Gillian Davies has spent much of the past 50 years changing the lives of hundreds of children, through theatre.

Miss Davies' dedication to the amateur theatre culture of Hawke's Bay has earned her a Queen's Service Medal in this year's New Year Honours List.

The 68-year-old's relationship with theatre started when she was just 13, with a starring role in the Napier Repertory Society show Hotel Paradiso. Miss Davies is a life member of the Napier Operatic Society, where she has directed many hit shows including Cats, 42nd Street, Les Miserables and Bugsy Malone _ which involved 60 children and raised $70,000 to support those with child cancer.

In 2009, she directed Miss Saigon, staged at the Napier Municipal Theatre.

As well as training hundreds of young people, she has developed programmes to train and support emerging directors.
She also received an Outstanding Women's Award from the Napier City Council in recognition of her service to the arts in the Napier community.

”Theatre isn't just about entertainment. It educates and informs. It has the ability to change people's lives.''

Carolus Le Heux de Saint-Denis studied conducting at the Peter the Great Music Academy in St Petersburg with Alexander Polyanichko and in Palermo with Ennio Nicotra. He perfected his conducting studies by successfully participating in a number of Conducting Masterclasses across Europe and America with conducting greats such as Vassily Sinaisky and Jorma Panula.

Matthew Leese is known as a versatile baritone, conductor and teacher specializing in early music, opera and art song. He has founded three critically acclaimed ensembles, including the ‘Otago Camerata' and the professional early music ensemble 'Gravitación'. Extensive performing experience includes numerous recital and oratorio credits, as well as lead roles in 'Dido and Aeneas', 'l'Euridice', 'Venus and Adonis', 'Cephale et Procris', ‘The Tide' and ‘The Telephone'. Matthew premiered the contemporary roles of Frank in 'Outrageous Fortune' by Gillian Whitehead and Man in 'The Trapeze Artists' by Anthony Ritchie.

Helen Moulder was born in Brightwater, Nelson, New Zealand in 1947. She began her professional career in the UK in 1974, singing in musicals and pantomime and spending a year with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. In 1977 she returned to New Zealand where she has worked as a singer, actor and comedienne, in theatre, radio, television and film. She has also worked in Australia, Japan and in 1999 took her comedy show The Legend Returns to San Francisco. In the Chapman Tripp Wellington Theatre Awards, she won Actress of the Year 2000 for Vivian Bearing in the Circa Production of Wit and Actress of the Year 2003 for Sylvia in Meeting Karpovsky. She has co-written four plays - The Legend Returns, Meeting Karpovsky, Playing Miss Havisham and A Vote for Cynthia - the musical. The Legend Returns has been recorded by Radio New Zealand and is one of their most popular requests.

Yid-Ee has played with the NZSO for 10 years and has also played with the New Zealand String Quartet for two national tours in 1991 and 1993. He was also concertmaster of the Wellington Vector orchestra betwee 1998-2001. In 2003 he graduated from City University, London with a Masters of Music Therapy degree and in 2004 became director and music therapist at the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre for children with special needs in Auckland for four years. He now keeps  busy schedule as a violin teacher for over 45 students around auckland and is passionate about violin pedagogy.

Originally from Napier, Anna completed the two-year opera course De Nieuwe Opera Academie in Amsterdam. There she performed several roles to great acclaim, including Hermia in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, under Lukas Vis; Ruggiero in Handel's Alcina, under Richard Eggar; Dido in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, and Zita in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, both under Jeremy Carnall.

Anna recently sang the role of Eurilda in a Haydn opera in Vienna:  Le Pescatrici , at the KammerOper Wien under Daniel Hoyem-Cavazza. In November 2008 she sang Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde at Valencia's Palau de la Musica under the baton of Juan Antonio Ramirez and in April 2009 Pergolesi's Stabat Mater also directed by Juan Antonio Ramirez at the Palau de la Musica.

