View source for Kiri Te Kanawa

{{Short description|New Zealand opera singer (born 1944)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [[Dame]]
| name             = Kiri Te Kanawa
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|ONZ|CH|DBE|size=100}} {{post-nominals|country=AUS|ACh|size=100}}
| image            = Kiri Te Kanawa 80th birthday (cropped).jpg
| caption          = Te Kanawa in 2024
| birth_name       = Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1944|03|06|df=yes}}
| birth_place      = [[Gisborne, New Zealand|Gisborne]], New Zealand
| occupation       = Opera singer ([[soprano]])
| years_active     = 1968–2017
| spouse           = {{marriage|Desmond Park|1967|1997|reason=div}}
| children         = 2
}}

'''Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-37222|title=Te Kanawa, Dame Kiri (Jeanette Claire), (born 6 March 1944), opera singer|website=Ukwhoswho.com|year=2007|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U37222|isbn=978-0-19-954088-4}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɪr|i|_|t|ə|ˈ|k|ɑː|n|ə|w|ə}};<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2b.c0.abc.net.au/abcpronunciation-external/Search.aspx#?S=Te%20Kanawa,%20Kiri|title=ABC Pronounce|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=12 February 1990|access-date=15 August 2019}}</ref> born '''Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron''', 6 March 1944) is a New Zealand opera singer. She has a full [[lyric soprano]] voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2001/07/30/kiri-te-kanawa-sails-at-ravinia/|title=Kiri Te Kanawa sails at Ravinia|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|author=John von Rhein|date=30 July 2001|access-date=10 February 2020}}</ref> On 1 December 1971 she was recognised internationally when she appeared as the Countess in Mozart's ''[[Le nozze di Figaro]]'' at the [[Royal Opera House]] in London.

Te Kanawa received accolades in many countries,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/profile-tonight-she-sings-for-britain-kiri-te-kanawa-most-beloved-soprano-1551004.html|title=Profile: Tonight she sings for Britain: Kiri Te Kanawa, most beloved|website=[[Independent.co.uk]]|date=12 September 1992}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-xpm-2010-08-20-ct-live-0821-kiri-te-kanawa-review-20100820-story.html|title=Nostalgia flows freely as beloved diva charms fans at Ravinia. But don't call it a farewell.|first=John von|last=Rhein|website=chicagotribune.com|date=20 August 2010 }}</ref> performing works composed in the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and singing in several languages. She was particularly associated with the music of [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]], and [[Giacomo Puccini|Puccini]] and [[Richard Strauss]], and was often cast as an aristocrat.<ref name="Grove">{{Cite Grove |last=Steane |first=J.B. |author-link=J. B. Steane |title=Kiri Te Kanawa}}</ref> Her extensive discography includes three albums which featured in the top forty in charts in Australia in the mid-1980s.<ref name=aus/>

Towards the end of her career, Te Kanawa appeared in opera only rarely, preferring to perform in concerts and recitals. She also devoted much of her time to giving masterclasses and supporting young opera singers through the period of their apprenticeship.<ref>[http://www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz-and-lifestyle/news/2008/12/08/dame-kiri-te-kanawa-on-coaching-young-singers-91466-22424741/ Matt Thomas, "Dame Kiri Te Kanawa on coaching young singers"], Walesonline.co.uk, 8 December 2008, Retrieved 7 December 2009</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Kiri Te Kanawa.jpg|thumb|Te Kanawa (right), {{circa|1960s}}]]
Te Kanawa was born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron in [[Gisborne, New Zealand]], to [[Māori people|Māori]] butcher Tieki "Jack" Wawatai and Mary Noeleen Rawstron, the daughter of Irish immigrants.<ref name="Kiri: the unsung story">{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/kiri-the-unsung-story-26168479.html|title=Kiri: the unsung story|website=Independent.ie|date=16 November 1998 }}</ref> Wawatai was already married to Apo, the daughter of the Rev. Poihipi Kōhere.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3k17/kohere-henare-mokena|title=Kohere, Henare Mokena|first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu|last=Taonga|website=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3k18/kohere-reweti-tuhorouta|title=Kohere, Reweti Tuhorouta|first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu|last=Taonga|website=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] }}</ref> Rawstron's mother insisted the baby be given up for adoption.{{sfn|Jenkins|d'Antal|1998}}<ref>We Were Born on the Same Day, Au Yong Chee Tuck, Partridge Publishing, 2018, Appendix II</ref><ref name="Kiri: the unsung story"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/10248790/Kiri-Te-Kanawa-How-the-diva-from-Down-Under-wound-up-at-Downton.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/10248790/Kiri-Te-Kanawa-How-the-diva-from-Down-Under-wound-up-at-Downton.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Kiri Te Kanawa: How the diva from Down Under wound up at Downton|first=William|last=Langley|date=18 August 2013|website=Telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Te Kanawa was adopted as an infant by Thomas Te Kanawa, the owner of a successful trucking business, and his wife Nell. Kiri Te Kanawa's adoptive family is [[Ngāti Maniapoto]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Returning to my roots: Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's te reo Māori journey |url=https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2022/01/18/returning-to-my-roots-dame-kiri-te-kanawas-te-reo-maori-journey/ |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=Te Ao Māori News |language=en}}</ref>

She was educated at [[St Mary's College, Auckland]], and formally trained in operatic singing by Sister [[Mary Leo Niccol]]. Te Kanawa began her singing career as a [[mezzo-soprano]] but developed into a [[soprano]].{{sfn|Fingleton|1982|p=21}} Her recording of the "Nuns' Chorus" from the Benatzky's operetta ''[[Casanova (Benatzky)|Casanova]]'' was the first gold record produced in New Zealand.

Te Kanawa met Desmond Park on a [[blind date]] in London in August 1967, and they married six weeks later at [[St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Stephen E.|last=Rubin|title=Kiri Did It All with a Bit of Maori Pride; About Kiri Te Kanawa|work=[[The New York Times]]|page=AL 15|date=3 March 1974|quote=We met on a blind date in London and wed about six weeks later.}}</ref> They adopted two children, Antonia (born 1976) and Thomas (born 1979). The couple divorced in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/a-most-undramatic-exit-for-a-prima-donna-62gpqv2lfml|title=A most undramatic exit for a prima donna|access-date=5 January 2009|last=Billen|first=Andrew|date=16 May 2006|work=The Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119181659/https://www.thetimes.com/article/a-most-undramatic-exit-for-a-prima-donna-62gpqv2lfml|archive-date=19 January 2025}}</ref> Te Kanawa never made an attempt to contact her biological parents, but her half-brother Jim Rawstron contacted her. Initially, she was unwilling to meet him, but agreed to do so in 1997. The episode ended bitterly, when a newspaper ran a story on their meeting; despite Rawstron denying contact with the newspaper,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/brave-new-world-1132063.html|title=Brave new world|date=13 December 1999|website=The Independent}}</ref> Te Kanawa has since reaffirmed her decision to have nothing to do with her birth family.<ref>Elizabeth Grice, "The dame doesn't give a damn", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', Spectrum Arts, 18 July 1998, p. 15s</ref>

