Two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke is no stranger to the great Gustav Mahler, having sung in many of his works with the world’s leading orchestras.

Ahead of her concerts with the NZSO and 80 choral singers in Wellington on 31 March and Auckland on 1 April in Mahler 3, Sasha talks about why she loves the composer’s works and working again with the Orchestra.

Among the more than 80 symphony orchestras you’ve performed with so far, you’ve sung a lot of Mahler. Has your appreciation of the composer changed over the years?

Absolutely! My favourite thing so far about getting older is knowing pieces more deeply. It's like revisiting old friends. They contain a certain part of your journey and self and when you come back to them, those feelings and associations are still there, and you continue along the path exploring more.

Mahler has so much feeling in it, it can apply to wherever you are in life. It can be joyous, mournful, grateful, bitter, really anything – and when I return to it, I often find something new is there, often relating to where I am in life or what the songs speak to in that moment.

What do you enjoy the most about performing in the fourth and fifth movements of his Third Symphony?

It’s always a joy to sing any and all Mahler. Particularly in the Third Symphony voice is used masterfully. And it's certainly a wonderful surprise.

First, is the entrance of the first human voice that we hear in the evening and in a text by Friedrich Nietzsche. What could be better? Gentle, true and authentic, that's how Mahler creates that first moment with voice. And who among us can’t connect to the ever-human question ‘what is the meaning of life’ and that quintessential German mixture of pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow. Then finally the pleasure of singing with the wonderful chorus – the mezzo representing man and the children and women representing the angels. It's a powerful and real moment.

What would be your advice to anyone coming to experience for the first time Mahler’s Third Symphony peformed live?

One of my favourite bits of advice I heard was from a conductor and friend [former NZSO Music Director] Edo de Waart in one of the first times I did Das Lied von der Erde.

We were doing a radio interview together and the question was ‘what do people need to know in advance of the performance?’ Edo said ‘Nothing. You already know everything you need to know. Just sit back and enjoy. The music will tell you the story.’

I think most people don’t realise how true this is. Music is a universal language. Sit back and enjoy all of the emotions that come up. It’s also the longest symphony ever written – so get comfortable!

New Zealanders loved your 2018 performances of Berlioz’s Summer Nights song cycle with the NZSO. What are your strongest memories of the tour?

Speaking of Edo, it was with him! I just remember how wonderful the Orchestra was. The performances grew during our time together and it was so fun to do that cycle with them.

I'm really excited to return and also with wonderful Gemma New. Gemma is a fabulous conductor and incredibly sensitive musician. She cares so much about the score and the text and each individual instrument’s unique expression and role. Doing Mahler 3 with her will be especially meaningful.

Your recent album How Do I Find You was nominated for a Grammy this year. Can you tell us a little about its gestation and how it all came together?

How Do I Find You was one of the most meaningful and personal things I ever did, and it was new in that I acted as producer.

I learned so much on that front, namely that we shouldn’t wait for the phone to ring. We should pick it up and call ourselves. And that’s what I did with this. It came during a deeply low moment. I was on unemployment. Not knowing how long the pandemic would last and whether I’d be able to feed my family.

George Floyd’s murder happened and a lyricist friend Mark Campbell reached out to me with a text he had written inspired by that awful moment. We then approached a composer together and setting the text and a lightbulb went off. I had to do more of this very thing. So, I reached out to 17 composers about writing one song each.

I decided to ask composers I hadn’t worked with before (except for Nico Muhly) but had admired for a while. I also chose to ask those in their 40s and younger. For one, it helped me simplify the list but also those artists could use the financial and artistic help the most. Before I knew we could premiere the songs, I knew we would record them and so we did.

It’s been an amazing journey. From the beginning of the project, when it was still an idea and how much hope I had once music was being written and I didn’t have to hold my breath any longer waiting for the next performance. And then to collaborating with my partner, the pianist Kirill Kuzmin, who made the experience so wonderful.

Each step has been a joy and the Grammy nomination was just icing on the cake. For those that are curious, I added a page to my website with more information about the songs and creators.