Mr Wilson (21), whose hometown is Auckland, said the win capped off an "outrageous" few months, as he placed third in the Lexus event last month.
He is finishing a bachelor of science degree in geology and a bachelor of music in classical performance voice this year at the University of Otago and then plans to head overseas.
- View slideshow: ODT Aria Contest 2012
Winning the aria would help him fund further study.
"It's really amazing." Society president Judy Bellingham said the new venue provided a difficult acoustic to which the the seven finalists had to adapt.
"They had to work hard. It is part of growing up as a singer."
Fellow Lexus finalist Grace Park (21), a soprano from Auckland who is studying voice at the University of Otago, was second.
She described her year as a "great training year".
Baritone Julien van Mellaerts (24), of Dunedin, a University of Otago student, was third.
