Dunedin-born mezzo-soprano Patricia Payne had a brilliant career from the early 1970s, singing on many of the world’s great stages – Barcelona, Covent Garden, Bayreuth (including Patrice Chéreau’s Ring cycle alongside Donald McIntyre), San Francisco, Geneva, and La Scala in Milan.
Hungarian-born pianist Lili Kraus (1903–86) was another musician whose flight from the horrors of the Second World War enriched New Zealand’s musical life. She was imprisoned by Japanese forces in Indonesia in 1942. After the war she made New Zealand her home for some years and became a citizen. Kraus resumed her international touring career in 1948.
As a 21-year-old mezzo-soprano, Nelson-born Heather Begg (1932–2009) auditioned to be part of the National Opera of Australia’s tour of New Zealand in 1954. She was offered three principal roles, including the demanding Azucena in Verdi’s Il trovatore.
American soprano
Mrs. Anderson was the first female pianist who appeared at the Philharmonic concerts, and the first to introduce into England many of the great works of Beethoven and other composers.
Distinguished German soprano
Tuini left behind a rich legacy of songs and an unsurpassed standard of composition, work and community leadership.
Irish pianist, composer, and newspaper proprietor
Irish pianist, composer, and poet
American author of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,