlena Malas, graduating MMus in Opera, then attended summer schools in Belgium, Banff and Britten-Pears School courses on Russian Song, Mahler and French Songs while studying with Audrey Langford and Eduardo Asqueth in London.

Engagements include Léïla for State Opera of South Australia, Lutoslawski’s song cycle with Tasmanian Symphony, Ravel’s ’Shéhérazade’ with West Australian and Adelaide Symphonies, Micaëla, Mimì, Xenia, Eurydice, Fiordiligi, Pamina, Johanna (Sweeney Todd) and solo appearances in the NZ International Festival. She recorded Mendelssohn’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ music for release by Naxos.

Jenny’s recent research and report for the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation on the study and career scene in the UK is available from their website.