Laauli Alfred Fuimaono | Music / Performing Arts

Alfred Fonoti-Fuimaono is an aspiring baritone with hopes and dreams of sharing the stage in the biggest theatres around the world with his three younger opera singing brothers. Born and raised in Hastings, New Zealand, Fonoti-Fuimaono made the move from Hastings to Hamilton where he is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Music at the University of Waikato, under the tutelage of Ian Campbell.

Alfred grew up singing in his church choir and youth programmes for the sake of enjoyment, not realising until his later years at Hastings Boys High School that it had become something he would want to pursue as a career.

Fonoti-Fuimaono was persuaded by his high school music teacher to audition for a youth initiative programme called Project Prima Volta – A programme which allowed students to learn from world renown coaches such as David Harper, Jose Aparicio and Anna Pierard, and be part of a professional opera. Having had no vocal lessons in the past, Alfred alongside tenor brother Emmanuel, were selected along with eleven other students to join the Programme. The Brothers were then selected as the only two students from the youth programme to perform in the professional staging of Mozart’s La Boheme as chorus members. Fonoti-Fuimaono instantly fell in love with the genre after a rush of adrenaline and pride followed his very first bow during the curtain call.

Fonoti-Fuimaono has been involved in several productions such as Le Nozze di Figaro with Festival Opera and the University of Waikato (2015), La Boheme (2017) and Cav+Pag (2020) and will be playing the role of Lindorf and Crespel in the conservatorium of music’s showcasing of The Tales of Hoffman by Offenbach.

Alfred has been a recipient of the TAPA scholarship twice (2019,2020) and placed second in the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Waikato Aria competition in 2019. Following this achievement, Fonoti-Fuimaono went on to win the Waikato Young Singers award at the Hamilton Vocal Competitions a few weeks later. After a successful year of singing, Alfred was then selected as one of 20 singers in the country to attend the New Zealand Opera School in Whanganui (Jan,2020).

Alfred wishes to one day further his studies overseas and become a full-time professional opera singer alongside his three younger brothers. They wish to conquer the world’s most famous stages and perform alongside their idols. He has bigger plans to one day start a programme similar to PPV in his homeland of Samoa and here in New Zealand, to open windows of opportunity, and to discover and unlock the hidden potential within those without the resources to do so.