James played elderly bachelor Don Pasquale with Amina performing the role of youthful widow Norina.
Dame Malvina attended a performance and said it was an amazing show. “I was very proud to see two New Zealanders taking the leads.”
In his review of the production in local news service SFGate, Classical Music Critic Joshua Kosman described Amina as boasting “plenty of vocal power and presence, as well as a wealth of vocal coloration…”. He said that as an actress, “she endowed Norina with both charm and determination.”
Read the full SFGate review: Merola’s ‘Don Pasquale’ alluring
