Joyce DiDonato | |
|---|---|
 DiDonato after a concert atWigmore Hall in December 2017 | |
| Born | Joyce Flaherty (1969-02-13)February 13, 1969 (age 57) Prairie Village, Kansas, United States |
| Alma mater | Wichita State University Academy of Vocal Arts |
| Occupations | Opera singer, recitalist (mezzo-soprano) |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouses | |
| Website | joycedidonato |
Joyce DiDonato (néeFlaherty; born February 13, 1969) is an American opera singer and recitalist. A coloraturamezzo-soprano,[1] she has performed operas and concert works spanning from the 19th-century Romantic era to those byHandel andMozart.
Educated atWichita State University and theAcademy of Vocal Arts, DiDonato began her career in mid-1990s, participating in young artist programs of several opera companies, most notablyHouston Grand Opera. Since then, she began having engagements across the United States and Europe. She made debuts atLa Scala in Rossini'sLa Cenerentola in the 2000/01 season,the Royal Opera inJanáček'sThe Cunning Little Vixen in 2003, and theMetropolitan Opera as Cherubino in Mozart'sThe Marriage of Figaro in the 2005/06 season. She has performed in world premieres of several operas, such asMichael Daugherty'sJackie O (1997),Mark Adamo'sLittle Women (1999/2000),Jake Heggie'sGreat Scott (2015), andKevin Puts'sThe Hours (2022).
DiDonato has won multiple awards including the 2012, 2016 and 2020Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo.
Joyce Flaherty was born inPrairie Village, Kansas in 1969, the sixth of seven children in an Irish-American family. Her father, Donald Martin Flaherty, was a self-employed architect who designed houses in the area; her mother, Kathleen Claire (McGlinchy) Flaherty, worked for the Gas Service Co. writing recipes in their test kitchen.[2] One of her sisters, Amy Hetherington, was a music teacher at St. Ann Catholic School, which Joyce and her siblings attended.[3] She later went toBishop Miege High School where she sang in musicals.[3] She enteredWichita State University (WSU) in 1988 to study vocal music education, because she was initially more interested in teaching high school vocal music andmusical theatre. She became interested in opera after seeing aPBS telecast ofDon Giovanni,[3] and then, in her junior year, when she was cast in a school production ofDie Fledermaus.
After graduating from WSU in spring 1992, DiDonato decided to pursue graduate studies in vocal performance at theAcademy of Vocal Arts.[4] Following her studies in Philadelphia, she was accepted in theSanta Fe Opera's Apprentice Singer program for the summer 1995 festival season, where she appeared in several minor roles and understudied for larger parts in such operas as Mozart'sThe Marriage of Figaro,Richard Strauss'Salome,Kálmán'sGräfin Mariza and the 1994 world premiere ofDavid Lang'sModern Painters. She was honored as one of several Outstanding Apprentice Artists by the Santa Fe Opera that year.[5]
She became a part ofHouston Grand Opera's young artist program in 1996; she sang there from autumn 1996 until spring 1998. During the summer of 1997, DiDonato participated inSan Francisco Opera'sMerola Opera Program.[6]
During her apprentice years, DiDonato competed in several vocal competitions. In 1996 she won second prize in the Eleanor McCollum Competition and was a district winner of theMetropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In 1997 she won aWilliam Matheus Sullivan Award, while in 1998 she won second prize in theOperalia Competition, first place in the Stewart Awards, won theGeorge London Competition, and received a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from theShoshana Foundation.[7]
In a 2016 interview with English mezzo-sopranoJanet Baker, DiDonato discussed that from age 26 to 29 (circa 1995–1998), she radically changed her vocal technique. "When a lot of my friends were getting covers at The Met and leading roles at [The New York] City Opera,… it wasn't coming together for me. And I stopped and I said, 'OK, let's revamp.' .... And I was really bad for about a year and a half, because my teacher was taking away all the mechanism that I was using to sing. And it was the best thing that could have happened."[8]
DiDonato began her professional career in the 1998/1999 season singing with several regional opera companies in the United States. She most notably appeared as the main heroine, Maslova, in the world premiere ofTod Machover'sResurrection withHouston Grand Opera.[9] She gave a recital in San Francisco that year as part of the Schwabacher recital series.
