she shows what's possible. kiri te kanawa was immensely popular with audiences at top venues such as here, at london's royal opera house. she now devotes her time to helping a younger generation of talent. i owe kiri and her foundation an enormous amount, actually, and that was an enormous turning point in my life, because it meant i could suddenly focus on singing. what do dame kiri te kanawa's extraordinary perseverance, sacrifices and hard work over a career spanning five decades tell us about how to reach the dizzying heights of world—class opera 7 let me take you to the opera. singing dame kiri te kanawa, who turns 80 in march 2024, singing. dame kiri te kanawa, who turns 80 in march 2024, is secure in her legacy as one of history's most celebrated sopranos. dame kiri has been all over the world, but now prefers to live in the bay of islands, north of auckland. kiri prefers to stay out of the spotlight these days. however, she has granted us an interview to mark her eighth decade. i have singers saying to me now, "i'm not sure if i'm going to get there," and you don't know. and then suddenly, you get this amazing break, as i did. i had people around me. you can't do it alone. you can't have this career alone. kiri te kanawa was born claire mary teresa rawstron on march 6th, 1944, in the small new zealand seaside town of gisborne, 500km from auckland. her start in life was not auspicious. her biologicalfather was maori, and her mother, a white new zealand woman, who was forced to give up the baby for adoption. a local couple, thomas and nell te kanawa, adopted her. when i was very, very young — about five weeks old — i was, according to my mother, brought to a doorstep and a darling lady said, "would you like a little baby?" and she'd found out from the authorities that, um, my mother was looking to adopt a baby. she said, "no, no, i want a little boy," and so the lady went away. and then when she came back again, which was three months later, and the same baby — but slightly grown up, it seemed, a few more weeks older — my mother said, "well, it must be meant to be ours." so she sort of went through the motions and she said, "yes, i'll take it. " i had so much love from my parents. they gave me everything they could possibly give me. her parents named her kiri — the maori word for bell. i think that the maori side of me was interesting because my name was very interesting and being maori was very interesting. i think that gave me a little bit more of a shine on my character. baritone robert wiremu has known dame kiri for nearly 30 years. as well as bringing maori stories to the operatic stage, he teaches music at the university of auckland. start again. i remember seeing this... ..amazing person on television, and that she was maori meant for me that there was a possibility of having a career in music. # pokarekare ana # nga wai o waiapu...#. she's very, very highly respected amongst maori for the music, for the career, for the contribution. dame kiri left here in the late '605 and i think the political, cultural climate in new zealand was quite different to what it is now. i've never been in a racist situation in my life, ever. i didn't notice. it didn't make any difference. there were a few things that are a bit strange, when someone sent me away from a birthday party because — i think — i was maori, but i don't know. it didn't hurt me, doesn't upset me, still doesn't upset me. i've always been treated as who i was, whatever it was. living in a small town, without much entertainment on offer, kiri's mother encouraged her to try music. we had to make our own fun. so my mum used to sit me round a piano and say, "right, you have to sing this." and i didn't like people to applaud, because that made me very, very shy. and i couldn't do anything more for ages, iwould be so inhibited by this applause. i finally got used to it. after winning local singing competitions, kiri's parents decided to move the family to auckland, so she could study with the top voice teacher, sister mary leo, at st mary's college for girls. every teacher i've had has been a dragon teacher, or whatever you want to call them. they've been really, really tough. but then, of course, that's what's made me. i'm tough as well. i have that instinct of never letting go, of never giving up. she was very good to my voice. she was very gentle with my voice. she never pushed it. the respected australian conductor brad cohen says kiri's many qualities took her to the top. the voice is given. that's not earned. what you do with it is hard work. singing in german. what she has is a voice that simply sings. there's nothing like it, is there? i mean, this beautiful instrument that has such elegance and flow, such clarity, matched to this beautiful person, this beautiful figure on the stage, and that's her gift to the world. fame came early to kiri. as a teenager, she was a pop star and highly sought—after entertainer in auckland's clubs. but in her early 20s, she left that all behind for a new life in london. kiri te kanawa won a scholarship to train at london's 0pera centre in 1966. so we never had television for quite some time and we only had a few recordings and i only saw a few shows. that's the only feed i had into... i saw a moment of opera and things. i really had no knowledge of what was going on until i got to england. gillian newson is a close friend of kiri and has worked with her for years. when she first came to the uk, she had nobody. she was a very long way from home. there was some money that came through from a competition that she won, and it got her away. it got her to be able to follow her dream, to come to the uk to study, in the way that it wasn't possible for her to do in new zealand. soon after arriving in england, kiri married herfirst husband. later, the couple adopted a son, thomas, and a daughter, antonia. kiri te kanawa's exquisite voice and vivacious style marked her out for operatic stardom. it was here at the royal opera house in covent garden that, in 1971, she made her significant international debut in mozart's marriage of figaro. # e susanna non vien! # sono ansiosa di saper come il conte. # accolse la proposta # alquanto ardito il progetto mi par...