Opera singer Natasha Wilson credits her time at Westlake Girls High School as crucial for nurturing her love and talent for music. It was there that she flourished and learnt so many skills she uses today in her career as a classical musician. Natasha says her involvement in Westlake’s choirs – Key Cygnetures and Choralation – laid the foundations. She adds that living and learning on the North Shore has helped build her into the musician, performer, professional and woman that she is today.

Since starting her tertiary education at the University of Auckland she has received scholarships in music, which have supported her throughout her post-graduate degree and further study. These scholarships have included:- University of Auckland Singers Prize 2014; the Graham Allen Music Theatre Prize 2014; the Marie D’Albini Scholarship in Music 2016; the Evelyn M. Harrison Scholarship in Music 2016; and the Anne Bellam Scholarship in Music 2016. Natasha was also fortunate to be the recipient of the Circle 100 Scholarship and the Dame Sister Mary Leo scholarship at the Whanganui Opera school in 2018.
Natasha has also enjoyed success in many regional vocal competitions in the past two years, including winning the Dame Malvina Major Dunedin Aria competition 2017; the Dame Malvina Major Napier Aria competition 2018; and the Becroft Aria North Shore Competition 2018. She was also a semi-finalist in the Lexus Song Quest 2018, which was streamed live on Radio New Zealand Concert.
Since graduating from University in 2016, Natasha has been working as a full-time performer, mostly in classical voice. She was chosen to join the New Zealand Opera Company as part of the ensemble in 2017, touring in Gilbert and Sullivan’s 'The Mikado’. For the past year she has been undertaking an emerging artist internship with the company, performing a number of principal roles in productions. In 2017 Natasha made her international debut in Australia with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra – performing in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – as the main soprano in ‘Spanish Baroque’ and then ‘Bittersweet Obsessions’.
Just last month, in September, Natasha started a one-year, post-graduate diploma in vocal studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in the United States. With a year of study at the conservatory with world-renowned vocal teacher Cesar Ulloa, Natasha hopes to set herself up to be ready to undertake a young artist programme at one of the major opera houses in the US, UK or Europe. It is through one of these young artist programmes that she plans to build the stepping stones towards a successful, professional, international career in Opera.
Natasha plans to use her AIMES Arts Award funds during the year in San Francisco – for course fees, living costs, and other expenses pertaining to the study.

Natasha Wilson receives the AIMES Arts Award from the North Harbour Club – sponsored by ASB - including a cash grant of $15,000.