Pene Pati

Tenor

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“A New Zealander who boasts a lithe and radiant tone, deep theatrical instincts and plenty of charisma”
(San Francisco Chronicle)

Pene Pati rightly earned major attention in 2015 after his competition successes, taking both Second and Audience Prize at Operalia, and Second Prize at Neue Stimmen. Moving on from a successful summer as part of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Programme, Pati became an Adler Fellow and has since performed and studied a wide range of roles in San Francisco including Messenger (Aïda), Count Lerma and Royal Herald (Don Carlo), and Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), as well as being part of the world premiere of Bright Sheng’s Dream of the Red Chamber. Most recently, a major debut on the stage of San Francisco Opera as Duca di Mantua in Verdi’s Rigoletto under Nicola Luisotti earned him universal praise and critical acclaim for his “suavely delivered” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “clarion clear” (San Francisco Examiner) performance.

Pati completed his studies at the Wales International Academy of Voice under Dennis O’Neill, with whom he continues to work alongside César Ulloa. He was also winner of First Prize at the Montserrat Caballé International Aria Competition in 2014 and the prestigious Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge ‘Bel Canto’ Award in 2012.

Verdi- Rigoletto ‘Moving Moment’ © San Francisco Opera

Verdi: La traviata - Lunge da lei…De miei bollenti spiriti - Neue Stimmen final 2015 © Neue Stimmen

Donizetti: L’elisir d’amore - Una furtiva lagrima - Neue Stimmen final 2015 © Neue Stimmen

Gounod: Faust - Salut, demeure chaste et pure - Neue Stimmen semi-final 2015 © Neue Stimmen

La traviata © Opera San Jose

“Pati, born for the beauties of bel canto, spins an effortless ‘Una furtiva lagrima’”

(New Zealand Herald, May 2018)

“Pene Pati was making his New York debut and he sang with a beautiful tone in “La donna è mobile”

(Opera Wire, December 2017)

“His “La donna è mobile” revealed a gleaming tenor with effortless high notes. No wonder he has an array of awards and prizes that would be the envy of any young opera singer.”

(Seen & Heard, December 2017)

“The fluency and brilliance of Pene Pati’s singing, most notably, is a delight that never stales”

(San Francisco Chronicle, December 2017)

“tenor Pene Pati showed off a warm, powerful voice in a selection from Donizetti’s unfinished opera Il Duca d’Alba. It was a good choice, with plenty of the high notes where Pene has such thrilling squillo.”

(San Francisco Classical Voice, December 2017)

“Ingénu tenor Pene Pati is purely and simply the vocal embodiment of the Duke of Mantua, possessing the vocal swagger, the freshness of voice, and the creative energy that makes the Duke, indeed all youth, lovable. The artistic achievement of this debut in a major role on a major stage was formidable, this young artist fusing surprisingly graceful stage movement with nearly impeccable vocal delivery. And there was solid tenorial attitude. Aplenty.”

(Opera Today, June 2017)

“Tenor Pene Pati made his San Francisco Opera debut as the Duke of Mantua…[he] was an absolute revelation. He has a sweet, honeyed timbre and his top notes appear to be effortless. His phrasing, expression and breath control are superb”

(Bachtrack, June 2017)

“the Duke of Mantua, sung by tenor and Adler fellow Pene Pati. Pati comes across as an almost boyish, though exuberantly puckish, playboy…[his voice] was clarion clear and hit all the high notes, most notably in his Act 3 showpiece aria “La donna è mobile.”

(San Francisco Examiner, June 2017)

“For sheer tonal pleasure, Pati’s Duke made a connection. His tenor was buttery and suavely delivered.”

(San Francisco Chronicle, June 2017)

“It seemed luxury casting to have the rising New Zealand tenor Pene Pati as the messenger.”

(Opera Magazine, February 2017)

“Pati in a sumptuous, broad-beamed account of Verdi’s “Quando le sere al placido” from Luisa Miller.”

(San Francisco Chronicle, December 2016)

“Tenor Pene Pati was an unusually vivid and powerful Messenger”

(San Francisco Classical Voice, November 2016)

“runner-up was the New Zealander Pene Pati; in ‘Tomba degli avi miei’ from Lucia di Lammermoor his tone floated beautifully, and he has thrust and passion to spare at the top”

(Opera Magazine, September 2015)

“By far the most talented and promising singer was the Samoan-born Aucklander tenor Darren Pene Pati, who sang Tombe degli avi miei…[he] had a wonderful Italianate sound and superb vocal control harnessed to subtle phrasing [and] could effortless fill the Royal Opera House.”

(Seen & Heard, July 2015)

“New Zealander Darren Pene Pati was the one with the special tenor voice. Unsurprisingly, he took the audience prize for male singer.”

(Financial Times, July 2015)

“Unspoken but unignorable is the pressure for young opera singers to own the stage and inhabit a character. Hence the golden-voiced New Zealand tenor Darren Pene Pati won the audience prize with Donizetti’s Tombe degli avi miei”

(The Times, July 2015)

“First up was Pene Pati, a New Zealander who boasts a lithe and radiant tone, deep theatrical instincts and plenty of charisma…In the final scene from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, he gave a full-throated, suavely phrased performance, replete with ardour and elegance and driving to a thrilling, perfectly placed high note.”

(San Francisco Chronicle)

“You will know him for years to come, and thrill to his voice of golden trumpet just as the crowded house in San Francisco did tonight…Pati took the final note [in the final scene of Lucia di Lammermoor], with an open-throated, flawless, powerful high D…and held it pure and solid, not a show-off, just a peak moment, which seemed to go on for minutes.”

(San Francisco Examiner)