CONDUCTOR | VOICE COACH

Lada Valešová brings a rich and varied professional profile as conductor, pianist, and vocal & language coach. A graduate of the Prague Conservatoire and Prague Music Academy, she studied next at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (London) on full scholarship. 

Her recent roles demonstrate her choicest engagement with high-level repertoire and international stages. She conducted the award-winning production of The Cunning Little Vixen (Janáček) for Hampstead Garden Opera, and was awarded the Off West End Award in Opera Ensemble. This season Lada serves as Cover Conductor and Assistant Conductor to Jakub Hrůša on Jenůfa at the Royal Ballet & Opera, Assistant Conductor to Principal Conductor Karina Canellakis for Janáček’s From the House of the Dead at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Assistant Conductor at the Royal Northern Sinfonia with celebrated pianist Pierre‑Laurent Aimard at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music. 

In her coaching capacity, Lada has worked with leading opera companies including the Royal Opera House, Scottish Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and others. Since the mid-2000s, she has held a longstanding faculty position at Guildhall as Vocal Faculty and directs the Russian & Czech repertoire song classes.

Lada is committed to passing her expertise to emerging singers and musicians, uniting her technical mastery, cultural fluency, and language-specialist skills. She offers NYOA participants not just vocal and musical excellence, but mentorship shaped by a global career and deep understanding of voice, repertoire, language and performance.

VOICE TEACHER

Neil Baker is a distinguished baritone and voice teacher whose career bridges international performance and advanced vocal pedagogy. He studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal College of Music, London, later undertaking further vocal studies in Amsterdam with Margreet Honig.

As a performer, Neil’s career encompassed major roles in opera and oratorio, including appearances at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the Salzburg Easter Festival, and the Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival, as well as concert performances with ensembles such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Gabrieli Consort. His artistry is marked by stylistic fluency across Baroque, Classical, and 20th-century repertoire, and a deep understanding of vocal line and language.

Alongside his performing career, Neil has become a sought-after pedagogue and mentor to emerging singers. He is currently a member of the Professorial Staff (Voice) at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance in London, where he teaches undergraduate and postgraduate singers in technique, interpretation, and performance practice.

Neil brings to National Youth Opera Aotearoa 2026 a wealth of experience in developing healthy, expressive vocal technique and supporting young artists in achieving both technical assurance and emotional authenticity in performance.

STAGE DIRECTOR

John Wilkie is an internationally active opera and theatre director whose productions have been staged across the United Kingdom, Europe and the Southern Hemisphere. He trained as an actor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland before moving into directing and company development, co-founding Opera Bohemia in 2010, a company celebrated for taking high-quality opera to regional and rural communities throughout Scotland.

John has directed more than 50 productions, with repertoire spanning from Handel to Britten. In New Zealand he has served as Principal Stage Director for Festival Opera, where his work has included La traviata, Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci, The Cunning Little Vixen and Die Zauberflöte. His European credits include productions for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Hampstead Garden Opera, Opera Holland Park and If Opera Bath. His staging of Il segretto di Susanna for Opera Holland Park was nominated for “Best Production” at the 2021 International Opera Awards.

In addition to his directing portfolio, John is an experienced educator, teaching in leading professional development residencies for emerging singers. His work is characterised by clarity of storytelling, musical sensitivity and a collaborative rehearsal process that empowers performers to bring authenticity and dramatic truth to their roles.

At National Youth Opera Aotearoa 2026, John will guide participants in the creative process from page to stage, mentoring young artists in stagecraft, ensemble awareness and the interpretive skills required to thrive in contemporary opera practice.

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR

Lior Balachness, born in 2001, is an opera and orchestral conductor. He has assisted numerous conductors in operatic productions, including Maestro Yi-An Xu, Maestro Louis Lohraseb, Maestro Marzio Conti, Maestro Arthur Fagen, and Maestro Yoel Levi.

Throughout 2025, Lior will be a conducting fellow in the NZSO Conducting Fellowship Program.

2023-2024, Lior was an assistant conductor at the Cameri Theatre. In 2024, Lior was appointed associate conductor for the Haifa Symphony Orchestra’s opera production of Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore and as assistant to the musical director in Buchman-Mehta’s two productions of Gianni Schicchi and Dido & Aeneas.

Lior Has attended various masterclasses around Europe and has had the experience of playing as a member of the orchestra in some of them.

After initially studying percussion, he began studying piano and oboe alongside his conducting and composition teaching.

After gaining some experience as an assistant conductor in some amateur musical theatre productions across Europe, he began his academic studies under the guidance of Maestro Yi-An Xu, Maestro Yoav Talmi and Maestro Ronen Borshevsky.

