BIOGRAPHY

With an exceptional voice and stage presence, Irish born Evelyne Bourton is more than memorable. Immigrating to New Zealand as a child, Evelyne has immersed herself in her passion for music and culture from a young age. Noted for her beautiful and greatly extended lyric soprano voice and admired for her ability to express the dramatic vocal singing of Puccini and Verdi; Evelyne has also been the lead singer for a Jazz ensemble known as “The Martinis” and has grown up performing traditional Irish folk songs.
Evelyne has a music degree with first class honours and a post-graduate diploma in linguistics from The University of Waikato. In addition, she was a ‘Sir Edmund Hillary Scholar’ a recipient of the ‘University Blues and Cultural Award’ and a winner of the ‘Hamilton Civic Choirs Award’ and was also a recipient of the ‘Sir Donald MacIntyre Trust’ and the ‘Laure Coon Foundation’ Evelyne is especially gifted at moving between a variety of languages and genres.
Recently, whilst studying under Maestro William Matteuzzi in Bologna, Italy. Evelyne became a semi-finalist for the ‘Elizabeth Connell Competition for Dramatic Soprano Voice’ putting her in the top 30 internationally and placed second in Concorso Musicale - Citta di Filadelfia, Calabria in Italy. Evelyne divides her time between Continental Europe, Ireland, Britain and New Zealand.
Over her career, Evelyne has participated in master classes with: Soprano, Virginia Zeani, tenor and Evelyn’s Maestro William Matteuzzi, Soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Soprano Mirella Freni and Tenor Marcello Giordani.
A regular on the concert platform, Evelyne has had a variety of roles including: Serpetta – ‘La Finta Giardinera’ by Mozart for Operaunleashed, ‘La Libellule & La Bergere XV – L’enfant et les sortileges Ravel Opera Factory, New Zealand. Stella – A street car named Desire (Drama). Hodel – ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ by J SteIn, Music Makers Society. Soprano Soloist – Opera Showcase for Bel Canto – Dr Sylvia Stone – Italia. ‘Exsultate Jubilate’ – Mozart soprano solo cantata. ‘St Peters Cathedral concert’ ,New Zealand. Mozart concerts – Countessa Le Nozze di Figaro, Hamilton, New Zealand – Dido & Aneas by Purcell concert performance. ‘Baroque concert’ - Hamilton Gardens Festival. The lieder cycle ‘Freuen Lieben und leben’ By Schumann.
Evelyne was a recorded soloist for ‘Sir Edmund Hillary Scholars CD’ at the University of Waikato and has had several Solo soprano and piano recitals in New Zealand, Italy & Ireland.
Evelyne has recently completed several recordings and been invited to record a full-length album.