Media
Videos
Please note: further recordings are available on request, please contact Felicity here.
Article Credit: https://www.rnz.co.nz/concert/programmes/musicalive/audio/2018850307/lexus-song-quest-2022-grand-final
***Please note: All audio from the live broadcasts (of both the semi-finals and finals, can be found on the RNZ Concert via the above link.***
Lexus Song Quest 2022: Grand Final
From Music Alive, 7:30 pm on 23 July 2022
After a glittering Grand Final featuring five wonderful NZ opera singers and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, one has been named the winner with a surprise appearance by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. The winner of the 2022 Lexus Song Quest is tenor Filipe Manu, a New Zealand-raised Tongan currently based in Bern, Switzerland, where he is a member of the newly founded soloists ensemble of Stadttheater Bern. First prize is $20,000 and a Study Scholarship of $27,000, plus economy international travel up to the value of $3000.
In second place is soprano Felicity Tomkins, who is currently studying towards her Artist Diploma in Opera Vocal Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of tenor Stuart Skelton. The prize is $10,000 and a Study Scholarship of $10,000 from the Dame Malvina Major Foundation.
Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono, a 24-year-old tenor from Hawke's Bay, won the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation $15,000 scholarship for the singer with exceptional potential. Emmanuel is currently a Dame Malvina Major Studio Artist with New Zealand Opera. He was first introduced to music through learning hymns at church and singing songs with family. Since the age of 16, Emmanuel has been an active member of Hawke’s Bay Youth Initiative ‘Project Prima Volta’ – a music programme that helps empower young people through the art of classical music.
Hotly-contested and judged live on the night, the quest sees five opera hopefuls take the stage in the biggest event of their performing lives, singing with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Up to $95,000 in prizes and a career-changing title are up for grabs in the Lexus Song Quest Grand Final.
The finalists were Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono, Amelia Berry, Filipe Manu, Sarah Hubbard, and Felicity Tomkins. RNZ Concert presenter Clarissa Dunn hosted the event, which was held at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington. Each finalist performed a song accompanied by pianist Terence Dennis, and two arias accompanied by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Judd.
Watch the Grand Final via RNZ Concert:
Recorded 23 July 2022, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington by RNZ Concert. Presenter: Clarissa Dunn, Producer: David McCaw, Engineer: Darryl Stack.
‘Voices of Women' CD
Felicity recorded ‘Myself When Young’ with pianist Maria Mo last year. This project highlights inspiring NZ women, their iconic stories all shared through new music by composer Janet Jennnings. Click here to purchase the CD, or you can stream it on Spotify.
