©Photo: Garth Badger

©Photo: Garth Badger

©Photo: Garth Badger

Amitai Pati

Tenor

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“The evening’s great discovery: Samoan tenor Amitai Pati, who gave Don Ottavio a generous helping of passion and spine alongside his tender legato.”
Boston Globe, July 2022

Stepping into the spotlight at Philharmonie de Paris in a concert of Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles in 2019, Amitai Pati announced himself one of the new lyric voices of the next generation. Since then he’s made a string of acclaimed debuts including Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni for San Francsico Opera in Michael Cavanagh’s new production under Bertrand de Billy; as Alfredo in La traviata with Théâtre du Capitole du Toulouse under Michele Spotti; and, in concert, both Cosi fan tutte and Don Giovanni at the prestigious Tanglewood Music Festival with Boston Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons. His current season is no less impressive, including his debut with Opera National de Paris, in their new production of Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda staged by Peter Sellars and conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, and a return to San Francisco Opera to perform Tamino in Barrie Kosky’s iconic production of Die Zauberflӧte conducted by Music Director Eun Sun Kim.

Balancing his operatic credits, Amitai Pati will always find time for concert engagements and in the last season he debuted in Mozart’s Requiem with New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under Gemma New, and with Orchestre de chambre de Paris under Hervé Niquet at the Philharmonie de Paris. He also performed Gounod’s rarely heard St. François d’Assise with Insula Orchestra led by Laurence Equilbey in both Paris and Aix-en-Provence, and will make his London concert debut with the same piece at the Barbican. In a special project devised by Les Grandes Voix in Paris he joins his brother Pene Pati and soprano Golda Schultz for an evening of arias, duets and trios with Les frivolités Parisiennes at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.

Amitai Pati 02_Garth Badger — Amitai Pati © Garth Badger

In the recording studio, Amitai Pati recently joined Golda Schultz in an all-Mozart recording for Alpha with Kammerakademie Potsdam under Antonello Manacorda to be released later this season; and he makes a guest appearance on his brother, Pene Pati’s, second solo album for Warner. In addition he appears on Pentatone’s recent recordings of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and La fanciulla del West, performed by Gulbenkian Orchestra under Lawrence Foster.

Pati is a graduate of the Wales International Academy of Voice, studying under Dennis O’Neill. He was an invitee of the 2014 Young Singers Project in Salzburg, where he shared the stage with Elīna Garanča, Juan Diego Flórez, and Ludovic Tézier. He is an alumnus of the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco, where he sang his first principal role as Ferrando in Così fan tutte. 

With his brother, fellow tenor Pene Pati, and their cousin, baritone Moses Mackey, Amitai Pati is part of SOL3 MIO, the New Zealand-based vocal trio currently signed to Universal Music.

Gallery

Amitai Pati—"Una furtiva lagrima" [Excerpt]—The Elixir of Love (2022) © Seattle Opera

Dies bildnis ist bezaubernd schön © Amitai Pati

“New Zealand tenor Amitai Pati gamely went through the paces of integrating himself into the animation, deftly dodging all illusionary obstacles thrown in his path. Mr. Pati is a polished performer, of refined voice. With the truly elegant phrasing of his arias he managed to elevate this Tamino to plausible candidacy for redemption.”

Opera Today, June 2024

“Amitai Pati sang sweetly and sincerely, appropriate for the naïve irresistible character the aria portrays, producing beautiful tones throughout. One hopes to hear more from him in the future.”

Broadway World, May 2024

“High points included Amitai Pati’s sweet high tenor in ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ from Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love.”

Drama in the Hood, May 2024

“Taesung Lee and Amitai Pati are impeccable in their performances, especially the latter who demonstrates style and manages to make himself heard despite a modest volume.”

Forumopera.com, February 2024

3the evening’s musical highlight came before the Fauré started. It was a rare performance of Charles Gounod’s Saint François d’Assise, a fine tenor, Amitai Pati, did it full justice.”

The Times, November 2023

“Tenor Amitai Pati played the saint with great fervour”

The Guardian, November 2023

“Amitai Pati plays a juvenile Tamino with clear recitatives, high voice, rich in ringing harmonies, more and more touching as the evening progresses.”

FORUM OPÉRA, JANUARY 2023

“As Prince Tamino, Amitai Pati not only makes his European debut (Nadir at the Philharmonie de Paris) but also makes a role debut here. Tenor with a silky high voice, velvety middle, his mastery of Mozartian phrasing is constant.”

PREMIÈRE LOGE, JANUARY 2023

“Thanks primarily to Samoan tenor, Amitai Pati, whose warm, coffee-colored voice and impassioned delivery lent some backbone to his character. A flawless legato and command of dynamics were also on display in “Dalla sua pace”.”

BACHTRACK, July 2022

“The evening’s great discovery: Samoan tenor Amitai Pati, who gave Don Ottavio a generous helping of passion and spine alongside his tender legato.”

BOSTON GLOBE, July 2022

“Tenor Amitai Pati, radiating goodness, sang with elegant line as the noble Don Ottavio.”

BAY CITY NEWS, June 2022

“The able presence of Adler alumnus Amitai Pati made the fine, hapless Don Ottavio… aspirational casting.”

OPERA TODAY, June 2022

“Jupiter intervened before the wedding could take place, opulently sung by the tenor Amitai Pati; lascivious and arrogant, he swept Semele away in a moment of carefree mutual lust.”

Opera Magazine, January 2021

“Amitai Pati performs a moving Nadir, endowed with a superb tenor voice, ideal in the role.”

Toute la Culture, March 2020

“The young singer makes a sensational debut in Paris.”

Forum Opéra, March 2020

“Amitai Pati, the only non-French speaker, was not out of place in the evening’s cast. Although he lacks an accent, he shares with the other singers perfectly intelligible diction that makes it unnecessary to read the surtitles.”

Forum Opéra, March 2020

“Tenor Amitai Pati’s light, lyrical tenor was as well suited to a familiar aria from Friedrich von Flotow’s Martha as it was to a caressing a Franz Lehár love song”

San Francisco Classical Voice, December 2018

“young tenor Amitai Pati deserves special kudos for singing Beppo’s serenade exquisitely”

Bachtrack, October 2018

“Without question, the standout artist of Pagliacci was Adler Fellow Amitai Pati, who sang Beppe’s Serenade with the lightness, grace and beauty of the great Tito Schipa. Of everyone onstage, only Pati sounded absolutely right for his part”

San Francisco Classical Voice, September 2018

“New Zealand tenor Amitai Pati played Lord Cecil as smug and fully confident of his ability to align the Queen’s interests with his own”

Opera Warhorses, September 2018

“In smaller roles, tenor Amitai Pati as Lord Cecil…contributed exceptional portrayals”

Seen and Heard, September 2018

“Other Adler Fellows made excellent smaller contributions: Amitai Pati’s sunny sound as Lord Cecil contrasted with his character’s gleeful evil”

San Franciscio Classical Voice, September

“Amitai Pati (Pene Pati’s brother and fellow Adler Fellow) and Amina Edris (Pene Pati’s wife and fellow Adler Fellow) sounded excellent as, respectively, Matteo Borsa and Countess Ceprano, making this premiere a successful family party”

San Francisco Classical Voice, June 2017