Dame Malvina Major Returns To Pastures of Taranaki Region

"Taranaki favourite Dame Malvina Major will take to the stage at the Bowl of Brooklands next year. Reporter Taryn Utiger spoke to the opera singer to see how life has been since she moved away from the province. Dame Malvina Major is a world-class opera singer but the former Coastal Taranaki dairy farmer misses seeing cows every day. After winning the New Zealand Mobil Song Quest in 1963 and studying in London, the Hamilton- born singer, her husband Winston Fleming and their young son Andrew settled on a farm at Pihama in Coastal Taranaki. Before the 70s finished the rising international star had two more children, Alethea and Lorraine, fell in love with life in Taranaki and declared herself content with being a farmer, wife and mother. Despite her contentment, overseas conductors asked for the gumboot-wearing diva when they came to tour New Zealand and by 1986 she was back on the international stage. It seemed, for a while, she could have her career, her family and her farm. That ideal was shattered four years later when tragedy struck the

In concert with fellow New Zealander Kiri Te Kanawa

family. In September 1990 her husband died suddenly at home. He had come back from the milking shed complaining about pains in his chest. Although she rushed to phone the doctor and get her husband into bed, he died right after telling her, 'I love you.' She left Taranaki soon after. Since then she has gone on to dominate the opera world, perform for kings and queens and amass a series of concerts many would envy. Next year she celebrates 60 years as one of the world's top opera singers and she is eagerly awaiting her concert at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands." [Source]

How a "Hot Chick" Got Tenor Geoffrey Knight Into Opera

The tenor with the object of his affection.
(Photo: Patrick Hamilton)

"Nelson aria competition winner Geoffrey Knight has gone full circle after being inspired to get into opera singing by Dame Malvina Major. The Sydney-based tenor took top prize with his delivery of 'E Lucevan le stelle' from Puccini's Tosca and 'Ah la paterna mano' from Verdi's Macbeth at the Nelson School of Music on Saturday night. Eleven vocalists performed during two vocal recitals on Friday at Warwick House. Eight of those were asked to compete in Saturday's aria competition. The vocalists were competing for a prize pool of $11,000, which includes the top prize of $5000 from the Dame Malvina Major Foundation. Mr Knight said being presented with his award by Dame Malvina on Saturday night was significant, as she was the one who inspired him to get into opera. He approached an opera company in 2001 and said: 'Everyone reckons I should be an opera singer so I thought I better check it out.' He was an actor in Christchurch, based at the Court Theatre, and used to sing while making coffees at a cafe nearby. The first opera he saw was Tosca, with Dame Malvina. 'I wasn't really into opera, but there was this really hot chick on the poster so I thought I would go and check it out. I said to her on Saturday night: `Your production of Tosca was the first opera I had ever seen and I absolutely loved it'. That was pretty special.'" [Source]