She is an opera singer born in Gisborne, New Zealand
who was adopted when a baby, but it is known she is of Maori and European
descent, as are her adoptive parents.Studying with Dame Sister Mary Leo, RSM, at Saint Mary's College in
Auckland, she started singing as a mezzo-soprano and would become a soprano
later. She began her performing career as a teenager when she started
singing in pop bands and by the time she was in her 20s she was popular in
many of New Zealand's clubs.After
winning the Mobil Song Quest in 1965 she studied in London on a scholarship
and enrolled in the London Opera Centre without an audition in 1966.Making her first performance in
1968 she went on to carve out a career that has taken her to all corners of
the world and working with many acclaimed artists in numerous major venues
of the world.Although having
seen major success in the opera world over two decades, she came to the
forefront of public attention when she sang at the wedding of Prince
Charles and Diana Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.After that she was seen on
television regularly and became known to millions.In 1982 Queen Elizabeth II made her
a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and she would also honour
her again in the 1995 Birthday Honours list where she was awarded the Order
of New Zealand.She would, in
turn, sing a "Happy Birthday/God Save the Queen" medley to the Queen at the
2006 Commonwealth Games to recognise her up and coming birthday.Her final opera performance was in
Samuel Barber's Vanessa in 2004, but carrying on in the industry she
has created the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation, which assists music students and
continues to give concerts and recitals.Having made numerous recordings over the years, she won New
Zealand's first ever gold disc for Nun's Story when she was
in her teens/early 20s, and has appeared with many artists from the
operatic and pop world including Paul McCartney on his Liverpool
Oratorio
.
