E nga rau rangatira mā, e kui mā, e koro mā, e huihui mai nei I tenei waa, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou. Nau mai, haere mai ra ki Te Whare o te Kawana Tinara o Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
I wish to begin by specifically acknowledging: the Right Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Susan Satyanand; His Excellency Mr Cristiano Maggipinto, Ambassador of Italy to New Zealand, and Ms Tamara Hardikar; Dame Malvina Major; David Jackson – Chair, Dame Malvina Major Foundation; and Lorraine MacDonald, Jesse Watt, and Susan Taylor – Trustees.
I also wish to take this opportunity to pay special tribute to Bruce Greenfield, and to acknowledge the many years he has spent supporting Government House events with his exceptional playing, as well as the work he does with performance students at Victoria University’s Music Department – cementing his reputation as one of New Zealand’s very finest accompanists.
To all other distinguished guests here this evening – tēnā koutou katoa. A very warm welcome to you all, and thank you so much for joining us for this very special evening of performance.
I was delighted to become Patron of New Zealand Opera last year, as I can say nothing else transports us with quite the same masterful display of technique, storytelling, musicality, high drama, and spectacle – while at the same time challenging us to reflect on timeless questions about the human condition.
Whether you are familiar with the arias on tonight’s programme, or are hearing them for the first time, you are sure to be reminded why opera is regarded as the ‘ultimate art form’.
Brad Cohen, the General Director of New Zealand Opera, has described the human voice as ‘the most intimate musical instrument at our disposal.’ At the same time, for an opera singer’s voice to be projected to reach the back of a stadium, they need the endurance, velocity, and precision of an athlete.
As one of the finest singers our nation has ever produced, Dame Malvina Major experienced the reality of those challenges, and understood how much young singers would benefit from support and mentoring, especially as New Zealand is so very far from the great opera centres of the world.
In the 35 years since the Dame Malvina Major Foundation was established, hundreds of New Zealand singers have been provided with financial support, professional guidance, and performance opportunities. I want to thank everyone here who is supporting the Dame Malvina Major Foundation in pursuit of this very worthy mission.
We are indeed fortunate that Dame Malvina chose to channel her extraordinary energy into assisting others to achieve their potential.
Government House witnessed something of that wonderful energy at a 2022 dinner I hosted for Members of the Order of New Zealand, our country’s highest honour. What made the evening so memorable was the uproarious sing-along Dame Malvina led from the piano, as she effortlessly responded to all the requests from our illustrious guests.
One of the great privileges enjoyed by Governors-General is the wonderful opportunity to highlight the achievements of New Zealanders who have excelled in their chosen field. Tonight is no exception.
We are about to be blessed with performances from some of our brightest emerging stars in opera, and to witness the glorious rewards of all the hard work and dedication involved in training a voice. I want to sincerely thank our performers for sharing your talent and passion with us this evening.
I won’t hold up things any longer. Welcome again to you all, and I invite you to sit back and enjoy this evening’s performance, and the manaakitanga of Government House.
Kia ora huihui tātou katoa. I’d now like to invite Mr David Jackson to speak.