Sarah Mileham Takes First Prize at the 2024 Nicholas Tarling Aria Competition

It was an extraordinary evening of entertainment at the Due Drop Events Centre on Friday 9 February 2024.

The evening commenced with four finalists competing in the 18 & Under category. Amelia Blessan was first, with her rendition of Adele’s “Hello”. Six-year-old Mason Lin followed with Bernstein’s “My House” from Peter Pan, before Saara Desai performed Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”. The category concluded with Venessa Joyce singing “Vedrai, carino” from Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

The Over 18 category opened with soprano Emma Jones performing Arditi’s “Il bacio”. Ridge Ponini followed with “E lucevan le stelle” from Puccini’s Tosca, before soprano Jessica Webber sang the “Song to the Moon” from Dvořák’s Rusalka. Jasmine Jessen performed “Me voilà seule” from Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles, followed by tenor Taylor Wallbank with “È la solita storia del pastore” from Cilea’s L’arlesiana. Soprano Tayla Alexander brought the first half to a close with “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta” from Puccini’s La rondine.

The second half began with soprano Breony Bearman performing “Einsam in trüben Tagen” from Wagner’s Lohengrin. Baritone Alfred Fonoti-Fuimaono followed with” O Carlo, ascolta” from Verdi’s Don Carlo, before soprano Rhiannon Cooper sang “Il est doux, il est bon” from Massenet’s Hérodiade. Olga Shanina performed an aria from Verdi’s La traviata, followed by baritone Thomas Røshol with “Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo” from Mozart’s Così fan tutte. The final performance of the evening came from soprano Sarah Mileham, who sang “O mio babbino caro” from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi.

Official Accompanist Rosemary Barnes accompanied the singers throughout the evening, which was hosted by MC Jack Bourke. The adjudicators were Patricia Wright, Professor Uwe Grodd and Fay McNeil.

2024 Results

Winner: Sarah Mileham
Runner-up: Alfred Fonoti-Fuimaono
Most Promising Award: Breony Bearman and Ridge Ponini
18 & Under Winner: Venessa Joyce

Since the Competition

Since winning the Nicholas Tarling Aria Competition in 2024, Sarah Mileham has continued to establish herself as one of New Zealand’s emerging operatic talents. In 2026, she reached the Grand Final of the Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest, where she was awarded Second Prize, performing with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Later that year, Sarah received a Dame Malvina Major Foundation Arts Excellence Award to support the next stage of her development. She is joining the Mascarade Opera Young Artist Programme in Florence, Italy, continuing her training and development in Europe.