At UC we are building voices for the 21st century
Studying performance in voice at UC offers you the choice of a classical or contemporary pathway. Voice study tutors provide you with a tailor-made programme to develop healthy singing practices, unlock your potential and advance your theoretical knowledge and musicianship. You will join a creative community that offers an important stepping stone for your future career. We provide you with a diverse range of skills in your journey to becoming a pragmatic, creative and compelling artist. Singing is all about creating a connection and studying voice at UC will give you the skills to do this as you develop into a uniquely authentic performer. These are crucial qualities to building a career in music today, whatever your chosen path.
Our Tutors
Zara Ballara takes the Classical Singing Course and despite her training as an opera singer, sees this programme as an opportunity to create singers with greater versatility and commercial appeal. 21st century singers are required to be entertaining and diverse, able to shift through genres and styles including opera, musical theatre and modern art songs with sophistication and authenticity. Ballara is an avid learner and loves discovering new repertoire. She was the year 2000 winner of the Maggie Teyte Prize in London and is an Alumni of both Victoria University, Wellington and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
Lauren Barus (aka LA Mitchell) has a great passion for the voice as an instrument and for guiding new singers into their unique expression of sound. She graduated with a degree in Jazz Vocal performance from The University of Canterbury. Her performance career has encompassed many more musical fields, as solo artist L.A Mitchell performing soul/ gospel style originals, she has performed with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder and the NZ mega ensemble Fly My Pretties. She has worked as a session musician with Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga, Neil Finn, Anna Coddington, Sola Rosa and British string ensemble the Urban Soul Orchestra. She was also member of the Pop rock band Dukes and now works as the indie-folk ensemble Terrible Sons. She is a song writer and is always working to push her own boundaries of writing, performing and story telling.
Our voice programme features:
- Regular vocal master classes and workshops by outstanding performers and teachers in the vocal world investigating different styles and genres.
- Solo and ensemble performance opportunities in Consortia (auditioned SATB choir), Singer’s workshop, Contemporary Singer’s workshop, musical theatre masterclasses, vocal ensembles, new music series, and Friday lunchtime concerts.
- There are also opportunities to perform in local concert venues including The Great Hall, The Piano, The Ron Ball Studio, the Darkroom and other concert venues.
- All voice faculty members are members of the New Zealand Association of Teachers of Singing (NEWZATS)
- Our community of UC performance students comes together weekly for a combined performance workshop. This offers career advice, exploration of challenging new and experimental ensemble projects, guest artists’ presentations on their pathway in music and a platform for peer-to-peer playing.
