Dame Kiri te Kanawa

Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa is a former New Zealand opera soprano who was born on March 6, 1944. Her lyric soprano voice was characterized as "mellow yet bright, warm, abundant, and natural." In the mid-1980s, Te Kanawa had three top 40 albums in Australia. Te Kanawa has won awards in a variety of nations for her performances of works in a variety of languages stretching from the 17th to the 20th century. She is well known for her theatrical performances of princesses, nobles, and other comparable roles in the works of Mozart, Strauss, Verdi, Handel, and Puccini.

Despite the fact that she rarely sung opera later in her career, Te Kanawa often performed in concert and recitals, provided masterclasses, and helped aspiring opera singers establish their careers. Her final performance occurred in October 2016 in Ballarat, Australia, however, she did not announce her retirement until September 2017.

Awards:

• Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording (Nominations: 1984)
• Brit Award for Best Classical Recording (Nominations: 1984)