Judy Bellingham —
dramatic soprano and vocal coach

Judy Bellingham, controls her tremendous power, singing … with cool, clear tone and an easy top register. Judy is one of New Zealand's finest singers of opera, oratorio and song recitals. She enjoys singing in a variety of contexts from the formality of opera to weddings. She is also a gifted teacher, being supportive, encouraging, challenging and inspirational, and an internationally recognised workshop presenter on topics as diverse as "vowels and consonants" to "vocal health".

A career highlight for Judy was creating the role of Mrs Sullivan in the world première of Anthony Ritchie's opera The God Boy for the Otago Festival of the Arts in 2004. New Zealand works are a passion for Judy, and this role was written specifically for her and her voice.

Reviews — Judy Bellingham

Italian Impressions
Bellingham delivered the poetic lines with sustained dulcet tones, appropriately soft and passionate… Elizabeth Bouman, Otago Daily Times Dunedin, NZ, 2007

Mozart, Schumann Commemorative Concert
…Judy Bellingham, in Frauenliebe und Leben coloured each of the eight songs with beauty and sincerity, with intense accompaniment from Prof Terence Dennis. The contrasting passion and despair of the last song was extremely moving, as the woman tells how, in death her man has hurt her for the first time… Elizabeth Bouman, Otago Daily Times Dunedin, NZ, 2007

Stravinsky Commemorative
Three songs for Children were Tilimbom, which demanded a fast and almost rapturous-like delivery, Geese and Swans, another fast-moving character piece, and The Bear which Ms Bellingham delivered in an effectively dour stolid style. All great fun and very popular with the audience. Elizabeth Bouman, Otago Daily Times Dunedin, NZ, 2007

Heritage Music
…to what proved to be an historically fascinating and highly entertainging two-hour recital of vocal and instrumental music from the legacy of Otago's pioneer musicians. Performers included Judy Bellingham and Terence Dennis. Elizabeth Bouman, Otago Daily Times Dunedin, NZ, 2007

Bach Mass in B Minor conducted by Sir David Willcocks
I have always respected Judy Bellingham's musicianship. David Sell Christchurch Press, NZ, 2007

Lunchtime Recital
Soprano Judy Bellingham joined the group for Four Folksongs for Voice, and Piano Trio by Beethoven. …The Sweetest Lad was Jamie revealed this fine rich mezzo tones of this singer, and two Tyrolean folk tunes ended the recital on a happy high as Bellingham all but yodelled refrains more akin to an Austrian folk festival. Elizabeth Bouman, Otago Daily Times Dunedin, NZ, 2007

Brahms Requiem conducted by Sir David Willcocks
Bellingham Enright and Brewer were well chosen for their solo performances, moments when one wishes they could burst into spontaneous applause at completion, but are forced to wait until the interval and the end to take advantage of rapturous appreciation. The performance ended with a foot-stamping roar. Paula Cunliffe Nelson Mail, NZ, 2006

CDs featuring Judy Bellingham's work

Outrageous Fortune

Gillian Whitehead, Composer
Christine Johnston, Librettist
Michael Joel, Conductor

Comissioned to celebrate New Zealand's Otago 150th Anniversary.

An opera ‘raunchy rather than high class,’ which would be relevant to Otago's history and which would appeal to a wide audience. The opera was to be a statement of the settlers themselves, something that should be seen.

2 Acts, 2 CDs,     Otago Commemmorative Trust

Can be purchased from SOUNZ.

It Began with a Pony

Selected work by Dorothy Buchanan. Available from SOUNZ

New Zealand Songs

Songs by Dorothy Buchanan, David Hamilton, Anthony Ritchie and John Ritchie

Judy Bellingham, soprano, Terence Dennis, piano and Debbie Rawson, clarinet

• Mary Magdalene and the Birds, Dorothy Buchanan
• Berlin Fragments, Anthony Ritchie
• Zhivago's Mary Magdalene Songs, John Ritchie
• At the lighting of the lamps, David Hamilton

Phone 64 9 630 1177 or email Ode Records to purchase. CD, MANU 2044

Songs of Old Dunedin

Judy Bellingham, soprano with Terence Dennis, piano

A selection of 19 songs from 1876 to 1944

The settlers of Dunedin brought many songs to their new homes, many learnt by heart, others preserved in treasured volumes. They included folk songs, ballads, sacred works, show songs and comic music hall or vaudeville songs.

New music from London and the United States continued to arrive regularly. Patriotic pieces were popular and became even more so during the Boer War and The Great War. Eventually the phonograph, cinema, and radio arrived, and the foxtrot and other styles of jazz were soon embraced.

Phone 64 9 630 1177 or email Ode Records to purchase. DVD, MANU 8002

Listen to Judy Bellingham

Storm's Breaking, from Outrageous Fortune (see below) excerpts.

Click to download and listen.

0:11 seconds 76k mp3

0:32 seconds 196k mp3

Biography — Judy Bellingham

Judy Bellingham has been involved in music all her life. Her first public performance was in August 1969 in Christchurch, and Christchurch was also the scene of her first professional performance in April 1974 as the soprano soloist in Bach's St Matthew Passion sung by the Royal Christchurch Musical Society.

