Te Pae Kōkako - The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio

05/09/2026

Massive toi toi toi to Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono for this weekend!!!!!

Have you booked your tickets to this year's Bel Canto Award and Sydney Int Song Prize Final? Here's how, don't wait just DO IT and get your chance to vote for your favourite artists.
https://events.humanitix.com/joan-sutherland-and-richard-bonynge-bel-canto-award-and-sydney-international-song-prize-finals/tickets

24/08/2026

Toi toi toi TANZOS graduate, Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono for the Bel Canto Award finals in Sydney!!

Get to know the 2026 Bel Canto Award Finalists. Finals 5&6 September, book now www.humanitix.com. Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono is a 25-year-old Sāmoan tenor from New Zealand. A graduate of the University of Waikato in Hamilton, he holds a MMus in Advanced Opera Studies at Te Pae Kōkako: The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio. Performance highlights include: Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor for Wellington Opera, Nemorino in The Elixir of Love schools' tour for New Zealand Opera, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi for Festival Opera HB. Jordan received the Dame Malvina Major Foundation scholarship in 2025 at the prestigious New Zealand Opera - alumnus 2021-2023, 2025. Competition success includes: North Shore Aria (winner), Jim Stevenson Tenor Scholarship (winner) and New Zealand Aria 2025 (3rd prize).

13/08/2026

Toi toi toi to Tomairangi Henare who has made it to the final of the Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship Final!

05/08/2026

We’re pretty excited about this landmark concert for to celebrate Malvina Major and her dream! The rehearsals are sounding AMAZING! And the theatre really is stunning.

There are a few tickets still remaining. So don’t miss out! Visit www.nightattheoperanz.org

We recognise the extraordinary village outside of aiga and church that contributed to the inspiration and training for these singers before they came to Te Pae Kōkako - The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio (TANZOS) which the segment doesn’t mention (even though it was mentioned throughout the interviews!).

Particularly Project Prima Volta and New Zealand Opera School, and University of Waikato Conservatorium of Music.

13/07/2026

📣APPLY NOW for TANZOS in 2027!

Applications are now open for TANZOS 2027!!

👉Visit tanzos.org/apply to apply and for more information.
📅APPLICATIONS CLOSE: Monday 20 July
📅LIVE AUDITIONS: 16-20 August

Join the remarkable journey of our singers with unprecedented opportunities and an intensive 18-month programme to help prepare you for the world stage.

ABOUT TANZOS:
Te Pae Kōkako – The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio (TANZOS) is Aotearoa New Zealand’s national opera studio, developing distinctive, world-class artists.
It is an intensive 18-month postgraduate programme based at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts at The University of Waikato.
Designed for emerging professional singers, TANZOS bridges the gap between tertiary study and international careers.

In a supportive and inclusive environment, singers bring their artistry into intensive, holistic career-focused training. With a maximum of six singers accepted per year and donor-funded scholarships, the programme offers exceptional individual support and assistance with pathways to the international opera industry.

Through partnerships with leading organisations—including The Royal Ballet and Opera (London), Opera Australia, and New Zealand organisations—singers gain access to world-class coaching, residencies, and global networks.

The University of Waikato GallagherAPA

05/07/2026

We couldn’t be more happy for everyone who sang over the last two nights at the Kiri Te Kawana Song Quest semi-finals - who sang with such passion and vulnerability.

This is a hard part of our profession - auditions, competitions - always under scrutiny. When it works out, it’s a high we never forget. When it doesn’t, it’s a gift that helps us to grow and understand ourselves better.

Congratulations to everyone, especially the six finalists, and particularly Faamanu Fonoti-Fuimaono, Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono and Sarah Mileham who are recent graduates at Te Pae Kōkako - The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio (TANZOS) and to Cecily Jane who studied at The University of Waikato Conservatorium of Music.

Congratulations to the six Finalists of the inaugural Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest! ✨

⭐ Cecily Shaw
⭐ Faamanu Fonoti-Fuimaono
⭐ Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono
⭐ Samuel Downes
⭐ Samuel Mataele
⭐ Sarah Mileham

See who will be crowned the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest WINNER and attend the Grand Final Gala at Michael Fowler Centre next Saturday 11 July. Don't miss this opportunity to see these incredible talents perform with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra before International Head Judge Frederica von Stade 🤩

🎫 Tickets available at songquest.nz/grandfinalgala 🔗

📸 Pictured with International Head Judge Frederica von Stade. Photo by Hagen Hopkins.