Lior has a B.Mus in Orchestral Conducting from the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music. During his academic years, Lior has received guidance from numerous famous conductors, including Maestro Lahav Shani, Maestro Zubin Mehta, Maestro Dan Ettinger, Maestra Susanna Mälkki, Maestro Ulrich Windfuhr, Maestro Toby Purser and Maestro Christian Ehwald.

He has also assisted in many of the school’s opera productions, such as Gianni Schicchi, Die Zauberflote, Cosi Fan Tutte, Don Giovanni, Acis & Galatea, and more.

Lior's passion for vocal music has taken him to the opera realm, where he had the experience of coaching and conducting various operas of different genres.

Lior has conducted most of Israel's orchestras, including the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, Buchmann-Mehta Symphony Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israeli Camerata Orchestra, Israel Flute Choir, Tel Aviv Soloists Ensemble, and more.

YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMME

Alanah Jones is a Kiwi-Chinese soprano currently studying a Bachelor of Music Honours in Classical Voice at the University of Auckland under Dr Morag Atchison. Outside of her studies, Alanah regularly performs as a soloist, and as a chorister in the Auckland Chamber Choir and St Matthew’s Voices. As a New Zealand Youth Choir member, Alanah had the opportunity to tour Europe where the NZYC was named ‘Choir of the World’ at the 2025 Llangollen International Eisteddfod. 

In recent years, Alanah has been the recipient of various scholarships and prizes, including the Pears-Britten Award, and the Evelyn M Harrison and Anne Bellam Scholarships. In 2025, Alanah was named winner of the UoA Concerto Competition after performing solo with the Auckland Philharmonia. Additionally, she is an alumna of the 2025 NZ Opera School in Whanganui.

Alanah is looking forward to exciting opportunities in 2026, including attending NYOA. Her upcoming performances include singing as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Easter Oratorio with Bach Musica and in Haydn’s Nelson Mass with Harbour Voices.

HYBRID CHORUS PROGRAMME

Ameera Woods is a 20-year-old soprano from Christchurch, going into her third year at the University of Otago, and studies Classical Voice under Judy Bellingham and Dr Tessa Romano. Ameera also studies Neuroscience and enjoys combining her passion for the sciences and music in her studies. In 2024, she was one of two New Zealanders selected for the Asia Pacific Youth Choir in South Korea. She has performed as a soloist with Opera Otago and the Dunedin Musical Society. Ameera recently performed with the Oāmaru Chorale as a soloist in their recent Dunedin and Oāmaru performance of ‘Martines Mass No.1’. Ameera has also gained success in singing competitions in Dunedin and Christchurch, having gained first place in the Under 21 Lieder class at the Dunedin Performing Arts competition in 2024. Recently, Ameera placed 2nd in the Cleveland Recital and 3rd in the Webb Farry Scholarship class. Ameera is looking forward to participating in NYOA and getting to perform with singers from around the country.

YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMME

Anh Thu Anna Nguyen is a Vietnamese-Kiwi soprano from Tāmaki Makaurau, who studied an Honours Degree in classical voice under the tutelage of Doctor Morag Atchison at the University of Auckland, graduating with First Class Honours.

Anh Thu performs across the community as a soloist and an ensemble singer, and has been a member of St Patrick’s and St Joseph Cathedral Choir and the New Zealand Opera Chorus. 

As an alumna of the New Zealand Youth Choir, Anh Thu had the opportunity to tour Europe where the choir was named Choir of the World at the 2025 International Eisteddfod in Langollen. Most recently she performed with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra as a finalist in the 2025 New Zealand Aria Competition. 

She is a recent recipient of the Ramon Opie and Corrine Bridge Vocal Scholarship, the Evelyn M Harrison Scholarship, the Taurus Charitable Trust Scholarship, the Anne Bellam Scholarship and the Kate Edgar - Vinka Marinovich Award in Music. 

In 2026, Anh Thu looks forward to starting her extended masters at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMME

Arana Ashby is a third-year classical voice student at the University of Waikato, majoring in performance with a focus as a baritone. His journey into classical singing began in 2021 during his final year at Rotorua Boys’ High School, where his involvement in composing for the school choir sparked a deep passion for vocal performance. He was subsequently accepted into the prestigious “Accelerando” program by Youth Opera Aotearoa New Zealand, which helped launch his formal vocal training.

Since beginning his undergraduate studies, Arana has performed a variety of operatic roles, including the Notary in Gianni Schicchi, the Drunken Poet in The Fairy Queen, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, and the Young Man in Marry Me a Little. In 2023, he featured in the University of Waikato Opera Scenes as the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro and Malatesta in Don Pasquale.

Arana has also appeared as a soloist in major choral works such as Handel’s Messiah and Fauré’s Requiem with the University of Waikato Choir and the Hamilton Civic Choir. He continues to build his experience with performances across the North Island, establishing himself as a promising young baritone in New Zealand’s operatic scene.

