The 24-year-old King’s High School music teacher was expected to perform alongside high-profile singers Claire Barton, Sophie Morris, Chris McRae and pianist Terence Dennis, in the concert titled Arias and Show Tunes.
But with temperatures forecast to drop to -6°C on Saturday night, he did not want to put his audience in danger
"I decided to cancel the concert, because by the time it finished, the roads would be pretty icy, and for the elderly population coming, it would have been a disaster to get them to come out of their houses.
"I was really excited about putting on the concert and showing people what I’ve been up to. But these things happen.
"I’m disappointed, but safety is paramount."
Mr Wilson has a bachelor of music degree in classical voice and a masters of teaching and learning in secondary music education from the University of Otago.
He has been a New Zealand Opera chorus member and had a lead role in The Phantom of the Opera in Dunedin last year.
The Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, has offered him a $US10,000 scholarship to study there, but that was only two-thirds of what he needed to complete the three-year degree.
Mr Wilson had hoped the concert would raise about $2000 to help top up the amount he needed to take the scholarship.
"Some people have been really lovely and put money into my account to help."
Mr Wilson said he cancelled the concert rather than postpone it, because there was insufficient time to reschedule it before he leaves for the United States on Thursday.
Despite the disappointment of not performing on Saturday, he was excited about going to Kansas City and studying under prominent tenor Vinson Cole.
"He was one of the first very famous black tenors and he has an incredible reputation as a teacher."
