Chorale vocal award for NZ Samoan tenor
Ka¯ piti Chorale’s vocal award winner for 2020 is New Zealand-born Samoan tenor Lila Junior (LJ) Crichton.
“The Chorale is extremely proud of all our award winners and the successes they achieve and have achieved in the years since the award was introduced in 2008,” the chorale’s Carol Dyer said
Lila Junior (LJ) is heading towards his third year studying classical performance majoring in voice at the New Zealand School of Music (NZSM) under tutor Margaret Medlyn.
Prior to studying at Te Ko¯ ki he spent four years as a student in Festival Opera New Zealand’s youth initiative Project Prima Volta (PPV).
Through PPV and Festival Opera New Zealand, LJ has performed roles such as the sorcerer in Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Le Dancaı¨re in Georges Bizet’s Carmen
and Goro in Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly.
Currently, LJ is rehearsing the role of Beppe for Festival Opera New Zealand’s 2020 production of opera’s most famous and spectacular pairing Cavalleria Rusticana & I Pagliacci.
Last year, LJ was awarded the Deane Endowment Trust Special Jonathan Lemalu Scholarship to help further his studies at the NZSM which gave him endless opportunities, such as forming a relationship with the Porirua based Virtuoso Strings Orchestra and to learn and perform alongside them.
LJ was very grateful for the chorale’s generosity in helping him and other students excel in their studies in classical music.