Tenor Filipe Manu, finalist in upcoming 2022 Lexus Song Quest [1]
Wednesday, July 20, 2022 - 14:20. Updated on Saturday, July 23, 2022 - 16:06.
New Zealand-Tongan tenor singer Filipe Manu has been selected as one of five finalists for the 2022 Lexus Song Quest, Aotearoa's most acclaimed opera competition. The winner will judged live during solo performances this Saturday 23 July.
Filipe has the chance to follow in the footsteps of New Zealand opera icons including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Dame Malvina Major and Sol3 Mio’s Amitai Pati, who have all previously won Lexus Song Quest and now grace stages around the world.
Filipe will be joined at the 2022 Lexus Song Quest Grand Final Gala by Felicity Tomkins, Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono, Sarah Hubbard and Amelia Berry at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre on Saturday, where each finalist will sing one song with piano accompaniment by Terence Dennis and two arias accompanied by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
The winner and runner-up will be announced live on stage by the Head Judge, internationally acclaimed bass baritone and previous Lexus Song Quest winner, Teddy Tahu Rhodes.
The prestigious competition, which began in 1956 and has opened many doors for incredible young artists across Aotearoa, is returning after a four-year hiatus. The stakes have never been higher for the finalists, with up to $95,000 in prizes up for grabs on the night.
Rhodes says the competition is life-changing for the winner, and all five finalists are in the running to take the top spot.
“It was an extremely difficult task to narrow it down to five finalists. This is the number one competition for opera singers in Aotearoa and the gala is always a fantastic night for everyone.
“Orchestras, opera companies and festivals around the country and the world are all potential employers of these talented finalists. With cash, scholarships and travel money up for grabs as well as the title itself, the Lexus Song Quest really is Aotearoa’s most coveted opera prize.”
Competition organiser Tāwhiri’s Creative Director, Marnie Karmelita, says this year’s Lexus Song Quest finalists display incredible skill and determination.
“We are in constant admiration of the finalists who perform at the highest of standards, prepared to put themselves on the line to be judged live on the night.
“This is going to be an exciting event to remember and we can’t wait to share the talent of these inspiring singers with our audiences who we encourage to get behind their personal favourite.”
The Lexus Song Quest Grand Final Gala will also be live streamed on the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s Facebook and YouTube platforms, and shared on RNZ Concert and the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts Facebook pages.
Kolomotu'a
Filipe who identifies Kolomotu'a, Tongatapu, as his home village, has spent the last year living in Bern, Switzerland, performing as a soloist in the Bühnen Bern opera ensemble. He is competing in the Lexus Song Quest during a holiday break back in New Zealand.
He has a Bachelor of Music degree and a Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction from the University of Waikato, where he studied with Dame Malvina Major. He has been a Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist with New Zealand Opera, and been selected for the inaugural Dame Malvina Major Opera programme and the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Singers’ Development programme. He also completed a Masters Degree on the Opera Programme at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
Manu’s notable concert appearances include Haydn’s Missa Sancti Nicolai with the Southbank Sinfonia, Messiah with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under Nicholas McGegan, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with the London Schools Symphony Orchestra and singing in a small ensemble in La Damnation de Faust with the London Symphony Orchestra under Simon Rattle.
Competition successes, so far, include winning the IFAC Handa-Australian Singing Competition (also Audience Prize). He was runner-up in a previous New Zealand Lexus Song Quest and New Zealand Aria competitions and second runner-up in the Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award (also Mozart Prize).
The Lexus Song Quest Grand Final Gala [2] will also be live streamed on the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s Facebook [3] and YouTube [4] platforms, and shared on RNZ Concert and the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts Facebook pages. Who will win? Experience Aotearoa's most glittering night of Opera at the Lexus Song Quest Grand Final Gala at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington on Saturday 23 July.
Filipe has earned a significant following on his youtube recordings:
Filipe Manu sings 'Efiafi peau ongo'i vale' by Sione Niupalavu Tatu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_289xCXG0r8 [5]
Opera Unlocked – Tenor Filipe Manu sings high above the Royal Opera House: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQTDIQU8U9c [6]