Ben Sings at Guildhall

My name is Ben Reason and I'm a singer from Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. My passion is music and this year I am pursuing that passion to London, UK where I've been offered an incredible opportunity to study at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

I need to raise a whopping $65,000 to cover my tuition fees and living costs for the first year of my BMus (Hons) course. With another three years to go, this is only a fraction of what the overall cost will eventually be. The Guildhall School has awarded me a part-scholarship to go towards tuition fees but I now need your help to get me the rest of the way. This Boosted campaign, along with the help of a generous opera-loving benefactor, aims to raise the remaining $10,000 that I need to cover my first year tuition fees.

So who am I?

I was born and bred in Wellington, and attended Onslow College from 2010 to 2014 where my (then undiscovered) musical ardour was nurtured in the zany, collaborative community that I was welcomed into.

During this time, I sang and performed in an number of ensembles, often writing music to be performed by these very groups. However, I felt the most satisfaction when the dramatic art form would meet with music on stage. In 2013, I found myself in an environment where I could pour my heart and soul into a role, storming the stage with all the bravado and anguish a 16 year-old could muster as "Sweeney Todd; the Demon Barber of Fleet Street".

After graduating from Onslow with an Excellence endorsement, I went on to pursue private study with some of the country's most distinguished musicians: NZ Opera principal r�p�titeur and vocal coach Bruce Greenfield, renowned NZ baritone Roger Wilson, as well as mezzo-soprano and head of Classical Voice at NZSM Dr. Margaret Medlyn. In 2016, I was awarded a grant from the Dame Malvina Major Foundation that helped enable my continued vocal training.

A passionate chorister, I was a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir which travelled to Malaysia and Singapore on an New Zealand tour (2013/14), and have also been a choral scholar with New Zealand's leading symphonic choir, Orpheus. I have worked as a freelance singer and am currently a member of the Freemasons New Zealand Opera chorus. To my delight (and wonderment at my age), I was selected for the Wellington chorus in their 2016 English-language production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" - my 'operatic d�but'. I have also recently finished performing in their rendition of the iconic opera "Carmen", and will sing in Bizet's "La damnation de Faust" with the NZSO later in August.

And how did I get here?

In June of last year, I packed up my bags and travelled to the UK in search of an adventure. With the encouragement of my UK teachers Paul Farrington and Tim Richards, I decided to take a swing at some music schools. Working in a Bristol pub to fund my lessons and travel costs, I was dubbed the 'singing bartender' as I made use of the 600 year-old building's wonderful acoustics!

In November, I jumped head first into a month of auditions - travelling the country to conservatoires in Glasgow, Cardiff, and finally London. To my utter astonishment and joy, I was offered a place at the Guildhall School the very next day and a scholarship shortly thereafter.

Where to now?

What is so exceptionally exciting about training my voice in London is that I know how much of a personal journey it is going to be. Not only am I building a greater understanding of the instrument I already have, but I'm also creating an identity in my sound and presentation that people will come to recognise one day.

I will be studying with UK-born baritone, r�p�titeur, and conductor Robert Dean. In addition to his teaching work at the Guildhall School, Robert has also been guest vocal coach at the New Zealand Opera Studio, Glyndebourne, and at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen.

Guildhall has the resources, artistic community, and vocational opportunities to promote musicians and actors to become the best in their field. It's renowned New Zealand faculty and campus right in the heart of a great city of culture are why I ultimately chose it over two other UK conservatoires, where I was also offered scholarships. You can find out more at: www.gsmd.ac.uk

Join me!

I applied to study Voice at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama because I want to continue to be part of an arts community that will allow me to flourish and succeed in a lifetime love of practice and performance.

Thank you so much for your continuing support, I hope you will be able to share in this journey with me.

Noho ora mai

Ben