Kiri Te Kanawa
New Zealand lyric soprano celebrated for Mozart, Verdi, Puccini and Richard Strauss.
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via Wikipedia: Kiri Te Kanawa · see source
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is a New Zealand opera singer with a full lyric soprano voice, born on 6 March 1944. Her international breakthrough came on 1 December 1971, when she sang the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro at the Royal Opera House in London.
Over a long career she sang in several languages and across repertoire spanning four centuries, with a special bond to Mozart, Verdi, Puccini and Richard Strauss. Directors frequently cast her as noblewomen and aristocrats. In later years she stepped back from staged opera, favouring concerts and recitals, and put much of her energy into masterclasses and into helping young singers through their early training.
Lore & Background
She was born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron in Gisborne and was adopted as a baby by Thomas Te Kanawa, who ran a trucking firm, and his wife Nell; her adoptive family belongs to Ngāti Maniapoto. She studied at St Mary's College, Auckland, where Sister Mary Leo Niccol trained her voice. As a young woman she worked as a pop entertainer in New Zealand clubs.
She placed second in the Mobil Song Quest in 1963 and took first prize in 1965, earning a grant to study in London, and in 1966 she also won the Melbourne Sun-Aria contest. That year she entered the London Opera Centre, started out as a mezzo-soprano, and switched to soprano training in 1967 on the advice of Richard Bonynge. A junior principal contract at Covent Garden followed.
Did You Know?
- Her recording of the "Nuns' Chorus" from Casanova was the first gold record made in New Zealand.
- She sang Maria in Leonard Bernstein's 1984 operatic recording of West Side Story, which won a Grammy Award in 1985.
- She introduced the song "World in Union" at the 1991 Rugby World Cup.
- She played Donna Elvira in Joseph Losey's 1979 film of Don Giovanni.
Frequently Asked Questions
What voice type is Kiri Te Kanawa?
She is a full lyric soprano, although she began her training as a mezzo-soprano before moving up to soprano.
Which performance launched her international fame?
Her Countess in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at Covent Garden on 1 December 1971 caused an international sensation.
When did she first appear at the Metropolitan Opera?
In 1974, as Desdemona in Otello, replacing Teresa Stratas at short notice.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Kiri Te Kanawa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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