The Shades NZ

The Shades – an exciting, upcoming, modern opera group from Auckland, New Zealand. They formed not long after their initial encounter with one another at the University of Auckland in 2015. They all studied towards a Bachelor of Music, majoring in classical voice under the tutelage of Dr Te Oti Rakena. They continue to maintain their operatic aspirations as soloists while also pursuing the aspirations of the group. They have performed regularly across New Zealand and they have scaled a vast amount of the globe performing as soloists or as part of other ensembles. However, they aim to spread their music as The Shades to the rest of the world. Among them, they have been awarded various scholarships from institutions such as the University of Auckland, NZ Opera School and Creative NZ. They have also been hand-picked for prestigious programmes such as the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Programme for young singers. They have regularly competed against each other at singing competitions and continue to do so. These competitions include the bi-annual Lexus competition, the annual New Zealand Aria competition, the PACANZ competition for singer of the year and the list continues. Over the next year, some members of The Shades will pursue their opera careers in the UK. The group will continue to perform together and will still entertain where entertainment is needed.