Marie Te Hapuku: Biography

New Zealand Maori soprano Marie Te Hapuku was hailed by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune as "the perfect Verdi heroine, richly musical and emotionally touching". Completely at ease with the vocal demands of Verdi, she recently added AIDA to her repertoire in Summer, 2008 - a role she repeats in early 2009. Her Verdi roles include Lina (STIFFELIO), Leonora (LA FORZA DEL DESTINO and IL TROVATORE), Elisabetta (Don Carlo), Amelia (SIMON BOCCANEGRA) and Abigaille (NABUCCO). Other significant roles include Tosca, Fiordiligi (COSĖ FAN TUTTE), Donna Anna and Donna Elvira (DON GIOVANNI). Loved by audiences and the press alike, the Salt Lake Deseret News wrote that she "excels as the slave Aida, not only with her strong, beautiful voice, but also with her ability to capture the conflict Aida feels" and that "her clear, strong, rich voice is - by itself - worth the price of the ticket". Australia's Opera~Opera Magazine declared that she is "well in command of the technical challenges, 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. Recent 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, Fiordiligi in COSĖ FAN TUTTE with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and her European debut with Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona in a concert featuring the works of Victorien Sardou. She especially enjoys sharing her Polynesian background in special concerts featuring the rich music of her Maori heritage.

Ms. Te Hapuku has been the recipient of the Jay Darwin Memorial Award (San Francisco Opera Auditions), the Sir Frank Tait Bursary (Australian Singing Competition), the Willi Fels Memorial Trust, and the Sylvia Lerner and Wagner Society awards (Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions).

Born in Gisborne, Marie Te Hapuku is a direct descendent of paramount Maori chief, Te Hapuku Ngai Te Whatuiapiti. She holds dual citizenship in New Zealand and the United States, and resides in New York City.