New Zealand tenor Simon O’Neill has been appointed Patron of the New Zealand Wagner Society.

He takes over for his teacher and mentor, the late Sir Donald McIntyre, a New Zealand bass-baritone who helped establish the Wagnerian tradition in the country. Both he and O’Neill have had associations with the Bayreuth Festival.

McIntyre and O’Neill appeared together in 2006 with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in a concert performance of “Parsifal,” with McIntyre singing Gurnemanz and O’Neill in the title role.

Professor Terence Dennis of the New Zealand Wagner Society announced the appointment.

“Sir Donald was not only my teacher and mentor, but one of the most important influences on my life as an artist,” O’Neill said, per an official press release. “To follow him as Patron of the New Zealand Wagner Society is an extraordinary honour. I hope to continue his legacy and to inspire a new generation of New Zealanders to discover the extraordinary world of Wagner and the great tradition of Wagnerian performance.”