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Jonathan Lemalu’s new and innovative series
Jonathan Lemalu is one of the world’s top opera singers. Like many other artists based in Europe, Lemalu hasn’t stood on a stage or seen a live audience in a long time. With more than eight months of a completely cancelled diary of work due to COVID-19, the Grammy-award-winning bass baritone has been working on an exciting, new and innovative project: a series on Boosted LIVE.
This series called ‘Before and After Summer’ is running alongside Lemalu’s Boosted crowdfunding campaign, as he calls on his loyal supporters, friends and fans to gain support for creating revenue from his own performance content in a year of financial loss. The series consists of four biographical episodes that detail Lemalu’s musical journey from a young chorister in Dunedin, New Zealand to an internationally acclaimed operatic bass, and how his life has changed throughout 2020.
In this project, Lemalu has created more than two hours of rare, unique insights and candid commentary into his personal journey. Featured are seventeen specifically chosen songs and arias, as well as interviews and Q&A’s, all personally scripted and recently recorded in London. The opera star talks about the brutal effects this pandemic has had on his career, livelihood and health. Most importantly though, Lemalu shares his joy and passion for music, the meaning it holds both on and off the stage, as well as his gratitude to have Boosted (Aotearoa New Zealand’s only crowdfunding platform dedicated to the arts) as an outlet to share his voice and entertain his audience.
Telling stories and performing is Jonathan Lemalu’s passion – he knows that music and its messages can be cathartic and a welcome distraction the pandemic and its varying impacts on all of us. He is fiercely proud to be born in Aotearoa and considers himself blessed to have such wonderful support and encouragement from his homeland.
As he shares his work, story and lessons learned, Lemalu is asking his audience for support by donating to his Boosted campaign and by helping him spread the word. For these episodes and the campaign, he is crowdfunding to raise a stretch goal of NZD$40,000 before Thursday 10 December to fill some of the financial gap created over the year. It’s both exciting and nerve-wricking at the same time – according to Lemalu, a surprisingly similar adrenaline rush to singing in the theatres and opera houses of the world!
Check in on the Boosted campaign page to watch his four-part series over the month and learn more about one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s finest opera talents.
Episode 1: Origins and early years
Live to watch from Friday 13 November for one week
Episode 2: London
Live to watch from Friday 20 November for one week
Episode 3: Life pre-Covid
Live to watch from Friday 27 November for one week
Episode 4: Life post-Covid
Live to watch from Friday 4 December for one week
Jonathan Lemalu
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