Terri Dunbar-Curran
ONCE again featuring Richard Cock as conductor, Wynberg Rotary’s popular annual charity fundraiser, Last Night of the Proms, will be held at The City Hall on March 19 and 20.
The theme this year is Going for Gold and it will showcase the 2016 Olympics.
The year’s programme will see soprano Leah Gunter and accordionist Stanislav Angelov perform together with massed choirs and he Cape Town Proms Orchestra under Cock’s baton. And once again, The Cape Town Highlanders will pipe the audience back into the hall after interval for an exciting second half.
Having attended similar events growing up, this will be Gunter’s first time performing at Last Night of the Proms, and she is looking forward to it.
She started singing for Cock a while ago and was thrilled at the opportunity to participate this year. “For me, it’s all about what the conductor wants.”
“He gave me background about the style of the show and then I let my imagination go,” she says, adding that it was important to find works that fit the theme.
“He more or less gave me a guideline as to what the audience wants to hear,” she says. “Something calm and relaxing – I didn’t want to go for heavy opera. I wanted to find something the audience could relate to.”
From there, Gunter set about preparing for the performance, getting to grips with what Cock expected of her.
She finds that she learns something new and valuable from each conductor she works with.
“This repertoire is quite new to me, so I sit at the piano, look at the sheet music and words and try to make my interpretation something else.”
Apart from the thrill of performing, Gunter says one of the parts she loves most is dressing up.
“I love wearing beautiful dresses, and that moment I walk out onto stage is always the cherry on top.” Because the pieces she has chosen to sing are so different, Gunter has two outfits lined up for the evening.
Both dresses will have been specially altered to allow for the extra space an opera singer’s rib cage needs to expand. But those adjustments don’t take away from the glamour of the gowns.
Regulars of Last Night of the Proms will come prepared for the enjoyable balloon races, streamers, sing-a-longs and Pomp and Circumstance, while newcomers should look forward to a night that will most certainly change the way they view the classics and orchestral music.
“Cock engages the audience and makes them part of the experience,” says Gunter.
Each year the event benefits one of Wynberg Rotary’s chosen charities, and this year funds raised will go towards Volunteer Wildfire Services.
There are also a variety of prizes up for grabs, including jewellery gift vouchers, an overnight stay at a five-star hotel in Plettenberg Bay, a dinner voucher and a four-ball game of golf.
This is a busy year for Gunter who has recently performed at The Darling Music Experience and will be taking part in The Greyton Genadendal Classics for All Festival in May.
July will see her head to Germany to participate at the Internationale Meistersinger Akademie as one of 12 singers from around the world. All of this while finishing her masters.
She says that she couldn’t manage any of it without the support of her family. “I’m really privileged. An artist can’t move forward without support.”
Her recent appearances have included singing the role of Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata at Artscape, and performing in Four:30 Operas made in South Africa.
With such a full schedule, she is wary of taking on too many side projects, but she is determined to still make time to take part in as many competitions and young artist programmes as she can, as they are often a spring board to bigger opportunities.
“My dream is to end up in Italy - even if it’s not for opera. It’s the heart of opera and I’d love to end up in one of the big opera houses,” she says.
“Life is so unpredictable. The world of arts is a journey and every day opens a new door.”
She says that she has a strong passion for the performing arts and just wants to become the best performer she can be. “My imagination really goes places and I grab opportunities with everything I have.”
As she meets with her fellow performers in the final week before Last Night of the Proms, how will she prepare for her moment on stage? “When I was a little girl I always used to drink water and have no milk, dairy or cheese.
“Now I find an egg and bacon sandwich – something oily – makes the voice very smooth,” she says, and sometimes she will have a sip of coffee for energy, and of course, top up on vitamins.
Gunter admits that she’s “a bit of an adrenalin junkie”.
“I don’t get things like stage fright. When you walk onto stage you leave everything behind. The more people there, the better,” she laughs.
“Singing is not just a physical experience though. You have to be fit in every aspect of your body. If the mind is lazy, then the body is also lazy.”
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