Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is to be honoured for her formidable talent and contribution to the arts when the Auckland Aotea Centre’s ASB Theatre will be renamed the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre on November 20.
A gala concert will be held featuring some of Te Kanawa's operatic favourites, including the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by music director Giordano Bellincampi and the Freemasons New Zealand Opera Chorus.
ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt says honouring Te Kanawa in this way is a special privilege.
“As a long-standing sponsor of the arts, we are proud to support this recognition of Dame Kiri’s outstanding contribution to classical music in New Zealand and as one of the world’s greatest sopranos,” says Shortt.
The ASB Bank has held the naming rights to the theatre since it opened in 1990. Working in partnership with Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA) and the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation, the bank’s decision to relinquish these rights made the tribute possible.
“ASB Bank has been a part of Dame Kiri’s journey from the very start. In 1965, Bill Barrett, the bank’s general manager of that time, recognised her immense talent and established the Kiri Te Kanawa Trust, which enabled her to travel to the UK for extended study at National Opera Studio, London,” says Shortt.
Dame Kiri, who is New Zealand’s first Grammy Award winner, has expressed her appreciation for the tribute.
“I thank the City of Auckland, ASB and RFA for this great honour,” she says.
“To be recognised in this way in my country means the world to me. This stage and Aotea Centre have a very special place in my heart; and the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre is a welcoming space for opera lovers and performers alike.”
Regional Facilities Auckland Board Chair Andrew Barnes said the new name has a very special significance for artists.
“Dame Kiri has inspired so many talented young Kiwi performers to step onto the world stage and follow their dreams, through her example and through her foundation,” he says.
“With the gracious support of ASB Bank, we are delighted to be able to honour that legacy in Dame Kiri’s seventy-fifth year and to be able to showcase new and fresh talent in the first theatre to bear her name.”
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says bestowing Te Kanawa's name on the theatre honours an extraordinary singer and a remarkable legacy.
“It is fitting that Auckland recognises Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in this way. It acknowledges her incredible contribution to Auckland, to New Zealand, and to the classical music world, as well as her strong connection with the Aotea Centre and the theatre,” says Goff.