(Lauren
Dasappa)
On October 26, UKZN postgraduate student Lauren
Dasappa will present her MMus Recital in Vocal Performance accompanied on piano
by David Smith and Andrew Warburton.
Lauren’s passion for music started at a
very early age. Her exposure to classical music, however, only began as a first
year undergrad student. This has transformed her musical path as this was her
first exposure to classical music and opera. Since then, she has performed the
role of Jenny in Kurt Weill's Down in the
Valley, Papagena in Mozart’s The
Magic Flute, Despina in Mozart’s Cosi
fan tutte, the Shepherdess in Purcell's Masque
in Dioclesian, the Widow in Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Gretel in Hansel
and Gretel, a role which won her great acclaim at the Playhouse Company.
She also excelled in popular music and won
the East Coast Radio "Pop Princess" Competition in 2004 and was
awarded an international recording contract with Universal Studios. Lauren has
featured as a soloist in many Playhouse Company productions. She performs
frequently with the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in and around the
province.
She has completed her BA Music (Honours)
degree cum laude and currently teaches Classical, Opera and Popular Voice at
the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Lauren also conducts vocal workshops.
She was awarded a scholarship to complete a
Masters degree at Southern Methodist University in Dallas but due to family
constraints was not able to accept this offer. In recent times, she has performed
the role of Maria in West Side Story,
in collaboration with Southern Methodist University in Dallas and the
University of Cape Town and performed as a soloist at the International Olympic
Committee opening ceremony.
She performed the role of Fairy Godmother
in the Playhouse production of Cinderella
in December 2011. She toured with Baroque 2000 this year as Colette in Jean
Jacques Rousseau’s opera Le Devin du
Village and was a soloist in 2012’s 100
Night of the Stars. Lauren will be a featured soloist in the Playhouse
Company’s Christmas show this December.
The recital will take place on October 25
at 15h00 in the Howard
College Theatre and entrance is free.
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