Samoan Tenor from Flaxmere, Hastings is one of two New Zealanders selected for the IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition.
25 year old Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono was part of a youth initiative called “Project Prima Volta” in high school. After learning through PPV, he continued singing at the University of Waikato.
He is currently completing his Masters’ at the University of Waikato under the new programme called Te Pae Kōkako – The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio.
Emmanuel attended the New Zealand Opera School in Whanganui in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, where he was awarded the DMMF Award and the Guy and Susie Haddleton Scholarship.
He also won the Lockwood New Zealand Aria Competition and made the Lexus Song Quest Finals winning the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Scholarship for Potential. Earlier this year, he won the inaugural Tarling Aria Competition in Auckland.
Emmanuel played the role of Malcolm in New Zealand Opera’s production of Macbeth and also the role of Tupaia in Tim Finn’s Ihitai ‘Avei’a – The Star Navigator.
IFAC Australian competition is recognised as one of the longest-running events offering a range of scholarships, prizes, career and network opportunities, which also make the competition one of the richest in terms of financial and career opportunities available to opera and classical singers in Australasia.
Thousands of young singers from Australia and New Zealand have participated in the Competition and have had the benefit of being interviewed and heard by eminent professionals from the Australian and international singing and music fraternity.
Many Competition participants have gone on to pursue successful careers in Australia and overseas.