#. one member of the audience that evening was nicholas payne, who's followed dame kiri's career from the start, and later became involved with her charitable foundation. i was sitting up in the very top of the theatre on one side, leaning over a rail, arm, in a cheap seat. kiri was a young member of the company, who had only done little roles for the last year or so, so it was a big and terrifying opportunity. she absolutely nailed it, and at the end, the audience gave her a spontaneous ovation. you don't make bows in the middle of a show at covent garden, but someone decided to push her on to take a bow because it was...it was clear to everyone that it was one of those, erm, special occasions where a star is born. people said it was a success, and i thought i'd done quite well. we came home that night and we opened all the telegrams, and there were so many of them, presents and gifts and flowers, and the place was just absolutely strewn with flowers. from then on, she was hugely in demand — notjust in london, but abroad as well. she is one of those rare people that you never. take your eyes off her. you never stop listening. and she has a grace onstage. she's really, really- dedicated to what she does and always has been. she is an absolute - perfectionist, and nothing is left to chance. musician and journalist hattie butterworth says kiri te kanawa's appeal is enduring and crosses the generations. i think she draws people in through the inspiration of being able to be so much. in terms of the repertoire she covers, in being a crossover artist, but maintaining that sort of authentic opera pride. in 1981, dame kiri captivated hundreds of millions of viewers around the world when she sang at the wedding of prince charles and lady diana. # let the bright seraphim in burning row... they asked me, would i sing at the royal wedding? which, of course, i had to. i couldn't say no! # their loud, uplifted angel trumpets blow...#. when you're singing in a space like a cathedral, i think acoustically, you can feel incredibly overwhelmed. i can imagine it might have been very difficult to hear the orchestra. it might have been very difficult to sort of even feel how she was singing. i can't imagine anything more terrifying! # their loud, uplifted angel trumpets blow...#. she sang a fairly dazzling aria. i it has high notes andi show—off bits galore. but what it did, of course, was to catapult her as onei of the very few singers - who are a household name, in a way that a pop singer is. by then, kiri te kanawa had been performing for many years, even though she was still only in her mid—30s. she had a home life. she had responsibilities, that she had to look after and nurture her own family. and that's hard when you suddenly are catapulted into an area that nobody really prepares you for that. # he had lived for his love. # for his country, he died. # they were all that to life. # had entwined him...#. i was a reliable, strong, good singer and made sure that my voice always, always performed as it should have done. you don't do cocktail parties. you don't do dinner parties. you don't do rugby. you don't scream and shout. you don't do anything after a performance. you have a cup of tea and a piece of toast and you go to bed. the next morning, you wake up and you do your exercises and you start your next day. but each day, it's regimented that you don't do anything outside sing. everything has got to be guided around how i'm going to keep the voice lubricated and in good shape. coming up, as opera legend dame kiri te kanawa marks dame kiri has enjoyed one of the longest careers in operatic history, but she knew when she had to quit. in 2016, at the age of 72, she gave her last public performance. i went on and i told my team, i said, "that's it. "when i come off, there's not another sound "going to be heard out of my throat." and that's what i believed. that's how i always thought i'd do it. but i didn't want to go on any further because i wanted to make sure that young singers would hear not an older woman singing with an older voice. and i thought, "they shouldn't be hearing this. "i want them to sing beautifully "and know that beautiful is the most important thing." but kiri te kanawa is still a towering figure today. her life and success continue to inspire people around the world. the acclaimed australian—born soprano danielle de niese says she owes dame kiri a huge debt. she was a real force to be reckoned with. and i remember my parents saying to me, "you know, "dame kiri is from the southern hemisphere "and so are you. dame kiri is ofa mixed background "and so are you. so if dame kiri can do it "and make it as a singer, so can you." and i'm very fortunate to say that she became my teacher, and i spent many years with her, honing in on my craft and working on my voice. she's the most incredible teacher. when you meet your idol, you kind of...you don't know what that's going to be like, and she surpassed all of my sort of adulation that i had for her. i have even more now, after knowing her. for the last 20 years, dame kiri te kanawa has made it her mission, through herfoundation, to help young, promising singers — particularly those from her home country of new zealand, like baritone julien van mellaerts. when i first came to london, ten years ago, i hadn't won any prizes or any scholarships or anything. i was broke. but i was offered support by the foundation, and that was an enormous turning point in my life because it meant i could suddenly focus on singing. it was after that that i started winning prizes and my career started. you've been very lucky. you've actually enjoyed having masterclasses with the great dame herself. what is it like to have a masterclass with a soprano of kiri te kanawa's stature? she's incredibly generous with her feedback and with her time. she can be demanding, of course, but it's always to get you to sing better. are we going to start? so you're going to do the lazzetti? yes, please. 