Hamilton-based soprano Jasmine Jessen had that misfortune in her build-up to the Otago Daily Times Southern Aria competition at Knox Church on Saturday.
The 23-year-old caught a major cold three weeks ago, while travelling on a 14-hour flight back from Europe, where she had been performing at the Mediterranean Opera Studio and Festival, in Sicily.
"It took me out for about two weeks," she said.
"That’s the last thing you need when you’re trying to project your best voice and enunciation.
"I feel like I recovered just in time."
Adjudicator James Harrison agreed when he named her the winner of the 2025 Southern Aria competition on Saturday night.
Miss Jessen performed Ah! Douce Enfant, from Massenet’s opera Cendrillon, and Oh! Quante Volte, from Bellini’s opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi.
"I felt like it went really well.
"The adjudicator said that I performed well all weekend.
"He was really captured by the emotion in the Bellini, and he said I made the technical aspects of the Massenet sound very easy, but not show-off-y."
She said it was the first time she had won one of New Zealand’s major opera singing competitions.
It was something she had been building up to for the past five years.
She had placed in similar competitions around the country and was the runner-up at last year’s ODT Southern Aria competition and this year’s Auckland aria competition.
She was delighted to go one step further and win one.
"It feels like quite a big accomplishment.
"I’ve been working my way up the ladder — it’s been a goal that I’ve been working towards — so it was very satisfying to get this."
Miss Jessen recently graduated with a Master of Music in advanced opera studies at the University of Waikato’s Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio.
Now that she had reached the top of the ladder, she was planning to do more study overseas.
"I’ll start auditioning for some young artist programmes overseas, probably in Europe, maybe Germany.
"Winning this competition helps pay a little bit towards that.
"It costs a lot of money, but, yeah, every little bit helps. This is a great help."
She said her long-term dream was to gain a role in one of the major European opera houses, and perform on the stages of the famous opera houses.
"I think every young singer dreams of that. And this is one of those competitions that helps get people on that path."
Runner-up was soprano Sarah Mileham, of Hamilton; third was baritone Samuel McKeever, of Hastings; and University of Otago Bachelor of Music graduate Sarah Hubbard won the award for the most promising unplaced singer.
