Meet the Tongan tenor from Ōtahuhu

When Manase Latu got to stretch his vocals in New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the Tongan-Kiwi tenor knew he was a long way from home.

He also knew that he had probably travelled the furthest to be in the Big Apple.

After training in New York and London, Latu is home to take his first leading role in New Zealand Opera’s latest comedy, Le comte Ory.

The latest recipient of the Ryman Healthcare Dame Malvina Major Foundation Mina Foley Award says he's playing the role of “the world’s worst womaniser”.

Speaking to Pacific Days’ Ma’a Brian Sagala, Latu said he was Count Ory in the comedy by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini.

The French musical has already played in Tāmaki Makaurau and Pōneke Wellington and opens in Ōtautahi Christchurch on 27 June.

The Ryman Award enables Latu to return to Aotearoa from New York to perform the season of Le comte Ory.

Latu was born in New Zealand but spent his early childhood in Tonga surrounded by church music and traditional Tongan music.

Raised in Ōtahuhu, Latu was a Dame Malvina Major Foundation Studio artist with New Zealand Opera during the 2017-18 season.

Latu graduated from the University of Auckland and London’s Royal College of Music last year and later trained at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, as part of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Programme.

His concert and oratorio experience includes work with Music of the Baroque, Auckland Philharmonia, New Choral Society, and the BBC Chorus & London Philharmonic.

But he said mucking around on stage with his peers has lightened the weight.

“We just love to kind of muck around on stage, and you kind of have that rapport on stage. But also backstage we just love laughing.

Photo/NZ Opera

“Though it’s been a stressful and high-pressure situation trying to get to this point, it’s been incredibly rewarding.”

Le comte Ory is a French Opera written by Rossini and includes Sāmoan baritone veteran Moses Mackay (Sole Mio).

The group has been touring Aotearoa since late May, starting in Auckland then to Wellington, and the final shows from 27-29 in Christchurch.

The St Kentigern School old boy Latu said the golden opportunity came after one of his teachers asked him to join the school choir one lunchtime. The 15-year-old was in the school tuck shop line ordering his favourite chicken panini when he was recruited by the choirmaster.

“I look at that little story in that moment and kind of just describe it as the moment that ‘hijacked’ my future. It set me on this path (opera).

“It’s one of those things where you got to trust that there’s a plan that’s been laid out for you. I guess growing up in the church with mum and dad, I had that support behind me.”

When he was told that opera could be a career pathway, Latu began exploring his new passion for music at Auckland University in 2017. Then he was handpicked to join Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's opera training programme.

In 2019, Latu won the Australian Singing Competition and then took up a scholarship with London's Royal College of Music.

While in London, he and fellow Kiwi opera singer Samson Setu won places at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program in New York for the 2020 to 2022 season.

The Ryman Award has only been won by one other Pacific person, Amitai Pati (Sole Mio).

Now based in New York, Latu said it was an honour to win the award and be given the chance to perform in front of his Pacific and New Zealand community.

In his first year outside of a development programme, Latu said he was beginning to embrace his career professionally.

He said that being an opera singer overseas left him isolated from his people so it helped when his aiga back home encouraged him to continue pursuing this career.

“That’s why having a great support system is very important, family, friends, or whatever it is.

“A PlayStation5 which is also my other support system and whatever closest fried-chicken place to my hotel at the time.”

The Christchurch performances of Le comte Ory will be held at the Isaac Theatre Royal.