Dame Kiri sees herself as role model for musicians

Press, 25 September 1989, Page 4

Dame Kiri sees herself as role model for musicians

NZPA London New Zealand’s most famous singer, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa said on 8.8. C. television recently that she. sees herself as a role model for young musicians. She was a guest on the popular Terry Wogan Show which has an estimated . audience of eight million. Dame Kiri said those at the forefront of popular music should take a responsible attitude to their profession, and she questioned whether they had always behaved responsibly. “Young people growing up need role models. “I take that responsibility reasonably seriously,” she told Wogan. “I’d like to think New

Zealanders are looking for leadership in the musical field from me.” Her Irish host introduced Dame Kiri as “the greatest New Zealand export, including kiwifruit, lamb and rugby players.” When Wogan suggested there was an element of snobbery in opera singing, Dame Kiri said in spite of her fame as one of the world’s' great operatic singers, she had not forgotten her roots. “I didn’t come from a snobby background. I came from a very ordinary background and very ordinary parents. One shouldn’t forget where one comes from.” She said her ambition had always been to sing — “it’s the only thing I could do well and if you

can do something you should do it as well as humanly possible.”

Dame Kiri, whose fellow guests were the leading British conductor, Jane Glover, and a popular American singer, Randy Crawford, spoke of her book of short stories about Maori mythology and legends, “The Land of the Long White Cloud,” which was launched last week. Dame Kiri, president of the United Kingdom/New Zealand 1990 committee, also told Wogan of the 150th anniversary celebrations in New Zealand; of the need to promote the country in Britain; and of plans for an exchange programme for teachers between New Zealand and Britain, which is halfway to its £1 million ($2.7 million) target.