Also at Houston Grand Opera, she performed the role of Meg in the world premiere during the 1999/2000 season ofMark Adamo'sLittle Women withStephanie Novacek as Jo andChad Shelton as Laurie. That season, she also sang the role of Cherubino inThe Marriage of Figaro with theSanta Fe Opera and the role of Isabella inL'italiana in Algeri with the New Israeli Opera. She gave a recital at New York'sMorgan Library under the auspices of the George London Foundation and featured as a soloist in theSeattle Symphony production of Handel'sMessiah.[10]
DiDonato made her debut atLa Scala as Angelina in Rossini'sLa Cenerentola in the 2000/01 season, returned to Houston Grand Opera as Dorabella inCosì fan tutte, and sang the mezzo-soprano solos in BachMass in B minor with theEnsemble Orchestral de Paris and conductorJohn Nelson.[10]
The 2001/2002 season included debuts withWashington National Opera as Dorabella inCosì fan tutte, withDe Nederlandse Opera as Sesto in Handel'sGiulio Cesare, withOpéra National de Paris as Rosina inThe Barber of Seville, and withBavarian State Opera as Cherubino in under the baton ofZubin Mehta. Also, she returned to the Santa Fe Opera to perform the role of Annio inLa clemenza di Tito and made several concert appearances, including those withRiccardo Muti conducting the Orchestra ofLa Scala in Vivaldi'sGloria and the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris's presentation of Mendelssohn'sA Midsummer Night's Dream.[citation needed]
The 2002/03 season saw debuts with theNew York City Opera as Sister Helen inJake Heggie'sDead Man Walking, at theThéâtre du Châtelet in the title role ofLa Cenerentola, at theRoyal Opera House as Zlatohřbítek the fox inJanáček'sThe Cunning Little Vixen under SirJohn Eliot Gardiner, and with theNew National Theatre Tokyo as Rosina inThe Barber of Seville. It also saw performances of the title role in Rossini'sAdina at theRossini Opera Festival and Cherubino atOpéra Bastille.
In concert, she performed Mozart'sRequiem with theSeattle Symphony, Berlioz'sLes nuits d'été with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, and made herCarnegie Hall debut in a production of Bach'sMass in B Minor with theOrchestra of St. Luke's under the baton ofPeter Schreier. She toured Europe withMarc Minkowski andLes Musiciens du Louvre in performances ofLes nuits d'été.[11]
In the 2003/2004 season DiDonato made her debut atSan Francisco Opera as Rosina and then reprised the role at Houston Grand Opera. She performed Idamante in Mozart'sIdomeneo withDe Nederlandse Opera and at theAix-en-Provence Festival, and also sang the role of Ascanio in a concert performance of Berlioz'sBenvenuto Cellini with theOrchestre National de France. She made solo recital appearances at theLincoln Center in New York, theKennedy Center in Washington, Kansas City'sFolly Theater, andWigmore Hall in London, among others. She sang at theHollywood Bowl in a production of Beethoven'sSymphony No. 9 with theLos Angeles Philharmonic.[11]
She gave her first performances in Donizetti'sMaria Stuarda as the role of Elisabetta at theGrand Théâtre de Genève during the 2004/2005 season. Also, she returned to La Scala as Angelina in Rossini'sLa Cenerentola and once again played Rosina in a new production ofThe Barber of Seville byLuca Ronconi at the Pesaro Festival and theTeatro Comunale di Bologna.[10]
During the 2005/06 season, she made herMetropolitan Opera debut as Cherubino inThe Marriage of Figaro and also played Stéphano in Gounod'sRoméo et Juliette there. She returned to theRoyal Opera House as Rosina inThe Barber of Seville, sang her first Sesto in Mozart'sLa clemenza di Tito at Grand Théâtre de Genève, and sang the role of Dejanira in Handel'sHercules at theBrooklyn Academy of Music in New York and theBarbican Centre withWilliam Christie. She appeared in several concerts with theNew York Philharmonic and gave a recital at Wigmore Hall. She closed theSanta Fe Opera's 50th anniversary season in the title role of Massenet'sCendrillon.[10]
DiDonato debuted at theTeatro Real as the composer inAriadne auf Naxos in the 2006/07 season, and returned to the Paris Opera as Idamante in Mozart'sIdomeneo and toHouston Grand Opera as Angelina inLa Cenerentola. She sang Rosina inThe Barber of Seville at the Metropolitan Opera and sang her first Octavian inDer Rosenkavalier with the San Francisco Opera in addition to an extensive recital tour through the United States and Europe accompanied byJulius Drake.[12]
Her 2007/08 season appearances included her debut at theLiceu as Angelina inLa Cenerentola and at theLyric Opera of Chicago as Rosina. She sang the title role in Handel'sAlcina withAlan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco and the title role in Handel'sAriodante at theGrand Théâtre de Genève. She also sang Roméo in Bellini'sI Capuleti e i Montecchi at theOpéra Bastille and returned to Teatro Real as Idamante inIdomeneo in July 2008. She gave recitals atLa Scala,Lincoln Center, and theBrooklyn Academy of Music, and performed a special concert of Handel arias which was recorded in Brussels.[13]
In the 2008/2009 season, DiDonato returned toRoyal Opera House as Donna Elvira inDon Giovanni. In a performance as Rosina at the same house on July 7, she slipped onstage and broke her rightfibula, hopping in the first act and spending the rest on crutches. She then carried out the five remaining performances in a wheelchair.[14] She performed the roles of Beatrice in Berlioz'sBéatrice et Bénédict atHouston Grand Opera, Idamante in Mozart'sIdomeneo with Opéra National de Paris, and Rosina in her debut atVienna State Opera.[citation needed]
