Story: Opera and musical theatre

Opera stars: Jonathan Lemalu (5th of 5)

Opera stars: Jonathan Lemalu

Jonathan Fa'afetai Lemalu is a New Zealander of Samoan descent who since the early 2000s has achieved international acclaim for his concert and operatic singing. His rich bass-baritone was described in the Sunday Times, London, as 'an enormous voice, of cavernous resonance and silken tone.' He grew up in Dunedin and studied law and music at the University of Otago. He was then accepted for the Royal College of Music, later gaining a place on the Royal School's Opera Course. Among his awards are the Royal College of Music's coveted gold medal, a Gramophone award for best debut recording and a 2008 Arts Foundation Award.

Using this item

New Zealand Herald
Reference: 18 September 2000

Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Lindis Taylor, 'Opera and musical theatre - Singers', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/41907/opera-stars-jonathan-lemalu (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Lindis Taylor, published 22 Oct 2014