Barry Mora bass
Jesus
Barry Mora hails from Palmerston North, and
began his singing life in Tauranga with Beatrice
Webster as his teacher. Later he continued his
studies in Wellington with Maxwell Fernie.
He received Arts Council Grants and was the first
recipient of the Inia Te Wiata Scholarship awarded by
the NZ Opera Co. for overseas study. He and his young
family moved to London in 1975, where he continued
his studies with the renowned baritone Otakar Krauss.
He joined the Opera House in Gelsenkirchen in Germany in 1976, where he sang
many principal roles of the baritone repertoire, and continued to learn his craft.
He joined the prestigious Opera House in Frankfurt a.m. in 1980 where he remained
until 1988. During this period he also sang as a guest in many European cities, and was
a frequent guest at Covent Garden, Welsh National Opera, and Scottish Opera.
He returned to New Zealand in 1990, and until his retirement sang many roles for
Australian Opera, the New Zealand Companies, and taught for some years at the NZ
Opera School at Whanganui. He also served on the Board of Directors of NZ Opera.
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