2005 Lexus Song Quest winner, Madeleine Pierard is originally from Napier, New Zealand. A young lyric soprano (previouslymezzo-soprano), she is one of a large family of musicians and studied pianoforte from an early age before gaining her ATCL. Later turning to the voice as her instrument, Madeleine began her vocal training in choirs and was a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir, Tower Voices New Zealand and The Tudor Consort.

Madeleine completed a Bachelor of Music at Victoria University in Wellington in both Performance and Composition in 2004, and was awarded First Class Honours in Vocal Performance in 2005. Madeleine now studies with Lillian Watson at the Benjamin Britten International Opera School at the Royal College of Music in London, where she is the 2007/08 Irene Hanson Scholar and recipient of the Cuthbert Smith Prize. Madeleine is also the 06/07 Patricia Pratt Scholar and recipient of the Jack McGill Scholarship through Creative New Zealand. She was the the 2007 winner of the Great Elm Vocal Award at the Wigmore Hall in London.

Along with opera, Madeleine has a particular interest in performing contemporary vocal works and has premiered many New Zealand works by established and emerging New Zealand composers. In June 2006, Madeleine premiered Symphony No. 2 by New Zealand composer, Ross Harris with the Auckland Philharmonia and made two recordings for Naxos with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, one comprising works for voice and orchestra by Lyell Cresswell.

Madeleine’s recent opera roles are First Flower Maiden in Parsifal with the NZSO and Sir Donald McIntyre, Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus with Opera Hawkes Bay, Erissena in Handel's Poro ré dell'Indie and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, both with the Benjamin Britten International Opera School, Marzelline in Fidelio with NBR New Zealand Opera and Justice in Mozart's Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots with the Classical Opera Company in London. Madeleine's upcoming roles include Meleagro (Atalanta) and the Composer (Ariadne auf Naxos), both at the Benjamin Britten International Opera School. Madeleine's recent concert engagements have included appearing as a guest in concert with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Tenor, Gardar Cortes in Jersey, with Jonathan Lemalu as a soloist in the Skycity Starlight Symphony and as soloist on tour with the New Zealand String Quartet throughout New Zealand and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in China. Her most recent oratorio engagements include the Poulenc Gloria with the Vivace Chorus and Verdi's Requiem with the South Holland Singers and RAF band.

In 2004, Madeleine received the Rotary Scholarship for excellence in the study of music and won the PACANZ National Young Performer of the Year Award. In 2005, along with the Lexus Song Quest, she won the Napier Computer Systems Aria and was awarded the Moyra Todd Scholarship, the Ariadne Danilow Music Prize and an Aotea Centre Performing Arts Trust Award. This year, Madeleine has also received study grants from Creative New Zealand, the Willi Fels Memorial Trust, Sir Roy McKenzie, Mrs Jenny Gibbs, the Adam Foundation and the Todd Trust.

Click here for Madeleine's detailed Curriculum Vitae (in printable pdf format).

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