Madison Nonoa has been named the 2026 recipient of the Ryman Healthcare Dame Malvina Major Foundation Mina Foley Award.
Acclaimed New Zealand soprano Madison Nonoa has been named the 2026 recipient of the Ryman Healthcare Dame Malvina Major Foundation Mina Foley Award.
The Award will support Nonoa’s return to New Zealand to perform the principal role of Léïla in New Zealand Opera’s upcoming production of Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, opening in Auckland on 23 September, before travelling to Christchurch this October.
Nonoa has built an impressive international career since graduating from London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2019. Recent highlights include performances at the Salzburg and Whitsun Festivals, Glyndebourne, Opéra national du Rhin and the Aix-en-Provence Festival.
The homecoming also marks another chapter in Nonoa’s longstanding connection with the Dame Malvina Major Foundation and New Zealand Opera. A former Dame Malvina Major Emerging Young Artist with New Zealand Opera, she made her company debut as Papagena in The Magic Flute and was the recipient of the 2024 Dame Malvina Major Award.
Dame Malvina Major says supporting artists through different stages of their development is at the heart of the Foundation’s work.
“Madison is a wonderful New Zealand artist and it is a great pleasure to support her return home through the Mina Foley Award,” says Dame Malvina.
“We have watched Madison’s career develop over many years, from her time as a Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist through to receiving the Dame Malvina Major Award in 2024. It has been wonderful to see her establish herself on the international stage, and I am delighted that we can continue to support her at this exciting point in her career.”
The Mina Foley Award was established in 2008 in memory of New Zealand soprano Mina Foley, to enable talented New Zealand artists to return home to perform in professional opera productions. Since 2018, Ryman Healthcare has partnered with the Foundation to sponsor the Award.
“At Ryman, we’re proud to support New Zealand communities through shared-value partnerships that celebrate excellence in performance,” said Naomi James, Chief Executive Officer.
“We’re thrilled to see Madison Nonoa named the recipient of the Ryman Healthcare Dame Malvina Major Foundation Mina Foley Award, and we look forward to her return to the New Zealand stage in NZ Opera’s upcoming season of The Pearl Fishers”
Over the years, the award has assisted New Zealand Opera to bring a number of outstanding New Zealand singers home from abroad to perform leading roles, including Benson Wilson in 2025 and Manase Latu in 2024.
“Madison is an extraordinary talent whose international trajectory we have watched with pride,” says NZ Opera General Director Brad Cohen. “From her early days as a Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist with NZ Opera, to performing across Europe, her vocal artistry is world-class. We are grateful to the Dame Malvina Major Foundation and Ryman Healthcare for making her homecoming possible through the Mina Foley Award. It is a joy to welcome Madison back to the NZ Opera whānau, and we are delighted to share her exquisite mainstage debut as Léïla with Aotearoa audiences across both islands, in our new production of The Pearl Fishers.”
Madison Nonoa performs Léïla in New Zealand Opera’s The Pearl Fishers at Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Auckland, on 23 and 25 September at 7.30pm and 27 September at 2.30pm, and Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch, on 14 and 16 October at 7.30pm and 18 October at 2.30pm.
Further information and tickets are available from nzopera.com
Photo credit Ben Reason.
