Born of native Maori descent in Gisborne, New Zealand on March 6th, 1944, Kiri was adopted by an Irish mother and a Maori father. Kiri shot to stardom quickly, winning the John Court Aria Prize, the Mobil Song Quest, and almost all awards available in the South Pacific all by the age of 20. She had even already started her recording career which was very early for most opera singers. Her successes were so great that she was accepted to study at the London Opera Centre without an audition in 1965.
She began her opera career by first appearing in obscure operas such as Delibes' Le Roi L'a Dit and Wolf-Ferrari's The Inquisitive Woman before appearing in and receiving critical acclaim for her role as Idamantes in Mozart's Idomeneo. This granted her a three year contract as a junior principal of Covent Garden. It was there that she caught the attention of Sir Colin Davis. After appearing in the role of Xenia in Boris GodonovKiri was to play the role of La Contessa in Le Nozze Di Figaro by Mozart. Her extraordinary performance in this role brought Kiri international attention for the first time and she was made an officer of the civil division of the most excellent order of the British Empire. The title was later sold for 500 pounds to raise money for the Mitchum Amateur Boxing Association.
Kiri made her performance debut in the United States at the Metropolitan Opera in the role of Desdemona in Otello. Other performances include: Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte, Arabella in Arabella, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Violetta in La Traviata, Tosca in Tosca, Pamina in Die Zauberflote, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni.
In 1981 she was picked to sing a solo Let the Bright Seraphimat the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer in St. Paul's Catherdral. With over 600 million people watching her, it was one of the largest direct telecast audiences of any singer. The next year she was created Dame Commander of the British Empire. It was the first of many honors she would get. She has been given honorary degrees from many universities including the University of Oxford and the University of Chicago. In 1995 she was on the Queen's birthday honors list and was awarded the Order of New Zealand.
In 1994 Kiri turned and celebrated her 50th birthday and 25 years being in the musical spotlight with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Kiri still continues to perform in opera houses and concert halls across the world, playing a variety of characters. More recently she released a more personal album with songs she learned when she was a child. The album, which showcases the songs of the native Maoris, is entitled Maori Songs.
