8 June 2026
In July, 12 talented young opera singers will sing it out in the country’s most prestigious singing competition, the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest.
And for three of the semi-finalists it’s a family affair – Alfred, Faamanu and Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono are brothers. And it’s not the first time siblings have shared the Song Quest stage – in 2005 Anna and Madeleine Pierard both found themselves in the semi-finals which Madeleine went on to win.
The two sisters have gone on to major careers in opera singing (pictured in 2012 when they sang together on a Chamber Music New Zealand Tour). And in their roles nurturing young talent – Madeline is the director of Te Pae Kōkako TANZOS (The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio) and Anna is Head of Programmes for the Prima Volta Charitable Trust (PVCT) – they have been part of the Fonoti-Fuimaono siblings’ development.
Anna and Madeleine talk to us about sharing stages as sisters and their connections with the talented trio, Alfred, Faamanu and Jordan.
Anna Pierard was the first to step onto the Song Quest stage, as a finalist in the Mobil Song Quest in 2002, and then both sisters found themselves in the competition (Lexus Song Quest) in 2005.
Anna says at the time she wasn’t fully aware that Madeleine was participating. “It was a very different era. There was no social media, and I was living in Amsterdam on an opera course. I had recently changed from soprano to mezzo soprano, and I was completely immersed in the opportunities and challenges of that environment. I submitted a recording for the competition, but in all honesty, it was pretty hastily prepared. My focus was on preparing roles, planning a wedding, and navigating life as a young singer overseas.
“What I remember most clearly is feeling a bit embarrassed when my younger sister progressed to the finals and I did not! I was happy for her though, after a couple of days!”
Madeleine says for her the idea of singing as a career wasn’t something she had seriously considered before entering the Song Quest. “I’d begun a Biomedical Science degree at Victoria University and studied composition and musicology before finally adding voice to my major in my third year at university.
“What I remember most from the lead-up [in 2005] wasn’t any sense of rivalry, but Mum’s anxiety about having two daughters in the same competition! As seems to be the case for the Fonoti-Fuimaono brothers, the support and joy in each other’s success far outweighed any feeling of competition.
“One of the great gifts of having a sibling in this wonderfully weird opera world is the shared understanding that comes with it. Everything Anna has achieved through Project Prima Volta and Festival Opera – and now National Youth Opera Aotearoa – is hugely inspiring, and she’s been an invaluable sounding board as I’ve navigated the adventure of building TANZOS. I feel pretty lucky, really, to have such a close mentor.”
Madeleine has been part of the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest marketing campaign and reflected on her experience. “The Song Quest gave me confidence in my own potential and, just as importantly, provided the practical means to get overseas and begin auditioning. It genuinely altered the course of my life.
“I’m incredibly excited for this year’s contestants to have Frederica von Stade presiding over the competition. I know they’ll gain so much from the experience, just as I did. These are the sorts of memories and moments that stay with you forever.”
In the past 20 years, Anna and Madeleine have carved separate paths in their opera careers but have reunited on stage since the 2005 competition.
Madeleine spent many years based in the UK, while Anna travelled back to Aotearoa after working in Europe. “In Hawke's Bay, I became increasingly involved in community engagement, teaching, producing, and developing young artists alongside my own performing career,” Anna says. “But whenever we do get the opportunity to sing together, there is a familiarity and trust that comes from having grown up in the same musical household. It's one of my favourite things.”
Madeleine recalls performing Schumann and Mendelssohn duets on a Chamber Music New Zealand tour and being struck by the fact that “whenever our voices landed in unison, it sounded like a single voice. What’s odd is that our voices are actually quite different in colour and character, so I can only put it down to a shared musical upbringing – and perhaps a few physiological similarities – making us instinctively attuned to each other’s sound.”
She adds they also enjoyed singing Così fan tutte together for Auckland Opera Studio in 2012. “Real-life sisters playing sisters in one of opera’s best-known works felt like a gift.”
Anna and Madeleine continue singing, while also being very involved in developing young singers.
“Both Anna and I were fortunate to receive extraordinary philanthropic support from New Zealand throughout our training and early careers,” Madeleine says. “I’ve always felt a strong responsibility to pay that forward. Otherwise, all that effort, generosity and investment feels wasted if it isn’t perpetuated. That’s probably an ethos inherited from our mother but also the support demonstrated by those who gave it in the first place!”
Madeleine’s role as Director at TANZOS is where she met the Fonoti-Fuimoano brothers. “I’ve watched all three grow enormously during their time at TANZOS. Seeing that progression up close has been a real privilege.
“The brothers are already accustomed to navigating competitions together – something Anna and I had never experienced before the 2005 Lexus Song Quest – and they’ve developed a fantastic culture of mutual support around one another. It’s genuinely lovely to witness. Having three brothers in the semi-final must surely be one of the most extraordinary stories in the competition’s history.”
Meanwhile, Alfred and Faamanu Fonoti-Fuimaono went through Anna’s programme Project Prima Volta. “People almost daily ask me whether I feel proud when any young singers achieve success after participating in our programmes. Pride is not quite the word I would use. What gives me satisfaction is seeing the idea of who belongs in opera become much broader than it was when I was growing up.
“Having experienced the Song Quest alongside my own sister, I also think there is something pretty special about brothers sharing this experience together. I'll be watching with great interest to see where their journeys take them next.”
Anna and Madeleine will be attending the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest. “I really hope all 12 semi-finalists have an inspiring and transformative experience,” Madeleine says.
Tickets for the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest Grand Final Gala on Saturday 11 July are now on sale. Registration for the Semi-Finals (Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 July) is free and open now. Secure your seats now.
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