==Career==
In her teens and early 20s, Te Kanawa was a pop star and entertainer at clubs in New Zealand,{{sfn|Encyclopædia Britannica}}{{failed verification|date=September 2019|reason=EB says nothing of the sort.}} and regularly appeared in newspapers and magazines. In 1963, she was runner-up to [[Malvina Major]] in the [[Lexus Song Quest|Mobil Song Quest]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gibson |first=Stephanie |date=2005-06-01 |title=Kiri's Dresses: an exhibition about an iconic New Zealander |url=https://tuhinga.arphahub.com/article/34151/ |journal=Tuhinga |language=en |volume=16 |pages=1–12 |doi=10.3897/tuhinga.16.e34151 |doi-access=free |issn=2253-5861}}</ref> with her performance of "[[Vissi d'arte]]" from Puccini's ''[[Tosca]]'', and in 1965 she won the same competition. As winner, she received a grant to study in London.<ref name="Kesting">{{Cite news |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/buehne-und-konzert/die-saengerin-kiri-te-kanawa-wird-80-19565560.html |title=Was für eine schöne Stimme! |last=Kesting |first=Jürgen |date=6 March 2024 |newspaper=[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|FAZ]] |language=de |access-date=6 March 2024}}</ref>

She appeared and sang in the 1966 musical comedy film ''[[Don't Let It Get You]]''. In 1966, she won the [[Melbourne Sun-Aria]] contest,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gibson |first=Stephanie |date=2005-06-01 |title=Kiri's Dresses: an exhibition about an iconic New Zealander |url=https://tuhinga.arphahub.com/article/34151/ |journal=Tuhinga |language=en |volume=16 |pages=1–12 |doi=10.3897/tuhinga.16.e34151 |doi-access=free |issn=2253-5861}}</ref> which Major had won the previous year. Both singers had been taught by Sister Mary Leo.

===Early years in London===
In 1966, without an audition, she enrolled at the [[London Opera Centre]] to study under [[Vera Rózsa]] and James Robertson, who reputedly said Te Kanawa lacked a singing technique when she arrived at the school but had a gift for captivating audiences.{{sfn|Jenkins|d'Antal|1998}} She first appeared on stage as the Second Lady in Mozart's ''[[The Magic Flute]]''. On a recommendation by [[Richard Bonynge]], she changed to soprano training in 1967.<ref name="Kesting" /> When she performed the title role of Purcell's ''[[Dido and Aeneas]]'' in a concert performance that year, music critic [[Alan Blyth]] predicted that she was to be the "opera star of the next decade".<ref name="Kesting" /> in December 1968 she repeated the role at the [[Sadler's Wells Theatre]].

She also performed the title role in Donizetti's ''[[Anna Bolena]]''. In 1969, she appeared as Elena in Rossini's ''[[La donna del lago]]'' at the [[Camden Festival]]. Praise for her Idamante in Mozart's ''[[Idomeneo]]'' led to an offer of a three-year contract as junior principal at the [[Royal Opera House]], where she made her debut as Xenia in ''[[Boris Godunov (opera)|Boris Godunov]]'' and a Flower Maiden in Wagner's ''[[Parsifal]]'' in 1970.{{sfn|Gilbert|Shir|2003}} She was offered the role of the Countess in Mozart's ''[[Le nozze di Figaro]]''<ref name="Kesting" /> after an audition of which the conductor, [[Colin Davis]], said, "I couldn't believe my ears. I've taken thousands of auditions, but it was such a fantastically beautiful voice."<ref>{{cite book|title=The Royal Opera House in the Twentieth Century|author=Frances Donaldson|publisher=A&C Black|year=2011 |isbn=9781448205523|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bq0yBdA0bicC&q=I%20couldn't%20believe%20my%20ears.%20I've%20taken%20thousands%20of%20auditions%2C%20but%20it%20was%20such%20a%20fantastically%20beautiful%20voice&pg=PT248
}}</ref> Under director [[John Copley (producer)|John Copley]], Te Kanawa was carefully groomed for the role for a December 1971 opening.

===International career===
Meanwhile, word of her success had reached [[John Crosby (conductor)|John Crosby]] at the [[Santa Fe Opera]], a summer opera festival in [[New Mexico]] then about to begin its 15th season. He cast her as the Countess in ''Figaro'', which opened on 30 July 1971. The production also featured [[Frederica von Stade]]'s first appearance in what was to become her signature role, Cherubino. According to a historian of the Santa Fe company, "It was two of the newcomers who left the audience dazzled: Frederica von Stade as Cherubino and Te Kanawa as the Countess. Everyone knew at once that these were brilliant finds. History has confirmed that first impression."{{sfn|Scott|1976}}

On 1 December 1971 at [[Royal Opera House|Covent Garden]], Te Kanawa repeated her Santa Fe performance and created an international sensation as the Countess: "with [[The Marriage of Figaro#Act 2|'Porgi amor']] Kiri knocked the place flat."{{sfn|Lebrecht|2000}} This was followed by performances as the Countess at the [[Opéra National de Lyon]] and [[San Francisco Opera]] in 1972. She first sang Desdemona in ''[[Otello]]'' in Glasgow in 1972, while her 1974 [[Metropolitan Opera]] (Met) début as Desdemona took place at short notice: she replaced an ill [[Teresa Stratas]] at the last minute, and performed alongside Jon Vickers in the title role.<ref name="Kesting" /> Te Kanawa sang at the [[Glyndebourne Festival]] in 1973, with further débuts in Paris and (1975), Sydney (1976), Milan (1978), Salzburg (1979), and Vienna (1980). In 1982, she gave her only stage performances as ''Tosca'' in Paris. In 1989, she added Elisabeth de Valois in Verdi's ''[[Don Carlos]]'' to her repertory at Chicago, and, in 1990, the Countess in ''[[Capriccio (opera)|Capriccio]]'' by Richard Strauss, sung first at San Francisco and with equal success at Covent Garden, Glyndebourne and the Met in 1998.

