New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra yesterday said that she is thrilled to be visiting Taiwan again and is looking forward to her performances.
The 25-year-old pop and classical singer, who is on her seventh visit to Taiwan, told a press conference in Taipei that it was “so, so wonderful” to be back.
Westenra is to perform in Taipei, Greater Tainan and Greater Kaohsiung today, singing in English, Japanese, Mandarin and Taiwanese.
The concert in Greater Tainan on Saturday will be held at the Eternal Golden Castle, so the audience will see the soprano sing with the castle’s historic gate and flowers in the background, said Niu Hsiao-hua (牛效華), head of Management of New Arts, the tour organizer.
“I think this is going to be a beautiful backdrop for the audience and for me as a performer,” Westenra said.
In addition to Amazing Grace, one of the best-loved songs in her repertoire, she will also sing the Japanese song Nada Sou Sou and various Taiwanese ballads, including The Moon Represents My Heart (月亮代表我的心) and Flower in the Rainy Night (雨夜花).
She will also perform Taiwanese singer-songwriter Deserts Chang’s (張懸) Baby (寶貝), which she said she heard on an Internet radio station and fell in love with instantly.
Westerna will be accompanied by her own band and the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra. Her Taipei concert will be held at the National Concert Hall tonight and the one in Greater Kaohsiung will be at the Kaohnsiung Cultural Center’s Chinteh Hall on Sunday.
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