Opera singer Georgia Jamieson Emms has created her own success from the ground up. Following the birth of her first child, she realised she wanted to take her career into her own hands.
“I had my son Raphael and then I was twiddling my thumbs,” she says. “I wanted to sing, but the phone wasn’t ringing, so I knew that if I was to get back on stage, I had to make it happen for myself.”
With a performing arts degree and an extensive background in singing, Georgia was determined the show must go on, and now, seven years later, she’s she’s revamped five operas, created her own opera company Wanderlust Opera, founded the Marlborough Opera Festival, and written the libretto for NZ Opera’s The Strangest of Angels – an opera film about the life of Janet Frame, which has been selected for the 2023 New Zealand International Film Festival. Georgia is currently touring the country as a lead in New Zealand Opera’s modern production of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, a romantic tragicomedy staged alongside a live orchestra.
“It’s been pretty incredible, beyond anything I ever imagined!” says the 40-year-old, who returned to New Zealand in 2016 after five years spent living and performing in Germany.
Not only has Georgia’s career blossomed since having children, but the proud mum is also thrilled that Raphael, nine, and Bianca, six, are following in her footsteps.
“Raphael was in the children’s chorus of the New Zealand Opera’s Macbeth last year. It was his very first time going on stage, and he loved it. I’ve been trying not to be a ‘stage mum’ because even though
I was so excited, I knew if I pushed it, he might start to resist. I think he has his eye on the stage, though.”
Daughter Bianca recently appeared in a local production of The Little Mermaid, and both children will watch their mum perform this month, when Così fan tutte hits their home city of Wellington.
The singer’s currently starring in Così fan tutte.
(Image: Jinki Cambronero)
It doesn’t happen often, but Georgia explains, “It’s a privilege to be able to take my kids to work and say, ‘This is what Mummy does’. Although they’ll probably freak out because I’ll be wigged and covered in makeup and not looking like Mummy!”
It’s all a far cry from her life pre-children, when she lived overseas with her now-husband Andreas, 41, teaching English during the day, then heading to the theatre to perform at night.
“The only qualification I needed was to be fluent in English, which was easy,” she says. “We had the freedom to travel as much as we wanted. We could just get on a plane and go to Turkey, or train to Paris for the weekend. We were so broke, but it was great.”
The couple were keen to start a family, so they ultimately returned to New Zealand to be closer to theirs.
Georgia’s thrilled to be treading the boards again after her hiatus.
In 2016, two years after Raphael was born, Georgia translated Così fan tutte from Italian to English and toured it around New Zealand for the first time. Despite being familiar with the show, she admits it’s more challenging the second time around.
“I get nervous more now than I used to because I know too much, and I know what could go wrong. I’m a lot more self-critical than I used to be. When I was younger, I was so excited to be asked to sing and wear a pretty dress on stage that I wouldn’t care what people thought. As I’ve aged, I’m more conscious of nailing it.”
Growing older has also shaped Georgia’s voice, prompting her to explore other stage characters. “I’m not playing the ingénue roles anymore,” she says. “That ship has sailed, but what’s coming now are the more sophisticated roles. I sing lower than I used to, which happens to women as they get older. The voice settles and drops and sounds richer and rounder. Having children has probably assisted in that area.”
Her voice has changed, but her style has stayed the same. “I’ve always headed in the classical direction,” she says. “One of my favourite singers is Julie Andrews who was originally classically trained – I’m obsessed.”
For information about Così fan tutte, visit nzopera.com.