In subsequent years, Te Kanawa performed at the [[Lyric Opera of Chicago]], [[Opéra National de Paris|Paris Opera]], [[Sydney Opera House]], the [[Vienna State Opera]], [[La Scala]], [[Bavarian State Opera]] in Munich and [[Cologne Opera]], adding to her repertoire the Mozart roles of Donna Elvira in ''[[Don Giovanni]]'', Pamina in ''[[Die Zauberflöte]]'', and Fiordiligi in ''[[Così fan tutte]]'', and Italian roles such as Mimi in Puccini's ''[[La bohème]]''. She played Donna Elvira in [[Joseph Losey]]'s 1979 [[Don Giovanni (1979 film)|film adaptation of ''Don Giovanni'']]. She was seen and heard around the world in 1981 by an estimated 600 million people when she sang Handel's "[[Let the bright Seraphim]]" at the wedding of [[Charles, Prince of Wales]], and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Lady Diana Spencer]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Famed soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is coming to Manila|page=1|work=BusinessWorld|date=27 September 2000}}</ref>

In 1984, [[Leonard Bernstein]] decided to re-record the musical ''[[West Side Story]]'', conducting his own music for the first time. Generally known as the "operatic version", it starred Te Kanawa as Maria, [[José Carreras]] as Tony, [[Tatiana Troyanos]] as Anita, [[Kurt Ollmann]] as Riff, and [[Marilyn Horne]] as the offstage voice who sings "Somewhere". Te Kanawa was the first of the singers to join the project, saying, "I couldn't believe it...This was music I'd grown up with, music I'd always wanted to sing."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/07/theater/new-recording-of-west-side-story.html|title=New Recording of ''West Side Story''|last=Rockwell|first=John|author-link=John Rockwell|date=7 September 1984|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=15 September 2017|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The album won a [[Grammy Award for Best Cast Show Album]] in 1985, and the recording process was filmed as a documentary, ''[[The Making of West Side Story]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-12009/|title=The Making of ''West Side Story''|website=Classicstoday.com|access-date=15 September 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Kiri Te Kanawa (6766558319).jpg|thumb|310px|Te Kanawa with the cast of ''La fille du régiment'' at the Metropolitan Opera, 24 December 2011]]{{external media|width=285px|audio1=Kiri Te Kanawa & [[Georg Solti]] performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in "Rejoice Greatly" from [[George Frideric Handel]]'s "[[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]]" in 1984 [https://archive.org/details/Messiah16.RejoiceGreatlyteKanawaSolti '''Here''']}}

Te Kanawa has a particular affinity for the heroines of [[Richard Strauss]]. Her first appearance in the title role in ''[[Arabella]]'' was at the [[Houston Grand Opera]] in 1977, followed by the roles of the Marschallin in ''[[Der Rosenkavalier]]'' and the Countess in ''Capriccio''. Many performances were given under the baton of [[Georg Solti]] and it was with him that in 1981 she made a recording{{Refn|Te Kanawa had previously made videos in 1973 and 1975 under Pritchard and Böhm.}} of ''[[Le nozze di Figaro]]''.

She participated in [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex|Prince Edward]]'s 1987 charity television special ''[[The Grand Knockout Tournament]]''.

In 1991, she premiered the theme song "[[World in Union]]" at the [[1991 Rugby World Cup]], which reached No.4 on the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/rugby/world-in-union-who-sang-it-better-a2951946.html |title=World in Union: Who sang it better? |date=21 September 2015 |work=Evening Standard |first=Amar |last=Singh}}</ref>
In 1992, she performed at the [[Last Night of the Proms]], where she sang "[[Rule, Britannia!]]".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/681d54e45216b7465e6e7b557c2a3273 |title=Triumphant and Silly, Britons Bellow 'Britannia' at Proms Finale |date=13 September 1992 |publisher=Associated Press |first=Graham |last=Heathcote |access-date=7 February 2021}}</ref>

In 1995, Te Kanawa performed the role of Maria Boccanegra in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Verdi's ''[[Simon Boccanegra]]'', alongside [[Plácido Domingo]], conducted by [[James Levine]].<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.metopera.org/season/on-demand/opera/?upc=811357012611 | title= Met: on-demand}}</ref>

Later in her career, her appearances on stage became infrequent, but she remained busy as a concert singer. She appeared in performances in the title role of Barber's ''[[Vanessa (opera)|Vanessa]]'' in Monte Carlo (televised in 2001), with the [[Washington National Opera]] (2002), and the [[Los Angeles Opera]] in November to December 2004. Te Kanawa appeared as a ''Pennington Great Performers'' series artist with the [[Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra]] in 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://issuu.com/batonrougesymphony/docs/15_fall_brso_program_web|title=Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra Program 1 Season 2015–16|website=Issuu|date=24 September 2015 |access-date=17 June 2016}}</ref>

In 2006, Te Kanawa sang "Happy Birthday" to Queen Elizabeth followed by "God Save The Queen" at the Commonwealth Games in Australia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.classicfm.com/artists/dame-kiri-te-kanawa/pictures/kiri-te-kanawa-photos/5/ |title=Dame Kiri Te Kanawa |work=Classic FM |access-date=14 June 2020 |archive-date=14 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614091013/https://www.classicfm.com/artists/dame-kiri-te-kanawa/pictures/kiri-te-kanawa-photos/5/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In April 2010, Te Kanawa sang the Marschallin in ''Der Rosenkavalier'' in two performances at the [[Cologne Opera]]. That same year, she played the spoken role of The Duchess of Krakenthorp in Donizetti's ''[[La fille du régiment]]'' at the Metropolitan Opera, and sang a tango. She repeated this role at the Met in a revival during the 2011–12 season, repeating it again in Vienna in 2013 and at Covent Garden in March 2014, a run that encompassed her 70th birthday. In the meantime, she performed at [[Haruhisa Handa]]'s inaugural [[Tokyo Global Concert]] at Nakano-Zero Hall in [[Nakano, Tokyo]], Japan, on 10 September 2013.<ref>{{cite news |date=7 September 2013 |title=10日は中野で国際交流オペラ |trans-title=International Exchange Opera on the 10th in Nakano |language=ja |work=Sports Nippon |location=Tokyo, Japan }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |date=2014 |title=東京国際コンサート 歌姫ルネ・フレミングをゲストに開催 |trans-title=Tokyo Global Concert Held – with Renée Fleming as the special guest |language=ja |journal=Mostly Classic|location=Tokyo, Japan |publisher=[[Sankei Shimbun]]|volume = 206 |number =7 |pages = 96–97}}</ref> In October 2013 [[List of Downton Abbey episodes#Series 4 (2013)|she appeared]] in the role of [[Nellie Melba]] in the television series ''[[Downton Abbey]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/downton-abbey/10360164/How-Downton-Abbey-got-Nellie-Melba-all-wrong.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/downton-abbey/10360164/How-Downton-Abbey-got-Nellie-Melba-all-wrong.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=How ''Downton Abbey'' got Nellie Melba all wrong|last=Christiansen|first=Rupert|author-link=Rupert Christiansen|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=7 October 2013|access-date=7 September 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Retirement years ==
{{external media|width=250px|audio1=Kiri Te Kanawa with [[Andrew Davis (conductor)|Andrew Davis]] and the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] in [[Richard Strauss]]'s "[[Four Last Songs]]: Im Abendrot" [https://archive.org/details/FourLastSongsIv.ImAbendrotteKanawaDavis '''Here on archive.org''']}}

