Deborah Wai Kapohe
Studio 10, The Piano, 156 Armagh Street, Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand
Deborah Wai Kapohe
Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Rua (Te Whakatōhea) and Ngāti Kahungunu.
M.Mus(Dis)(Otago), M.CP(Ara), 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, Asia Pacific Region, 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 Master 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 and Wellington Opera), 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), Carmen (University of Otago Alumni Opera) and Euridice / Eurydice in Orfeo / Orpheus / (m)Orpheus (New Zealand Opera).
“Soprano Deborah Wai Kapohe as Eurydice reveals the benefits of experience here, inspiring
her partner in an intensely moving duet” New Zealand Herald, 2023.
‘Deborah Wai Kapohe was perfectly cast as Euridice and reminded me of korimako/bellbird Michelle Potter on dancing with Jennifer Shennan, 2023.
‘Wai Kapohe and Nonoa both have clear, fluid voices, with a delicacy appropriate to Gluck’s relatively pared-back style’ The Post, 2023.
‘Wai Kapohe possesses a crystalline soprano voice’ Irene Corbett, Theatre Scenes, 2023.
“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 and Buckingham Palace, Cathcart Spring proms at the Royal Albert Hall, the Sydney and Beijing Olympic Arts Festivals (New Zealand Symphony Orchestra), National Anthems for the All Blacks and the Silver Ferns in New Zealand and Australia and for Royalty at Huka Lodge.
Deborah’s 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, in 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 and use 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 performing a diverse range of genres, including Christchurch City Choir (Classical), Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival 2022 (Crossover), Aotearoa New Zealand International Festival of the Arts (Crossover) , Auckland Arts Festival (Crossover), Orchestra Wellington (Schumman’s Dichterlieber rescored for Jazz Vocalist), and performing with Pandemonium (Classical). She also performed as the New Zealand Anthem Singer at the All Blacks vs Argentina Rugby Game in Christchurch.
In 2022, Deborah also completed her Post Graduate Diploma of Creative Practice degree at ARA Institute of Canterbury in exploring what can be learned about the tikanga of songwriting with mātauranga Māori through the use of Tāonga Pūoro (Traditional Māori instruments). In order to undertake this, Deborah commissioned Taonga Pūoro and is now including the playing of these instruments in her performances.
Engagements in 2023 included performing Rutter’s Magnificat and Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music with the Christchurch City Choir, performing with renowned Jazz Vocalist, Naomi Ferguson, and, as a special guest with UK comedian Bill Bailey’s new show Thoughtifier. In September 2023, Deborah performed the role of Euridice with NZ Opera and Black Grace in their production of Gluck’s Orfeo which was renamed (m)Orpheus. In December 2023, Deborah finished the year by performing Gareth Farr’s Ngā Tai Hurihuri for the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua at the Royal Whanganui Opera House as well as soloist for the Christchurch City Council Civic Awards Ceremony.
First up in 2024, is The OGs. A global gathering of Pasefika opera greats, song, storytelling, and movement. Written and directed by Siliga Sani Muliaumaseali’i. This performance is part of the Auckland Arts Festival, 2024. This is followed by a Guitar & Voice Recital on April 7th, 2pm, at Futuna Chapel, Wellington.
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 