Today we celebrate Dame Kiri Te Kanawa: the beautiful, full, warm voiced lyric soprano associated and celebrated for her opera roles ranging from Purcell, Handel, Mozart, Puccini to Richard Strauss and Leonard Bernstein.

Dame Kiri is an acclaimed recording artist and recitalist covering many genres apart from opera including Roger and Hammerstein musicals, Gershwin and Māori Songs.

Since her retirement from the stage, she has devoted herself to supporting young talent and gifted singers of the future by her involvement in international singing competitions and masterclasses, setting up her own foundation for gifted and talented singers in her homeland of New Zealand and an international singing competition known as the Kiri Prize for all nationalities.

Dame Kiri is highly decorated being awarded many honours, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to music in 1973 and elevated in 1982 to Dame Commander of the Order the British Empire for her services to opera, as well as being appointed in 1990 Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia for services to the arts, opera and the community and a Member of the Order of Companions of Honour in 2018 for services to music.

Happy Birthday Kiri!