Patrons

Simon O’Neill International Patron

One of the most gifted and distinguished singers of his generation, Simon O’Neill has rapidly established himself as a tenor in great demand on the international stage.

A native of New Zealand, he is a principal artist with the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the Salzburg Festival, appearing with such illustrious conductors as James Levine, Riccardo Muti, Valery Gergiev, Antonio Pappano, Sir Charles Mackerras, Seiji Ozawa, Lorin Maazel, Donald Runnicles and Christoph Eschenbach amongst many others.

David Hamilton New Zealand Patron

One of New Zealand’s most widely performed composers, David was until 2001 Head of Music at Epsom Girls’ Grammar School in Auckland. Since then he has been concentrating mainly on composing and reducing teaching commitments to part-time.

He continued to work with Opus, the top choir of Epsom Girls’ Grammar School until the end of 2003. With a strong interest and involvement in choral music, Hamilton’s music is being increasingly performed by choirs around the world. Recent significant performances have been in Italy, Japan, Singapore and the USA, and works have been commissioned by choirs in England, Japan, Ireland the USA and Finland. He is also active as a choral adjudicator having been invited to Japan in 2000 (Takarazuka International Chamber Choir Contest) and 2003 (Japan Choral Association high schools’ choir competition), and to Hawaii in 2005 (Pacific Basin Music Festival).

He has lectured in both the School of Music and School of Education at the University of Auckland.