Lyric Soprano, Madeleine Pierard began her musical life as a pianist and chorister in Napier, New Zealand and later as a member of The New Zealand Youth Choir, The Tudor Consort and Voices New Zealand.  After completing studies at Victoria University of Wellington (reading Musicology, Composition and Biomedical Science), she completed her MMus in 2009 at the Benjamin Britten Opera School at the Royal College of Music with Lillian Watson. Madeleine has won many awards during her residency in London, most notably the Lies Askonas Prize, the Great Elm Award at the Wigmore Hall, The Les Azuriales Ozone Opera Competition in Cap-Ferrat, France and the Singer's Award at the Royal Overseas League Competition.   Madeleine is also a New Generation Artist with the Arts Foundation of New Zealand and winner of the 2005 Lexus Song Quest, a competition that launched the careers of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Jonathan Lemalu.

Only a handful of people have achieved perfection with the Classical Guitar.

One of these outstanding Classical Guitar players, who plays with exquisite passion, emotion, feeling and sensitivity, is one of the few women to join this small elite band of great Guitar players.

Cheryl won a scholarship to the Royal Manchester College of Music when she was 16. At 20, John Williams awarded her the first ever 'Performers Distinction' given to a Guitarist at the College. Under the tuition of Gordon Crosskey and John Williams, she won the 'Lanchester International Guitar Competition' and the 'Concorso Internazionale di Chitarra di Alessandria' in Italy. Consequently Cheryl was invited to appear on Italian, French and British television on numerous occasions.

José Aparicio was born in Alicante, Spain. He studied flute and music in Alicante and after graduation he began his career as a professional flute player becoming principal flute in the Chamber Orchestra of Elche and Symphonic Orchestra of Alicante.

He auditioned successfully for and went on to complete the  Post Diploma Orchestral Training Course, as a flautist, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1999.   The following year, he began his studies of singing making direct entry into the second year of the undergraduate singing course, which he completed in 2002.

Heleen Du Plessis has been well known in the South African music world for some time, as soloist, chamber musician and teacher and has, while living in the USA for the last 4 years, furthered her studies in Performing Arts, at the highly prestigious Conservatory of Music: The Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University in Baltimore. She studied with renowned Israeli cellist, Professor Amit Peled, where she obtained the Graduate Performance Degree in May 2007 with a full scholarship. She was principle cellist of the Peabody Orchestra for two consecutive years. During this period she attended master classes and private lessons with Carter Brey, Richard Aaron, Ilya Finkelstein and Burton Kaplan.

John Van Buskirk, a versatile pianist referred to by the NY Times as "sensitive and assertive", has played from Los Angeles and New York to Budapest, Prince Edward Island and the Netherland Antilles as a recitalist, chamber music player and recital partner to singers and instrumentalists. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music, holds a Master's Degree from the Juilliard School and completed post-graduate study at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. While living in New York City he played in The Music Today Ensemble, The New York Chamber Symphony and the Mostly Mozart Orchestra of Lincoln Center. In New England, he taught at Bennington College, Westfield State College and Smith College. He has played for broadcast on NPR and the BBC.

Tessa Petersen was brought up in Dunedin, New Zealand. As an undergraduate student at The University of Otago, she studied with Australian violinist Pamela Bryce, won numerous prizes, and led the New Zealand Youth Orchestra. A British Commonwealth Scholarship took her to London to study with Levon Chilingirian at the Royal College of Music after which she went on to play and tour with leading chamber orchestras in the UK and Europe.

Originally from Whakatane, Sharon studied violin viola and Baroque violin at the University of Auckland before spending four years as a member of the NZSO and NZCO. She was a delegate to the inaugural Pacific Music Festival in Japan with the London Symphony Orchestra and Leonard Bernstein, then studied violin in the USA with Steven Staryk, along with bronze casting and sculpture. She studied stonemasonry and sculpture in Bath, UK while working as a freelance musician.  She has a keen interest in the process of learning, and teaches music and art, worked for four years as an optometric vision therapist and now has her own Developmental Movement and Vision Clinic working with children and adults with functional movement, vision and learning-related difficulties, rehabilitation after injury and those with autistic spectrum disorder.

