Samson Setu

Samson Setu (born 1993 or 1994) is a New Zealand-born bass-baritone opera singer of Samoan descent.[1]

Samson Setu
Born1993 or 1994 (age 29–30)
Auckland, New Zealand
GenresClassical
Occupation(s)Opera singer

Early life

Setu was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and grew up in the South Auckland suburb of Manurewa. He attended a church in Manurewa where his grandfather was a pastor. He gained initial experience in singing and playing in a band at the church.[1]

Setu's singing talent was identified while he was a student at Dilworth School in Auckland, and he credits his participation in the school choir with developing his interest in classical singing. He was the head chorister of the school choir in 2011, and was the cultural leader for the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir trip to South Africa in 2012.[2] He recalls that when he started, he was the only choir member who could not read music.[3]

Career

Setu undertook tertiary education in music at the University of Otago in Dunedin, but pulled out in his third year of studies, and travelled to Brighton in England with the hope of an alternative career in professional rugby. He was offered a contract, but a last-minute intervention by his mother encouraged him to complete his studies in music. He transferred to the University of Auckland where there were other vocal students from Pasifika backgrounds, and he completed his studies under Te Oti Rakena.[4]

Setu has participated in the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Programme for Young Singers.[5]

In 2018, Setu won a Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist Scholarship with the New Zealand Opera School[6] and was awarded the 2018 'Merle Higgie' Opera Prize for Potential.[7]

In 2019, Setu won the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Iosefa Enari Memorial Award.[8]

In 2019, along with Tongan tenor Manase Latu, Setu was awarded a Circle100 scholarship[9] that enabled both singers to travel to London as Kiri Scholars, to study at the Royal College of Music. While studying in London, both singers were invited to travel to New York and audition at the Metropolitan Opera. Both were subsequently accepted into the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program in 2020,[3][4][10][11] and were the first New Zealanders to win a place in this programme.[12][13]

Setu has been a member of a vocal quartet, The Shades, comprising singers of Tongan and Samoan heritage. The group was formed in 2015, and has learned Croatian music under the leadership of Goran Kačurov, a Zagreb-born teacher who is now a New Zealand resident. In 2020, The Shades collaborated with Goran Karan on a video dedicated to a victim of the 2020 Zagreb earthquake.[14]

In September 2023, Setu will sing the lead role in (m)Orpheus in the New Zealand Opera post-modern version of Orfeo ed Euridice.[4] He will then take up a contract with the Zürich Opera House in Switzerland.[4]

References
  1. "Samson Setu - Artist Profile". www.thecoconet.tv. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  2. "Samson Setu". aucklandoperastudio. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  3. "Outstanding Pasifika singers win places on Met Opera's Young Artist Program". RNZ. 26 August 2020. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  4. Betts, Richard (23 July 2023). "Samson Setu, the unlikely opera star with no ordinary voice". The Post. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  5. "Samson Setu". www.kiritekanawa.org. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  6. "NZ Opera names DMMF Scholarships for 2018". Dame Malvina Major Foundation. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  7. "Alumni 2018 - New Zealand Opera School". operaschool.org.nz. 30 December 2021. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  8. "Samson Setu - Creative NZ Arts Pasifika Iosefa Enari Memorial Award". Pacific Media Network. 6 July 2020. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  9. "Samson Setu". CIRCLE100. Archived from the original on 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  10. "Samson Setu". www.metopera.org. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  11. "Grew up singing in South Auckland, now singing at The Met". The University of Auckland. 7 September 2020. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  12. "Reframing Tradition: Māori and Pasifika Voices in Opera". Toi Ōtautahi - The Virtual Arts Office For Christchurch. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  13. "Kiwi singers selected for New York Metropolitan Opera's elite Lindemann programme". CIRCLE100. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  14. "VIDEO: Goran Karan and New Zealand vocal group The Shades with song dedicated to Zagreb earthquake victim". Croatia Week. 29 October 2020. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
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