The Gala Evening Concert 2012 is going to be sponsored for the first time by The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation.

Leading the coaching team again will be Professor Paul Farrington, widely acclaimed British vocal consultant and expert vocal coach and technical advisor to the Young Artists at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, who'll return for his sixth year at the Opera School to deliver both one-on-one sessions and masterclasses.

Join Paul will be highly respected New Zealand opera singers and vocal/language coaches, soprano Margaret Medlyn, baritone Barry Mora, and tenor Richard Greager.
Alongside them are: Italian language coaches Luca Manghi and Flavio Villani;
Movement, acting and directing coach Sara Brodie and assistant Stagecraft coach, Kararina Walker; and t
T he vocal coach/repetiteur team led by Bruce Greenfield supported by Iola Shelley, Dr Greg Neil, Francis Cowan, David Kelly and Mark Dorrell.
Invited guest– international performer Wendy-Dawn Thompson returns in a mentoring capacity

A who's who” of young and now established New Zealand opera singers including Simon O'Neill, Carmel Carroll, Benjamin Fafita Makisi, Madeleine Pierard, Zan McKendree-Wright, Kristen Darragh, Wade Kernot and Phillip Rhodes, have all attended the New Zealand Opera School over the years. Consequently places have become highly sought after. Most of the students, who come from all over New Zealand, are completing tertiary music studies with intentions of pursuing professional opera career.