Winifred Honor McKellar (born 10 November 1920) is a New Zealand former mezzo-soprano opera singer and singing teacher, and was the first full-time lecturer in singing at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

. Her students have included

Jonathan Lemalu Jonathan Fa'afetai Lemalu (born 1976) is a New Zealand bass baritone opera singer. Born to Samoan parents who had emigrated to New Zealand, he was educated in Dunedin. His first singing teacher was Honor McKellar, who began teaching him while ...

, Patrick Power and Matt Landreth. In 1989, she was awarded a

Queen's Service Medal The Queen's Service Medal is a medal awarded by the government of New Zealand to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community and also public service in elected or appointed public office. It was established in 1975 and is related to ...

for services to music, and in 2012, she was made a life member of the New Zealand Association of Teachers of Singing.

Early life and education

McKellar was born in Dunedin on 10 November 1920. Her mother was musical although McKellar does not recall hearing her sing. McKellar was taught piano by Miss Allen, and dancing by Dorothy Dean. At 16, she had her first singing lesson, from Dunedin musician Ida White. McKellar graduated with a BA from the

in 1942 and a MusB in 1944. She would illustrate examples at the weekly public music class given by the head of the Music Department,

Victor Galway Victor Edward Galway (24 May 1894 – 9 July 1960) was a New Zealand music academic, organist, conductor and composer. Biography Victor Galway was born in Colchester, Essex, England in 1894. He studied organ under Frederick Ely. In 1911 he e ...

. From 1946 to 1949, McKellar studied at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

in London. During her studies, she took part in the production of the opera '' The Poisoned Kiss'' by

Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

, which she regarded as her first proper stage experience. She said:

There were three of us who were mediums, not quite human, we were mythical. I remember being offered a chair and mistily replying 'we prefer to float about the ether' and there was a roar of laughter, and it hooked me on making people laugh. The next day Vaughan Williams bumped into me in the corridor and said, 'you're the girl who does things with the words'.

Singing and teaching career

When McKellar returned to New Zealand she was one of the original singers for Donald Munro's New Zealand Opera Company. During the 1960s, she returned to the UK as a session musician, and sang in the

Glyndebourne Chorus Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. History Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, ...

, Opera For All, and the

John Alldis Choir John Alldis (10 August 192920 December 2010) was an English chorus-master and conductor. Biography Alldis was educated at King's College School, Cambridge and Felsted. He then returned to King's College, Cambridge as a choral scholar under Bo ...

. McKellar credits London-based singing teacher Roy Henderson teaching her the importance of "getting the meaning of music across by other means, concentrating on what the body was doing." In 1971 McKellar returned to Dunedin where she became the university's first executant lecturer in singing, being appointed the William Evans lecturer. It was through McKellar's pressure that the Music Department appointed a full-time pianist, Maurice Till. McKellar retired from her lecturing position in 1985 but continued to teach both privately and at the university. She recalled one of the highlights of her time at the university as staging operas in Allen Hall, with Professor Peter Platt, that were meant for full-size opera houses, later saying "Some of them must have been hilariously bad!". McKellar's students have included Patrick Power,

and Matthew Landreth. McKellar is a resident of the

Yvette Williams Dame Yvette Winifred Corlett (née Williams; 25 April 1929 – 13 April 2019) was a New Zealand track-and-field athlete who was the first woman from her country to win an Olympic gold medal and to hold the world record in the women's long jum ...

Retirement Village in Dunedin.

Recognition

In the

1989 Queen's Birthday Honours Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supple ...

, McKellar was awarded the

for community service. In 2012 she was made a life member of the New Zealand Association of Teachers of Singing (NEWZATS). McKellar was the guest of honour at a Mothers' Day performance given by Lemalu in Dunedin in 2021. Lemalu has said of McKellar that he would not have a singing career without her: "I remember your boundless energy, patience, and instilling fun and joy in my music making. You always kept me grounded, you always kept me focussed... every singing teacher subsequently is and was compared to you, my musical mother." The university held a morning tea at their new Performing Arts Centre to celebrate McKellar's 100th birthday in November 2020.

References

External links

Radio New Zealand interview with McKellar
including archival recordings of her singing with the NZ Opera Company and with the Dunedin Civic Orchestra in the 1970s. (55m09) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mckellar, Honor 20th-century New Zealand women opera singers University of Otago alumni Academic staff of the University of Otago Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Musicians from Dunedin 1920 births Living people New Zealand centenarians Women centenarians Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal