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Samuel Mataele performed the difficult aria ‘But Who May Abide the Day of his Coming’ from Handel’s famous Messiah.
Photo/Sacred Heart College
From church choirs to performances with the Auckland Symphony Orchestra, Samuel Mataele’s journey is one of perseverance, inspiration, and a deep commitment to his craft.
For award-winning counter-tenor Samuel Mataele, music has been a part of his life before he could even speak.
The 17-year-old Sacred Heart College student was recently announced as the 18 and Under Prize winner at the Nicholas Tarling Junior Aria Competition.
After being selected as one of seven finalists in the competition, Mataele made a significant discovery during the preparation stages.
“I started preparing an aria, and while I was preparing, a new note appeared in my [vocal] range, which is the A below middle C,” he says.
“That meant that I was able to sing a much more difficult aria, which was the aria that I ended up singing, But Who May Abide the Day of his Coming, which goes down to a low A, which was very exciting, but also a bit hectic.
After only a month and a half of preparation, Mataele took to the stage and won his category.
“I was the last of the seven singers, and listening to the standard of singing from people that had come from Wellington and Hawke's Bay and around Auckland, it was very nerve-wracking.
“When they announced that I had won, I was shocked. My mother was ecstatic. She's a very stern woman, and she always tells me if I put my head to something, I can do it.”
Mataele is no stranger to the big stage, having performed with prestigious ensembles since the age of six.
“I've sung with the Auckland Symphony Orchestra. I was featured as part of their Lord of the Rings concert that they had, and they performed in the Bruce Mason Centre in North Shore and the Auckland Town Hall.
Uwe Grodd, the chief judge and conductor of the Manukau Symphony Orchestra, can't speak highly enough of Samuel Mataele’s performance, praising the teenager's wonderful sense of Baroque style and phrasing. Photo/Nicholas Tarling Aria Competition
“So that was probably one of the biggest, although I've had solo performances with the Auckland Boys Choir and also with our school bands here [at Sacred Heart].
“I've also performed in the Tongan community events, singing with four people, up to 500, 600 people. So I count those as big gigs for me, although I shouldn't really count church as a gig.”
When it comes to inspiration, Mataele credits two prominent female figures in his life.
“My two biggest inspirations are my mother and my singing teacher, Fiona Ferens, who are really the two that catalysed this. I've always wanted to pursue music, but I've never actually thought that it would be a possibility for me. My mother always says if music is what you want to do, if you put your head to it, you can do it.”
Mataele wasn’t initially meant to take singing lessons until Ferens approached him in Year Seven.
“My flute teacher told Miss Ferens about me. And so Miss Ferens came to me and said, would you like singing lessons for free? I thought, yes, please! I went to my mother, and she said, this is probably God or someone telling you that maybe music is the opportunity for you.
Watch Samuel Mataele perform alongside the Auckland Symphony Orchestra's Lord of the Rings film tribute.
“My singing teacher with her amazing resources and knowledge of singing and music and her amazing voice. She inspired me in a more programmatic mechanical sense in the sense that she's the one that taught me how to sing how I do now.”
Despite often being the only Pacific Islander in his field, Mataele views it as more of an advantage than a challenge.
“I stand out a bit more, especially with the range that I sing in as a counter-tenor. I think it's definitely not a common voice type. It's the rarest voice type.”
Singing isn’t the only musical talent Mataele possesses. He also plays the flute, piano, and violin.
“I'm not as much of an instrumentalist as I am a singer, but I do play those instruments. You see music from a different perspective when you play instruments because you don't have the luxury of words.
“So that's why I feel like I connect even more closely to music because I feel the notes. I feel the sound as much as I do the lyrics.”
Watch the Nicholas Tarling Aria Competition below.
Looking to the future, Mataele hopes to study music at university next year with a major in classical voice performance. He shares a strong message of encouragement with his fellow young Pacific peers pursuing music.
“The first is to not be stagnant. I think a lot of times with us Pasifika people, we have two mindsets. One is either that we're not good enough, or two is that we're too good and we don't need help from other people.
“I think everyone needs some sort of humility, but also we need the strength to speak out and ask for help. I see it a lot with boys around here at school, our Pasifika boys.
“Very talented musicians, but they don't go out for lessons and it could be for a variety of reasons and I don't talk down on those reasons, but where there is a will, there is a way.
“The second is that talent works hand in hand with hard work. I think a lot of us Pasifika people know our talents as musicians. It's part of our culture to be embraced in the arts and music and dance.
“But I think if we aren't willing to put in the hard work that it takes to develop our talent, we won't get as far as we can.”