On 13 September 2017, Te Kanawa announced her retirement from performing.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-09-13 |title=Dame Kiri Te Kanawa: I won't sing in public again |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41243394 |access-date=2022-10-28}}</ref> She then committed herself to nurture young artists, and serving as a judge in several singing competitions. Her final performance was in [[Ballarat]], Australia, in October 2016, but she did not announce her retirement until September 2017.<ref>[https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/weekend-herald/20170916/281831463902644 "Dame Kiri takes final bow in brilliant career"], ''Weekend Herald'', 16 September 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017</ref><ref>[https://voicefm.com.au/index.php/event/dame-kiri-te-kanawa/]{{Dead link|date=February 2020|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

In 2021, she moved back to New Zealand permanently after having lived in the United Kingdom for 55 years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Julia Llewellyn |date=2021-09-07 |title=Kiri Te Kanawa: I've moved back to New Zealand with my (secret) second husband |work=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/kiri-te-kanawa-ive-moved-back-to-new-zealand-with-my-secret-second-husband-kjrcfrtdz |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-10-28}}</ref> She was part of the official New Zealand delegation to the [[state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II]].<ref>{{Cite press release |title=NZ representation to Queen Elizabeth II funeral confirmed |url=https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/nz-representation-queen-elizabeth-ii-funeral-confirmed |date=2022-09-13 |publisher=Beehive.govt.nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-09-19 |title=Who attended the late Queen's funeral? World leaders and countries on the guest list |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/09/19/funeral-guest-list-queen-elizabeth-royals-politicians-leaders-invited/}}</ref>

== Initiatives ==

=== Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation ===
[[File:Kiri Te Kanawa 2013 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Te Kanawa in 2013]]
Te Kanawa established the [[Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation]] in order that "talented young New Zealand singers and musicians with complete dedication to their art may receive judicious and thoughtful mentoring and support to assist them in realising their dreams."<ref>{{cite web |date=13 March 2007 |title=Statement of Mission and Vision |url=http://www.kiritekanawa.org/ |publisher=Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation}}</ref> The foundation manages a trust fund that awards scholarships to young New Zealand singers and musicians.

In October 2025 it was announced that the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation would take over naming rights of the Lexus Song Quest (which she won when it was the Mobil Song Quest). The biennial contest will be known as the Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest from 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 October 2025 |title=Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Acquires Naming Rights for New Zealand's Singing Competition |url=https://theviolinchannel.com/kiri-te-kanawa-foundation-acquires-naming-rights-for-new-zealands-premier-singing-competition/ |url-status=live |access-date=29 October 2025 |website=The Violin Channel}}</ref>

=== Kiri Prize ===
In January 2010, Te Kanawa and [[BBC Radio 2]] launched an initiative to find a gifted opera singer of the future. The initiative was the BBC Radio 2 Kiri Prize competition.<ref>{{cite web |date=3 September 2010 |title=The BBC Radio 2 Kiri Prize |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/kiri-prize/ |publisher=[[BBC Radio 2]]}}</ref>

Following regional auditions of over 600 aspiring opera singers, 40 were invited to attend masterclasses in London with Te Kanawa, mezzo-soprano [[Anne Howells]] and conductor Robin Stapleton. From these classes 15 singers were selected for the semi-finals, which were broadcast on 5 consecutive weeks on BBC Radio 2's [[Friday Night Is Music Night]]. The semi-finalists were accompanied by the [[BBC Concert Orchestra]], conducted by [[Martin Yates]], Richard Balcombe and Roderick Dunk and their performances were judged by Te Kanawa, Howells, Stapleton and director [[John Cox (director)|John Cox]].

Five singers reached the final, which was broadcast on Radio 2 on 3 September 2010. The winner, soprano [[Shuna Scott Sendall]], performed with Te Kanawa and [[José Carreras]] at the [[The Proms|BBC Proms in the Park]] in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]], London on 11 September 2010, and was given the opportunity to attend a three-week residential course at the Solti Te Kanawa Accademia in Italy.

==Views==

=== Māori welfare ===
In a 2003 interview with the Melbourne-based ''[[Herald Sun]]'', Te Kanawa criticised the high rate of [[welfare dependence]] among the [[Māori people]], angering some of her compatriots.<ref>{{cite news |date=1 March 2003 |title=Dame Kiri remarks strike sour note |work=[[BBC News Online|BBC News]] |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2810875.stm}}</ref>

=== Operatic pop ===
Te Kanawa revealed her disapproval of [[operatic pop]] singers in ''[[The New Zealand Herald]]'''s ''Canvas'' magazine of 23 February 2008, criticising [[Hayley Westenra]] on the eve of her Starlight Symphony concert in the [[Auckland Domain]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2008-02-23 |title=Frosty Dame Kiri puts Hayley out in the cold |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/frosty-dame-kiri-puts-hayley-out-in-the-cold/D3FE2NTO324VZRVLSMT3ZUJGTU/ |access-date=2023-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chapman |first=Paul |date=2008-02-23 |title=Dame Kiri Te Kanawa attacks 'opera fakes' |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1579633/Dame-Kiri-Te-Kanawa-attacks-opera-fakes.html |access-date=2023-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Benson |first=Nigel |date=2008-02-29 |title=Dame Kiri v Hayley: long white gloves off |work=[[Otago Daily Times]] |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/dame-kiri-v-hayley-long-white-gloves |access-date=2023-05-18}}</ref>
{{Quote|text=Have you heard Hayley? She's not in my world. She has never been in it at all. She's one of those singers singing today, very successfully [but] they are all fake singers. They sing with a microphone. They are the new fakes for the new generation coming through. But they can only perform with a microphone and they've, basically, never had any formal training. I've had a 40-year career, but these people . . . two or three years and they're gone.}}
Her comment was met with backlash from music critics and industry personnels, including producer [[Gray Bartlett]], who discovered Westenra, and [[Katherine Jenkins]] via her spokesperson.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2008-02-24 |title=Agent backs Hayley after Dame Kiri's snub |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/agent-backs-hayley-after-dame-kiris-snub/HQ2SZGOST6JBTGH62L2FIXBQLI/ |access-date=2023-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2008-02-28 |title=Opera stars rubbish Katherine jibes |work=WalesOnline |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/opera-stars-rubbish-katherine-jibes-2199193 |access-date=2023-05-18}}</ref>

