Malvina Major
Dame Malvina Major, of Christchurch, received one of New Zealand’s highest honours, the Insignia of a Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, on 5 September. Dame Malvina Major is recognised as an international opera diva and as a teacher of renown. Her international opera career has included twenty eight major roles and an extensive concert, oratorio, and recital repertoire. She has performed throughout the world and as a cultural ambassador at New Zealand Embassies in Brussels, The Hague, London, Paris, and Washington. She was made a Dame of the Order of the British Empire in 1991, has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from Massey University and the University of Waikato, and is a teaching professor in vocal studies at the University of Canterbury.