0k. if a singer wants to have my input, they have to put up with who i am, too, because that's how i've been taught. i don't think i'm tough, but i just say that this is the way it is. and if they can't take it, the real world is just as tough. now, when you go for that top note, you do something, and you just lose it. i shouldn't? no. 0k. you sing it, sing it. she looks at all this talent in new zealand now and thinks, "what can i do to help them now "and to give them the opportunity "of following their dreams, just as i did?" but now, we can give them support that wasn't available to her all those years ago. singing through the foundation, we've brought in people - who will give them ideas of how to cope with their finances. we've brought in a psychologist — sometimes, the singers are not coping very well. we've brought in lifestyle people and producers and singing teachers. so we've brought in a lot of people to try and just start them off, so as when they get to england or wherever they're going, already, they've got some idea of what's going to go on, because when i got over there, there was nothing, absolutely nothing. singing. soprano alexa harwood, who studies music at the university of auckland, says kiri has been key to opera in new zealand. one of the biggest things is the legacy she's created for new zealanders and the progression we can see as young new zealand artists. she's paved the way and put us on the map. and i think to see someone who's done it and been amazingly successful, it gives everyone in new zealand a lot of hope. she really understands about i the importance of transmission. and by transmission, - i mean transmission from one singing generation to the next singing generation, but also, i about transmission of values — values of hard work, _ of perseverance, of canniness, of understanding of _ the industry — transmission of the idea of a singing - culture in a land, a country. after 55 years living in london and travelling the world to perform at top venues, dame kiri moved back home after 55 years living in london and travelling the world to perform at top venues, dame kiri moved back home to new zealand in 2021. you need your family, i you need...whether it's your close friends, _ your dogs, your grandchildren. she's very much somebody who really, really loves - the closest things to her, and she nurtures that. i i think she probably. looks back and thinks, "did i really do all that?" that is something... i hope that she sees . this younger generation carrying her name forward. i'm amongst the lucky ones who've seen dame kiri te kanawa perform. it was at the royal opera house many years ago — in puccini's la boheme, if i'm not mistaken — and, like everyone else, i was completely blown away by her. # mi chiamano mimi # il perche non so...#. her charm onstage is effortless, her voice so crystal clear, heavenly and secure. and what i find so appealing about dame kiri is that, although she has reached the top of the opera world and received accolades galore, success has not gone to her head. she's remained, at heart, that happy—go—lucky, down—to—earth new zealand girl of mixed maori descent, who now just wants to help others. what a wonderful legacy to celebrate at 80! not too many people get to do this, so i enjoyed every minute. why would you have regrets, when i'm sitting here and i'm hitting my 80th year? i mean, it was nothing other than a joy to sing. # happy birthday to you. # happy birthday, dame kiri. # happy birthday to you. she laughs hello. we've had some sunshine — not a bad day overall, just a few showers here and there. i think easter sunday is going to be a little more overcast, particularly across england and closer to the north sea coast. quite a chilly breeze off the north sea with some drizzle at times. now, the satellite picture shows that gap in the weather that's over us right now. so things set fair for the moment. but this thicker cloud towards the east will shroud the uk during the course of sunday, particularly eastern areas of the uk. now, through the course of tonight, yes, there's a bit of rain in the forecast for some southwestern areas, perhaps just around the irish sea and into northern ireland. but the bulk of the uk should have predominantly clear and dry weather. chilly in the north of scotland, a touch of frost and some mist and fog forming, particularly across central parts of england. so the morning is looking bright for many of us, particularly across the north and the west of the uk. a few showers there in northern ireland, but then this thick cloud invades off the north sea, a chilly breeze, fleeting rain possible from parts of the southeast through east anglia, lincolnshire and really all along that north sea coast. the best of the sunshine will be out towards the west tomorrow around the irish sea, southwestern scotland, northern ireland, the western isles. and then sunday night into monday, a weather front moves in from the south. this is going to be more substantial rain, a more prolonged spell of rain to come for many of us on easter monday. really not looking particularly pretty across england and wales. your best bet for fine weather is the north of northern ireland, also northern and western scotland away from that weather front, temperatures around 9 degrees in aberdeen, but in the south, despite the cloud and the rain still getting up to 1a, though, i don't think it's particularly going to feel like it. and then the outlook for the week ahead will see a series of low pressures aligning themselves up in the atlantic. heading our way, one weather front after the other, after the other. and that basically spells rain. so whether you're checking the website or looking at the app, an indication here with these rain symbols that the weather is going to be predominantly unsettled. rain at times, certainly possible almost anywhere in the uk. and before i go, there'sjust a quick message that british summer time begins tonight. bye— bye. live from washington. this is bbc news. the un peacekeeping mission in lebanon says three of its observers and a translator were injured in an explosion near the israeli border. as people across gaza face famine, the bbc goes onboard a us military plane dropping crates of aid. and a treasure trove of never—before—heard music from the late singer marvin gaye resurfaces in belgium. hello, i am erin delmore. the un peacekeeping mission in lebanon, unifil, says three of its observers and a translator were injured in an explosion near the israeli border on saturday. it says the peacekeepers were on a foot patrol when the blast happened, and were taken to hospital. the un says it's investigating the cause of the explosion, and warned that targeting observers is "unacceptable". israel denies involvement.