Meet NYCA singer Amelia Holds (SA)

Tell us about your musical background… I started singing in choirs at a very young age, then when I got to uni I began a Bachelor of Music, majoring in classical clarinet but shortly transferred into classical voice as I discovered that’s where my heart truly lay. I am currently doing my honours.

How many NYCA seasons have you participated in?
Four wonderful and thrilling seasons filled with beautiful music and beautiful people!

Why are you coming back to NYCA? I come back to NYCA because it is always challenging, I make great friends and meet wonderful people, and have the opportunity to work with some really talented musicians.

Favourite NYCA memory? My favourite NYCA memory always reoccurs in each season, and that part is the first time we rehearse in the performance venue. It is an amazing feeling to hear the choir in a new acoustic, with an almost finished program and to hear how far the choir has come in such a short rehearsal period.

What makes NYCA different? NYCA is special because you spend so much time with your fellow choristers and form such a strong friendship and relationship and I think that really shows when the group sings together. No other choir gains such a strong sense of teamwork in such a short amount of time.

What do you do when you’re not singing with NYCA? When I am not singing with NYCA I am singing with numerous other choirs or singing in a practise room, or teaching children how to sing, or singing on the street, or singing in the supermarket, or singing on the bus... I also like to play the organ.

What I’m most looking forward to most about the 2018 season is… I am most looking forward to meeting new musicians like me and hearing the sound
we can achieve together.

What’s coming up for you next? School holidays, with lots of extra time for organ practice!