===Traditional Latin Mass===
On 2 July 2024, [[The Times]] published a [[letter to the editor]], co-signed by Te Kanawa and numerous other Catholic and non-Catholic public figures, calling upon the [[Holy See]] to preserve what they describe as the "magnificent" cultural artifact of the Catholic Church's [[Traditional Latin Mass]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/1836658d-5527-49a6-853c-059ddafef12b?shareToken=6252b61cdfb9c755f3eb1c3eed1c5551|title=Letters to the editor|work=[[The Times]]|date=2 July 2024 |access-date=4 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240703025701/https://www.thetimes.com/article/1836658d-5527-49a6-853c-059ddafef12b?shareToken=6252b61cdfb9c755f3eb1c3eed1c5551|archive-date=3 July 2024|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Litigation ==
In 2007, the [[event management]] company Leading Edge sued Te Kanawa for [[breach of contract]] after she cancelled a concert with Australian singer [[John Farnham]]. She cancelled after learning that his fans sometimes threw their underwear on stage, which he would then proudly display.<ref>{{cite news |date=28 January 2007 |title=Singer in court for refusing to perform |work=Yahoo! News |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070129/ap_en_mu/australia_singers_spat}}</ref> The court found that no contract had been made by the two parties, so Te Kanawa was not liable for damages, but Mittane, the company that employs and manages her, was ordered to reimburse Leading Edge [[Australian dollar|A$]]130,000 for expenditures already incurred.<ref>{{cite web |date=21 March 2007 |title=Kiri Te Kanawa Wins Lawsuit Filed Following Withdrawal from Concerts with Pop Star |url=http://www.metoperafamily.org/operanews/news/pressrelease.aspx?id=1382 |publisher=Opera News Online}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=21 March 2007 |title=Kiri Te Kanawa Wins 'Panty-Throwing' Lawsuit |url=http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/6194.html |publisher=Playbill Arts News: Opera}}</ref>

==Honours==
Te Kanawa was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]], for services to music, in the [[1973 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)|1973 Queen's Birthday Honours]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=45985 |date=2 June 1973 |page=6508 |supp=2}}</ref> and was elevated to [[Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire]], for services to opera, in the [[1982 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)|1982 Queen's Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=49010 |date=12 June 1982 |page=39 |supp=3}}</ref> Appointed [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres|Officier des Arts et des Lettres]] by the French Government in 1988, she received the [[New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal]],<ref name="Whos who">{{cite journal |editor-last=Taylor |editor-first=Alister |title=New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa 2001 |journal=New Zealand Who's Who, Aotearoa |year=2001 |publisher=Alister Taylor Publishers |location=Auckland |issn=1172-9813 |page=861}}</ref> and was appointed to the [[Order of New Zealand]] in the [[1995 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)|1995 Queen's Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-honours-list-1995 |title=Queen's Birthday honours list 1995 |date=19 October 2012 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=6 September 2020}}</ref> In the 1990 Australia Day Honours, she was appointed an [[Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia]], for services to the arts, particularly opera, and to the community.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870099|title=Citation of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=26 January 1990|work=It's an Honour|publisher=The Commonwealth Government of Australia|access-date=17 March 2013|archive-date=29 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129181416/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870099|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2005, she received an honorary [[Doctor of Music]] degree from the [[University of Bath]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/honorary-graduates-2000-to-2009/ |title=Honorary graduates, 2000 to 2009 |publisher=University of Bath |access-date=12 July 2024}}</ref> She was portrayed as [[Saint Cecilia]] on the stained glass window in [[St Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin]], which was unveiled in October 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/beauty-culture-and-reverence-illuminated |title=Beauty, culture and reverence illuminated |date=16 October 2012 |first=Rosie |last=Manins |work=[[Otago Daily Times]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/dame-kiri-delighted-cathedral-depiction |title=Dame Kiri delighted with cathedral depiction |date=28 March 2013 |work=[[Otago Daily Times]] |first=John |last=Lewis}}</ref>

Appointed a [[Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour]] (CH) in the [[2018 Birthday Honours]] for services to music,<ref>{{London Gazette | issue=62310| date=8 June 2018 | page=B24 | supp=y}}</ref> Dame Kiri was invested by the [[Prince Charles|Prince of Wales]] at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 20 December.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=12180811 | title=Dame Kiri Te Kanawa receives top honour award at Buckingham Palace| work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]| date=21 December 2018}}</ref>

In November 2019, the ASB Theatre in the [[Aotea Centre]] was renamed the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in acknowledgement of the work she has done on the world stage and to mark her 75th birthday.<ref>{{cite news |title=Aotea Centre theatre to be named after Dame Kiri Te Kanawa |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/concert/programmes/upbeat/audio/2018709695/aotea-centre-asb-theatre-to-be-renamed-after-dame-kiri-te-kanawa |access-date=19 November 2019 |publisher=[[Radio New Zealand]] |date=21 August 2019}}</ref> Te Kanawa unveiled a plaque with the change before a gala held in her honour.<ref>{{cite news |title=ASB Aotea Centre is being renamed after Dame Kiri Te Kanawa |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12286348 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]  |date=19 November 2019}}</ref>

==Awards==
Te Kanawa was selected as Artist of the Year by ''Gramophone'' magazine in 1982.<ref>[http://www.classicfm.com/concerts-events/gramophone-awards/pictures/gramophone-awards-artist-year-award/kiri-te-kanawa/ "Kiri te Kanawa: Artist of the Year 1992"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816122432/http://www.classicfm.com/concerts-events/gramophone-awards/pictures/gramophone-awards-artist-year-award/kiri-te-kanawa/ |date=16 August 2016 }}, ''classicfm.com''.</ref> On 10 June 2008 she received the [[Edison Award|Edison Classical Music Award]] during the Edison Classical Music Gala (formerly the [[Grand Gala du Disque]]) in the [[Ridderzaal]] in The Hague. In 2012, Te Kanawa was awarded a World Class New Zealand award in the Iconic New Zealander category.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.keanewzealand.com/global/2012-winners|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227095845/http://www.keanewzealand.com/global/2012-winners|url-status=dead|title=World Class New Zealand 2012 Winners|archive-date=27 February 2013}}</ref>

In 2006, Te Kanawa was awarded the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] presented by Awards Council member [[Julie Andrews|Dame Julie Andrews]] during the 2006 International Achievement Summit in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=Achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=  https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#the-arts}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=2006 Summit Highlights Photo | url= https://achievement.org/summit/2006/|quote= Awards Council member Dame Julie Andrews inducts Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, internationally acclaimed soprano.}}</ref>

