(Picture caption: Otago University student Phoebe Osborne – who is of Samoan heritage – is studying classical performance and already is being trained by the best in the business.)
Packing up the house and moving to a different city isn’t an easy decision to make for most families, but it was a move that Phoebe Osborne’s aiga never thought twice about.
Having considered Wellington’s Victoria University as a place to study, the 20-year-old, classical performance student chose Dunedin to further her passion for music and opera.
"I was persuaded by the scenery and the blossoms in Dunedin," Phoebe says.
Phoebe’s mum Otila, who is a PhD candidate at the University of Otago, also studies with her.
Phoebe and Otila – whose Samoan heritage takes them back to the village of Lotofaga, through Otila’s father Fotu Silvelio Aiomanu – spoke with the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) whilst at a social marketing conference in Colombia.
They wanted to share their story following Phoebe’s recent success as a recipient of the Pacific Peoples Entrance Scholarship, in the hope that other aspiring, classical performers could do the same.
Phoebe is the voice behind an award-winning marketing campaign at the prestigious Asia-Pacific EFFIE Marketing Awards.
The awards ceremony took place in Singapore last month.
However, it was the award-winning 'Silent Night' campaign for the Wellington City Mission (WCM) that gained Phoebe recognition.
The campaign in 2021 was held at a sold-out Wellington Sky Stadium and raised more than $330,000 for the WCM, which houses and provides support services to the homeless in the Wellington region.
Phoebe trains at the University of Otago with Dr Tessa Romano, an internationally renowned mezzo-soprano singer and an internationally published academic on vocal pedagogy.
She also trains privately with Judy Bellingham MNZM, a former William Evans Associate Professor in voice at the University of Otago’s music department and chairperson of the Dunedin Performing Arts Competition Society.
Phoebe started out training in country and western genres of music at the age of seven and has since performed with some of New Zealand’s top vocal coaches.
This includes Anita Prime ONZM, Linden Loader Mobil Song Quest Winner, Frances Wilson ONZM Founder of the Auckland Opera Studio, Wainuiomata vocal coach Lydia McDonnell, and Bruce Greenfield – former Victoria University Vocal Coach and international pianist to Dame Malvina Major.
"We initially thought it was just our Pacific heritage that was the source of our vocal abilities, but then we found out that my paternal great, great grandmother Dolly Ryan was a soprano singer and cut a record in the early 1900s," Phoebe says.
She has also performed for charity fundraisers and at public events namely Anzac Day Commemorations for years.
Phoebe has recently returned from studying with Maestro Giovanni Reggioli at the summer school Bel Canto in Tuscany.
She plans to study a Masters in Vocal Pedagogy at Queensland Conservatorium of Music and further her international vocal training to eventually join the long line of accomplished NZ opera talent around the world.
Phoebe Rose acknowledges the great work of her vocal coaches and is appreciative of the Pasifika Scholarship that has supported her through her studies.
She hopes her studies in classical performance and vocal pedagogy can help other young people find their voice.
"I am excited about my future and will continue to support charities in their work to promote their great work in New Zealand."
Phoebe's grandfather Fotu was appointed an honorary community officer for Pasifika People by the Honorary Ben Couch – Minister of Māori Affairs and was the first Samoan train driver in New Zealand in the 1970s.