International soprano Mirusia wowed the audience with her voice at Ormiston College’s speech night last week.
Mirusia Louwerse is a past student of Ormiston College and was well known during her time at the College for the lead roles she played in major school productions such as Oliver and The Wizard of Oz and for many vocal presentations she gave during her time at the College.
After graduating in 2002, Mirusia went on to study at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. The quality of her singing was recognised early and locally with Mirusia being the first winner of the Redlands Eisteddfod’s Aria Competition in 2005.
She was also chosen as the Young Talent on the 2005 Golden Casket Lord Mayor’s Christmas Carols. However, the biggest prize of all came in June 2006 when Mirusia won the prestigious ‘Dame Joan Sutherland Opera Award’, the youngest singer ever to receive this acclaim.
Mirusia toured the world as Andre Rieu’s leading soprano for five years and has had two number one albums and a platinum DVD.
Students, staff and guests, gathered for the annual award presentation, were treated to a spectacular performance as Mirusia returned to the stage she once sang on as a student herself. Mirusia first performance of the evening was the title track of her new album and 2012 tour, ‘Home’ written by Kim Durant and arranged by Chris Brindley.
Mirusia told the audience that she has especially selected the piece as it very much reflected the joy she felt at being back home, in the Redlands and amongst her friends in the Ormiston College community.
Mirusia’s final performance for the evening, accompanied by the Ormiston College Chamber Orchestra, was ‘Time to Say Goodbye’, the piece she sang in 2002 as a student of the graduating Year 12 cohort when she left the audience awestruck. Her performance this year was again applauded with a resounding standing ovation.
Current Ormiston College captain, Aaron Barker-Smith thanked Mirusia on behalf of the College for her performance and said that her talent and achievements are an inspiration to all students, especially the current Year 12 cohort and the many other talented singers at the College who will hope to emulate her, concluding with, ‘Your performance will long live in our memories’.
