Heartland Trust supports NZ Opera’s Opera in Schools 2024

In February this year the Heartland Trust provided funding to New Zealand Opera to support its Opera in Schools Tour 2024. This year’s opera was Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, and was shared with children all across New Zealand.

From 6 March to 12 April, the touring group performed in schools across Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Hastings and New Plymouth, with Wellington and Christchurch performances scheduled for June this year. They also performed the opera for students from the Blind Low Vision Education Network NZ school in Homai, and provided a Touch Tour of the production and a masterclass for their students afterwards.

Opera with a twist

In this 45-minute version of Donizetti’s famous opera, Adina is the daughter of the local fish and chip shop owner. Nemorino works there and is madly in love with Adina, but too shy to say anything. When a famous film star, Belcore, arrives in town for a film-shoot and starts to flirt with Adina, Nemorino must find his courage and fight for his love. Maybe a magical potion – an Elixir of Love – will help?

A cast of four opera singers, along with their accompanist, brought this beloved work to life. With a creative set-design and featuring the famous song, ‘Una furtiva lagrima’, this opera was a charming and entertaining introduction to the wonderful world of opera for young school children.

The 2024 cast included emerging artists Sarah Mileham (Adina), Alfred Fonoti-Fuimaono (Belcore), Tomairangi Henare (Dulcamara) and Taylor Wallbank (Nemorino).

The reviews are in!

Primary school students in Auckland shared their feedback on the performance:

“I thought the opera was great because the music was nice. I’ve never heard high and low music.”  Jonathon, Year 3

“The props were amazing and I loved the formation of the setting. It was simple and they could move it around so we knew when the scene changed. I can’t wait to see another one.” Subranitha, Year 6

“I liked the music at the start because it sounded like a piano. It just sounds so peaceful and I really enjoyed it.” Amal, Year 4

“In my opinion, the excellent-o-metre was out of the multiverse!! My favourite actor was the Fish ‘n’ Chip shop man Nemorino. I thought it was a really good opera; it was the first I’d ever seen.” Centhor, Year 6

“My favourite part was the people singing because I’ve never heard that type of music before.” Kyran, Year 3

As a sponsor, Heartland was invited to attend one of the performances. General Manager Retail, Keira Billot went along to the Three Kings Primary School show. “It was so wonderful to see the delight in the children’s faces as they enjoyed the performance. Heartland is proud to support an initiative that brings joy to so many tamariki.”

NZ Opera Director Marketing & Development Sally de Normanville Guy said, “we know that memorable experiences can inspire young people to follow their passions, and we are proud that our Company has helped introduce thousands of New Zealanders to careers in the arts – onstage and off.”

When it comes to finding a passion for the arts at a young age, Sally said it starts in our schools and our communities. “Our annual Opera in Schools tour is the cornerstone of this kaupapa and is a hugely successful initiative.”

The Heartland Trust is proud to get behind initiatives that make the arts and culture accessible, providing opportunities for young people to have new experiences in the hope that they’re inspired to dream big and reach their potential.

To learn more about Opera in Schools, visit nzopera.com

For any inquiries about the Heartland Trust please email [email protected]