WHEN Broadway singer Jacqui Scott was two, she had the loudest singing voice in her church’s congregation.
The youngster’s love of belting out a tune convinced her parents to enrol her into singing and piano lessons when she was only six.
Four years later Scott got a scholarship to attend the prestigious Chethams School of Music in Manchester, and at age 15 she was named the youngest-ever winner of Rising Stars.
She is now one of the world’s top Broadway singers, having performed in musicals from Evita and Cats to Jesus Christ Superstar at London’s famous West End. She’s coming to Wellington to perform in The World of Rodgers and Hammerstein, an ode to the veteran song-writing duo, whose classic musicals include The Sound of Music and The King and I.
“I’ve never sung so much of their music in one go, and to suddenly be doing 16 songs when I only knew two to start with has been daunting. There’s a lot of words to learn,” laughs Scott. “The music is fantastic though, because it changes from light sopranos to big belting stuff.”
The score of Rodgers and Hammerstein will be performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and Scott says it’s not unusual for a classical orchestra to perform Broadway music – the original song scores were written for a full 60-piece orchestra.
“We’ve got those scores from the family – you have to get a licence to do that. It’s very moving and it is quite classical in parts. It lends itself beautifully to [a full orchestra],” she says.
Scott couldn’t believe it when she realised she’d be coming to New Zealand with the production – she’d visited for the first time a year beforehand, and didn’t expect to return so soon.
“My husband was 50 last year, so my present for him was to hire an RV and do both islands in six weeks,” she laughs. “We saw the whole of New Zealand. I loved Auckland, Wellington, and Picton. We did the whole Queen Charlotte walkway, and also the Tongariro Crossing (at 5am, and we watched the sunrise).  I’ve got a picture of that sun coming up behind Mt Doom, which was featured in Lord of The Rings.”
Scott admits both she and her husband are “huge” Lord of The Rings fans – one of the other drivers to visiting Kiwi land.
“I just never thought I’d be coming back to sing there within a year, so I just jumped on it,” she says. “We are so in love with your country – we want to come and live there.”
Unfortunately, Scott’s husband won’t be travelling with her this time – he’s got other commitments as a professional bass player, but they work it out as her commitments require her to be away for as much as 220 days a year.
When she’s not working she delights in going home to spend time with husband and their two adult daughters in Newbury, an “old beautiful village” that’s been the family’s home for the past 20 years.
The World of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Michael Fowler Centre, 8pm, August 6.