Anna Leese

Honours graduate of Otago in Performance Voice (2002), now voice teaching in the same department Performance: From the Southern Marches, Tally Ho! 3

1. As a student I was invited to perform with the DSO a couple of times. Something that, now that I look back on it, is a pretty rare occurrence for a student. I was really lucky and I’m sure it was opportunities like that which helped me grow as a performer, and gave me an edge against my peers (many much more advanced than me but having not had nearly as much orchestral experience) when I went to London to continue my studies.

2. I’m lucky to be invited to sing regularly with the DSO, and so I have many memorable experiences. Two which are particularly special have been the first Tally Ho concert — Roy Colbert was still with us to see the fruit of his harebrained schemes! — and the risks we all took clearly paid off as here we are for the third edition.

The second was the premiere of Anthony Ritchie’s Gallipoli to

the Somme, with Simon Over at the helm and my good friend

Martin Snell singing the role of the soldier. It was very special for me to be asked to sing the very first performance of such a large and important work — and the occasion held great emotional significance for me as well, being one of my first performances following my husband’s MND diagnosis, shortly followed by the birth of our son. I won’t ever forget how much strength I had to summon to be able to sing about that, at that time.