The word “masterpiece” appears often in my line of business, and while the majority of works I participate in unquestionably fall into that category, there still remains THE Masterpieces: those holy relics of unparalleled genius that have changed the course of the art form entirely. Winterreise is this singular, crowning achievement in song. And yet, as much as I have always loved {…}

So, that was 2016 … !  I’ve always loved looking back at a recently closed chapter in my life, analyzing it to learn what worked well (and what didn’t), appreciating it for what it was, and setting up my game plan for the next adventure.  While this past year has been an astonishing one for me in many ways, I {…}

The Style Almanac This past week, Cal Performances featured Grammy-winning Joyce DiDonato at UC Berkeley. The mezzo-soprano vocalist, who has been called, "the most potent female singer of her generation," by The New Yorker, collaborated with the Italian instrumental ensemble Il D'Oro. However, this wasn't an ordinary performance. In War and Peace - Harmony Through Music was created by Joyce DiDonato after the horrific attacks in {…}

"Ms. DiDonato sang the evening’s only work by a living composer, an aria from Jake Heggie’s recent opera “Great Scott.” Later, she and Ms. Barton brought sublime beauty to a tragic duet from Handel’s “Giulio Cesare.” Anthony Tommasini - The New York Times

It’s 16 November, 2015: I am seated at my father’s old piano in tranquil, uneventful Kansas City, Missouri, with a pile of 60 obscure Neapolitan arias. I’m researching music for my new album, music by composers such as Niccolò Jomelli and Leonardo Leo, who wrote in a post-classical, pre-bel canto world that is sorely underrepresented today on recordings and concert platforms. My task is {…}

Tonight is the opening of “I Capuleti e i Montecchi” here in Zurich. It is a role that I feel and love very deeply, and the opportunity to bring him to life, set to Bellini’s exquisitely well crafted vocal lines, fills me with tremendous gratitude. (I’ve written about my passion for him before.) It tells the familiar story of Romeo and {…}

“DiDonato, looking svelte in Romeo’s trousers, set the evening’s gold standard. From her first entrance, the mezzo’s vibrant, lustrous singing and keen dramatic presence created an indelibly anguished hero. DiDonato’s voice is a marvel — tender and expressive in Bellini’s long-breathed melodies, mercurial in the opera’s most intricate passagework — and her ornamentation is focused and flawless. Her Act I duet {…}