Honored with titles like ‘Gramophone Artist of Year,’ mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato has assumed regal status within the opera world. For her May 8 show at Shanghai Grand Theatre, the Grammy Award winner will perform a program of 17th and 18th century arias fit for royalty.
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It’s difficult for me to think about it at this point, as I’m still completely immersed in the experience itself. The opportunities I’ve had have far exceeded my dreams and expectations, so I am fully enjoying every step of this remarkable journey!
It’s said that you used to dream about becoming a pop singer. Who inspired that?
I loved Billy Joel, because he was also a pianist and composer. Barbra Streisand and Whitney Houston, however, were the divas that I wanted to be!
When did you discover your interest in opera?
I found opera from the inside by taking classical voice lessons. I loved choral music and American musicals, but it took me a while to understand the complexity of opera. Once I did, my entire world view changed.
What were the biggest challenges along the way before achieving success?
It takes years and years of continued study and development through incredible dedication and discipline to start in the opera field. As singers, we are expected to master an instrument - the voice, our bodies, a multitude of languages, the stage, and master the human condition: any one of those would take a lifetime of study, but you combine all the skills and you can understand why singing opera is such a complex beast!
What’s the secret to mastering a wide spectrum of roles?
I rely entirely on the composer and the librettist. The composer tells me so much through the harmonic choices, meter, intervals and melody. The text is the starting point for understanding the complex psychology of the character. I try to stay very true to those two elements, marrying them in as seamless a fashion as possible, and then simply stay present on the stage – listening, reacting and soaring above the orchestra!
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Do you agree with the trend of adding modern touches to classic operas?
It’s a very worthwhile option and I’ve taken part in many interesting “modern” stagings. But I also think it’s fascinating to look at things in the historical context in which they were created. A great director will do their best to reach audiences while being true to the piece. My single criterion is to deeply and truthfully tell the story the composer and librettist has given us. Through imagination, that can take on a variety of forms.
Do you find that opera has been marginalized?
I do think the term ‘opera’ has lost some of its allure recently, but I equate this with what’s happening to fine art generally. The pop world rules in 2015, but when I take opera into schools, the students love it and are fascinated. I’d like to see my industry courageously and proudly dare to take opera into new and unexpected places.
What’s your expectation for your Shanghai performance?
I am thrilled and deeply honored to be invited to sing in Shanghai! I hope that the public will have a memorable and very emotional encounter with this program of highly charged Baroque music! It is a real honor for me to bring this program to Shanghai, and I'm quite sure it will be an experience I can never forget!
// May 8, 7.30pm, RMB80-880. Shanghai Grand Theatre, tickets.
*******WIN!!!**********
We have a pair of tickets to give away. For your chance to win, e-mail win@urbanatomy.com with the subject ‘Joyce DiDonato’ by May 6.
Image by Josef Fischnaller
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