Leonora, IL TROVATORE
Donna Elvira, DON GIOVANNI
Aida
Performance Photos (see more)
Abigaille, NABUCCO
Possessed of a rich voice with just a hint of steel behind it, and blessed by a personality that communicates effortlessly across the footlights Opera~Opera Magazine - Australia
New Zealand Maori soprano Marie Te Hapuku joined the Metropolitan Opera artist roster in 2010 as an immediate cover for Lina in Verdi's STIFFELIO. Hailed by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune as “the perfect Verdi heroine, richly musical and emotionally touching", she is completely at ease with the vocal demands of Verdi. Her roles also include Aida, Leonora (IL TROVATORE), and Amelia (UN BALLO IN MASCHERA), as well as Turandot, Tosca, Fiordiligi (COSÌ FAN TUTTE), Donna Anna and Donna Elvira (DON GIOVANNI). Recent engagements include a return to her highly-praised roles as Abigaille in NABUCCO (Verdi) in Tokyo, Leonora in IL TROVATORE (Verdi) with Intermountain Opera, her European debut with Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona in a program featuring the works of Victorien Sardou, and covering the roles of Turandot and Donna Anna with Opera Australia in Sydney. Loved by audiences and the press alike, Opera~Opera Magazine declared her "possessed of a rich voice with just a hint of steel behind it, and blessed by a personality that communicates effortlessly across the footlights”.
Recognized as "the sort of voice that the orchestra loves, fitting into its texture with an easy warmth" by Opera News, Ms. Te Hapuku regularly appears on the symphony stage. Concert performances include Verdi's REQUIEM with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony, New Hampshire Music Festival, and American West Symphony, Beethoven's NINTH SYMPHONY with the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra and the San Jose Symphony, and Fiordiligi in COSÌ FAN TUTTE with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and a concert tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. She especially enjoys sharing her Polynesian background in special concerts featuring the rich music of her Maori heritage, and regularly performs in Washington, DC for the annual ANZAC Memorial Services at the National Cathedral.
Schedule (see more)
January 2013
ANDREA CHÉNIER
Maddalena (cover)
Opera Orchestra of New York
Avery Fisher Hall
Feb - March 2012
TURANDOT
Turandot (cover)
Opera Australia
Sydney Opera House
Sept - Oct 2011
DON GIOVANNI
Donna Anna (cover)
Opera Australia
Sydney Opera House
Repertoire List
Born in Gisborne, Marie Te Hapuku is a direct descendent of paramount Maori chief,
Te Hapuku Ngai Te Whatuiapiti (who signed the 1835 Declaration of Independence and the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, and whose dignity and deep knowledge of tribal tradition was legendary). She holds dual citizenship in New Zealand and the USA, and resides in NYC.