In 2010, she received the [[Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/dame-kiris-classical-brits-honour-26630855.html |title=Dame Kiri's Classical Brits honour |date=9 February 2010 |work=Irish Independent |agency=PA Media}}</ref>

==Discography==
===Complete works===
{{external media|width=250px|audio1=Kiri Te Kanawa with [[Richard Leech (tenor)|Richard Leech]], [[Andre Previn]] and the [[Vienna Philharmonic]] in [[Johann Strauss II]]'s  "[[Die Fledermaus]]: Act 1 Trinke, Liebchen" in 1990 <br> [https://archive.org/details/08Nr.5Finale '''Here on archive.org''']}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* 1971 – [[Verdi]] – ''[[Rigoletto]]'' – as Countess Ceprano in a studio recording with the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] conducted by [[Richard Bonynge]] 
* 1972 – [[Mozart]] – ''Exsultate Jubilate'' – (''[[Exsultate, jubilate]]'', ''[[Vesperae solennes de confessore]]'', [[Kyrie in D minor, K. 341|Kyrie in D minor]], ''[[Ave verum corpus (Mozart)|Ave verum corpus]]''), Te Kanawa, [[London Symphony Orchestra]] and Chorus, Sir [[Colin Davis]] [Philips] (also re-issued 1986)
* 1972 – Mozart – ''[[Don Giovanni]]'' – as Donna Elvira in a studio recording with Covent Garden Royal Opera House Chorus and Orchestra, [[Colin Davis]]
* 1972 – [[Wagner]] – ''[[Parsifal]]'' – as a Flowermaiden in a studio recording with the Vienna Orchestra, [[Sir Georg Solti]]
* 1973 – Mozart – [[Great Mass in C minor]] – Studio recording with [[Ileana Cotrubas]] and the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by [[Raymond Leppard]]
* 1975 – [[Bizet]] – ''[[Carmen]]'' – as Micaëla in a studio recording with the [[London Philharmonic Orchestra]], [[Georg Solti]]
* 1976 – Mozart – ''[[Le nozze di Figaro]]'' – Te Kanawa (Contessa Almaviva), Freni (Susanna), Prey (Figaro), Fischer-Dieskau (Conte Almaviva), Ewing (Cherubino), Begg (Marcellina), Montarsolo (Don Bartolo), Wiener Philharmoniker, conductor Karl Böhm [DVD]
* 1977 – [[Maurice Duruflé|Duruflé]] – [[Requiem (Duruflé)|Requiem]]/"Danse lente" – Te Kanawa, Nimsgern, Ambrosian Singers, Desborough School Choir, Andrew Davis, New Philharmonia Orchestra [CBS Schallplatten GmbH]
* 1977 – Mozart – ''[[Così fan tutte]]'' – as Fiordiligi in a studio recording under [[Alain Lombard]]. For details, see [[Così fan tutte (Alain Lombard recording)|''Così fan tutte'' (Alain Lombard recording)]].
* 1978 – Humperdinck – ''[[Hansel and Gretel (opera)|Hänsel und Gretel]]'' – as the Sandman in a studio recording under Sir [[John Pritchard (conductor)|John Pritchard]]. For details, see [[Hänsel und Gretel (John Pritchard recording)|''Hänsel und Gretel'' (John Pritchard recording)]].
* 1978 – Mozart – ''[[Die Zauberflöte]]'' – as Pamina in a studio recording under Alain Lombard
* 1979 – Mozart ''[[ Don Giovanni]]'' (film) French-Italian cinematic adaptation of Mozart’s opera directed by Joseph Losey, with the Lorin Maazel-conducted orchestra and featuring Kiri Te Kanawa as Donna Elvira.
* 1979 – Brahms – ''[[A German Requiem (Brahms)|A German Requiem]]'' – Variations on a Theme By Haydn – Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Georg Solti, Bernd Weikl, Margaret Hillis [London Records]
* 1981 – [[John Gay|Gay]] – ''[[The Beggar's Opera]]'' – as Polly Peachum in a studio recording with [[National Philharmonic Orchestra]], [[Richard Bonynge]]
* 1981 – Mozart – ''[[Le nozze di Figaro]]'' – as Contessa Almaviva in a studio recording with London Philharmonic Orchestra, Georg Solti. For details, see [[Le nozze di Figaro (Georg Solti recording)|''Le nozze di Figaro'' (Georg Solti recording)]].
* 1981 – [[Puccini]] – ''[[La rondine]]'' – as Magda de Civry in a studio recording with the [[London Symphony Orchestra]], [[Lorin Maazel]]
* 1984 – [[Puccini]] – ''[[Tosca]]'' – as Floria Tosca in a studio recording under Georg Solti
* 1985 – [[Handel]] – ''[[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]]'' – with Anne Gjevang, Keith Lewis, Gwynne Howell, Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Georg Solti [3xLP, Album + Box, London Records]
* 1985 – [[Leonard Bernstein]] – ''West Side Story'' – a recording of Bernstein's music for the Broadway production ''[[West Side Story]]'', with [[José Carreras]] singing the part of Tony and Leonard Bernstein conducting the orchestra and chorus [Polygram 415253]
* 1986 – [[Richard Strauss]] – ''[[Arabella]]'' – as Arabella in a studio recording with Covent Garden Royal Opera House Chorus and Orchestra, [[Jeffrey Tate]]
* 1986 – [[Gounod]] – ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]'' – sang the role of Marguerite in a studio recording with the [[Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra]] and Chorus, Colin Davis
* 1986 – Rodgers and Hammerstein – [[South Pacific (musical)|''South Pacific'']] – London Studio Cast, Kiri Te Kanawa, [[Mandy Patinkin]], José Carreras and [[Sarah Vaughan]]  – AUS No. 32<ref name=aus/>
* 1987 – Puccini – ''[[Manon Lescaut (Puccini)|Manon Lescaut]]'' – sang the title role in a studio recording with [[Teatro Comunale di Bologna]], [[Riccardo Chailly]]
* 1987 – Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick 'Fritz' Loewe – ''[[My Fair Lady]]'' – a studio cast recording with Te Kanawa singing the role of Eliza Doolittle and [[Jeremy Irons]] singing the role of Henry Higgins [Polygram 421200]
* 1987 – Beethoven – Symphonie No.9 – Te Kanawa, Hamari, Burrows, Holl, London Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra, Eugen Jochum [EMI]
* 1988 – Mozart – ''[[Così fan tutte]]'' – recorded the role of Fiordiligi again this time with [[Vienna State Opera]], [[James Levine]]
* 1988 – Bach – ''[[St Matthew Passion]]'' – Te Kanawa, von Otter, Rolfe Johnson, Krause, Blochwitz, Bär, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti [Box, Album + 3xCD, Decca] 
* 1988 – Fauré – Requiem · Pelléas Et Mélisande · Pavane – Te Kanawa, Milnes, Choeur De L'Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal, Orchestre Symphonique De Montréal, Charles Dutoit [Decca]
* 1989 – [[Verdi]] – ''[[Simon Boccanegra]]'' – in the role of Amelia Grimaldi in a studio recording with [[La Scala]], Milan, Georg Solti
* 1989 – Mozart – ''Die Zauberflöte'' – recorded the role of Pamina again this time with [[Neville Marriner]] and the [[Academy of St. Martin in the Fields]]
* 1990 – [[Johann Strauss II]] – ''[[Die Fledermaus]]'' – sang the part of Rosalinde with Vienna State Opera, [[André Previn]]
* 1990 – Mozart – ''Le nozze di Figaro'' – re-recorded the role of Contessa Almaviva in a studio recording with the [[Metropolitan Opera]], James Levine
* 1990 – Richard Strauss – ''[[Der Rosenkavalier]]'' – sang the role of the Marschallin with the [[Semperoper]] Dresden under [[Bernard Haitink]]
* 1990 – Mozart – ''Der Schauspieldirector'' – sang the role of Mademoiselle Silberklang with the [[Vienna Philharmonic]] under [[John Pritchard (conductor)|John Pritchard]]
* 1992 – [[Tchaikovsky]] – [[Eugene Onegin (opera)|''Eugene Onegin'']] – sang the role of Tatyana in a studio recording with [[Welsh National Opera]] under [[Charles Mackerras]]
* 1992 – Verdi – ''[[La traviata]]'' – sang the role of Violetta in a studio recording with the [[Maggio Musicale Fiorentino]], [[Zubin Mehta]]
* 1992 – Mahler – Symphony No. 4 – Kiri Te Kanawa, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Georg Solti [Decca]
* 1993 – [[Wagner]] – [[Tannhäuser (opera)|''Tannhäuser'']] – sang the role of Elisabeth in a studio recording with the London Philharmonia Orchestra and the Ambrosian Singers, [[Marek Janowski]]
* 1994 – Mozart – [[Great Mass in C minor]] – (chorus master: [[László Heltay]]) [Philips]
* 1994 – Puccini – ''[[La bohème]]'' – recorded the role of Mimì in a studio recording with the London Symphony Orchestra, [[Kent Nagano]]
* 1996 – Richard Strauss – ''[[Capriccio (opera)|Capriccio]]'' – recorded the role of the Countess in a studio recording with Wiener Philharmoniker, [[Ulf Schirmer]], Decca/London
* 1998 – ''Bizet'' – Carmen – ''Highlights'' – Troyanos, Domingo, Te Kanawa, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Georg Solti [Decca]
{{div col end}}

