New Zealand Opera School

02/09/2026

In January they were with us studying and performing in Whanganui. This September, this is where they are headed. 🌍

🇮🇹 Sarah Mileham - Young Artist Programme, Fondazione Mascarade Opera, Florence
🇬🇧 Jack Doyle - Masters in Performance, Royal College of Music, London
🇬🇧 Faamanu Fonoti-Fuimaono - Masters in Performance, Royal College of Music, London
🇫🇮 Cameron Monteath - Masters in Composition, Sibelius Academy, Helsinki
🇬🇧 Blake Scanlen - Masters in Solo Voice Ensemble Singing, University of York

We could not be more thrilled for every single one of them. 🤍

01/09/2026

What a night at the Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship Final 2026!

Congratulations to Louise Keast on winning and to every singer who made it to that stage.

A special mention for our own alumnus Tomairangi Henare, who made the final five! Being named a finalist in one of the most significant opera scholarships in Australia is no small achievement and we are so proud of him. 🤍

29/08/2026

Congratulations to Faamanu Fonoti-Fuimaono, winner of the Dunedin Senior Vocal Competition, and to runner-up Cadence Chung — both NZOS alumni. 🎶

Always wonderful to see our patron Simon O'Neill adjudicating at competitions like this — what a privilege for all the singers who performed.

To every singer who competed — bravo. Seeing our alumni shine at vocal competitions across the country fills us with so much joy. 🤍



📸: Thank you, Cadence, for the snap!

Bravo Dunedin Performing Arts Competitions Society for giving young artists this wonderful opportunity!

28/08/2026

Before Carmen, a 24-year-old Bizet wrote The Pearl Fishers.

Aotearoa hasn't seen it on stage in 24 years. Next month, that changes. 🎶 New Zealand Opera brings this luminous masterpiece back to Auckland and Christchurch in a bold new co-production with State Opera South Australia — and the principal cast is entirely New Zealand artists.

Our alumni Madison Nonoa, Filipe Manu and Phillip Rhodes leading the stage. One vow. One love. One impossible choice.

Auckland · 23–27 September · Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre Christchurch · 14–18 October · Isaac Theatre Royal

Don't miss Bizet's early masterpiece of love and betrayal, The Pearl Fishers, in a bold new production.

Set at an exclusive resort hosting the enigmatic jewellery house, Pêcheur & Perle, this striking new staging unfolds in a world where image, influence and ambition shape every decision. As old loyalties begin to fracture, love and power collide.

The 2026 Season of The Pearl Fishers
Produced by New Zealand Opera in partnership with State Opera South Australia
With Auckland Philharmonia and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra

📅 23, 25 & 27 September
📍Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Auckland Live

📅 14, 16 & 18 October
📍Isaac Theatre Royal, Ōtautahi Christchurch

BOOK NOW: https://loom.ly/a5TzICo

28/08/2026

Congratulations to Air Chathams celebrating a decade of flights between Auckland and Whanganui! We are so grateful for your support in connecting singers, tutors, pianists and musicians with Whanganui each January and throughout the year.

It was a great honour to be invited to the celebrations on Wednesday, to hear CEO Duane Emeny talk of the importance of the route and for soprano Antonia Brightwell to perform beautifully for invited guests alongside the super talented Sophie Toyne.

A decade of connection, community and music worth celebrating - here’s to many more years of flying together!

26/08/2026

Wonderful news from our 2025 alumna Charlotte McDonald. 🤍 She just took first place in the Norah Howell Recital Class at the Hamilton Competitions. 🏆

That trophy says it all. So thrilled for you, Charlotte. 🤍 🌟

24/08/2026

HUGE achievement for alumnus Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono😍

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).

22/08/2026

We were proud to support this application and even prouder to see it succeed. 🤍

The New Zealand Piano Tuners and Technicians Guild has just secured Tertiary Education Commission funding for the New Zealand Certificate in Piano Tuning and Technology. A watershed moment for an incredibly important craft.

Opera depends on well-tuned, well-maintained instruments. Behind every performance, every rehearsal, every masterclass, every Whanganui Opera Week, there is a piano technician whose work makes it all possible.

This qualification ensures that expertise is trained, recognised and preserved in Aotearoa for generations to come. Congratulations to the NZPTTG and LetsGoMusic on this remarkable achievement. 🎹
🔗 letsgomusic.ac.nz