Jordan Fuimaono A Rising Star For Messiah

15 September 2025

Imagine a family blessed with so much singing talent it could form its own opera company. Three of the Fonoti-Fuimaono brothers, tenor Emmanuel, and baritones Fa'amanu and Alfred, have already established themselves on the New Zealand opera scene. Now they've been joined by a fourth, tenor Jordan.

In fact, all five of Jordan’s siblings are musical (he has another bass-singing brother and a soprano sister), along with his mother and father. He credits the influence of church singing as a big part of his family's musicality. His mother was also a trombone player in a marching band. According to Jordan singing together comes naturally to this Kiwi-Samoan family.

Jordan is this year's winner of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Scholarship at the New Zealand Opera School in Whanganui. In 2024 he was a finalist in the New Zealand Aria Competition, the runner-up at the Ōtautahi Aria and winner of the North Shore Becroft Aria Competition. In 2023, as runner-up of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Scholarship competition, he was presented with the Dame Sister Mary Leo Foundation Award.

Jordan is now a graduate at the University of Waikato. He holds Bachelor of Music with Honours and Master of Music degrees. He has just completed his second Master of Music degree as a resident artist for 2024-25 with Te Pae Kōkako: The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio.

Jordan hopes to bring the light of classical music to the youth and also shine a light on the raw but unexplored talent of Polynesian artists.

City Choir Dunedin is delighted to welcome young rising star Jordan Fuimaono to our stage for the forthcoming performance of Handel’s Messiah on 29 November in the Dunedin Town Hall.

The other critically acclaimed soloists are soprano Joanna Foote, mezzo-soprano Kate Webber and bass David Greco. David Burchell will conduct with the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra providing the accompaniment.

Handel began composing Messiah on August 22, 1741, and completed it twenty-four days later. The scholar Clifford Bartlett writes, “But, however hasty the composition, the power of the musical imagination, the wealth of ideas, the depth of inspiration, and the sheer variety of invention continue to astonish.”

Messiah is Handel's most famous work and its ubiquity has outreached anything Handel could ever have envisaged. This is more than just a concert; it's a spiritual journey. From the stirring prophecies of the Old Testament to the triumphant "Hallelujah" chorus, this oratorio captures the essence of human experience with breath-taking power and artistry. Expect a performance that is both deeply moving and technically masterful.

Event Details:

What: City Choir Dunedin presents Handel’s Messiah

When: Saturday 29 November, at 7:30 pm

Where: Dunedin Town Hall

Conductor: David Burchell

Choir: City Choir Dunedin

Orchestra: Dunedin Symphony Orchestra

Tickets: Available at Regent Box Office or online from Ticketmaster (booking fees apply)

© Scoop Media