🚨 JUST ANNOUNCED — Song Quest Finalists 2026 🚨 The 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest finalists have just been revealed — and we can barely contain ourselves. Five out of six finalists are NZOS alumni. FIVE. 🤍 Samuel Downes, Sarah Mileham, Faamanu Fonoti-Fuimaono, Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono, Cecily Shawa and Samuel Mataele. Six extraordinary singers stepping onto the Grand Final stage at the Michael Fowler Centre on 11 July with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. A huge congratulations to every semifinalist who competed — the talent we witnessed across this entire competition has been simply joyful to follow. This country is brimming with it. Make sure you get your tickets to the Grand Final Gala🔗 songquest.nz/grandfinalgala #NZOS #NZOperaSchool #SongQuest #Opera #Alumni

Tenor Samuel Downes, from Tāmaki Makaurau and now based in London, has made the semifinals of the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest happening TONIGHT and tomorrow. 🎶 Samuel's path brought him four times to Whanganui, then on to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music - where he had the chance to study under the legendary César Ulloa. Watching him get to learn from one of the great voice teachers in the world was one of those moments we were just genuinely thrilled to see happen. Now a Harewood Artist with English National Opera. A true gem, and we mean that. 🤍 T oi! Toi! Toi! to Samuel and all the semi-finalists performing this weekend! 🔗 songquest.nz #NZOS #NZOperaSchool #SongQuest #operator

A career built on advocacy as much as artistry. Mezzo-soprano Cecily Shaw has made the semifinals of the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest. 🎶 Three times a NZOS student, Cecily relocated to London in 2023 to study at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, completing her Guildhall Artist Masters in 2025. She's one of just seven singers selected for the 2025/26 Guildhall Opera Course, and the recipient of the Sally Cohen Opera Scholarship - alongside Guildhall's 2025 "Making It" award for her original music and comedic cabaret. Cecily is also a committed advocate for neurodivergent performers, working to create greater visibility and opportunity in the profession. A genuinely distinctive voice, in every sense. So proud of you, Cecily! 🤍 🔗 songquest.nz #NZOS #NZOperaSchool #SongQuest #Alumni

Soprano Holly Evans has made the semifinals of the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest happening THIS WEEKEND! 🎶 You may already know her - she's currently taking over our LinkedIn, sharing the honest, unfiltered story of what it really takes to build a career in opera. Holly has performed with us at NZOS on multiple occasions over the years, and watching her step into the semifinals feels like exactly the right chapter to be reading right now. Go get it, Holly. 🤍 🔗 songquest.nz #NZOS #NZOperaSchool #SongQuest

Baritone Faamanu Fonoti-Fuimaono, proud Samoan-Kiwi artist from Flaxmere, Hastings, has made the semifinals of the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest. 🎶 Five years. 2022 to 2026. Every single year Faamanu has been with us at NZOS we've watched every bit of that growth firsthand. And in September, he's off to the Royal College of Music in London on a full-tuition scholarship. One of the most prestigious conservatoires in the world, and he's earned every bit of it. Five years building toward this. So proud of you, Faamanu. 🤍 🔗 songquest.nz #NZOS #NZOperaSchool #SongQuest #Alumni

Baritone Samuel McKeever, from Heretaunga Hastings, has made the semifinals of the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest. 🎶 A three-time NZOS alumnus, Samuel has built a career on solid foundations — First Class Honours from Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music, a Wellington Aria win, and a growing list of roles including Gianni Schicchi, Papageno, and Count Ribbing in Un ballo in maschera. So proud of you, Samuel. 🤍 🔗 songquest.nz #NZOS #NZOperaSchool #SongQuest #Alumni

Countertenor Jack Doyle has made the semifinals of the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest. 🎶 His voice is, quite simply, special - a baritone-turned-countertenor who found his true artistic identity in the expressive world of Baroque and early music. He stepped onto the stage at our Great Opera Moments Concert this year and left the audience completely in awe. He was awarded the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Scholarship Award 2026, the biggest recognition our school can offer. This September, Jack heads to the Royal College of Music in London for a Master of Performance in Vocal Studies. We cannot wait to see what comes next. So proud of you, Jack. 🤍 🔗 songquest.nz #NZOS #NZOperaSchool #SongQuest #Alumni

Racking up wins at a remarkable pace, soprano Sarah Mileham has made the semifinals of the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest. 🎶 This year, Sarah was awarded the Dame Sister Mary Leo Foundation Award at NZOS and the momentum keeps building. The Coombes Johnston BMW New Zealand Aria, the Ōtautahi Aria, the Wellington Aria, and the Southland Aria, all in 2025 alone. A name you'll want to remember. So proud of you, Sarah. 🤍 🔗 songquest.nz #NZOS #NZOperaSchool #SongQuest #alumnigame

For the next two months, our LinkedIn page belongs to one voice - Soprano Holly Evans. 🤍 Why? Because there’s so much more to this career than what audiences see on opening night. The auditions. The rejections. The hustle behind every “yes.” We want the world to see what it actually takes. In her words: “Pursuing an operatic career in this generation means also being a passionate entrepreneur. Building a personal brand, promotion, and forming networks both nationally and internationally. Pitching myself constantly, except instead of charts and graphs, I put on my favourite ball gown and sing a three-minute aria.” Follow her journey: www.linkedin.com/company/new-zealand-opera-school #NZOS #NZOperaSchool #OperaJourney

🎶 Ridge Ponini, four years at NZ Opera School, has made the semifinals of the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest. And he's doing it on the eve of one of the biggest moves of his life - heading to London this September to join the National Opera Studio. Four years of training, performing, growing with us - and this is exactly what it was all building toward. So proud of you, Ridge. Go get it. 🤍 #NZOS #NZOperaSchool #OperaTraining #SongQuest

Baritone Alfred Fonoti-Fuimaono has made the semifinals of the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest — its 70th Anniversary year. 🎶 We watched Alfred work and grow across five years at NZOS. The discipline, the focus, the sheer determination he brought to every session - it's exactly why this moment doesn't surprise us one bit. Go get it, Alfred! 🤍 #NZOS #NZOperaSchool #SongQuest #Alumni #Aotearoa

First year of her Masters at the Royal College of Music — and already on stage as Musetta. 🤍 Our alumna Liv Forbes takes on one of opera’s most fun, fierce soprano roles in La Bohème for RCM’s Summer Opera Scenes. Musetta is a role that demands charisma, comic timing and serious vocal control all at once - exactly the kind of part you want under your belt early. One year into London life and already finding her footing. We love to see it. 🎶 #NZOS #NZOperaSchool #OperaTraining #Alumni