The Northern Rivers Symphony Orchestra kicks off the 2012 concert season with a musical delight! “Back to Broadway” features popular tunes from classic hits such as Phantom of the Opera, Oklahoma, Evita, Les Miserables and many more. The NRSO is proud to present guest artists, Liza Beamish and Andrew Pryor. With her angelic soprano voice, Liza has wowed audience all over Australia and internationally, and Andrew is a wonderfully gifted tenor with his powerful tones familiar to Opera Queensland. Conducted by our favourite maestro Barry Singh, this concert is sure to be an audience pleaser!
Revisit the splendour of the Broadway era with musical highlights such as Les Miserables, Oklahoma and Phantom of the Opera, with Gold Coast “Diva” Liza Beamish as guest soloist partnered by wonderful tenor Andrew Pryor. Liza’s musical career has been truly amazing and she has been kind enough to share parts of her musical journey with us when we interviewed her before one of our rehearsals.
You are enormously popular in the Tweed and Gold Coast region and you have performed many times with the NRSO. What appeals to you about performing with an orchestra such as NRSO?
When I came to the Tweed with my two young boys and husband, I had no idea that such a wonderful orchestra existed in the area. I was absolutely delighted when I was asked to perform with NRSO, about six or seven years ago. Even more delighted to discover that the conductor was none other than Barry Singh, a fellow classmate from the [Queensland] Conservatorium! We soon became re-aquainted with each other in our new roles as singer and conductor, and I was incredibly bowled over by what he had achieved here. I was amazed that he had created an orchestra of such high standard in a regional area such as this.
What is the most significant highlight of your career?
When it comes to highlights, it is hard to single out one event. A career is made up of many wonderful moments. If I had to choose only one thing as a highlight, I think it would be performing in North Korea, as an invited participant in their music festival. It was exhausting but ultimately, one of the most rewarding experiences! I received a silver trophy, prize money, and was singled out to perform in the end-of-festival concert, called the”Selected Concert”, in which only the judges’ favourite acts from seven hundred performers appeared. Seeing a country which is effectively cut off from the rest of the world and surrounded by mystery was a privilege I won’t quickly forget.
Who is your favourite opera singer?
I don’t have a favourite performer; there are so many gifted singers who are fabulous to listen to. However, for sheer technical brilliance, I still think La Stupenda (Dame Joan Sutherland) stands alone!
If you would like to see Liza Beamish performing live with the NRSO, you can purchase tickets online through our website www.nrso.com.au or by phoning (07) 5513 1083 or (07) 5536 6063.