Dame Kiri Jeanette Te Kanawa, is a New Zealand / Māori soprano who has had a highly successful international opera career since 1968. Acclaimed as one of the most beloved sopranos in both the United States and Britain she possesses a warm full lyric soprano voice, singing a wide array of works in multiple languages from the 17th to the 20th centuries. She is particularly associated with the works of Mozart, Strauss, Verdi, Handel and Puccini.
Te Kanawa’s voice has been described as having “a vibrant but mellow quality that is ample in size without being overly heavy or forced”. Music critics have consistently praised the freshness and warmth of her voice. The sheer beauty of Te Kanawa’s voice made her one of the leading operatic sopranos internationally of the 1970s and 1980s. She found particular success in portraying princesses, noble countesses and other similar characters on stage, as her naturally dignified stage presence and physical beauty complemented these roles well.
