Patricia Wright

Auckland-born soprano, Patricia Wright trained as a singer in New Zealand with Sister Mary Leo and in Australia with Dame Joan Hammond.  Success at an early age in her home country resulted in recitals and concerts, television performances and many recitals for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. At the age of twenty-one, Patricia Wright was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council Grant to travel to Australia to further her studies. After graduating from the Victoria College of the Arts in Melbourne, she received a scholarship to enable her to study in Europe. Soon after her arrival in London, Patricia was awarded second prize in the prestigious Benson & Hedges Gold Award for Singers and she also represented New Zealand in the renowned Cardiff Singer of the World competition.

Roles in the United Kingdom and Ireland included Norina, Micaela, Mimi, Pamina, Nanetta, Gilda and Dido and critically acclaimed performances in lieder and oratorio led her to every major concert hall in Britain. During this period she returned to New Zealand several times and sang Mimi in Canterbury Opera's La bohème, Despina for Wellington City Opera's Cosi fan tutte, Micaela in Auckland Opera's Carmen and the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors at the State Opera House.

Since returning to live in New Zealand, Patricia has accepted engagements from the major orchestras, opera companies, festivals and choral societies. Her operatic roles have been Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera and Micaela in Carmen for Wellington City Opera; First Lady in The Australian Opera's Magic Flute; Magda in a concert performance of La Rondine for Academy Opera; The Countess in The Marriage of Figaro for Canterbury Opera; Liù in Turandot, Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Clorinda in Cenerentola, Nedda in I Pagliacci and Madama Butterfly for Opera New Zealand; Alice Ford in Falstaff, the role of Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni for NBR New Zealand Opera.

Concert engagements include Carmina Burana, Stravinsky's Pulcinella and Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Verdi Requiem and Child of Our Time for Orpheus Choir, St. John's Passion and Wedding Cantata for New Zealand Chamber Orchestra, Messiah, Solemn Vespers, Nelson Mass and Handel’s Solomon with Auckland Choral Society, Beethoven Symphony No. 9, Mahler Symphony No. 4 and a Richard Strauss programme with Auckland Philharmonia, The Verdi Requiem with Hamilton Civic Choir, Liverpool Oratorio with Napier Civic Choir, the Pergolesi Stabat Mater and Mozart Exsultate Jubilate with the touring Capella Istropolitana Orchestra and a concert entitled Early Voices for Canberra Symphony Orchestra; on the festival circuit she has sung  at the Rotorua Chamber Music Festival, the Christchurch Arts Festival and the International Festival of Arts.

Patricia has recorded Verdi Requiem with Opera New Zealand and Auckland Philharmonia; Serenata, songs by Italian composers, with David Vine, pianist, (Atoll); Frank Bridge Songs (Pearl); Jane Austen Songs (Pearl); Rebecca Clarke  (Gamut); Arnold Bax (Continuum); Kenneth Young NZSO (Trust Atoll) and Hummel’s Missa Solemnis for Naxos.

Recent concerts include Vaughan William’s A Sea Symphony, Verdi Requiem and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis for Auckland Choral Society, Strauss’ Four Last Songs and Golijov’s Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra, a Puccini and a Verdi Concert, Songs of the Auvergne and Mozart Requiem for Auckland Philharmonia, Bach arias with the NZ String Quartet at Nelson Chamber Music Festival and a concert including Golijov Songs as well as Four Last Songs with Christchurch Symphony.

In 2007 Patricia Wright sang Mahler Symphony No. 2  for NZSO, Beethoven Symphony No. 9  for Vector Wellington Orchestra, a lieder recital with Diedre Irons for Auckland Philharmonia, a country wide Chamber Music New Zealand lieder recital with Michael Houstoun and Beethoven Mass in C Major and concert aria Ah Perfido for Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Society.

2008 engagements include an outdoor concert at Government House in Wellington, a concert with Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and Britten’s Les Illuminations with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra. Patricia will also feature in the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville and perform Leonora in Il Trovatore with Southern Opera.