Biography
Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa ONZ, CH, DBE, AC (/ˈkɪri təˈkɑːnəwə/; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te Kanawa had three top 40 albums in Australia in the mid-1980s. Te Kanawa has received accolades in many countries, singing a wide array of works in many languages dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries. She is particularly associated with the works of Mozart, Strauss, Verdi, Handel and Puccini, and found considerable success in portraying princesses, nobility, and other similar characters on stage. Though she rarely sang opera later in her career, Te Kanawa frequently performed in concert and recital, gave masterclasses, and supported young opera singers in launching their careers. Her final performance was in Ballarat, Australia, in October 2016, but she did not reveal her retirement until September 2017. Te Kanawa was born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron in Gisborne, New Zealand, to Māori butcher Tieki "Jack" Wawatai and to Mary Noeleen Rawstron, who was the daughter of Irish emigrants. Wawatai was already …
Movies & TV Shows
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Downton Abbey (2010) — Dame Nellie Melba
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Don Giovanni (1979) — Donna Elvira
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Great Performances (1971) — Self
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The Making Of West Side Story (1985) — Maria
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Wogan (1982) — Self
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The Marriage of Figaro (1975) — La Contessa di Almaviva
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Die Fledermaus (1984) — Rosalinda
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Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration (1998) — Self - Performer
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Der Rosenkavalier (1985) — Die Feldmarschallin Fürstin Werdenberg
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Le Grand Échiquier (1972) — Self
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Manon Lescaut (1983) — Manon Lescaut
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The Marriage of Figaro (1974) — Countess Almaviva
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Going Live! (1987) — Self
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Christmas with Kiri Te Kanawa: Carols from Coventry Cathedral (2006) — Self
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Kiri Te Kanawa at the BBC (2017) — Self
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Otello (1992) — Desdemona
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Otello (1982) — Desdemona
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Arabella (1994) — Arabella
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Giuseppe Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (1995) — Amelia Grimaldi
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Prom at the Palace (2002) — Self - Soprano
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Runaway (1964) — Isobel Wharewera
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Don't Let It Get You (1966)
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Another Audience with Dame Edna Everage (1984) — Self
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Marjorie Lawrence: The World at Her Feet (2021) — Narrator
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Kiri Te Kanawa (1975) — Self
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Metropolitan Opera Gala James Levine's 25th Anniversary (1996) — Self
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Die Fledermaus (1986) — Rosalinde
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Der Rosenkavalier (1982)
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Simon Boccanegra: Royal Opera House (2007)
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The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala (1983) — Self
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Kiri Te Kanawa: A Celebration Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2007) — Self
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Verdi: Otello (2008) — Desdemona
- Noel's Saturday Roadshow (1988)
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Parkinson (1998) — Self