Malvina Major
Dame Malvina Lorraine Major ( born January 28, 1943 in Hamilton, New Zealand) is a New Zealand opera singer in the vocal ranges soprano and mezzo- soprano. In recognition of her services she received from the British Crown in 1991 the title of Dame Commander of the British Empire and was recorded in late 2007 in the New Zealand Order of Knights New Zealand Order of Merit.
Training
Malvina Major comes from a large family of musicians. Since the age of three she sings within the family and plays the ukulele. Even in childhood, she completed several vocal performances in the country and pop music. Her training in classical music, she was awarded in 1955 at various nuns near her hometown of Hamilton, including piano lessons, and later at the music school of St. Mary's College, Auckland. To this end, she traveled 120 km a week after Ponsonby. Then she began to study music at the London Opera Centre in the British capital, which was closed in 1977.
Career
Major took over more than 30 operatic roles and has appeared in numerous international concerts, so in a broadcast concert by the BBC in London, an open -air concert in conjunction with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra in Egypt and the benefit concert for Vera Lynn in London.
In 2006 she was invited by the Mariinsky Academy in St. Petersburg, a member of the jury of the International Rimsky -Korsakov Competition for young opera singers.
2008 Malvina Major How Great Thou Art sung at the funeral of the New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary.
In 2009 she presented her album My Life in Song on a tour through the north of New Zealand, 2010, she continued the tour then continues on the South Island.
Several records and CDs published with their photographs. For the New Zealand television, the opera Tosca, The Abduction from the Seraglio, The Barber of Seville and Carmen were recorded their participation.
In 1992 she founded a foundation to promote young talents of New Zealand, later promoting on Holland and the United States was extended. For example, given the aspiring singer Hayley Westenra from her private singing lessons. In August 2008, she sang alongside solo pieces and a duet with her student on a tour of Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Great Britain.
She is currently a professor of voice at the University of Waikato in her hometown of Hamilton. She received honorary doctorates from both the University of Waikato as well as from Massey University.
For three years she was president of the Foundation Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, which was disbanded at the end of 2012.