Cast pages
Praised for his “charisma and vocal elegance” by Das Opernmagazin, multi-award winning New Zealand baritone Julien Van Mellaerts is highly sought after as both a recitalist and on the operatic stage. A graduate of the Royal College of Music International Opera School, and recipient of the coveted Tagore Gold Medal, he won first prize in … Read more
New Zealand soprano Madison Nonoa holds a Masters degree in Music from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she studied under Yvonne Kenny. Since graduating in 2019, Madison has made her debut at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera as First Siren in Rinaldo and was selected as a 2020/21 Jerwood Young Artist for the … Read more
Maaka Pohatu is a beloved and celebrated actor who made his screen debut in 2012 in Two Little Boys directed by Robert Sarkies (Scarfies, Pike River) starring Bret McKenzie and Hamish Blake.Maaka is most well-known for his role as Sergeant Maaka, in four seasons of What We Do in The Shadows spinoff series Wellington Paranormal … Read more
New Zealand-born Samoan tenor Ipu Laga’aia has been singing all his life. Under the mentorship of Dr. Te Oti Rakena at the University of Auckland, he has undertaken classical voice studies, supported by the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation. A highlight of his journey so far has been performing alongside Dame Kiri Te Kanawa at the … Read more
Dunedin-born tenor Chris McRae is a graduate of the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art (NASDA) and holds a degree in Classical Voice from the University of Auckland. Having a passion for both musical theatre and classical music, he is experienced in a wide range of theatrical genres, from plays and cabarets to musicals … Read more
Taylor Wallbank (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) has completed his BMus (Hons) Classical Voice (1st), Master of Music and is currently undertaking a Master of Music in Advanced Opera Studies under the tutelage of Kristin Darragh. He has placed 1st place in the Dame Malvina Major Waikato Aria Competition (2022), 1st place in the South Auckland Competition Recital/Aria … Read more
Accomplished soprano Joanna Foote holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The University of Auckland and a Master’s in Music from UCLA. Notable performances include Rose Maurrant in The Opera Group’s award-winning production of Kurt Weill’s Street Scene and Graham Vick’s production of Death in Venice at Deutsche Oper in Berlin. Joanna made her début … Read more
Andrea Creighton graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music, UK with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Advanced Vocal Performance and was then accepted into the Young Artist Programme of the Opéra National de Paris. Successful in many competitions, she was the winner of the New Zealand Mobil Song Quest; the Webster Booth/Esso Award in the … Read more
South Auckland Samoan bass-baritone Joel Amosa has sung in America, Europe and Australia. Joel won the Lexus Song Quest in 2018, was named as NZ Opera’s Dame Malvina Major Young Artist for 2019, and performed as Fiorello in that year’s season of The Barber of Seville. Joel also sang Antonio in our 2021 season of … Read more
Born in Australia and raised in Dunedin, baritone Robert Tucker completed a Bachelor of Music at the University of Otago in 2004. He spent time working in Australia and the UK before returning to New Zealand in 2012 where he continues to work on the stage, in the concert hall and as a singing teacher … Read more