Opera star dies at Pacific festival in New Caledonia

By LIBBY MIDDLEBROOK

Iosefa Enari, one of New Zealand's most-admired baritones, has died in New Caledonia after suffering a heart attack. He was with a New Zealand group performing at the Festival of Pacific Arts.

Enari, aged 46, was a pioneer of Pacific Island opera singing and creator of Classical Polynesia, the first New Zealand opera combining traditional Samoan words and music with classical opera.

He was born in Samoa and moved to New Zealand at age 16 with his seven brothers and sisters, living in Auckland.

Although Enari had been singing since Sunday school and in a school rock band, his career as a professional did not start until he won the Herald Aria Competition in 1987.

Judges praised him for his vocal tone, which "impressed immediately," awarding him the $2750 top prize.

Three years later, at 32, Enari decided to train fulltime.

Courteous, quietly self-assured and with a wry sense of humour, he told the Herald in 1991 that he was prepared to take his career "as far as the good Lord will allow us to take it."

His family, Samoan-born wife Nu'ulopa and their children Falefatu and Rita, supported the singer through tough financial times until his career took off in the early 1990s.

Since then Enari had been in demand by many big opera houses. His roles included Baron Scarpia (Tosca), Porgy (Porgy and Bess) and Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), the part he said he most wanted to sing during his career.

He performed regularly with the Auckland Philharmonia and was also involved in musical and dramatic theatre, with roles including the King of Siam in The King and I.

Other achievements included a Fulbright Scholarship in 1993, which allowed him to further his vocal studies in Boston and New York.

He was a recording artist for Radio New Zealand, and sang the commissioned anthem for the opening of the America's Cup.

Classical Polynesia premiered in Auckland last year as part of the Pasifika '99 cultural festival. Enari conceived the production as a showcase for emerging operatic talent among the Pacific Islands, with performances from artists such as Jonathan Lemalu, a Mobil Song Quest winner.

Enari is survived by his wife and two teenage children.