Joyce DiDonato, American Mezzo-Soprano

Day 86: Joyce DiDonato

Katharine Lee Bates & Samuel A. Ward, Performed by Joyce DiDonato

Being in Nature and Being of Service are two of the most effective ways I know of to encounter a true sense of Peace. โ€œAmerican the Beautifulโ€, in particular with a seldom heard verse, captures the majesty and humility of both of these elements. I dedicate this rendition to everyone who has served their community selflessly for the hope of building peace and unity. And in particular, I dedicate it to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one who served tirelessly and with great mercy throughout her life.

PEACE BUILDER BIOGRAPHY

In all her endeavors, both on and off the stage, Joyce DiDonato engages audiences through her energy, imagination, and commitment to her art form. Through these qualities, and with a constantly questing spirit, she has nurtured the vocal, musical and dramatic talents that have taken her to the pinnacle of her profession as a performer. Equally, they serve her as an eloquent and formidable advocate for the transformative power of the arts as she takes music far beyond the worldโ€™s great stages โ€“ to educational institutions, refugee camps, and maximum-security prisons. โ€œMusic heals,โ€ she has said, โ€œand it can fire people up with purpose and courage to change the world.โ€

The winner of multiple Grammys and the 2018 Olivier Award, Kansas-born Joyce DiDonato is, in the words of the New Yorker, โ€œperhaps the most potent female singer of her generationโ€, her voice having been described by The Times as โ€œnothing less than 24-carat goldโ€. For all its beauty and agility, its true impact lies in Joyceโ€™s capacity to illuminate character and meaning through nuances of colour and phrasing and her unfailingly communicative way with the text.

Joyce DiDonatoโ€™s repertoire spans five centuries and through her operatic career she has grown from the mischievous or melancholy ingรฉnue (Rosina, Cendrillon, and Cenerentola) to tragic Queen (Maria Stuarda, Semiramide, and Didon), and from hormonal teenage boy (Cherubino and Sesto) to gallant medieval prince (Ariodante and Romeo). Her recent appearances include her stage debut as Didon in Berliozโ€™s epic Les Troyens in Vienna, a highly praised tour, recording, and stage debut as the title role in Handelโ€™s Agrippina: and concert performances of more Berlioz (Les Nuits dโ€™รฉtรฉ) with Sir Antonio Pappano and the National Youth Orchestra of the United States at the BBC Proms. Critically acclaimed recitals of Schubertโ€™s monumental Winterreise with Yannick Nรฉzet-Sรฉguin at the piano mark a true artistic arrival point. Over the past five years she has heightened audiencesโ€™ engagement with Baroque music through themed programmes of arias โ€“ โ€˜Drama Queensโ€™, โ€˜Stella di Napoliโ€™ and, especially, a 5-continent tour of โ€˜In War and Peaceโ€™, which she produced โ€œto steer conversation and discourse towards peace through the power of harmony found in music and the concert hallโ€. This project has reached over 2.3 million viewers globally.

DAILY PEACE ACTION

SING. Find your favorite patriotic hymn, your favorite spiritual, your favorite lullaby, your favorite cover hit – anything that speaks to your heart and makes you FEEL something. And sing it. Bonus points for singing it TO someone, or better yet – get them to sing with you. Even if itโ€™s in the privacy of your own shower: SING.

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