Soprano Madison Nonoa Wins 2025 Dame Heather Begg Memorial Award
By David Salazar(Credit: Leila Alexander)
Soprano Madison Nonoa has been named the 2025 recipient of the Dame Heather Begg Memorial Award.
The New Zealand-born singer of Samoan, Niuean, and Pākehā heritage will receive AUD $25,000 to support her artistic and professional development at a key stage in her career.
“It’s an incredible gift at a very important time,” said Nonoa, a former Dame Malvina Major Emerging Young Artist with New Zealand Opera, per an official press release. “I’m really thrilled.”
Nonoa has appeared at the Salzburg and Whitsun Festivals, the Pulsations Festival in Bordeaux, and recently performed Zerlina in “Don Giovanni” at the 2025 Aix-en-Provence Festival. In 2026, she will make her Pinchgut Opera debut as Abel in “Il primo omicidio.”
The Award, which honors the legacy of Dame Heather Begg DNZM OBE (1932–2009), was established in 2013 and provides substantial support to an emerging opera artist from Australia or New Zealand. Previous recipients include Samuel Dundas, Amina Edris, Jeremy Kleeman, Emily Edmonds, Lauren Fagan, Filipe Manu, and Anna Louise-Cole.
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