New Zealand soprano Kiri Te Kanawa’s rise to operatic prominence stems from a blend of vocal prowess and dedication. Her signature voice, characterised by its velvety timbre and impressive range, effortlessly navigates diverse operatic genres, leading her to leave an indelible operatic mark when she took on the roles of the Countess, in The Marriage of Figaro (1971), and Desdemona, in Othello (1974).
As a testament to her musical finesse, Te Kanawa became the first Rolex Testimonee from the arts fraternity in 1976, a role she retains to this day as an esteemed partner. (See below: Musical Greats) Leaders in their fields, Rolex Testimonees share common values and philosophies with the Swiss watchmaker.
In 2014, Te Kanawa established the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation to provide financial help to young and outstanding singers from New Zealand, and mentor them to develop their careers. Rolex has supported the foundation from its inception, out of its belief in the importance of the passing on of knowledge to the next generation.
This belief is also one of the key motivating factors for the watchmaker to launch the Rolex Mentor & Protege Initiative in 2002. The unique programme pairs young artistic talents with world-renowned masters in their genre for one-on-one mentoring and creative collaboration over two years.
League of excellence
Rolex has been supporting the arts for over 50 years via numerous initiatives. Music was its very first point of focus, and this has since extended to other fields including architecture and cinema.
The watchmaker’s commitment to perpetuating heritage and building a bridge for the transmission of knowledge between the past, present and future has been the guiding principle in its involvement with arts through the Rolex Perpetual Arts Initiative.
Besides championing individual talent, Rolex partners the most prestigious institutions, orchestras and concerts, including opera houses such as the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. It has also lent its support to two other cultural institutions – the Salzburg Festival and the Vienna Philharmonic.
Beacons of classical music
The ongoing Salzburg Festival, which will run until the end of September, features close to 200 performances, including operas, concerts and drama that celebrate classical music.
The six-week-long event has been held annually in the Austrian city since 1920, and Rolex has been a main sponsor since 2012. The partnership encourages appreciation for the arts on a global scale.
Like many of the partnerships it has with the most talented artists and world-class artistic organisations, the relationship between Rolex and the Salzburg Festival seems only natural, with both having a reputation for upholding the highest standards in their own spheres.
Similarly, the Vienna Philharmonic, widely recognised as one of the world’s finest, is also famed for upholding the greatest traditions in classical music.
Since 2008, Rolex has been the exclusive partner of the orchestra, joining it on the same journey to maintain artistic integrity and bring music across the world, notably through two events – the annual New Year’s Concert and Summer Night Concert.
The former is broadcast live to millions of people in over 90 countries, while the latter is played out to some 100,000 people in in the Palace and Gardens of Schonbrunn in Austria and telecasted in more than 80 countries. Both performances are presented by Rolex.
These two events, and the Rolex Night Concerts – other Vienna Philharmonic concerts around the world supported by the watchmaker every year – highlight a shared commitment to make classical music accessible to all.
Music for all
Even during times when it was not possible for people to enjoy music in person, Rolex took it upon itself to bring it into their homes.
To support singers and musicians during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the brand held a series of Perpetual Music concerts that reached audiences in over 180 countries via a free streaming service.
Famed opera singers Juan Diego Florez, Rolando Villazon and Sonya Yoncheva – all of whom are Rolex Testimonees – performed alongside violinist Renaud Capucon, as well as close to 100 artists.
Organising performances during such trying times serves to show Rolex’s commitment towards supporting and uniting the arts community. It also underscores their desire to make music an integral part of everyday life and use it as a platform to bring joy into people's lives.
Meet the musical greats
Passion and precision are keynotes of the performances that Rolex Testimonees share
Yuja Wang
The Beijing-born pianist was born into a family of artists – her mother was a dancer, while her father was a percussionist – and started learning the piano at age six. She studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, US. She then made her international breakthrough when she played Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2007. Wang is famed for her charismatic performance style that is marked by technical brilliance and thrilling musical interpretations, and currently plays regularly with the world’s top orchestras.
Gustavo Dudamel
While focusing on classical music, the Venezuelan conductor has also pushed artistic boundaries by performing at the Academy Awards, the Super Bowl and with pop superstars Billie Eilish and Ricky Martin. As the music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dudamel believes that music has the power to transform lives, and inspire and change the world. He was named an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government last year, in recognition of his outstanding service to the arts.
Anoushka Shankar
By age 13, Shankar had already made her professional debut as a classical sitarist, and received her first Grammy nomination when she was 20. The renowned sitar player and composer, whose father was the late sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, is best known for her boundary-defying style, fusing Indian and Western genres in her music.
Sonya Yoncheva
In 2010, the Bulgarian soprano won both the first prize and the special CulturArte Prize at Operalia, the world’s leading opera competition. Then with a series of top-notch performances at major opera houses during the mid-2010s, she skyrocketed to prominence. She has since received acclaim for playing roles including Elisabeth in Don Carlos at the Opera national de Paris, and Imogene in Il Pirata at La Scala. More recently, in 2021, Yoncheva won Germany’s prestigious Opus Klassik Singer of the Year award.
In partnership with Rolex, Artistry Unbound is a series of initiatives that celebrates excellence and perpetuates artistic heritage, creating a link between the past, present and future.
