Source: RNZ
Young Waikato bass Morgan-Andrew King remembers singing being an important part of his life from as long as he can remember.
"I think singing always started from home, especially with my family. Being from a Māori family, we have a very strong tradition of singing for our tikanga, like in powhiri, or at funerals or birthdays, and so I think my natural ability to sing and my wanting to sing happened for me at a very young age. Singing with my family, singing with my brothers as well.. I guess singing in general started from there."
King was a finalist in the 2024 Lexus Song Quest and, after studying at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, is currently at the Opera Studio at Oper Frankfurt.
RNZ Concert host David Morriss caught up with King while he was back in New Zealand to take part in Wellington Opera's season of A Masked Ball by Giuseppe Verdi.
They talked about the importance of developing the voice in a safe and healthy way, some of the great opera singers of the past that inspire King, and the song by his father, Taituwha King, that he performed at the Lexus Song Quest Final.