Mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg after winning the 2024 Lexus Song Quest on Saturday 3 August. Photo: Hagen Hopkins
Mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg is "over the moon" to have been crowned the 2024 Lexus Song Quest winner, expressing much gratitude to RNZ about her triumph.
The prestigious opera singing competition took place on Saturday night at Michael Fowler Centre in Poneke Wellington with five singers battling it out for the country's biggest operatic honour.
"It was such a blur," Trigg spoke told Perlina Lau on Culture 101.
"I was standing there prepared to be very happy for whoever won because everyone sang so well. Then when they said my name, I was just like - it took a minute to process, I was like, 'me? Um...'.
"I'm pretty over the moon. At the same time, it's kind of very surreal. It's really crazy, it was such an amazing night and to have ended up winning the Lexus Songquest is ... such a delightful surprise. I'm just really grateful."
She was awarded the prize by a group that included Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, an Aotearoa music icon whose words were especially meaningful to Trigg.
"She said 'well done', she said my repertoire selections were perfect and that it was well deserved. I'm very, very grateful to her for that. It was high praise from a very intimidatingly successful woman."
As the grand final winner, Trigg took home a cash prize of $50,000. Runner-up, Manase Latu, received $20,000 and Austin Haynes took third place receiving $15,000. Remaining finalists each receive $3500.
Lexus SongQuest 2024 winners (L to R) Manase Latu, tenor, 2nd place; Katie Trigg, mezzo soprano, 1st place; Austin Haynes, counter tenor, 3rd place. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, courtesy Lexus Song Quest
For Trigg, the money is being awarded at a very fortunate time during what is a very consequential year for her career and life.
"This is my last year of study and after that I'm sort of booted out of the nest in a way ... I have to figure out where I'm going next," she said.
"In order to do that, this year is going to be so full of auditions. As I'm sure a lot of other singers know, auditions can be very expensive, especially when you are having to travel to different countries for them.
"Accommodation and flights, they really do add up. And then of course, application fees."
Hailing from Waikato, Trigg is studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in the US and was the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Studio Artist with New Zealand Opera in 2021.
Each finalist had to perform one piece accompanied by piano followed by two arias. For the first piece, accompanied by piano, Trigg sang Schumann's Mondnacht from Liederkreis and arias by Massenet and Handel.
The Lexus Song Quest has been held biennially since 1956 as an opportunity to kickstart the international careers of young New Zealand opera singers. Winners have included Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Dame Malvina Major and Sol3 Mio's Amitai Pati.
The contestants are judged on their musicality, tone and quality of voice, but also their performance quality and something special which may see them do well offshore.
