Hong Kong, 19 December 2007 – The Hong Kong Philharmonic will present the internationally renowned soprano Kiri Te Kanawa, a living legend on the opera stage, in two concerts at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall at 8pm this Friday and Sunday. Dame Kiri has sung in every major opera house and concert hall and has won the hearts of millions opera fans around the world both for her royal looks and the creamy beauty of her voice. She will sing arias and songs from operas of Mozart, Puccini, Bellini and Richard Strauss with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Julian Reynolds.

Her rose to fame was legendary and her career has been closely linked with greatest tenors of her age, in particular, tenors Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo, as well as maestros such as the late Sir Georg Solti. Dame Kiri is well known for her performance at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981 at which she performed for one of the largest telecast audiences of any singer in history for an estimated audience of over 600 million.

Kiri Te Kanawa was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1982 and has received honorary degrees from universities in Cambridge, Oxford, Dundee, Durham, Nottingham, Sunderland, Warwick, Auckland, Waikato and Chicago. Her recent activities include performing for the Queen of England at the Opening Ceremony of the 18th Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006, and shortly thereafter releasing a new album on the EMI label entitled Kiri Sings Karl in collaboration with composer Karl Jenkins.

After Dame Kiri stepped down from the opera stage in 2004, she has focused on concerts and recitals. She also devotes her time to the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation, which provides musical mentoring as well as practical support for young singers and musicians from her native New Zealand. More information can be found on the website, www.kiritekanawa.org.

After the Hong Kong performances, she will appear in recital at the National Grand Theatre in Beijing on 2 January 2008.

Programme Details
A Gala Evening with Kiri Te Kanawa
21 & 23 Dec 2007 (Fri, Sun)
8pm
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
$880, $680, $480, $280, $180
Available at URBTIX outlets
URBTIX website: www.urbtix.hk
Reservations: 2734 9009
Credit Card booking: 2111 5999
Programme Enquiries: 2721 2030
HKPO Website: www.hkpo.com

Photo captions:

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and HKPO Chief Executive Timothy Calnin at the press conference today

More photos of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa

Hotel Sponsor: InterContinental Hong Kong

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ABOUT THE HONG KONG PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Hailed as “one of Asia's top orchestras”, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HKPO) is led by the internationally renowned Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Edo de Waart. Enriching Hong Kong’s cultural life for over a century, the Orchestra has grown into a formidable ensemble of Chinese and international talents in the last three decades, attracting world-class artists to perform on the same stage. In April 2006, The Swire Group Charitable Trust became the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s Principal Patron, committing HK$36 million over three years to enable Maestro de Waart’s artistic vision for the Orchestra to be realized. HKPO annually touches the lives of nearly 200,000 music lovers through more than 150 performances, including a series of outreach activities such as the free outdoor concert Symphony under the Stars which attracted nearly 20,000 people. Please visit www.hkpo.com for more information about the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

SWIRE is the Principal Patron of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.