Zane Berghuis in participation mode. Photo: Elly Wellford
It wasn't the easiest thing to do; break it to your trombone teacher that you would rather be in opera than in a big band.
It's an especially tough call to make when your trombone teacher is the late great Rodger Fox.
But something of the Rodger Fox approach to music making has rubbed off on Zane Berghuis, even though he's now part of the team at NZ Opera.
Fox was a champion of getting music out into the community. Now that's Berghuis' job too.
Berghuis is back in New Zealand working for NZ Opera as part of his 2024-25 Pettman DARE Fellowship, which is offered annually to those wanting to work in opera in the field of community outreach.
He spent the first part of his fellowship working for Opera North in the UK city of Leeds.
Berghuis spoke with RNZ Concert's Bryan Crump about the fellowship, his time in Leeds, and what he's doing now with NZ Opera.
Opera, you can do it too. Photo: Dafydd Owen/Welsh National Opera
His main task back in Aotearoa is helping with the community participation in the NZ Opera production of Jonathan Dove's "The Monster in the Maze".
That involves encouraging and helping community choirs, in fact anyone, to become part of the opera's chorus.
You could describe "The Monster in the Maze" - which retells the classical Greek myth of the Minotaur, the half-man half-bull that demands human sacrifice, and the humans who resist it - as Jonathon Dove's answer to Benjamin Britten's Opera for an all-comers cast, "Noye's Fludde".
Berghuis says there's no audition needed to be part of the chorus, with six productions coming up across Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland in September.
While the Auckland chorus is now full, there's still space for singers for the productions in Wellington and Christchurch.
People wanting to take part can register here.
