Faamanu Fonoti-Fuimaono is a proud Samoan/Kiwi baritone from Flaxmere, Hastings. He is currently studying his Master’s in Advanced Opera Studies at the University of Waikato under the tutelage of Nikki-Li Hartliep, as a member of the Te Pae Kōkako TANZOS (The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio) programme.

Faamanu began his singing journey in church, where he was part of the youth group and choir. Inspired by his older brothers, he auditioned for the youth programme Project Prima Volta (PPV) and has since worked both onstage and backstage with Festival Opera through PPV. He is also part of an operatic quartet called ‘Alofa’, made up of himself and his three brothers. Together, they perform regularly around the country at a variety of corporate events. Faamanu received the TAPA Scholarship Award in both 2021 and 2022, as well as the prestigious Blues Award in both years—an honour recognising students who excel in sports and the arts. He was selected to attend the New Zealand Opera School every year from 2022 to 2026.

Faamanu has performed in many major operatic productions, including NZ Opera’s Rigoletto (2024), Festival Opera’s La Traviata (2019), Madama Butterfly (2017), La Bohème (2016), and Carmen (2018). He appeared as Aeneas in Project Prima Volta’s production of Dido and Aeneas (2016), sang the role of Harasta in Festival Opera’s The Cunning Little Vixen (2022), and performed as Simone in the University of Waikato’s production of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. He was also in the ensemble for NZ Opera’s production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. Additionally, Faamanu joined NZ Opera on stage for their productions of Verdi’s Requiem, Il Trovatore, Die tote Stadt, and Tristan und Isolde, singing in the chorus alongside international casts and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

In 2023, Faamanu toured with NZ Opera’s Opera in Schools programme, performing in Respighi’s The Sleeping Beauty, and again in 2025, touring Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love to over 10,000 students across the country. In 2023, he was a finalist in the Nicholas Tarling Competition and placed third in the DMMF Waikato Aria Competition. Earlier this year was a Finalist in the North Shore Singing Competitions and was Baritone Soloist for Camerata Choir’s recent concert “Mystics and Spirits” where he sang the Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan-Williams.