Entertainment
11 March, 2022
MAREEBA TEEN EXCELS IN … the classical music scene
“When I practice my singing, my audience is our herd of cattle that come on the fence line as close as they can to listen. They seem to enjoy it,” said 15-year-old classical music singer Albina Niceforo.
That is just who she is, a girl in love with the peace that the farm life of Chewko offers her and that has had the opportunity of growing surrounded by her Italian heritage and music since the day she was born.
Albina lives and breathes music; since she was a baby, she accompanied her mum, a local musician, to her events, and by age three, she had already taken to the stage.
“At the age of 8, I started experimenting with my voice to see “how high I could go” and was trying to develop a classical sound,” Albina said.
“I have always had classical piano and guitar lessons, so I have always appreciated classical music since a young age.”
By 2018, at age 12, Albina was more than prepared to start classical competitions nationally and internationally.
Albina competed in the 2018 Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2019, received the title of National Vocalist Winner at the Evolution Dance competition.
In addition, she represented Australia in the 10th edition of the San Remo Junior World Finals, where she got third place.
When the pandemic began, most competitions stopped and slowly started going online, but Albina saw an opportunity where many could have seen a disadvantage.
“COVID has changed the way rural people can access competitions. Many competitions have started to offer online contests that are much easier to enter than ever before,” she said.
She started participating in competitions all around the world with excellent results.
In January of 2022, Albina entered competitions in Canada, America, France, Serbia, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vienna, London, Russia and won first place in the 21st Century Talents Music Competition, Red Maple International Music Competition, Imka Classical Music and Dance Competition, Nouvelles Etoiles Competition and the Grand Prix of the Angel Voice in Serbia.
At 15 years old, Albina is a very down-to-earth teenager with clear goals and an ever-growing passion for discovering new paths in music.
“I love how telling the story through song moves the audience,” she said. “Competing is not about winning – it is about making connections with people that work in the music industry – from contestants and professors to composers and management teams.”
Her focus is not on winning awards; it is on learning, growing and representing Australia and Far North Queensland.
“When I perform overseas, everyone thinks I live near the Sydney Harbour Bridge,” she said.
“I laugh and have to tell them Australia is a very big country, and I live far from Sydney – way up North in the most beautiful part of Australia – the tropics, where we can go to the most beautiful beaches in the world all year round.
“I think educating more international people about how beautiful Far North Queensland is would be awesome because if these people ever want to come to Australia for a visit, they won’t think Australia is just Sydney.”
As Albina continues to cultivate her talent, she reflects on her future and the advice she would give to other kids her age who have considered a music career.
“I would like to start to learn Opera roles,” she said.
“I want to develop the art of the Bel Canto technique that is required for true opera singing.
“To younger singers, I would say, try it – you won’t regret it.
“The many television shows and social media platforms have made singing competitions very popular and accessible to us younger singers.
“It is not about winning – it is about getting feedback to improve yourself as a performer and making contacts.
“Be yourself - do not imitate others. People are always looking for unique qualities, and if you imitate others - you may lose the uniqueness that makes you, you.”
