Simon O’Neill performs in Radiance.

New Zealand tenor, Simon O’Neill ONZM is celebrated as one of the leading heldentenors of his generation. He is a frequent performer at the world’s premier opera houses and festivals, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Hamburg Staatsoper, Staatsoper Berlin, Opéra National de Paris, Teatro alla Scala, and the Bayreuth, Salzburg, Glyndebourne, Edinburgh, and BBC Proms Festivals.

O’Neill is renowned for his interpretations of Wagner’s heroic tenor roles, collaborating with distinguished conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle, Riccardo Muti, Sir Antonio Pappano, James Levine, Pierre Boulez, Fabio Luisi, Kent Nagano, Christian Thielemann, Andris Nelsons, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, Jaap van Zweden, Pietari Inkinen, and Simone Young. His signature role, Siegmund in Die Walküre, has earned him the title “the Wagnerian tenor of his generation.” He has performed Siegmund at Covent Garden with Pappano, the Metropolitan Opera with Runnicles and Luisi, La Scala and Staatsoper Berlin with Barenboim, and Deutsche Oper Berlin with Rattle. His Wagnerian repertoire also includes Tristan, Parsifal, Lohengrin, Walther von Stolzing, Siegfried, and Loge. His Bayreuth debut as Lohengrin in Hans Neuenfels’ striking production with Andris Nelsons was followed by Parsifal in Stefan Herheim’s acclaimed staging with Daniele Gatti.

Beyond Wagner, O’Neill’s versatile repertoire encompasses Beethoven’s Florestan (Fidelio), Strauss’s Emperor (Die Frau ohne Schatten), Shostakovich’s Sergei (Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk), and Berg’s Tambourmajor (Wozzeck). His acclaimed portrayal of Verdi’s Otello began with a concert performance on short notice with

Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra, later reprised in Houston, Boston, Auckland, and Sydney. He has also excelled as Chairman Mao (Nixon in China) and Boris (Katya Kabanova), demonstrating his range across operatic styles.

A cornerstone of O’Neill’s career is his long-standing partnership with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO). He first gained prominence in the 1996 Mobil Song Quest and soon after performed Lensky’s aria with the NZSO under Nicholas Braithwaite while based in New York. His 2006 Wagnerian debut as Parsifal with the NZSO, alongside mentor Sir Donald McIntyre, marked a milestone in New Zealand’s operatic history. This launched a rich collaboration, including the EMI recording Father and Son: Wagner Arias and Scenes with Inkinen, performances of Die Walküre, excerpts from Siegfried and Götterdämmerung, staged productions of Tosca and Boris Godunov, and concerts featuring Messiah, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, and Songs of a Wayfarer. O’Neill has headlined numerous NZSO gala concerts, celebrating his global success and Aotearoa roots. This year he and the NZSO mark the 20th anniversary of his Parsifal debut with this special concert series, honouring nearly three decades of partnership.

Recent highlights include Tristan in Hamburg, São Paulo, and San Francisco, Loge in Paris and Los Angeles, Parsifal in Munich and Paris, Siegfried with the Sydney Symphony, and Götterdämmerung with the Hangzhou Philharmonic. His concert performances include Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder in Sydney, Munich, Luzern, and Hamburg; Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde in Lyon, Zurich, Sydney, Parma, and

Strasbourg; Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in Reykjavik and Helsinki and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Sydney.

O’Neill’s discography includes Father and Son (EMI) and Distant Beloved (Decca), both Best Classical Tui Award winners; Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Dudamel (Grammy Award); and multiple Siegfried recordings with Rattle, Elder, and van Zweden. He appears on DVD/Blu-ray in Parsifal (Royal Opera), Otello (LSO Live), Die Walküre (La Scala), Der Freischütz (LSO), and Die Zauberflöte (Salzburg).

Appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2017, O’Neill is a Fulbright Scholar with a Doctor of Music (Honoris Causa) from Victoria University of Wellington. He studied at the University of Otago, Manhattan School of Music, and Juilliard Opera Centre, and was a 2002 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions finalist. Named a New Zealand Arts Laureate in 2005, he was featured on a 1998 performing arts postage stamp.

Simon gratefully acknowledges the Wagner Society of New Zealand for their support of this concert series.