Major later moved to England for further study at the London Opera Centre under the guidance of teacher Ruth Packer. Her successes include winning the 1963 New Zealand Mobil Song Quest beating Te Kanawa who placed second (Te Kanawa later won the 1965 contest). She also won the Australian Melbourne Sun-Aria in 1965, and the London-based Kathleen Ferrier Award in 1966. Major later performed in international concerts including a BBC concert broadcast in London, an outdoor concert at the pyramids in Egypt with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, and a charity concert for Vera Lynn in London. She has performed more than 30 opera roles in their original languages.