Hayley Westenra - Tewkesbury Abbey

Tuesday 17th November 2009

Kiwi singing sensation Hayley Westenra is exited to be returning to Tewkesbury Abbey next month.

“It’s a beautiful venue and we just don’t have places like it where I’m from,” says the 22-year-old from Christchurch.

“I’m singing at a lot of cathedrals and abbeys around the country on the current tour and it’s a real treat.”

The concert on December 2 will also feature Tewkesbury Youth Choir and Hayley said it would have a festive feel to it.

“I’ll be singing songs almost exclusively from my new album Winter Magic,” she explains.

“It’s a mixture of festive and what I would call seasonal songs.”

Hayley’s first internationally released album, Pure, was the fastest-selling international debut classical album of all time, making her a global star at the age of 16.

She has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious venues including the Sydney Opera House.

And she has entertained Tony Blair, Prince Charles, Condoleezza Rice and George W Bush.

Earlier this month she headlined the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in front of The Queen.

She sang We’ll Meet Again as a tribute to Dame Vera Lynn, who was in the audience.

“It was a real honour to be involved in the concert, it was so poignant and emotional,” she says.

Hayley found fame by singing covers of classic songs but is now working on her own music.

“I’m totally cool with singing pieces by other people but I’m finding writing really exciting at the moment,” she says.

“There are a few of my compositions on Winter Magic and now, in rehearsals, it’s amazing to hear them played by an orchestra.

“It’s something I want to do more of in the future because it allows me to express myself creatively.”

For tickets to the concert at Tewkesbury Abbey, call 0871 2305573.