A New Zealander, Dr Alexa Still's graduate study was in New York (SUNY Stony Brook) where she also won competitions including the New York Flute Club Young Artist Competition, and, East and West Artists Competition. Alexa then won principal flute of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at the age of 23. While home, she received a Churchill Fellowship and a Fulbright award, used for further study in the US. In 1998, she left the NZSO to become Associate Professor of Flute at University of Colorado at Boulder in 1998. She then moved to Sydney at beginning of 2006, to take up the Head of Flute at the Sydney Conservatorium and is currently Chair of Woodwind.

Michael conducting training began at Otago University with an Honours degree in conducting. He has taken part in several Masterclasses with such conductors as Heinz Wahlberg, James Judd, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya and has lessons with Jac van Steen in The Netherlands. He has also attended the Dartington International Summer School in England.

He has conducted many of the established orchestras and choirs throughout New Zealand and is equally at home in the orchestral, choral and operatic repertoire. He has worked with the Christchurch Symphony, the Southern Sinfonia, St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra, Opera Otago, the City of Dunedin Choir and the National Youth Orchestra.

Born in Waipukurau, Gregory Squire began playing the violin at the age of 11, and at 14 became a pupil of Auckland-based teacher Heather Smith. Based in Wellington, he enjoys a busy international career and leads varied life as performer, conductor and teacher.

Awarded the Tagore Gold Medal the Royal College of Music in London, David was engaged as Repetiteur/Assistant Conductor at Sadler’s Wells Opera (now English National Opera) at Sadler’s Wells Theatre under the Musical Direction of Sir Colin Davis. At the age of 22, he became London Music Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company working with the distinguished Directors Sir Peter Hall, Peter Brook and Peter Wood. 

Helen Medlyn is one of New Zealand's most versatile entertainers. She was born into a family involved in all types of performance, so it's little wonder she has catholic tastes!

Her mother sang with big bands, directed musicals and was a dab hand at acting. Helen's father sang in choirs and played records of Wagner and Verdi - loud! Her grandmother and grandfather worked in vaudeville - Vic sang, regaled the audience with funny stories and played the harmonica, while Bea played the piano. Last, but not least, Helen's sister, Margaret, is an international opera singer of some renown.

Emma graduated Batchelor of Arts in Music from Auckland University in 1991, then spent five years in the UK, where she gained LTCL, trained for three years with Morely Opera and received tuition from some of the world’s pre-eminent singing tutors. 

Julian Pook studied at the Royal College of Music, London. This was followed by two years with the BBC Training Orchestra, based in Bristol. From 1971 to 1983, Julian was responsible for the music programme at Emerson College in Sussex, an international centre based on the work of Rudolf Steiner.

While a student at Napier Girls High School, Catherine’s principal training was with Jan Beck, Terence Dennis and Diedre Irons. She has since been the recipient of many national and local awards as well as a previous student of the London College of Music. Catherine is now based in Wellington where she teaches piano and coaches chamber music at Victoria University’s School of music.

New Zealand born Patrick Power has sung for most of the major opera companies and festivals in Europe and North America in nearly all of the lyric tenor repertoire. His roles include Alfredo in La Traviata, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Count Almaviva in II Barbiere di Siviglia, Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Des Grieux in Manon, Fenton in Falstaff, the title roles in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Le Comte Ory and Faust, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, the Duke in Rigoletto, Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur, Don José in Carmen, Narraboth in Salome, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore and Radames in Aïda. 

Born in England, Robert immigrated at the age of 9 to New Zealand where he completed his school education in Auckland and his first professional orchestral work was the premiere concert of the newly formed Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. 

Phillip graduated with a Diploma in Performing Arts (Voice) in 2001, where he studied under Patrick Power. During his studies he performed the role of Riff (Westside Story), Pilate (Jesus Christ Superstar), and MacHeath and The Beggar (The Beggar's Opera). 

