ANNA LEESE , soprano
Anna Leese completed a Bachelor of Music degree with First Class Honours at the University of Otago before relocating to London , and has been the recipient of many awards and prizes , also representing New Zealand in the Cardiff Singer of the World competition .
Anna has performed at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as Tamiri ( Il Re Pastore ), Musetta ( La bohème ), Micaela ( Carmen ), First Lady ( Die Zauberflöte ) and Echo ( Ariadne auf Naxos ); Countess ( Le Nozze di Figaro ), and Fiordiligi for the Classical Opera Company ; Musetta at the Royal Albert Hall ; Antonia ( Les contes d ’ Hoffmann ) for Opera Köln ; Tatyana ( Eugene Onegin ) for Flanders Opera and Opera Holland Park ; Biancofiore ( Francesca di Rimini ), and Musetta with the Canadian Opera Company ; and Ilia ( Idomeneo ), Cleopatra ( Giulio Cesare ), Tatyana , and Majenka ( The Bartered Bride ) and Donna Elvira ( Don Giovanni ) for New Zealand Opera .
Anna regularly appears as guest artist with New Zealand ’ s leading orchestras and ensembles . Her concert engagements include Mahler ’ s Second Symphony with Bernard Haitink , BBC Proms , Brahms Requiem , Mendelssohn ’ s Elijah , Beethoven ’ s Ninth Symphony , Vaughan Williams ’ Sea Symphony ( Malaysian Philharmonic ), Mahler ’ s Second Symphony and Messiah ( New Zealand Symphony Orchestra ), Freia in Das Rheingold ( Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra ) as well as recitals at the Wigmore Hall .
In 2016 Anna ’ s engagements include the role of Mary / Luck in a new work by Ross Harris ( libretto by Vincent O ’ Sullivan ), Brass Poppies , for New Zealand Festival in both Wellington and Auckland , Nelson ’ s Opera in the Park and Rotorua ’ s Lakeside Concert , Strauss ’ Capriccio ( final scene ) with Orchestra Wellington , Mozart ’ s Mass in C minor with Bach Musica NZ , and Mendelssohn ’ s Lobgesang ( Hymn of Praise ): Symphony No . 2 with the Auckland Choral Society .
Anna ’ s recordings include Elgar ’ s The Apostles , a recital disc with Graham Johnson , and Haydn : ‘ Italian Love Songs ’.
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