Since then Judy has sung with all the major Choral Societies in this country, and with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. She has sung with many of the Opera Companies and has created six New Zealand operatic roles.

Equally at home on the concert stage as the operatic stage, Judy has a reputation for intelligent and different programming. Some of her innovative recitals include Shakespeare's Heroines and A Floral Bouquet. She is also passionate about New Zealand music and has commissioned, performed and recorded many works from New Zealand composers.

She has performed throughout New Zealand, and has also given recitals in England, America, and Taiwan.

As a clinician, Judy has presented workshops in Australia, England and Taiwan, and has taught for Glyndebourne Festival Opera. She is an inspirational teacher and can offer innovative and informative workshops on any vocal or choral issues.

Judy holds a Masters degree in Entrepreneurship with Distinction from the University of Otago, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Canterbury, and an FTCL and an LRSM in solo singing. She is also a trained teacher, holding a Diploma in Teaching from the Christchurch College of Education.

She was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration medal for Community Service, and in 1988 received the Elizabeth Baigent Mid-career Opera Bursary from the New Zealand Opera Society for services to opera.

Judy is currently researching the history of the teaching of singing in New Zealand and is Senior Lecturer in Voice at Otago University, New Zealand.

Contemporary New Zealand vocal music

Contemporary New Zealand vocal music is a particular interest of Judy's and she has commissioned and performed many works by New Zealand composers. This is a selection.

Commissioned works:

• Dorothy Buchanan
• The Blossom of the Branches 1982
• Mary Magdalene and The Birds 1990. First performed at the NZ International Festival of the Arts, Wellington.
• The Woman at the Store 1999 and 2001, title role sung by me twice,once in the James Cook Centra and once in the Composing Women's Festival of Aotearoa.
• John Ritchie Zhivago's Mary Magdalene Songs 1992, premièred Christchurch 1993, subsequently sung by me in Russia and England.
• Anthony Ritchie Berlin Fragments (words by Cilla McQueen, New Zealand poet). Premièred Dunedin 1994, also sung in the UK
• David Hamilton At the Lighting of the Lamps 1996. Premièred in Salt Lake City, USA, in 1997. Also performed in Taiwan.

Some of the premières of New Zealand works performed by Judy:

• Anthony Ritchie, The God Boy, 2004, Mayfair Theatre,, Dunedin.
• John Drummond, Bridge to Somewhere, 2001. Otago Festival of the Arts in 2001 at the Fortune Theatre, Dunedin.
• Anthony Ritchie, The Trapeze Artists, 2001. Otago Festival of the Arts in 2001 at the Fortune Theatre, Dunedin.
• Gillian Whitehead, Outrageous Fortune, 1998. Mayfair Theatre, Dunedin.
• Philip Norman, Christmas Carol Canterbury Opera 1993, James Hay Theatre, Christchurch.
• David Hamilton, Paraha 1990 Christchurch Town Hall with the Christchurch Harmonic Society.
• Dorothy Buchanan, Magnificat 1980's. The Roman Catholic Cathedal, Christchurch.

Vocal coach — Judy Bellingham

Judy is a skilled teacher, master class and workshop presenter, who is also well-known for presentations on vocal technique to choirs.

She is a vocal consultant to the internationally acclaimed Tower New Zealand Youth Choir and Tower Voices New Zealand.

Singers Master Class, Tauranga, New Zealand, July 2001:

Each singer had prepared one song, which they sang to the large audience. Judy then worked alongside the singer to improve the vocal technique, tone, stance, breath control and interpretation. She was supportive, encouraging and challenging — all the time making it such fun for participants and audience alike. The change in the vocal sound at the end of the session with each individual singer was amazing.

All participants left the master class feeling that they had gained some useful inspirational guidance from a very experienced and gifted teacher.Stuart J Connew, Music Director, Adelaide, Australia

For the past nine years Professor Judy Bellingham has come to Tunghai University in Taichung, Taiwan to teach at our Summer Music Festival I have been a vocal teacher for over fifteen years and still benefit greatly from her teaching. Yi-lin Hsu, Associate Professor of Music, Tunghai University.

Judy Bellingham — Workshop presenter

Judy Bellingham is an experienced workshop presenter, and has presented numerous and varied workshops for organisations including

• The New Zealand Association of Teachers of Singing
• The New Zealand Choral Federation
• The Institute of Registered Music Teachers
• Many secondary schools
• Tutor at the New Zealand National Singing School in Napier since 1996

Judy has built an impressive reputation as a gifted teacher and workshop presenter. Her extrovert personality and sense of humour, combined with her training as a school teacher and her intimate knowledge of the human voice enable Judy to present with authority and skill on a wide range of topics.

Available workshops

• Sing Through Your Body
• Vowels and Consonants
• Know Your Own Voice
• Breathing
• A Guided Tour of the Larynx
• The Voice Unravelled

Judy Bellingham — Writer

Sing What you See, See what you Sing, Hazard Press, a book commisioned by The NZ Choral Federation on how to teach sight singing, is available from Judy.