Renowned Māori baritone, Phillip Rhodes, has been appointed the inaugural Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Laureate, with a grant of $65,000. This is the largest single grant awarded by the Foundation, established 20 years ago by Dame Kiri.

The Laureate has been established to mark the 20th anniversary of the Foundation and Dame Kiri’s 80th birthday next year (6 March 2024).

Phillip Rhodes has been appointed Laureate in recognition of his outstanding achievements as a classical singer, here and internationally. Dame Kiri and the Foundation have helped guide Phillip’s career and training over a number of years, and Dame Kiri said today both the establishment of the Foundation’s Laureate and Phillip Rhodes as its first recipient give her enormous pleasure.

“Phillip is an exceptional young man with an exceptional voice. He has overcome so much to achieve a stunning international career. To succeed in the tough, competitive world of opera, one that takes no prisoners, a great voice is essential of course, but it also requires tremendous discipline, drive and focus. And ideally, humility. Phillip has all of these in spades”, Dame Kiri said.

Phillip Rhodes’ career highlights include winning both the New Zealand Aria Competition and the Lexus Song Quest in 2005. He went on to perform in sell out productions of Carmen and Rigoletto at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He has sung with the Welsh and Scottish National Opera companies, as well as preforming in Europe. He has returned to New Zealand for the 2022 – 23 opera seasons where he sang the title role of Macbeth in the NZ Opera production last year and will shortly sing as Enrico in Wellington Opera’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor. He looks forward to returning to the Royal Opera House in London and to making his opera debut with Opera Australia.

“I am overwhelmed to be made Laureate and awarded this grant. My thanks to Dame Kiri and the Foundation trustees. Dame Kiri has guided me through much of my career and I owe her and her Foundation an enormous debt. I hope I will continue to make Dame Kiri proud of me. This will make an extraordinary difference to my life, enabling me to continue with my singing training and career, and also to support the Foundation’s aims to nurture young singers with exceptional potential, wherever possible”, said Phillip Rhodes.

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