Flaxmere is an opera talent hot spot

It has long been suspected by locals that Flaxmere is a “hot spot” for opera talent, and the woman who has nurtured so many of our youth through that singing journey can confirm it.

Anna Pierard, co-founder and director of Project Prima Volta (PPV), says in the 10 years she and husband José Aparicio have been offering opera training to Hawke’s Bay youth, more than 28 percent have been from Flaxmere.

And Flaxmere has produced opera stars, among them Phillip Rhodes, who has performed on the most prestigious European stages, and nationally recognised upcoming singers Katherine Winitana, brothers Alfred, Emmanuel, Faamanu, and Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono, Masunu Galo, and Lila Lj Crichton, who combines his operatic skills with contemporary styles and performs throughout Aotearoa, along with Mahinarangi Lawrence, who scooped up several awards at the Waiata Māori Music Awards.

Phillip Rhodes opera journey pre-dated PPV, however the Fonoti-Fuimaono brothers and Katherine Winitana are all PPV graduates. The brothers told media that without PPV, they would not have discovered opera. 

So what is it about Flaxmere? Ms Pierard says there are a number of factors.

“Singing in harmony is a very regular and normal part of everyday life in Pasifika and Māori culture – it is at every event and in every church service, and children grow up with that tradition. In the more individualistic cultures, we have lost that.”

“Perhaps they  also are less likely to have had someone tell them in early life that they can’t sing – it is expected that they can, it’s part of expressing their culture, and they do. That is really healthy.”

Singing from a young age provides a perspective and focus that supports the performative aspects that opera requires, she says.

It is common to hear people saying ‘Pasifika and Māori have beautiful voices’. “But singing is just like learning anything else and everyone can do it. It is about confidence and, for something specialised like opera singing, access.”

That opera is the ‘team sport’ of singing potentially helps. “When you are young and on stage, with opera you are one of many – just like singing at church or in kapa haka. Professional solo singing opportunities do not come until the later 20s and 30s, by which time you have the skills and confidence to handle it.

Many of our young people are extremely humble, and being under a solo spotlight does not sit well with them. With opera, Ms Pierard says, they have time to develop into that.

Flaxmere’s young opera singers also connect with the storytelling and drama of opera, mirroring the strong story-telling culture of Māori and Pasifika. 

While everyone can sing, to make it on the national or world stage there are certainly some physical traits that help. “It is true that stronger bodies are able to produce the sheer power and resonance needed to be heard above powerful orchestras.”

She explains that while the mouth and nasal cavities are important resonators for singing, so is the chest cavity and, perhaps surprising to some, the facial bone structure also plays a role - a larger pharyngeal space can enhance lower frequencies, contributing to a richer vocal tone. “So people with large lung capacity and larger oral and nasal space will have an advantage when striving for depth and volume; think of the difference in sound between a small upright piano and a grand piano.”

After 10 years of delivery, the Prima Volta Charitable Trust has a new message: ‘Your Voice Has Power’. And what is undeniable is that those who hail from Flaxmere have voices that resonate far beyond Paharakeke, which has always been true of Ngāti Kahungunu and this rohe.  

Kia kaha Flaxmere: Keep on singing!