Opera Singers Give Relief Concert For New Zealand Victims

From left to right: Taddei, O'Neill, Cole, Makisi
(Photo: Marion Dijk/Nelson Mail)

"Soprano Aivale Cole jokes that she usually travels on the bus, so it was nice to be greeted by a couple of gleaming classic cars when she arrived at Nelson Airport yesterday for Opera in the Park tonight. The opera star was on the same flight from Wellington as tenors Ben Makisi and Simon O'Neill and conductor Marc Taddei. The singers, draped with leis in honour of the Samoan tsunami relief fundraiser, travelled in style to their accommodation in a 1958 Buick Special and a 1961 Studebaker Hawk. The performers said it was bittersweet to be singing in Nelson after the devastating Christchurch earthquake, but all were looking forward to providing some relief through song. 'A poignant evening,' was how O'Neill described tonight's show – and everyone agreed. 'I'm really glad that we've come here,' Cole said. 'A lot of Christchurch people are here just to get away and they're probably still thinking about their homes.'" [Source]