=== Solo recitals, compilations, etc. ===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* 1973 – ''My Favourite Things'' [Hallmark, SHM 3218]
* 1974 – [[Bernard Herrmann|Herrmann]] – Salammbo's Aria from ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' – ''The Classic Film Scores of Bernard Herrmann'' – Kiri Te Kanawa, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Gerhardt [RCA Victor, BMG Classics]
* 1979 – Richard Strauss – ''[[Four Last Songs]]'' – London Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis [CBS Masterworks]
* 1981 – ''Mozart Concert Arias'' – Kiri Te Kanawa, Wiener Kammerorchester, Gyorgy Fischer [London/Decca Jubilee 417756]
* 1983 – Canteloube – ''[[Chants d'Auvergne]] (Songs of The Auvergne)'' / Villa-Lobos – ''[[Bachianas Brasileiras]]'' [Polygram SXDL 7604]
* 1983 – ''Mozart Opera Arias'' – London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis [Philips], [Polygram 5414319]
* 1983 – ''Verdi & Puccini'' – London Philharmonic Orchestra, John Pritchard [CBS 37298]
* 1983 – ''[[The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala]]'' – Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Levine [Deutsche Grammophon DVD 00440 073 4538]
* 1984 – ''Come to the Fair – Folk Songs & Ballads'' – with the Medici String Quartet and members of the National Philharmonic Orchestra, Douglas Gamley [EMI EMC 222]
* 1984 – ''Ave Maria'' – a collection of religious favorites with the English Chamber Orchestra and the Choir of St. Paul's Cathedral, London [Philips 412629]
* 1984 – ''A Portrait of Kiri Te Kanawa'' [CBS SBR 236068]
* 1985 – ''A Room with a View'' (OST) – the Puccini arias "[[O mio babbino caro]]" (''Gianni Schicchi'') and "Chi bel sogno di Doretta" (''La Rondine'') in the [[Merchant Ivory Productions|Merchant Ivory]] film ''[[A Room with a View (1986 film)|A Room with a View]]'' [DRG CDSBL 12588]
* 1986 – ''Kiri – Blue Skies'' – with Nelson Riddle And His Orchestra [Polygram/Decca 414 666–1 ] – AUS No. 36<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=306}}</ref>
* 1986 – ''Christmas with Kiri (with Philharmonia Orchestra of London and Chorus, Carl Davis) London Classic / Polygram''
* 1987 – ''Kiri Sings Gershwin'', a collection of [[George Gershwin]] songs with the New Princess Theater Orchestra, John McGlinn [EMI] – AUS No. 37<ref name=aus/>
* 1987 – ''Portrait'' [Polygram 417645]
* 1989 – ''Songs of Inspiration'' – Kiri Te Kanawa, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Utah Symphony Orchestra, Julius Rudel [London/Decca/Polygram 425431]
* 1990 – ''Kiri in Recital'' – Liszt, Obradors, Ravel – Kiri Te Kanawa, with Roger Vignoles (Piano) [London/Decca 425820 ]
* 1990 – ''Italian Opera Arias'' – with [[London Symphony Orchestra]], [[Myung-Whun Chung]]
* 1991 – Richard Strauss – ''[[Four Last Songs]] and other songs'' – with Georg Solti and the Vienna Philharmonic
* 1991 – ''The Kiri Selection''
* 1991 – ''Kiri Sings Kern''
* 1991 – ''[[World in Union]]'' (Single, 7") – ([[Rugby World Cup]] Theme Song) [Columbia]
* 1992 – Paul McCartney and Carl Davis – ''Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio'' (Movement VII: "Crises")
* 1992 – ''[[Kiri Sidetracks: The Jazz Album]]''
* 1993 – ''Mozart Arias'' (Grand Voci) [Decca]
* 1993 – ''Classics'' – Mozart, Handel, Gounod, Schubet, Strauss [Philips 434725]
* 1994 – ''Heart to Heart'' (with [[Malcolm McNeill]])
* 1994 – ''The Sorceress'' – arias from Handel operas with [[Christopher Hogwood|Hogwood]] and [[Academy of Ancient Music|The Academy of Ancient Music]]
* 1994 – ''Kiri!: Her Greatest Hits Live'' [Decca 443600]
* 1994 – ''Kiri Sings Porter'' – [[Cole Porter]] songs [Angel]<ref>[http://spinitron.com/radio/playlist.php?station=weru&dbdetail=d&dbid=32592#here Kiri Sings Porter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915070706/http://spinitron.com/radio/playlist.php?station=weru&dbdetail=d&dbid=32592#here |date=15 September 2017 }}, [[Community radio#United States|Spinitron]] via WERU. Retrieved 14 September 2016.</ref>
* 1995 – ''Christmas with Kiri Te Kanawa: Carols from Coventry Cathedral'' – Kiri Te Kanawa, Michael George, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Robin Stapleton [Teldec]
* 1996 – Franz Schubert – Lieder – Judith Raskin, Kiri Te Kanawa, Elly Ameling, Peter Pears, Judith Blegen [Sony Classical]
* 1996 – ''[[James Levine's 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala]]'', [Deutsche Grammophon DVD, B0004602-09]
* 1997 – ''French Songs and Arias''
* 1997 – ''Sole et amore – Puccini Arias'' – Te Kanawa, Vignoles, Orchestre de L'Opera National de Lyon, Kent Nagano [Erato]
* 1998 – ''The Greatest Classical Stars on Earth – Plácido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa, Luciano Pavarotti, Lesley Garrett, Nigel Kennedy'' (2CD, Compilation) [Decca]
* 1999 – ''[[Maori Songs]]'' (Air New Zealand) [EMI Classics 5 56828-2]
* 1999 – ''Greatest Hits'' [EMI Classics]
* 2001 – ''Kiri'' (also known as [[Kiri – The Best Of]])
* 2003 – ''The Very Best Of''
* 2004 – ''Kiri – A Portrait''
* 2004 – ''Dame Kiri Te Kanawa & Friends: The Gala Concert'' – [[Official New Zealand Music Chart#Certifications|Gold]]<ref name="teara-certs">{{cite web|title=Gold and platinum New Zealand albums to 2013|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/42563/gold-and-platinum-new-zealand-albums-to-2013|website=Te Ara|publisher=Encyclopedia of NZ|access-date=19 July 2015}}</ref>
* 2005 – ''The Best of Kiri Te Kanawa'' [20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection]
* 2006 – ''[[Kiri Sings Karl]]: Songs of Mystery & Enchantment'' – arranged and conducted by [[Karl Jenkins]] [EMI Classics]
* 2013 – ''Waiata'' [[Sony Music Entertainment]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|title=Kiri Te Kanawa|date=10 April 2024 |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kiri-Te-Kanawa|ref={{harvid|Encyclopædia Britannica}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Fingleton|first=David|title=Kiri Te Kanawa: A Biography|publisher=Collins|year=1982|isbn=0-00-216365-9}}
* {{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Susie|first2=Jay|last2=Shir|title=A Tale of Four Houses: Opera at Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna and the Met since 1945|year=2003|publisher=HarperCollins|location=London|isbn=0-00-255820-3}}
* {{cite book|last1=Jenkins|first1=Garry|first2=Stephen|last2=d'Antal|title=Kiri: Her Unsung Story|year=1998|publisher=HarperCollins|location=London|isbn=0-00-255942-0|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/kiriherunsungsto0000jenk}}
* {{cite book|last=Lebrecht|first=Norman|author-link=Norman Lebrecht|title=Covent Garden: The Untold Story: Dispatches from the English Culture War, 1945–2000|year=2000|publisher=Simon & Schuster|location=London|isbn=0-684-85143-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Scott|first=Eleanor|title=The First Twenty Years of the Santa Fe Opera|year=1976|publisher=Sunstone Press|location=Santa Fe, New Mexico}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |author={{Text|DK Publishing}} |author-mask=[DK Publishing] |date=1999 |title=1000 Makers of the Millennium |edition=1st American |location=New York |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=9780789447098 |oclc=41076136}}
* Duffie, Bruce (19 December 1987). "[http://www.bruceduffie.com/kiri.html Soprano Kiri Te Kanawa and Conductor Sir John Prichard: A Conversation with Bruce Duffie]".
* {{cite book |last1=LaBlanc |first1=Michael L. |date=1990 |title=Contemporary musicians |volume=2: ''Profiles of the People in Music'' |location=Detroit, Mich. |publisher=Gale Research |isbn=9781414412856}}
* {{Cite book |last=Harris |first=Norman |year=1966 |title=Kiri: Music and a Maori Girl |location=Wellington [N.Z.] |publisher=A.H. & A.W. Reed |oclc=2237489}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.kiritekanawa.org The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation]
* {{Discogs artist}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0853490}}
* [http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLSIKANA.HTM Kiri Te Kanawa discography] at ''Operadis''
* [https://www.achievement.org/achiever/dame-kiri-te-kanawa/#interview Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Biography and Interview] at the [[Academy of Achievement]]
* [https://tiaki.natlib.govt.nz/#details=ecatalogue.997660 Dame Kiri Te Kanawa collection of concert performance sets] at the [[National Library of New Zealand|Alexander Turnbull Library]]

