Three Pacific opera singers are set to take centre stage in Wellington as finalists in the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest Grand Final.
Samoan brothers Faamanu and Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono, and Tongan Samuel Mataele make up half of the six finalists.
The other three finalists are Cecily Shaw, Samuel Downes and Sarah Mileham.
The six are competing for one of New Zealand’s most prestigious classical music honours.
The Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest (formerly known as the Lexus Song Quest and Mobil Song Quest) returns to Te Whanganui-a-Tara for its 70th year with the Grand Final Gala with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra taking place on Saturday 11 July 2026 at the Michael Fowler Centre.
Marking the 70th anniversary of the Song Quest, the legacy continues as the finalists sing it out for the winning title and and a share of NZD$95,500 in prizes before International Head Judge, acclaimed mezzo-soprano, Frederica von Stade.
The competition, first established in 1956 as the Mobil Song Quest has launched the careers of many of New Zealand’s iconic opera singers, including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Amitai Pati, Filipe Manu, and Jonathan Lemalu.
For Tawhiri co-director Tama Waipara, seeing three Pacific people in this years finals reflects the bright future of opera across the region.
“Just to hear the splendor of our Pacific voices really celebrated where they should be, and heading absolutely toward that world stage.. it’s a credit to our culture and our people.”
He said Pacific performers have long left their mark on classical music, and attributed cultural storytelling to why Pacific opera singers stand out.
“I found myself completely just captured by their storytelling. It’s not only the beauty of the sound and the technique and how powerful the voices and how soft and dynamic their musicianship is… But it’s the storytelling.”
“Culturally we are storytellers and people of the moana are used to carrying those histories and those stories in quite remarkable ways.”
Samuel Matele
Samuel Mataele singing at the Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest 2026 Semi-Finals
Hagen Hopkins
At 19 years old, counter-tenor Samuel Matele, was shocked to reach the the finals.
The Tongan said it is a huge honour to perform in a competition that has fostered some of Pacific opera’s greatests.
As one of three Pacific islanders in the final, he is representing his Tongan heritage with pride.
“I’ve been wanting to see more Pacific Island representation in classical music. And of course we have the great names like Amitai Pati and Sol3 Mio and Jonathan Lemalu. But to see it in such a grand scale, so many of us in one competition is inspiring.”
Matele hopes seeing so many Pacific singers in the final will inspire others across the region to pursue a career in what he says is “traditionally a very Western art.”
“Opera is part of Western culture, and therefore we sometimes feel like we’re a bit segregated from it, but I think having so much Pacific representation at this competition this year will show the younger Pacific Islanders like me that it is possible to have a career pathway in opera or classical music.”
“I think this not only encourages people to come into opera, but into any field that one might feel is too niche for them. I think this is really an eye opener that any career, even as set aside from from Pacific culture as it may seem, is possible.”
Fonoti-Fuimaono brothers
Jordan and Faamanu Fonoti-Fuimaono singing at the Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest 2026 Semi-Finals
Hagen Hopkins
The Fonoti-Fuimaono brothers are also embracing the moment.
Three of the brothers made the semi-finals but now just two in the finals – but there is only room for one winner.
But baritone Faamanu said this hasn’t created rivalry, but rather given them an advantage in the competition.
“We have rivalries in all other aspects of life, but never in singing. I think singing is hard enough and exposing enough as it is, and can be a really scary thing to do. So I think when it comes to singing, we just support each other, and that’s how we’ve got as far as we have in our early careers.”
For Faamanu, just entering the competition alongside his brothers Alfred and Jordan is something to celebrate in its own.
Tenor Jordan said they grew up knowing the competitions reputation and are grateful to now be a part of its history.
“We were so excited because we grew up knowing about this competition, this prestigious Song Quest… But the fact that we’re in the finals and it’s the inaugural Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest is what makes it extra special. She’s such an iconic person in the industry.”
“While we are feeling the pressure, we are also reminding ourselves to stop and remember how blessed we are to be here.”
They said seeing half the finalists come from Pacific backgrounds is “pretty epic” and they look forward to representing their cultures with pride on Saturday night.
Waipara believes competitions like these play an important role in helping young artists realise their potential.
“The competition is a stepping stone, it’s not the destination by any means, it’s just a means to launch and platform the next step for these young performers… for them to realize their dreams.”
