Joyce DiDonato as Rosina in the Lyric Opera of Chicago production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia
My favorite singer, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is the phenomenally talented mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. I cannot say enough about her voice. Her singing is technically superior, emotionally charged, and so overwhelmingly powerful that listening to her CDs on the street I can’t help but smile. She is, in my opinion, the best singer performing today, and will be the best living singer until she dies (or until her clone begins singing). I can’t get over her. She is just … her singing is what I want my singing to be. I don’t think I can say more than that without repeating myself. She’s amazing.
That said, I found out about two months ago that she’ll be making her Chicago recital debut as a part of the University of Chicago Presents program in Hyde Park on February 18, 2011. The recital will feature all sorts of music that suits DiDonato’s voice as though it were written just for her: Rossini, Leoncavallo, Chiara, Haydn, and more.
(AS IF you needed another reason to love her, the woman sings like this FROM A WHEELCHAIR!)
The venue is a lovely recital hall on the campus of the University of Chicago in Hyde Park, and the audience is sure to be treated to an amazing night of singing that fiercely outstrips everything else happening in the city that evening. The recital is even (thoughtfully) scheduled on an evening when the Lyric Opera presents a 2:00PM matinée, allowing for maximum exposure.
Long and short, I’m devastated that this recital occurs only one week before the second opera of the Illinois Opera Theatre season opens here in Urbana, and I will thus be in rehearsal from 3PM-10PM that afternoon/evening.
PLEASE, if you are in Chicago or the suburbs, or will be on the evening of February 18, 2011, or have the ability to find yourself there that night, GO TO THIS RECITAL. There is no way you will regret it. And, if you’re lucky enough to be a student, flash your ID to get access to world-class, Gramophone artist-of-the-year, Grammy-nominated singing for only FIVE DOLLARS.
Joyce DiDonato singing at Baden Baden
You will never find a better deal in your life. And I will be eternally jealous of you. And you know what? I bet you can meet her. I think I just had a heart palpatation THINKING about meeting this woman. This has reached the point where I need to stop writing about it and just listen to the rest of the CD I have playing as I write this (hers, naturally Colbran, The Muse [2010]).
BUT. This makes me even more excited for that glorious day when I finally have the privilege of listening to this woman coloratura her way through an evening live.
Pertinent info:
Joyce DiDonato in recital
University of Chicago Presents
February 18, 2011
7:30 PM
$35/$5 students
PS Follow Joyce on Twitter (twitter.com/joycedidonato) and check out her YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/TheYankeediva). And, of course, her actual website (www.joycedidonato.com). One of the most accessible artists around! Brava once more!
