Opera Australia prize winner touring with Operatunity

Kalauni Pouvalu, recent winner of the Conal Coad Opera Australia Prize touring with Operatunity’s That’s Amore in Hamilton on Monday 6th March at 11am.

New Zealand’s’ Three Tenors, Bonaventure Allan-Moetaua, Derek Hill and Kalauni Pouvalu, have been performing together within New Zealand and abroad for close to 5 years now. Along with Soprano Susan Boland they’ll be bringing their friendship, humour and talent to 24 centres across New Zealand, including Hamilton, on Mon 6th Mar. They’ll be performing classic Italian songs like‘O Sole Mio’, ‘Come Back to Sorrento’, ‘Mambo Italiano’ and of course the title song which was made famous by Dean Martin: ‘That’s Amore’. Operatunity presents That's Amore in Hamilton, at Activate Church, 11 Bisley Road, Hamilton at 11am, on Mon 6th Mar. Tickets $34 and include lunch (Discounts available for groups). Booking in advance recommended call 0508 266 237 or www.operatunity.co.nz

The youngest member of the Three Tenors is New Zealand born Tongan Kalauni Pouvalu. Kalauni is a graduate of the University of Auckland and has been performing with Operatunity since 2014.This past January Kalauni won the Conal Coad Opera Australia Prize at the NZ Singing School, and in 2016 he was a finalist in the IFAC Handa New Zealand Singing School Aria Competition. In 2013 he was awarded the prestigious Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Award for the most promising classical singer at the NZ Singing School for that year.

Outside of New Zealand Kalauni has toured Canada and the United States with the New Zealand Youth Choir, and has performed in Singapore and the United Kingdom as a member of the University of Auckland’s Auckland Chamber Choir. He has performed overseas on numerous Operatunity Travel trips with the Three Tenors over the past 5 years, the same trio that he will be performing as part of for the upcoming That’s Amore tour throughout New Zealand.

Also joining Kalauni, Bonaventure (himself of Rarotongan heritage), grew up in Wellington before studying singing at the University of Auckland. He has performed with Operatunity for over 12 years, starting with Operatunity’s Class Act Opera. Bonnie has blossomed into a seasoned and versatile performer able to sing anything from swing, music theatre, ballads through to the operatic repertoire. In 2004 Bonnie was awarded the Iosefa Enari Scholarship Award for the support and development of Pacific Island Opera Singers, was a finalist for the New Zealand Aria competition in 2007-08 and has performed with New Zealand Opera. The final tenor Derek is a graduate of McGill University in Montréal Canada where he graduated with high distinction in voice. Since his return to New Zealand, he has worked with most of New Zealand’s Opera companies and orchestras, including New Zealand Opera, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

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