Hayley Westenra and The NSO Chamber Orchestra
There’s something about Hayley Westenra’s voice. It’s not just a beautiful voice. It’s a voice that moves you, gets inside of you because you feel it’s coming from a woman who has felt everything – love, joy, anger, despair – the whole range.
It soars and swoops as much as it ever did on her first international Number 1 album ‘Pure’, released in 2003 when she was just 15. Now, New Zealand born Hayley is 23 and the pureness of her tone is edged with experience, confidence and power.
‘Pure’ became the fastest selling international debut album in the history of the UK classical charts. Proceeding albums ‘Odyssey’ (2005), ‘Treasure’ (2007) and ‘River of Dreams: The Very Best of Hayley Westenra’ (2008) – all showcased her sensational voice and won her international acclaim, selling over four million copies worldwide to date.
After all, she has sung for such luminaries as George W. Bush and Tony Blair, has been personal songbird to Her Majesty The Queen four times and has sung for both Princes William and Harry.
Hayley has also performed at many prestigious sporting events, including football (the FA Cup Final), baseball (the MLB in the US), tennis (the Mercedes Cup in Los Angeles) and rubgy, with her proudest duty – singing the New Zealand national anthem in support of her much-loved All Blacks rugby team.
Hayley works regularly with the Royal British Legion to support the work of the British troops, and is now commonly referred to as the ‘Forces Songbird’.