FILE - File photo dated May 13, 2010 of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. "Downton Abbey," the world's favorite country-house soap, is getting a dose of opera. Producers say soprano Kiri Te Kanawa will appear in ...

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa gained legendary status almost overnight, following her sensational debut as the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1971. She has since moved ...

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s life began far from the glamorous world of opera. She was born in Gisborne, New Zealand, where she was raised by adoptive parents. She says her father, who owned a trucking ...

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has had an eventful life. One of New Zealand’s most prolific performers, the opera singer has performed in countries all over the world in several different languages, receiving a ...

Since then, Te Kanawa committed herself to nurturing young artists, sitting as a judge in singing competitions and establishing the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation which supports young musicians and singers ...