Filipe Manu

In the 2024/25 season Manu makes several role debuts: Fenton Falstaff at Glyndebourne Festival, Count Almaviva Il Barbiere di Siviglia Opéra de Lille and as Paris La Belle Helene at Opéra de Toulon. He also sings Ernesto Don Pasquale with Scottish Opera and Handel’s Messiah with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Last season marked some pivotal career moments so far: Ferrando in a highly anticipated new production of Cosi Fan Tutte by Barrie Kosky at Wiener Staatsoper, Eduardo in Thomas Adès’ The Exterminating Angel at Opéra National de Paris, Ernesto Don Pasquale at Staatsoper Hamburg and Nemorino L’elisir d’amore in Glyndebourne.

Further recent engagements include Ferrando in Hamburg and with Opera Australia; and Tamino in David McVicar’s vivid production of Die Zauberflöte at The Royal Ballet and Opera.

From 2021 until 2023 Manu was a member of the newly formed ensemble at Konzert Theater Bern, his roles there included Tamino, Ruodi Guillaume Tell, Arbace Idomeneo, Tebaldo I Capuletti e i Montecchi and Froh Das Rheingold. During his time with the Royal Ballet and Opera, Filipe was seen as Gastone La Traviata, Erster Gefangener Fidelio and Father/Charlie in The Seven Deadly Sins/Mahogonny Songspiel.

Engagements on the concert platform include Handel’s Messiah with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra; his debut at the Edinburgh International Festival as the tenor soloist in the opening concert of the festival: Stravinsky Pulcinella under the baton of Dalia Stasevska, and as Officer Ariadne auf Naxos, conducted by Lothar Koenigs. Other concert and recital performances include the Royal Ballet and Opera Stars Gala; singing alongside Lisette Oropesa and Gerald Finely, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano, Christmas Gala Concert conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, an intimate recital of song and arias with Sir Antonio Pappano and the Jette Parker Young Artist’s Summer Performance. He has also appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in Handel’s Messiah and at Wigmore Hall in recital.

His formative training was gained at the University of Waikato through a Bachelor of Music and postgraduate diploma and on the Dame Malvina Major Young Artist programme with New Zealand Opera. He is a former member of the New Zealand Opera school, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Opera School and both inaugural Opera programmes for the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa foundation and the Dame Malvina Major foundation.