| Biography | Kyra Knopmuss (Kyra Vayne) (born St Petersburg, Russia 29 January 1916; died London 12 January 2001) was a Russian-born British opera singer.
The Russian-born soprano Kyra Vayne came to London in 1924. From the late 1930s to the late 1950s she sang in London and elsewhere in revue and variety, and later in opera. Reviewers acknowledged that she had a fine voice but for various reasons her career was only intermittently successful. In A Voice Reborn she tried to explain the reasons for this: sometimes "personal problems intruded on, and destroyed my professional life - or rather, I stupidly allowed them to", and opportunities, were missed especially in Italy. "Wherever I went I was the perpetual outsider."
She was born Kyra Knopmuss in St Petersburg just before the Revolution, and in 1924 the family fled to London. She was educated at a private school, leaving at 15. In 1937 she became a showgirl in the revue "Sanctions", featuring Phyllis Dixey. She first broadcast for the BBC in 1938 with Teddy Joyce's Girls Choir. After two voice teachers whom she did not like, she found Mignon Nevada, which was satisfactory.
Between 1937 and 1941, she, at first under the name of Kyra Vronska, toured in such musicals as Balalaika, Show Boat and Chu Chin Chow. Then she sang Russian gypsy songs in Vic Oliver's show "Variety Bill" on tour in Britain. She changed her name again to Kyra Vayne and sang with Oliver's British Symphony Orchestra. She then sang in Mussorgsky's Sorochintsi Fair at the Savoy Theatre and on tour, alternating with Oda Slobodskaya in the role of Khivria, and also with Daria Bayan as Parassia. This production was very popular and returned to London at the Adelphi Theatre before going on a second tour. She also sang the title role of Gay Rosalinda, an English version of Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus, at the Palace Theatre, for four weeks in 1945, but was replaced by another soprano who invested in the show.
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