Manase Latu (NZ) - Born in New Zealand, Tongan tenor Manase Latu graduated from the University of Auckland. A previous Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist, he has covered and performed roles such as Spoletta in Tosca, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore, the Defendant in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, Parpignol in La Bohème, and Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with New Zealand Opera.

In 2019, he placed first in the Dame Malvina Major Napier Aria competition and was selected as the 2019 Circle 100 Scholarship recipient. Most recently, he won the IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition, arguably the most prestigious singing competition in Australia.

Other recent accomplishments include being a finalist for the Lexus Song Quest Competition and winning the renowned New Zealand Aria Competition, one of the biggest singing competitions in Australasia. In 2017, he was invited to join the Singer Kiri Te Kanawa Singer Development Programme run by the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation. He recently pursued his master’s degree at London’s Royal College of Music as a Kiri Te Kanawa Scholar under the tutelage of Russell Smythe.