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Dame Malvina Lorraine Major (born 28 January 1943) is a New Zealand
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261  Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
.


Early life

Major was born in
Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton ( mi, Kirikiriroa) is an inland city in the North Island of New Zealand. Located on the banks of the Waikato River, it is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato region. With a territorial population of , it is the country's fou ...
, into a large musical family. As a child she performed at various concerts, singing mainly
country and western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
pop and music from the shows. She received her first classical training in 1955, from Sister Mary Magdalen at
Ngāruawāhia Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Range. Ngāruawāhia is in the Hamilton Ur ...
, north of Hamilton. Sister Febronie continued with her voice training and Sister Liguori gave her piano tuition. As her potential blossomed, Major began travelling weekly to Ponsonby in
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, where she received further tuition from
Dame Sister Mary Leo Dame Sister Mary Leo Niccol (3 April 18955 May 1989) was a New Zealand religious sister who is best known for training some of the world's finest sopranos, including Dames Malvina Major, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Heather Begg. She was born as Kathlee ...
at St Mary's College. Sister Mary Leo was internationally recognised for having some of the country's best known singers, including
Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...
.


International recognition

Major later moved to England for further study at the London Opera Centre under the guidance of teacher
Ruth Packer Ruth Packer (22 October 1910 – 12 January 2005) was an English operatic soprano. Packer was born in London. In 1939, she made her operatic debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in ''Die Walküre''. During World War Two, she appeared f ...
. Her successes include winning the 1963 New Zealand Mobil Song Quest beating Te Kanawa who placed second (Te Kanawa later won the 1965 contest). She also won the Australian
Melbourne Sun Aria The Herald Sun Aria, formerly known as The Sun Aria (because it was sponsored by ''The Sun News-Pictorial'') is a vocal competition for emerging opera singers held in Victoria, Australia, each year. The competition offers nearly $60,000 in cash ...
competition in 1965, and the London-based
Kathleen Ferrier Award The Kathleen Ferrier Award is a prestigious contest for Opera singers held each April in London, England. The first competition was held in 1956. According to the ''Telegraph'', the competition has a record of "spotting winners". Originally conc ...
in 1966. Major later performed in international concerts including a
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
concert broadcast in London, an outdoor concert at the
pyramids A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilate ...
in Egypt with the
Cairo Symphony Orchestra The Cairo Symphony Orchestra, ( ar, اوركسترا القاهرة السيمفونى; ''Orkestra el-Qāhera el-Semfōni''), is an orchestra based in Cairo, Egypt. It was founded in 1959 by its first music director and conductor, Franz Litschaue ...
, and a charity concert for
Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 191718 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the " Forces' Sweetheart", having giv ...
in London. She has performed more than 30 opera roles in their original languages. In the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours, Major was appointed an Officer of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
, for services to opera, and promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to opera and the community, in the 1991 Queen's Birthday Honours. She was made a Principal Companion of the
New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...
, for services to opera, in the
2008 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 29 December 2007, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2008. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and a ...
. Following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government, she accepted redesignation as a Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
. In 1998, Major received the
Benny Award The Benny Award is bestowed on a New Zealand variety entertainer. It is presented annually by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand, a non-for-profit organisation and showbusiness club, founded in 1966 and awarded to a variety performer who ha ...
from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc. In 2008, Major performed a solo and duet with
Hayley Westenra Hayley Dee Westenra (born 10 April 1987) is a New Zealand classical crossover singer and songwriter. Her first internationally released album, ''Pure'', reached number one on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million c ...
on the ChristChurch Cathedral Choir 2008 UK Tour. On 18 March 2011, Major performed in the national Christchurch memorial service at
Hagley Park, Christchurch Hagley Park is the largest urban open space (164.637 hectares)Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...
, Prime Minister
John Key Sir John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand retired politician who served as the 38th prime minister of New Zealand, Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016 and as Leader of the New Zealand National Party from 2006 to ...
, Bob Parker, Hayley Westenra,
ChristChurch Cathedral ChristChurch Cathedral, also called Christ Church Cathedral and (rarely) Cathedral Church of Christ, is a deconsecrated Anglican cathedral in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was built between 1864 and 1904 in the centre of the city, ...
Choir, dignitaries, international rescue teams and tens of thousands of New Zealanders. On 25 February 2012, Major performed with soprano Amina Edris and tenor Chase Douglas in the Waikato Times Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival. In the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, Major was appointed as a member of the
Order of New Zealand The Order of New Zealand is the highest honour in the New Zealand royal honours system, created "to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity". It was instituted by royal warrant on 6 F ...
, the country's highest civilian honour. The Malvina Major Retirement Village in
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
is named for her.


Dame Malvina Major Foundation

In 1991 Dame Malvina established the Dame Malvina Major Foundation to promote education through awards and provide training for young New Zealanders in the performing arts. Recipients of the Foundation's annual $50,000 Dame Malvina Major Award include
Amitai Pati SOL3 MIO (stylised as SOLΞ MIO) is a New Zealand musical trio consisting of Moses Mackay, Pene Pati and Amitai Pati. Of Samoan descent and classically trained, Moses is a baritone, and the Pati brothers are operatic tenors. Albums and tour ...
and Natasha Te Rupe Wilson.


Teaching

Major is listed in 2022 as an Associate at the music programme at the
University of Waikato The University of Waikato ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato), is a Public university, public research university in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand established in 1964. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university perfo ...
in
Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton ( mi, Kirikiriroa) is an inland city in the North Island of New Zealand. Located on the banks of the Waikato River, it is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato region. With a territorial population of , it is the country's fou ...
.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Major, Malvina 1943 births Living people Members of the Order of New Zealand Dames Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Singers awarded knighthoods New Zealand operatic sopranos University of Canterbury faculty People from Hamilton, New Zealand New Zealand music teachers 20th-century New Zealand women opera singers 21st-century New Zealand women opera singers Women music educators