Ta'u Pupu'a
Tenor
Richard F. Gold Career Grant recipient Ta'u Pupu'a is a graduate of the Juilliard Opera Center (ADOS) and is a native of the Polynesian Kingdom of Tonga. He attended Weber State University in Utah on a football scholarship while pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree, during which time he was drafted to the N.F.L. to the Cleveland Browns and on to the Baltimore Ravens. After sustaining an injury playing for the N.F.L., he changed career direction to follow his first passion - opera.
Ta'u Pupu'a began the 2011/2012 season by making his professional opera debut with San Francisco Opera in their world premier of Heart of a Soldier, followed by singing Dr. Caius in excerpts from Falstaff for the Richard Tucker Gala concert at Avery Fisher Hall. Upcoming is his European debut as Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos with Theatre de stadt Heidelberg; Cavaradossi in Tosca at Hawaii Opera Theatre; and Cassio in Otello at Baltimore Opera.
Recent engagements include Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde for the Alexandria Symphony, Verdi's Requiem for Albany Symphony, Terrence McNally's Masterclass at the Kennedy Center, starring Emmy and Tony Award winning actor Tyne Daly, and Bacchus in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos under Christoph von Dohnanyi for the Tanglewood Music Centre. In November 2010 he appeared in concert aboard the Metropolitan Opera Guild's "Fabled Cities of Morocco and Andalusia" cruise. His operatic repertoire includes the Duke in Rigoletto, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Cassio in Otello, Cavaradossi in Tosca, the Prince in The Student Prince, and Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur. In 2007 Pupu'a was awarded the encouragement award in the Giulio Gari Foundation vocal competition. In summer 2008 Ta'u Pupu'a made his role debut as Don José in Carmen while participating in the Marlena Malas Music Institution at Chautauqua. 2008-2009 season engagements included a return to Knoxville Opera for The Student Prince and New Moon in concert, the Government Minister in Schwergewicht, oder Die Ehre der Nation and Dr. Caius in Falstaff with the Juilliard Opera Center, and concert performances of La Bohème and Madama Butterfly with the Alexandria Symphony. Summer 2009 saw Mr. Pupu'a studying in Italy with Kiri Te Kanawa at the George Solti Bel Canto Academy, where he also performed in concert and recital.