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Szilvia Hernyak
Voice Type
Mezzo-Soprano
Home Town
Hastings, Hawkes Bay
How did you become interested in opera singing?
I joined Project Prima Volta in Hawkes Bay when I was 15. I was a part of La Boheme as the children’s chorus, and we got to watch Mimi’s death scene. The tenor performing Rodolfo moved me to my core, and I vowed that day that I would do whatever it takes to tell these emotionally moving stories with my voice.
Performance highlights so far?
Singing Third lady in a concert version of ‘The Magic Flute’ with Festival Opera and the NZSO, Singing the Alto Soloist in Bach’s ‘Mass in B minor’ with Napier Civic Choir, the joy of creating a concert with Samuel McKeever and Catherine Norton in Wellington, and having immense fun with the choruses of Festival Opera, Wellington Opera, Days Bay, and NZ Opera.
Photo © Richard Wood
What are you looking forward to about being part of TANZOS?
I am looking forward to the international coaches and the plethora of people I get to meet and form a connection with through TANZOS. I am also looking forward to the large amount of performance and networking opportunities through this course, including singing with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and embarking on a trip to Sydney. But most of all, I’m excited to be working with Nikki-Li, among other regular coaches, to have a strong support network to help me bridge the gap between student and professional life.
What are your career hopes following TANZOS?
I am planning to continue further study or a young artists programme in Europe, particularly Germany. I hope to one day make people feel the same way I felt that day all those years ago all around the world!
Supported by the Te Pae Kōkako Opera Grant
Biography
Szilvia Hernyak is a current student of Te Pae Kōkako - The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio (TANZOS), supported by a Te Pae Kōkako Opera Grant. They are a graduate of both the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington and Waikato University, where they completed an PGDip degree in Music majoring in Classical Voice.
Recent projects include oratorio works with Handel Consort and Quire, Cantando Choir, and Napier Civic Choir, as well as singing Third Lady in a concert version of The Magic Flute with Festival Opera and the NZSO. Szilvia has participated in the New Zealand Opera School in 2024 and 2023, was chorus member for both New Zealand Opera Wellington and Wellington Opera for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and assistant director of both NZSM’s Opera Scenes in 2022, and Festival Opera's The Magic Flute in 2021.