Deborah Wai Kapohe
Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand
Deborah’s Voice Studio is opening in Christchurch in 2024
Deborah Wai Kapohe
Te Ātihaunui-ā-Papārangi, Te Aitanga-ā-Māhaki and Ngāti Rua (Te Whakatōhea).
M.Mus(Dis)(Otago), BA(Auckland), BMus(Auckland), LRSM(Classical Guitar) and LLB(Hons)(Sydney).
Born in Southland, New Zealand, Deborah has performed in operas, musical theatre, contemporary Māori music, arts festivals, proms, concerts, recitals, self-accompanied guitar and voice recitals and special events throughout New Zealand and Australia, as well as in the UK, China, Hong Kong, Rarotonga, Papua New Guinea and South Africa.
Deborah was fortunate to study voice with the late Beatrice Webster, who was a pupil of Lucie Manèn. After studying with Mrs Webster, Deborah studied for a year with the Young Artists Program of Opera Australia in 1994. Twelve years later, Deborah refreshed her voice with a Masters of Music in 2006 at the University of Otago under the supervision of Ms Cunningham (also a pupil of Mrs Webster) and Professor Terence Dennis.
Deborah’s traditional operatic and musical theatre roles include Lily in The Secret Garden (Ascot Group New Zealand Tour), Pamina in The Magic Flute (Opera Australia), Mimi in La Boheme (New Zealand Opera), Papagena (OZ Opera tour of NSW, VIC, TAS, WA and NT) Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus (Whanganui Opera), Sophie in Massenet’s Werther (Beijing International Arts Festival) , Adalgisa in Norma (Canterbury Opera), Nannetta in Falstaff (New Zealand Opera), Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro (Canterbury Opera), Leila in The Pearl Fishers (New Zealand Opera), Marguerite in Faust (Hong Kong) and Carmen (University of Otago Alumni Opera).
“There were no redeeming features about a creature like Carmen apart from the accolades that Deborah Wai Kapohe should take for portraying the role in such a fearful fashion” Opera-Opera,2006.
Deborah’s Premiere Opera performances include Outrageous Fortune by New Zealand composer Gillian Whitehead; Wide Sargasso Sea and Gauguin for Chamber Made, Melbourne, Australia; Grandma’s Shoes, a joint production between Opera Australia and Theatre of Image in Sydney, Jan 2000, Matthew Suttor’s Opera Trial of the Cannibal Dog at the 2008 New Zealand International Arts Festival and the role of Te Rai in NBR New Zealand Opera’s production of Hōhepa at the 2012 New Zealand International Arts Festival.
“Deborah Wai Kapohe gave the outstanding performance of the evening, giving point to every entry and action she had” Review of Trial of the Cannibal Dog, New Zealand Listener, 2008.
“Deborah Wai Kapohe as Te Rai is simply luminous” Review of Hōhepa, Michael Gilchrist – TheatreView, 2012.
Special events include singing for The Duke of Edinburgh World Fellows at St James Palace, Cathcart Spring proms at the Royal Albert Hall, the Sydney and Beijing Olympic Arts Festivals (New Zealand Symphony Orchestra), Anthems for the All Blacks and the Silver Ferns in New Zealand and Australia and for Royalty at Huka Lodge.
Deborah discography includes recordings with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Pianist David Harper, Elena (Shanghai International Arts Festival) and STRIKE. She has written four albums of singer- songwriter material.
In 2010 Deborah graduated with a Bachelor of Laws with Honours at the University of Sydney Law School in Sydney, Australia. Meanwhile, she continued her singing by performing in Beijing with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and as part of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cultural Diplomacy International Programme in Beijing and Hangzhou, 2008, as well as events in Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and concert work with the Southern Sinfonia, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
From 2012 until 2018, Deborah returned to her ancestral home of Whanganui to work as the Arts Adviser for the Whanganui District Council. During this time, she developed her arts management skills for events, funding and facilitating multi-discipline cross collaboration as well as performing with the New Zealand Opera School, concert and event work and developing her self-accompanied recitals through the study of historic guitars.
In 2019, Deborah completed the New Zealand Legal Practice Examination and the Legal Professional Studies Certificate. In 2021, she was admitted to the Bar.
During the pandemic, Deborah returned to studying singing, focusing on developing her skills in the Old Italian Method. This re-focusing has had a profound effect on her singing and philosophy for her work as an emerging teacher. She also became a member of both NEWZATS and IRMTNZ, and performed regularly in South Africa and New Zealand. These performances included Cabaret, Recital and Concert work.
Engagements in 2022 as a soloist included Christchurch City Choir, Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival 2022, Aotearoa New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, Auckland Arts Festival, Orchestra Wellington, and performing with Pandemonium. Deborah completed her Master of Creative Practice degree at ARA Institute of Canterbury in songwriting with mātauranga Māori.
Deborah lives in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand. Upcoming engagements include performing with the Christchurch City Choir, Naomi Ferguson, and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra/University of Canterbury.
Link to Radio New Zealand Interview on July 26th 2021: https://www.rnz.co.nz/concert/programmes/upbeat/audio/2018805595/lessons-from-lockdown-with-deborah-wai-kapohe
Deborah Wai Kapohe 