Opera founder took music to far-flung parts
It took a ‘‘real Kiwi bloke’’ to take opera to the New Zealand people. Baritone singer Donald Munro was that man. Widely regarded as the father of New Zealand opera, he founded the NZ Opera Company and, at a time when much of the country was difficult to access because of rugged roads and poor connections, took its productions to far-flung areas and enthusiastic receptions, taking casual jobs at freezing works to help finance its tours.
‘‘He was a real Kiwi. He was born in Mosgiel, for God’s sake. And he worked in the wool stores,’’ former colleague Mary Kinninburgh said.
Fellow singer Dorothy Hitch said Munro was ‘‘a very fine baritone’’ and they became firm friends from the time they first sang together, in 1960.
By establishing NZ Opera he made it possible for New Zealanders to earn a living from singing without going overseas. She came home from Australia and carved out a career here, thanks to him.
‘‘While I was home for Christmas, 1959, after five years with Australian Opera, Donald offered me fulltime work with NZ Opera.
‘‘This was a wonderful opportunity to be able to sing opera fulltime in my own country. Such was Donald’s aim, devotion and total commitment.
‘‘That year, 1960, we sang 107 performances of La Traviata throughout New Zealand, as well as major productions in the main centres.’’
Donald Munro was the son of British immigrants Thomas and Winifred Munro.
He and his four siblings grew up on the family farm in Mosgiel, but in the mid-1920s his parents sold the property to finance a trip to England. Upon their return, the Munros settled in Dunedin, but the family finances were never the same again and Donald was a child of the Great Depression.
During the 1930s, he worked at several jobs, including office clerk – which he hated – waiter, taxi driver, truck driver and gold miner.
The impetus for his musical career came from his mother, who was an accomplished musician.
She encouraged Donald as a boy soprano, describing him as ‘‘a little devil with the voice of an angel’’.
He later entered singing competitions as a baritone, which culminated in his winning several prizes in the 1939 Dunedin competitions.
The adjudicator announced: ‘‘This boy must go ‘home’’ for further training, and despite the deteriorating situation in Europe, he enrolled the following year at the Royal College of Music in London.
There he received the Tagore Medal, which was awarded to the outstanding student of each year.
While in England he married Jean, a viola player whom he had met on a cycle tour.
They had four children and Jean played in the NZ Symphony Orchestra for many years. After the war, Munro studied in Paris with Pierre Bernac for three years. Returning to New Zealand in 1951, he settled in Wellington. He taught singing and performed a wide repertoire.
Opera was a minority interest in New Zealand at that time and Munro felt strongly about the need to extend its popularity. Aiming to ‘‘take opera to the people’’, he established New Zealand’s first national opera company in 1954. At his insistence, the company toured rural districts, as well as visiting the main centres.
Among the company’s achievements was a part in launching Kiri Te Kanawa.
An invitation to lecture at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, at the University of Adelaide, attracted Munro to South Australia in 1967. He lived there until his death.