She also appeared in concerts with the New York Philharmonic,Kansas City Symphony, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the latter of which under the baton ofJames Levine. She toured Europe and the United States withLes Talens Lyriques, giving concerts of Handel arias, including performances atWigmore Hall and theRossini Opera Festival.[15]
She sang the role of Isolier in Rossini'sLe comte Ory at the Metropolitan Opera in April 2011. In April 2012, she sang the title role in Donizetti'sMaria Stuarda at theHouston Grand Opera,[16] repeating the role in the work's premiere performances at the Metropolitan Opera in January 2013. In the spring of 2013, she starred in a new production ofLa donna del lago at theRoyal Opera House.[17] A new production was mounted by theSanta Fe Opera during its 2013 festival season, also starring DiDonato withLawrence Brownlee as Uberto.[18] For the first time in its 57-year history, the Santa Fe Opera added an extra performance ofLa donna del lago due to unprecedented ticket demand.[19]
On September 7, 2013 she performed at theLast Night of the Proms, singing arias by Massenet ("Je suis gris! je suis ivre!"), Handel ("Ombra mai fu"), and Rossini ("Tanti affetti in tal momento!") as well as "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the musicalCarousel, "Over the Rainbow" from theWizard of Oz as a bow to her home State of Kansas, and "Danny Boy"; she then led the audience into the traditional "Rule, Britannia!".[20] On September 21, 2013, she sang the role of Romeo as theLyric Opera of Kansas City opened its season with Bellini'sI Capuleti e i Montecchi.[21]
In January 2014, DiDonato was named a "Perspectives" artist for the duration of Carnegie Hall's 2014/2015 season. During that time her performance collaborators includeThe English Concert conducted byHarry Bicket, her accompanist David Zobel, theBrentano String Quartet, and thePhiladelphia Orchestra conducted byMaurizio Benini.[22]
She performed in Rossini'sLa Cenerentola, as the title role at the Metropolitan Opera in April and May.[23][24]
In early September 2014, she opened theWigmore Hall's 2014/15 season with two concerts and withAntonio Pappano at the piano. The programme included works byHaydn,Rossini, Santoliquido and songs from theGreat American Songbook. A live recording was released in 2015 asJoyce and Tony: Live at Wigmore Hall, which won Best Classical Vocal Solo Album in the 2016 Grammy Award.[25]
In late September 2014, DiDonato opened theBarbican Centre's 2014/15 classical season with a concert entitled "Stella di Napoli"[26] with the Orchestre et Choeur de l'Opéra de Lyon conducted byRiccardo Minasi. This was the first concert of five events for Joyce DiDonato in theBarbican's Artist Spotlight series. The remaining four events were three concerts:
In 2015, she began giving masterclasses annually atCarnegie Hall, more specifically, at the Weill Music Institute.[32] This is a three-day program where several aspiring singers (usually college students) study with her personally over three days, to receive important feedback regarding their performance and vocal abilities.
In November 2016, she released an album entitledIn War & Peace: Harmony through Music, a project conceived in response to theNovember 2015 Paris attacks.[33][34] She collaborated withMaxim Emelyanychev andIl Pomo d'Oro in a series of concert recitals imbued with choreography and theatrical effects. They subsequently toured the program through Europe and the United States.[35] The project, which lasted for three years, also toured to Russia, Asia, and South America; the 4 June 2017 performance at theLiceu was filmed and later released on DVD. The last performances in November 2019 staged at theKennedy Center, Washington D.C., was followed by a conversation withDonna Leon and JusticeRuth Bader Ginsburg.[36]
On December 31, 2017, she was featured in aNew Year's Eve Concert at theBerlin Philharmonic.
In 2019, she released her albumSongplay, which mixes jazz, Latin, and tango rhythms into arrangements of Italian Baroque arias, jazz standards, and picks from the Great American Songbook. After a well-acclaimed album release, she then went on to do a national tour, after the album was released between February 18 and March 10, 2019.[37] This album received a 2020 Grammy Award – DiDonato's third.[38]
DiDonato acted and sang in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Handel'sAgrippina in 2020, in the title role of Agrippina.[39] She portrayedVirginia Woolf in the Metropolitan Opera's world stage premiere ofKevin Puts's operaThe Hours in November 2022.[40] On her debut tour of Australia in 2025 she sang Berlioz'sLes Nuits d'été with theTasmanian Symphony Orchestra in Hobart and with theMelbourne Symphony Orchestra inHamer Hall, and she gave amaster class.[41]
Joyce Flaherty married Alex DiDonato at 21. They divorced after being together for 14 years.[42] She met Italian conductor Leonardo Vordoni at theRossini Opera Festival in 2003 and fell inlove at first sight. They married in August 2006 atLas Vegas' Venetian Hotel in agondola during performances ofCendrillon at theSanta Fe Opera and shared a home inKansas City, Kansas.[43][1] Their marriage ended in 2013.[3] DiDonato currently lives near Barcelona.[44]
@ Indicates a world premiere
