Soprano Dorothee Jansen will grace St Peter's Church,
Queenstown, with her presence by performing two opera
recitals later this month. Photo supplied.
A German soprano is back in Queenstown by popular demand
and is set to perform two fundraising opera recitals this
month.
International singing sensation Dorothee Jansen reunites with
Jan van den Berg on violin and Haydn Rawstron on keyboard
after their successful Wakatipu debut at St Peter's Church a
year ago.
The trio are to perform ''Love's journey through The Marriage
of Figaro'' on January 22. The programme boasts 10 arias
composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for soprano voices.
The story of the opera will be narrated between the arias.
The trio returns to the Anglican church with a second
programme, ''Nine German arias of enlightenment'' by George
Frideric Handel, described as one of the most beautiful works
ever written for soprano, violin and keyboard, on January 25.
The German singer and her Kiwi husband Rawstron divide their
time between New Zealand and the Isle of Man.
Born in Bonn, Jansen studied singing in Cologne and Freiburg
and her professional operatic career was launched at the
Freiburg Opera House.
Her freelance career has taken her worldwide as an opera
singer, concert singer and as an acclaimed lieder singer.
Highlights include appearances at four Bayreuth Festivals,
the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and the Grand Theatre de
Geneve.
Jansen has performed as an oratorio and concert singer with
the Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique of Radio
France, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony
Orchestra and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, as well as in
venues such as Westminster Abbey.
Both Queenstown concerts begin at 7.30pm and tickets for each
concert cost $20 for adults and $10 for students at the door.
Proceeds will go towards the St Peter's Church Organ Fund,
which aims to pay for the restoration of the church's rare
139-year-old pipe organ. This year marks the 150th
anniversary of the Anglican Church in the Wakatipu, the first
wooden church being built by settlers in August 1863.
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