Kia ora! My name is Cecily (also known as CJ) Shaw, and I'm a mezzo-soprano from Aotearoa New Zealand. I have been studying opera at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama for the past 3 years, and I am delighted to have been selected as one of the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest semifinalists! I am super excited, because this will be MY FIRST TIME BACK HOME IN THREE YEARS!!!

But I need your help. Flights between the UK and New Zealand are especially expensive right now, and I will need to be in New Zealand by the 1st of July in order to take part in the semifinals. Living and studying in London is also very expensive, so any help with travel costs would be a huge weight off my shoulders. Your donations would go towards my airfares to New Zealand (estimated £1900 including return), and also my storage* costs (estimated £740).

My dream is to represent New Zealand on the international operatic stage, and, as a proudly neurodivergent artist, pave the way for others like me. I am over the moon to have been accepted into the Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest semifinals, as I feel this is an important part of achieving that dream. Your support in this means the world to me!

Photo credit: David Monteith-Hodge @Photographise

*"Why the storage?" Because I am a residential assistant in student accommodation, I am unable to stay or store my belongings in said accommodation during the UK Summer break.