The Commonweath Games are a multi-sport event held every four years for elite athletes from the British Commonwealth.

Te Kanawa was born in 1944 and adopted by an Irish mother and Maori father. By age 20, she won several major vocal awards in New Zealand. Her 1971 Covent Garden debut as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro jump started her international career.

Te Kanawa sang at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana at St Paul's Cathedral in 1981, which was broadcast to over 600 million people. She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1982.