New Zealand Opera

Répétiteur

David Kelly is a repetiteur and pianist based in Tā̄maki Makaurau, New Zealand. He is Principal Répétiteur at New Zealand Opera and an official accompanist and vocal coach at the University of Auckland and the New Zealand Opera School. Recent collaborations include La traviata in concert with the Auckland Philharmonia, Un Ballo in Maschera with Wellington Opera and La bohème with New Zealand Opera. He regularly performs with the Auckland Philharmonia and Auckland Chamber Orchestra. He appears with flutist Luca Manghi on the acclaimed recital album Quays (Atoll Records). David studied at the University of Canterbury with Diedre Irons and Maurice Till and is a graduate of the Australian Opera Studio.

Tenor

New Zealand-born Samoan tenor Ipu Laga'aia has undertaken classical voice studies at the University of Auckland, supported by the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation. A highlight of his journey was performing alongside Dame Kiri Te Kanawa at the 2019 renaming gala of the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre.

A 2025 New Zealand Opera Freemasons Foundation Company Artist, Ipu toured Donizetti's The Elixir of Love with NZ Opera's Opera in Schools programme, and made his professional role debut as Theseus in NZ Opera's Australasian premiere of The Monster in the Maze.

He is also a proud member of The Shades, a dynamic quartet of Tongan and Samoan voices.

Bass-Baritone

Joel Amosa is a Samoan bass-baritone from South Auckland. He was named NZ Opera’s 2019 Dame Malvina Major Young Artist and won the 2018 Lexus Song Quest, leading to performances and study abroad in San Diego and Italy. His roles include Sir John Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor with the Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program in Brisbane, Masetto in Don Giovanni with Wellington Opera, and Fiorello in The Barber of Seville and Edmund Bertram in Mansfield Park with NZ Opera.

Offstage, Joel is the Community Engagement Manager at ASB Bank, leading a national team that builds connections between communities, schools, and accessible banking services.

Sporano

Maia Amosa (née Vegar), originally from the Hokianga, completed her Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance Voice at the University of Otago in 2013. She has achieved notable success in national vocal competitions, including winning the 2011 ODT Aria Competition in Dunedin and the 2013 DMM Aria in Christchurch.

Her past operatic roles include Alisa in Auckland Opera Studio’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor, Gretel in Opera Factory’s Hansel and Gretel, and Countess Almaviva in Opera Otago’s Le Nozze di Figaro.

In 2025, after taking time away from the stage to raise her family, Maia joined the New Zealand Opera Chorus, appearing in all the company’s 2025 productions.