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Date of Birth
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06-March-1944
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Place of Birth
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Gisborne
(New Zealand, Realm of New Zealand)
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Nationality
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New Zealand
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Also know as
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Kiri TeKanawa, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Kiri Janette Te Kanawa, Te Kanawa, Kiri, Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, Dame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa, Dame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa ONZ DBE AC, Kiri Janette Te Kanawa
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Profession
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Singer, Actor, Opera Singer
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Dame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa ONZ DBE AC is a New Zealand/MÄori 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.
Her voice has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". 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.
Although she now only rarely sings in operas, Te Kanawa still frequently performs in concert and recital, while giving masterclasses and supporting young opera singers in launching their careers.
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