HYBRID CHORUS PROGRAMME

Bayley Goldstone is 24-year-old Tenor from Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara. Bayley holds a Bachelor of Music from Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music (Victoria University of Wellington), majoring in Classical Performance (Voice), under the tutelage of Dr Margaret Medlyn, Dr Jenny Wollerman and Wade Kernot. He was a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir (2019 - 2020) and a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir (2020 - 2022). Currently, Bayley is a member of the Wellington Opera chorus and NZ Opera chorus collaborating in their productions of Verdi's La Traviata and Un ballo in maschera (WO), Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (WO), Tosca (WO), Ihitai’Avei’a - Star Navigator (NZO), Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte (NZO) and Puccini’s La Bohème (NZO). As a soloist, Bayley has performed with the Note Bene choir -Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Vesperae solennes de confessore in 2023, and performed the role of Agenore from Mozart’s Il re pastore with Days Bay Opera in 2024.

YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMME

Eden Vaatstra is a New Zealand soprano committed to embodying the meaning of music through vocal colour, tonal warmth, and text informed emotional clarity. Born in Dunedin and raised across Aotearoa and Australia, her varied upbringing fosters openness and sensitivity in her storytelling. 

Eden has performed with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, NZ Opera, the New Zealand Youth Choir, and premiered “Fascination with Light”, by David Hamilton with Jade String Quartet. 

Eden completed her Graduate Diploma in Music in performance classical singing learning from Dr. Morag Atchison, at Waipapa Taumata Rau The University of Auckland. In 2024, she lived in Italy, attending the Bologna International Opera Academy, and studying under Italian soprano Laura Cherici. 

Now Eden is based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, preparing for her roles as the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, and Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro, with the National Youth Opera Aotearoa. She looks forward to her 2026 residency with NYOA, and to continuing developing her career in opera.

Edward Smith is a bass-baritone from the Waikato and has just finished his honours under Kristin Darragh. He studied under Wade Kernot for his undergraduate studies in Wellington and has since

returned home to Hamilton. In January of 2024, Edward attended the New Zealand Opera School where he honed his skills for the two weeks surrounded by peers. Since then, he has performed with the NZ Opera Chorus in Le comte Ory and as the Bass Soloist in Haydn’s Creation. Of his performance in the latter, one reviewer wrote “bass soloist Edward Smith sang his recitatives and arias full of conviction.

His beautiful and rich voice points to a very exciting career and a promising future ahead.” Edward looks forward to performing more in the future and is excited to be attending the NZ Opera School again in summer 2025, before starting as a 2025 Te Pae Kõkako TANZOS Artist supported by Freemasons Foundation.

HYBRID CHORUS PROGRAMME

Eva Stein is going into her third year at Otago University studying a Bachelor of Music, majoring in classical performance, and a Bachelor of Laws. She is training as a Soprano with her teachers Dr Tessa Romano and Judy Bellingham. Eva has performed as a soloist with many groups in the Otago region including Opera Otago, Oamaru Chorale, Southern Consort of Voices, The Dunedin Star Singers and the Royal Dunedin Male Choir. This year, she sings with the New Zealand Youth Choir, Southern Youth Choir, and All Saints Church Choir, Dunedin. She is also a past member of the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir and the Aotearoa Academy Choir. Eva is grateful to be attending NYOA and to be tutored by experts in the opera field.

YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMME

Hannah Morgan is a 22-year-old mezzo-soprano from Hamilton. She began her vocal studies at the University of Waikato completing her Bachelor of Music in 2024. She recently completed a Bachelor of Honours in Music at the University of Auckland under the tutelage of Dr Morag Atchison and will be continuing her study at Auckland, beginning her Masters of Music in 2026. Hannah was a member of the 2025 Freemasons Foundation New Zealand Opera chorus, performing in La Traviata and La Bohème. She was also the mezzo-soprano Soloist in the Auckland Youth Choir Rio Grande performance in 2025 and a finalist in the Ronald Dellow Vocal Competition in 2025. She was named runner-up in the vocal category of the 2024 New Zealand Young Performer of the Year competition, following her nomination as the Norah Howell Recital Competition runner-up at the Hamilton Vocal Competitions. 

HYBRID CHORUS PROGRAMME

Joseph is a 20 year old Baritone who has just finished his second year at the New Zealand School of Music studying classical voice. His most recent endeavours have been Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera with Wellington Opera as a member of the chorus, and playing the grandfather clock, cat, and the tree in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges for the New Zealand School of Music opera. Joseph was also a part of Orpheus Choir Wellington this year as a scholar. 

YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMME

Born in Hamilton, Kezia is beginning her second year at the University of Auckland studying a conjoint degree in Classical Voice and Law. She is currently studying under the tutelage of Dr Morag Atchison.

Kezia won the under 21 Trophy at the Hamilton Vocal Competition and a Very Highly Commended Award for her recital at the NZ Aria Competition in Rotorua. Recently, she has also performed as a soloist with Auckland Youth Orchestra.

Kezia is a member of the 2026-2028 New Zealand Youth Choir, under Rowan Johnston. She also sings with the Auckland Chamber Choir and a choral scholar at Holy Trinity Cathedral. In January 2025, she toured with Gondwana Chorale to North America as a soloist and chorister. Kezia was also a member of the 2023-2024 NZSSC and toured to China. She holds her ATCL in violin, and was a soloist with the Waikato Youth Orchestra in 2024.

Kezia wishes to pursue a career in singing, and hopes to travel overseas for further study.

HYBRID CHORUS PROGRAMME

Maaki Wairau (Ngāti kahungunu, Ngāti Porou) is a young singer from Te Matau-a-Māui whose musical development has been shaped through sustained involvement with Project Prima Volta (PPV). 

Maaki first joined PPV as a junior, and has been involved with the programme from 2020–2024, returning again from 2025 onward. Through PPV, he appeared in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, accompanied by the NZSO, as well as Janačeck’s  The Cunning Little Vixen, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, PPV’s Scena 2025, presented at the Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival, as well as appearing as a soloist in the celebrated Small Halls sessions with Project Prima Volta. He also participated in Big Sing in 2024 and featured as a PPV junior singer in projects including Cavalleria rusticana and I Pagliacci and a songwriting project with Julia Deans. 

In 2025, he begins with NYOA, continuing his operatic and ensemble training as part of a national platform. 

Alongside music, he is an active sportsman, representing Te Matau-a-Māui as a member of the Under-16 Māori Rugby Union team and playing for the Karamū High School Rugby team. He is also passionate about cuisine and competed successfully in the 2025 National Secondary Schools Culinary Challenge.

His engagement across music, sport, and in cultural settings reflects a strong work ethic, leadership, teamwork, and adaptability. 

HYBRID CHORUS PROGRAMME

Matiria Elizabeth Koko McIntosh, is the oldest of three kids, from Ngāti Kahungungu. She spent 7 years in Te kura kaupapa Māori o te wananga whare tapere o Takitimu, a Māori performing arts school where she mainly learnt kapa haka and Māori performing arts. She managed to get to the National competition for primary school kapa haka, Mana Kuratahi alongside the kapa haka group at school. She currently attends St Joseph's Māori girls college. She has been a part of Project Prima Volta (PPV) for 3 years. Her vocal coach for the last two years has been Anna Pierard.

HYBRID CHORUS PROGRAMME

Nikone Gomi is 16 years old and attends Massey High School. She started singing opera around the age of 8 - 9. At first, she started learning because she wanted to get a flower bouquet at concerts but as she got older her passion towards opera grew more, which is why she still enjoys learning till this day. Some of her interests other than singing opera is baking, cooking, playing guitar and curling.

YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMME

Hastings-born Samuel McKeever is an honours graduate of Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music, where he studied classical voice under Wade Kernot and Margaret Medlyn. He is a graduate of Project Prima Volta, and in January 2021 attended the New Zealand Opera School. Samuel's stage history includes the roles of Pluton (Orpheus in the Underworld) with the NZSM in 2021, Rocco (Fidelio) and Gubetta (Lucrezia Borgia) in NZSM's Opera Scenes film in 2020 and Simone (Gianni Schicchi) with NZSM in 2019. He also played L'Imperial Commissario (Madama Butterfly) for Festival Opera in 2018 and Polyphemus (Acis and Galatea) with PPV in 2017. He has been a chorus member for Wellington Opera (Don Giovanni) and Festival Opera, and performed as a soloist with Project Prima Volta and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra for their Broadway Matinee during the Immerse Concert Series. Concert engagements have included solo roles with the Napier Civic Choir, the Bach Choir of Wellington, the Kāpiti Chorale, and the Wellington Capital Choir.

YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMME

Shana Matthews is a South African born soprano, currently in her third year of a BMUS, majoring in classical voice performance, at the University of Auckland. When she left school she initially pursued a Bachelors of Engineering, but since making the swap to music has found so much joy and success. 

She has received awards such as the Pears-Britten award in 2023 and the Maria D’Albini Scholarship in 2024. Alongside the singing she does at university, she also sings in three Auckland based choirs: Auckland Chamber Choir, Auckland Youth Choir, and Neotectonic Vocal Ensemble. Shana also was a student at the New Zealand Opera School for 2026, performing in the public masterclass with international tutor Mary Plazas as well as in the Dining with Opera nights.