6 AUGUST 2009 - Young musical talent flies into Nelson this weekend for the annual Sealord Aria competition on Saturday night. Now in its sixth year, the competition has drawn a strong list of seven contenders, some of whom are university music students and some more mature entrants. Organiser Wim Oosterhoff says Sealord Aria, with its $3000 first prize, is seen as a significant contest on the aria circuit. "It is a glorious night of opera and we'd like to see people dressed for the occasion in black tie," he said. There is one local entrant, Barbara Grant, who has recently returned to live in Nelson after studying and working in the States and the UK. Previous Sealord Aria entrants Brent Read and Anna Argyle are returning for the 2009 competition; Anna performed with the Nelson Symphony Orchestra earlier in the year. A new entrant, Geoff Knight, visited Nelson schools in May this year performing and motivating students; and other new entrants to the competition are Judith Sivasubramaniam of Christchurch, and Elitsa Kappatos and Phillip Russell from Wellington. The Sealord Aria competitors also perform in a recital at 7pm on the Friday night for the Playhouse Prize, entry by donation. This year's Sealord Aria adjudicator is well known Wellington bass-baritone, Roger Wilson, one of New Zealand's most experienced and versatile resident singers, who has been engaged as a soloist by all New Zealand's major opera companies, orchestras and choirs and is also well known as a recitalist and broadcaster. Sealord Aria is one of the highlights of the Nelson Performing Arts Competitions, now in its 75th year. The competitions are held over two weekends in vocal, instrumental, speech and drama disciplines.

Sealord Aria is at the Nelson School of Music at 7.30 pm on Saturday August 8 . Tickets are $20 and $10 at the school.