Photo: Supplied
Acclaimed Kiwi opera singer Phillip Rhodes (Ngāti Awa and Ngāti Kahungunu) has been appointed the first Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Laureate.
The Hawkes Bay-born baritone has been back in Aotearoa performing with New Zealand and Wellington Opera.
After a difficult early childhood, Rhodes was placed in a foster home where he discovered a love of music.
He won the New Zealand Aria Competition and the Lexus Song Quest in 2005, later going on to perform at Covent Garden and with opera companies around Britain.
Phillip joins Nine to Noon to talk about his new award, his career and what lies ahead.
This is one of Kathryn Ryan's favourite interviews of 2023:
"Phillip's big voice and big heart filled our interview. His foster parents, Hawkes' Bay icons Henare and Pam O'Keefe, changed the direction of his life. Phillip's emotion when remembering Pam, who died just a few years ago, spoke volumes in this kōrero."
