From his hometown of Apia, Samoa, Pene Pati has taken the world by storm. Revered for his “extraordinary gift for producing a golden thread of sound that can swell without strain to magnificence” (The Telegraph) and is instantly recognisable by his “round and sunshine filled voice” (Le Monde), with his warm and winning personality endearing him to both audience and critics around the world. The first Samoan tenor to perform on Europe’s top stages, including Opéra national de Paris, the Royal Ballet and Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera, Pene boasts an exceptional versatility in a broad palette of roles including Mozart, Massenet, Donizetti, Gounod, Puccini and Verdi. He has “won critic’s awards and audience ovations on international stages” (New York Times), including being named Best Male Singer at the Opera Critics’ Awards and the Opera Magazine Readers’ Award at the International Opera Awards. He is also the recipient of two Opus Klassik Awards. An exclusive recording artist for Warner Classics, he has released two albums, with a third released in September 2025.

Highlights from recent seasons include Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore) at Opéra national de Paris and San Francisco Opera; Roméo in Roméo et Juliette at San Francisco Opera, Opéra Comique and Opéra national de Bordeaux; Alfredo (La traviata) at Staatsoper Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Dutch National Opera; Des Grieux (Manon) at Gran Teatre del Liceu and Staatsoper Hamburg; the title role in La Damnation de Faust at Opéra de Monte-Carlo; Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor) at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli; the tile role in Mitridate, re di Ponto at Staatsoper Berlin and the Salzburger Festspiele; Orombello (Beatrice di Tenda) at Opéra national de Paris; Rodolfo (La Bohème) at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Canadian Opera Company, Bayerische Staatsoper, Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Francisco Opera; Anna Percy (Anna Bolena) at Wiener Staatsoper; Werther with the Orchestre de chambre de Genève; Fernand (La Favorite) at Opéra national de Bordeaux; Faust in Gounod’s eponym opera at Opéra national de Paris; Nadir (Les Pêcheurs de perles) at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence; Rigoletto (Duca) at Opéra de Rouen Normandie, Staatsoper Berlin, Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, Arena di Verona and the Metropolitan Opera of New York and both Moïse et Pharaon (Amenophis) and the title role in La Clemenza di Tito at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. In addition to his carefully constructed concert programs, his concert repertoire includes Mendelssohn’s Elias, Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven Nine, Berlioz’s Requiem, and Verdi’s Requiem.  

Pene Pati’s warm and winning personality has helped endear him to audiences around the world and contributed to great competition success in his formative years taking top prizes and audience choice awards at several competitions including Operalia and Neue Stimmen. He received his masters’ degree from the Wales International Academy of Voice, and was an Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera.

Panel Statement: “Pene has enjoyed huge international success as one of today’s leading tenors, acclaimed for his performances as Rodolfo, Roméo, and Mitridate on the world’s great stages. From San Francisco to Paris to London and New York, he is captivating audiences and earns comparisons to the great voices of the past. As a founding member of the award-winning trio Sol3 Mio, Pene has bridged classical opera and popular performance, inspiring new audiences to discover the power of the human voice. His operatic triumphs and dedication to community and cultural pride make him an incredible ambassador for Aotearoa. We are so very proud of him, along with all of the other awardees.” – Laureate Selection Panel 

Thank you to Corner Store for helping us tell these stories of impact – with filming in Paris by Olivia Kahler (Lark in the Oak).