{{Kiri Te Kanawa}}
{{Order of New Zealand}}
{{Arts Foundation of New Zealand Icons}}
{{Gramophone Hall of Fame}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Opera}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Te Kanawa, Kiri}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Gisborne, New Zealand]]
[[Category:New Zealand operatic sopranos]]
[[Category:Traditional pop music singers]]
[[Category:Crossover jazz singers]]
[[Category:Māori opera singers]]
[[Category:Māori-language singers]]
[[Category:Ngāti Maniapoto people]]
[[Category:New Zealand people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Singers awarded damehoods]]
[[Category:Brit Award winners]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Edison Classical Music Awards Oeuvreprijs winners]]
[[Category:Fellows of Somerville College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Fellows of Wolfson College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Honorary members of the Royal Academy of Music]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of New Zealand]]
[[Category:New Zealand Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Honorary companions of the Order of Australia]]
[[Category:EMI Classics and Virgin Classics artists]]
[[Category:New Zealand women pop singers|Kanawa, Kiri Te]]
[[Category:20th-century New Zealand women opera singers]]
[[Category:21st-century New Zealand  women opera singers]]
[[Category:People educated at St Mary's College, Auckland]]
[[Category:New Zealand Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour]]
[[Category:Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]
[[Category:Actresses awarded damehoods]]
[[Category:New Zealand adoptees]]