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12 November 2025

TANZOS 2025 eNews, Issue #4: Including upcoming performances and successes

10 June 2025

TANZOS 2025 eNews, Issue #2: Including upcoming performances and successes

20 August 2023

Newsflash! Our Opera Australia residency in Sydney will now happen annually!

5 June 2023

TANZOS takes out all three top places in the Becroft Aria Competition

12 November 2025

We're thrilled to announce our 2026-27 Te Pae Kōkako TANZOS Cohort

8 April 2025

Breaking News! Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono joins The Royal Opera, London

11 July 2023

It's been an incredible first half-year at TANZOS. Read our mid-year report!

29 August 2025

TANZOS 2025 eNews, Issue #3: Including upcoming performances and successes

1 April 2025

TANZOS 2025 eNews, Issue #1: Including Upcoming events and Alumni news!

29 June 2023

Emmanuel has won the Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship 2023!

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🤩 🇮🇹 TONIGHT!!!!! Una Serenata Italiana with our @tepaekokakotanzos singers, some of whom are freshly inspired by their life-changing masterclass with @joycedidonato , and our artists from @royalballetandopera , director #ElaineKidd and pianist, #CarolineDowdle.

We’re almost sold out so if you’d like to come, please book now via tanzos.org/events! #tepaekokakotanzos @ridgeponini @sarahelizabethmileham @jasminejessen.soprano @faamanuff_baritone @niamh.bentley @tomairangihenare_music @simonoooooooo @jonodunlopmusic #sammckeeverbaritone

"Opera is another word for 'musical drama'.

Elaine Kidd is here to remind us the 'drama' is just as important as the music.

Kidd is Head of the Jette Parker programme for young artists at the Royal Opera House – a programme which has helped a number of New Zealand singers over the years including Madeleine Pierard, Filipe Manu, Ana James, Andrew Sritheran and Thomas Aitkens.

And very soon Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono will join that list too.

This month she’s in Hamilton, working with students from TANZOS (The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio) at Waikato University, ahead of a concert of Italian opera excerpts in Wellington.

Kidd, who trained first as an actor and theatre director, spoke with RNZ Concert's Bryan Crump ahead of the concert in the Public Trust Hall on November 29th."

It's not too late to secure tickets to tomorrow's concert! Head to Eventfinda at https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2025/te-pae-kokako-tanzos-presents-una-serenata-italiana/wellington

See you there!

This Saturday, TANZOS appears in Wellington for the first time with Una Serenata Italiana.

A cast of remarkable young opera artists brings music from Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti and Mozart to the stage, joined by internationally respected director Elaine Kidd and pianist Caroline Dowdle.

For Wellington audiences, it is a chance to hear today’s generation of New Zealand opera talent at a pivotal point in their artistic development.

Limited tickets remain through Public Trust Hall.

Book tickets at: TANZOS.org or Eventfinda at https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2025/te-pae-kokako-tanzos-presents-una-serenata-italiana/wellington

TONIGHT! 🎶

Don't miss your chance to see TANZOS singers learn from international opera sensation and Grammy Award Winner Joyce DiDonato, in a NZSO Foundation Masterclass supported by the Dame Malvina Major Foundation.

Joyce DiDonato is renowned for her generosity as an artist and for the energy and inspiration she imparts to the next generation of talented artists and we're delighted to be taking part in tonight's Masterclass.

Taking place 6.00pm, November 27 at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington, or online.

You can watch the Masterclass live and free of charge at www.tanzos.org/livestream.

Thank you @joycedidonato @nzsymphonyorchestra and @dame_malvina_major_foundation

Tenor Ridge Ponini brings a wealth of experience to the Wellington stage, shaped by performances across Aotearoa and the Pacific. A proud Cook Island artist, Ridge has been recognised with numerous awards, from Most Promising Singer in the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Aria to the Enari Iosefa Opera Award.

He has appeared with companies including New Zealand Opera and Opera Otago, toured nationally to more than 10,000 schoolchildren, and studied at the New Zealand Opera School for four consecutive years. As a TANZOS artist, he continued to refine his craft with intensive coaching and performance opportunities supported by the Te Pae Kōkako Gibbs / Graham Opera Grant.

Wellington audiences will have the chance to hear an artist whose generosity, musicality and clarity of tone have made him a distinctive voice within New Zealand’s operatic landscape.

Book tickets at: TANZOS.org or Eventfinda at https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2025/te-pae-kokako-tanzos-presents-una-serenata-italiana/wellington

@ridgeponini

Tomairangi is excited for every part of Una Serenata Italiana, with special affection for the ensemble pieces Suoni la tromba and Soave sia il vento, which reflect his love of collaboration.

He speaks of a year that has tested his resilience, expanded his technique and clarified the pathway ahead, cheered along by the whole crew of singers in the programme

Tomairangi says being able to use his voice every day helped him lock in technical aspects, while freeing up his voice and truly enjoying what he is singing.

He says its humbling to know that there are such high caliber performers, coaches and teachers from across the globe willing to guide us here in Aotearoa.

“The dream is closer to home than we usually think.”

@tomairangihenare_music

Faamanu looks forward to performing Suoni la tromba with fellow baritone and close friend Tomairangi Henare - a highlight of the programme for both singers.

He describes his year at TANZOS as life-changing, crediting weekly training with Nikki-Li Hartliep and international coaches for a transformational leap in his development.

After TANZOS, Faamanu will continue to prepare for overseas study - we’re so excited to see his career flourish.

Book tickets at: TANZOS.org or Eventfinda at https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2025/te-pae-kokako-tanzos-presents-una-serenata-italiana/wellington

@faamanuff_baritone

Niamh is excited to bring Verdi’s Brindisi to Wellington, calling it a joyful way to close out Una Serenata Italiana.

She says her time at TANZOS has given her courage and confidence in her artistry, and that its been inspiring to watch her colleagues develop alongside her.

Niamh says that working with mentors like Elaine Kidd, Caroline Dowdle, and Joyce DiDonato is truly a gift, given they are such accomplished artists and educators. She looks forward to absorbing as much of their knowledge and wisdom as she can - like a sponge!

Book tickets at: TANZOS.org or Eventfinda at https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2025/te-pae-kokako-tanzos-presents-una-serenata-italiana/wellington

@niamh.bentley

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