Opera singer left gowns in Russia
Patricia Westley, a semifinalist in the Lexus Song Quest, had just scored the experience of a lifetime two months before Russia invaded Ukraine.
The Kiwi-American opera singer had won an Atkins Foundation fellowship to work at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. She had found herself an apartment, made some new friends, and was in rehearsal for a production when the news broke. ‘‘Within 24 hours they had shut down my bank account and all overseas bank accounts,’’ Westley says. ‘‘It happened incredibly fast. This was going to be my dream opportunity but I had just six hours get back to my apartment, pack a bag and go to the airport. I only had time to pack a single suitcase.’’
Westley was born in Culverden but educated in the US when her Kiwi father went to work there. She gained her master of music at the University of Oklahoma and has performed in numerous opera productions over several years. But the St Petersburg experience was to have been a highlight.
She says in terms of the items she had to leave behind in Russia, not being able to bring home her gowns was hardest to bear. So she has put a call out on social media to see if anyone can help with the loan of a gown for the competition. ‘‘I lost many of my things but the biggest loss of all was the loss of my performance gowns which I have painstakingly collected over the years,’’ she says.
‘‘Performance gowns are difficult to find and are an invaluable tool of our trade as we cannot perform without them. I am looking for something to wear and I would be so grateful to be lent a beautiful gown for this important competition.
‘‘I thought I would be going back,’’ she says. ‘‘Nobody thought what was happening was actually happening. The young Russians want to leave but can’t. It is so upsetting. I love the Russian culture and the people, and barely any of them want it [this war].’’
Westley is now in Wellington, courtesy of the Lexus Song Quest, and is hoping to find work in New Zealand and Australia. ‘‘I have family in both countries,’’ she says. ‘‘Much as I would like to go back to the Mariinsky Theatre in Russia, who knows if that will be possible. I am hoping the Lexus Song Quest opens doors for me out here.’’
Westley’s recent experience includes a role in Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, after fleeing Russia, and numerous roles with Palm Beach Opera last year.
She can be contacted via her website.