Kiri Te Kanawa Interview (page: 8 / 9) Beloved Opera Singer	Print Interview

When you were growing up, was your Maori heritage respected? Was there discrimination?

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Kiri Te Kanawa: I wouldn't say there was discrimination. But there was certainly something that -- you were not allowed to speak anything other than English. Maori was not allowed to be spoken. It was not taught. It was not allowed to be spoken. And I remember one time I went to a birthday party, and I wasn't invited, and they sent me home. I was the only one sent home. I was "the Maori girl," and that was the way it was. My mother was devastated, absolutely devastated. She said, "How could they do this to a little child?" Once again, you see, it didn't really upset me, because nothing really worried me. And it still doesn't. I think man's inhumanity to man worries me. But things like that, you know, that's what people did in those times. And I'm sure they'd be ashamed of what they did, because that would not happen (now). I don't look at people as being "colored" or whatever. I only look at people if they're rude. And I think, "Gosh, you're awfully rude, and look at you. I wouldn't be very proud of that." But rudeness is something -- disrespect I don't like.

You've also written a children's book, Land of the Long White Cloud, about Maori myths and legends. Was this inspired by your father's heritage?

Kiri Te Kanawa: Yes. And a little bit because of my mother. We didn't have books, so my mother would tell me a story every night. She had made it up, and I didn't know it. I thought it was a real story. And she'd tell me this whole story about the possum up the tree and what he did and what he didn't do, and then the next night, she'd build up on the story. Week after week, the story was already there, and then, of course, she started making mistakes. I said, "But no. That's not right. You said it was this." And she'd have to go back and try to remember the story because she'd kept on making them up. That's why, in lots of ways, I wrote this book, along with a writer, just sort of making up the stories as I went along, because I wanted it like I had heard it. And I always remembered my mother giving up this story that she had to remember because it wasn't real. I was constantly correcting her, because she hadn't remembered some of the animals in the story.

You lost your mother shortly after your big Covent Garden debut. That must have been very difficult.

Kiri Te Kanawa: I think it was, because it was such a shock. I always thought of it as her mission. She got me where she wanted me and that was the end of it. The lights went out. Someone just turned off the switch and said, "Right. You've done your job. Now you're off. You're up with us now." I always felt it was a bit like that. She adopted me for a mission. I think sometimes, people in their lives, you suddenly see them... Why did they die so soon? Well, that was their duty. They completed that. That was their reason for being on this earth.

Get the Flash Player to see this video. My mother had a really tough time when she was young. She came from a very, very poor family. And they all, you know, this is something that she did that was a super thing that did a lot for New Zealand in lots of ways. Because, you know, I am a Maori. And I'm very proud of that and my country is very important to me. Even though I've lived away from it for a very long time. But I've my finger on the button out there all the time. And I want to do what I can, in the way that I can do it, which is helping young students and singers. For them to find their way in life, whatever it might be, but to inspire, would be an achievement for me, to give somebody direction, to inspire them and to get them to a level that they never thought they could ever get to, and I think that's what I like to see.

[ Key to Success ] Integrity

You've started your own foundation to help young musicians from New Zealand. What do you hope to accomplish through the foundation? What is your vision?

Kiri Te Kanawa: My vision is promoting singing at the highest standard. Hopefully, doing what I've done, as perfectly as possible, as the basis for where they're aiming for. I've raised a lot of money for the foundation, and we're giving out scholarships, but we're giving them to young people of a fairly high level. We're not starting at age 16. We're looking at young people who are about to launch and go to Juilliard here in America, or the colleges over in England. We may help them with extra coaching. We don't actually pay for fees at the moment, but we may get there if we find someone that's extremely high standard. We're looking for excellence. We're not looking for someone who's going to suddenly say, "Oh, I think I'm going to have babies now. " That's not on my agenda. I want them on the path to high achievement.

And are you personally involved in choosing the recipients of the grant?

Kiri Te Kanawa: Yes, I look at all of them. It's a lot of work, but it's a great privilege. When I get back to London, I have three waiting for me that will spend two full days working on The Magic Flute. And another one who's going to come and sing for me. And then, of course, there's the third one who's already at Glyndebourne singing Poppeia. I normally ask the students, if I'm working with them on this basis, that they will help me with raising funds for my foundation. I won't take any money from them, but I'll ask them to be involved in a concert to raise funds. That's their contribution to my foundation.

It sounds like you're also helping singers by giving them more practical advice than you had when you were coming up.

Kiri Te Kanawa: Well, this is the thing. My foundation has brought out this book. It's a handbook for all the students for when they get to England. There's names of singing teachers, their contact numbers, where they can get coaching, there's coaches' numbers. There's the schools, all the places where they can rehearse, there's the colleges. Everything, even down to coffee shops and how much it costs to travel to these places, and the train fares, and how to get a cheaper train fare as a student and all the different things. So it's really the handbook of the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation. For instance, it says, "Do not audition with anything by (Gian Carlo) Menotti. Do not." Or, "You're doomed if you sing anything in English."

What's the objection to Menotti? He's not taken seriously enough?

Kiri Te Kanawa: It's just not accepted. Just don't do it. There's information on things like the Young Artists Program at Covent Garden, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, the Cardiff International Academy, National Opera Studio, the Jette Parker Young Artist Program, Covent Garden, all these things. It's all the information you need to know that I never had. That's why I wanted my foundation to provide this information for these young people.

You've also been coaching here in New York. How rewarding is that to be working with young singers?

Kiri Te Kanawa: I think it's one of the most enjoyable couple of weeks I've had so far. I'm looking at the stage and I'm thinking, "Better you than me." And I just can go and work for the students and tell them the things they need to know and the problems that could arise. They're very well protected here, but sometimes you get out there and you'll get under the influence of an agent or somebody you don't know and they'll say, "Oh, we think you could do this role." You've got to look at people. I'm going to have a talk with some of them and say, "Look. Just remember, if they're getting money from you, then they've got a real vested interest in you. If you're not paying them anything, and they're doing it because they feel good and you're never going to pay them, possibly you've got someone who's going to be worth listening to." That's one of the things, along with a lot of other things I'd like to tell them.

So be careful who you take advice from?

Kiri Te Kanawa: Totally. I'd say parents, brothers, sisters, and don't go far beyond that for the moment. If you've had a long-term relationship with an agent, that's a whole different thing, because that agent is there to care. But a new agent or manager coming in, they're interested in making money out of you.

Kiri Te Kanawa Interview, Page: 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9