Soprano eager to perform with Air Force Band in concert
For soprano Barbara Graham, performing in The Air Force In Concert in Wellington at the end of October is another chance to sing with the backing of leading professional musicians.
In the annual event the Royal New Zealand Air Force Band takes the audience on an offbeat ride through musical styles as diverse as popular show tunes and military classics, with some smart choreography to cap it off.
The accomplishments of Graham, a reservist with the RNZAF Band, include concert and recital performances with the New Zealand Opera.
A resident of Wilton, she joined the Air Force Band as a vocalist at the suggestion of Simon Brew, its director of music, in April 2016.
She sang this year at New Zealand Defence Force Anzac commemorations in France and Belgium and at the centenary commemoration of the Battle of Messines. She performed in Belgium again, at the Battle of Passchendaele commemoration earlier this month.
She considers it a privilege to perform with the Air Force Band.
“They are a group of hugely talented musicians and it’s a rich, full sound to have behind you as a singer,” she says.
“My trips to Belgium and France have been incredible and I feel very lucky to have had such a once-in-100-years opportunity.”
She said her performance at Passchendaele was particularly poignant, because it was such a dreadful day in New Zealand’s war history.
“Many people died in a short amount of time in a battle that probably shouldn’t have happened. It’s important to acknowledge their sacrifice and what they left behind.”
The Air Force In Concert will be held at the St James Theatre in Wellington on Sunday, October 29, at 2.30pm.