Born and raised in Napier, Jennifer Morette studied violin from age four with Dallas Knight. Since age 16, Jennifer has studied with Greg Squire, violinist with the NZSO and she continued studying with him toward her Bachelor of Music in Performance Violin, which she completed in 2003 at Massey University Conservatorium of Music, Wellington.

Carmel was born in New Zealand and is a regular performer with all leading New Zealand orchestras and musical organisations in opera, oratorio and concert.  Shes also a frequent adviser to young performers and students on stagecraft, deportment and etiquette, including directing students  for Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Now based permanently back  in New Zealand, her repertoire as performer includes Meg: Falstaff; Orlofsky: Die Fledermaus (NBRNZO); title role in Carmen (Edinburgh Grand Opera); Sextus: La Clemenza di Tito (Queen’s Theatre, Edinburgh); Dorabella: Così fan tutte (Canterbury Opera); title role in The Medium (Opera Factory); Rosina: The Barber of Seville; other roles include Cherubino: The Marriage of Figaro; Suzuki: Madama Butterfly; Siébel: Faust. Masterclass, and Into The Woods (Auckland Theatre Company) Carousel, Sound of Music, and Riders to the Sea (Mercury)

Concert engagements include Messiah; Verdi Requiem; Bach St John Passion and St Matthew Passion; Beethoven Symphony No 9; as well as  many informal, Proms-style and Opera in the Park performances.

Directing credits include Così fan tutte,  The Barber of Seville (NBRNZO);  The Medium, La Serva Padrona (Co-Opera); To Russia with Love, The Consul (Opera Factory); The Magic Flute (The National Opera of Wellington); Cavalleria Rusticana, I Pagliacci (Opera New Zealand); Cheryomushki (YFONZ); Die Fledermaus (Wanganui Arts Festival). Carmel has directed and performed in several co-productions for Class Act Opera.

In addition, Carmel will start rehearsals shortly with NBRONZ as Alisa  in their Winter production of Lucia di Lammermoor which opens in Wellington on June 23.

Anton Wuts studied music at victoria and massey university, and was active in the wellington music scene during and after these studies. Freelancing in a number of jobs, he has played with Letterbox Lambs (rock band), RNZAF central band (symphonic band), Wellington Sinfonia (symphony orchestra), Fracas (jazz wind trio), Stroma (new music ensemble), and Saxcess (saxophone quartet). He then left New Zealand to experience a life at sea. Playing in the show band aboard the cruise ship "celebration", and eventually becoming the musical director, he found the sailors life not for him, and returned to teach music in Hawkes Bay. 

Margot left hawkes bay to study jazz singing at the Christchurch Polytechnic in 1996 (the only institution in new zealand to have a jazz vocal course at this time) and has been performing in jazz, funk and soul bands ever since.

These have included performances with well known wellington band 'shaken not stirred' at numerous jazz, wine & food festivals, a 'nina simone tribute' at the 2003 International Jazz Festival, hawkes bay band "tropical downbeat orchestra' at the 2006 waiheke island international jazz festival (she can also be heard on their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album - released last year), plus local appearances with Wil Sargisson & Kevin Watson. 

Tamsyn Miller is 18 and has already experienced performing to large audiences. She performed at the  2006 World Choir Olympics in China  with the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir, gaining a gold and silver medal. One of their performances was broadcast to millions throughout the world.   In January this year, she had the wonderful opportunity of opening for Eric Clapton at the Mission concert, performing  a song by NZ's own Brooke Fraser and debuting one of her own songs, "Beautiful Mystery" to an enthusiastic crowd of 25,000 people.   She then appeared in the Napier Operatic Society's production of the  musical "Beauty in the Beast" and is currently preparing for "Cats" which will go on stage in October.

Kenneth Young is one of New Zealand’s leading conductors. He has established himself as a passionate and skilled interpreter of the Romantic and 20th-Century repertoire, and twenty years of practical orchestral playing have given him a specialised rapport with his colleagues. Himself a composer, he has a particular interest in post-Romantic repertoire, and he has received recognition for his recordings of New Zealand orchestral music.