Press Release October 28, 2019
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents
Joyce DiDonato In War & Peace as part of the Renée Fleming VOICES series Friday, November 8, 2019 and Saturday, November 9, 2019 at 8 p.m. Eisenhower Theater
Superstar mezzo-soprano gives the final performances of her powerful tour
Finding Peace: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Joyce DiDonato in conversation Sunday, November 10, at 11 a.m. in the Justice Forum
(WASHINGTON)—The 2019–2020 Renée Fleming VOICES series continues with multi- Grammy® award-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato on Friday, November 8, 2019 and Saturday, November 9, 2019 at 8 p.m. in the Eisenhower Theater. DiDonato will present a fully- staged performance of her album In War & Peace: Harmony through Music. Partnering with long- time collaborator and prize-winning orchestra Il Pomo d’oro under the skilled baton of Maxim Emelyanychev, DiDonato explores the extremes of human nature in the search for peace through songs.
After the terror attacks in Paris in 2015, DiDonato felt the need to respond to the world around her with programs that would bring comfort to herself and her audiences. In War & Peace is a glimpse into a musical journey—from chaos into peace. With songs and repertoire from Handel and Purcell, among other great masters of Baroque and Classical era vocal works, DiDonato invites audiences to look at the interwoven worlds of external conflict and serenity, internal war and peace.
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“Ever since I saw In War and Peace in London I have wanted to share this remarkable piece with Kennedy Center audiences. It’s timely, uniquely creative, and beautiful. Above all, it shows Joyce’s humanity and her heartfelt commitment to using her vocal artistry to effect social change,” says Kennedy Center Artistic Advisor-at-Large Renée Fleming. “That it’s combined with the authentic accompaniment of Baroque ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro makes it all the more theatrical. Joyce knows how to make the music of centuries past seem as if it were just created.”
DiDonato is a multi-Grammy Award® winner and 2018 Olivier Award winner for Outstanding Achievement in Opera. DiDonato has been proclaimed “perhaps the most potent female singer of her generation” by the New Yorker. With a voice “nothing less than 24-carat gold” according to the Times, she has soared to the top of the industry both as a performer and a fierce advocate for the arts, gaining international prominence in operas by Handel and Mozart, as well as through her wide-ranging, acclaimed discography. She is also widely acclaimed for the bel canto roles of Rossini and Donizetti. Her solo albums include In War & Peace which won the 2017 Best Recital Gramophone Award, Stella di Napoli, and the Grammy Award-winning Diva, Divo and Drama Queens. Erato/Warner Classics released two new albums in the 2019 season, Songplay and Into the Fire.
Maxim Emelyanychev, music director/harpsichord Ralf Pleger, stage director Henning Blum, lighting designer Yousef Iskandar, video designer
Complementing DiDonato’s performances is a thoughtful conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Joyce DiDonato on Sunday, November 10 at 11 a.m. in the Justice Forum at the REACH. Joined by celebrated author Donna Leon, the discussion will explore the role of music in finding peace. Tickets for this event are free to the public and will be distributed on a first-come, first served basis.
The Renée Fleming VOICES series includes performances by outstanding artists from a wide range of genres including Broadway, jazz, pop, and opera. The 2019–2020 season continues with Norm Lewis (Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 8 p.m.), and René Marie (Saturday, April 18, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.). 2
TICKET INFORMATION Tickets ($39-$79) are available from the Kennedy Center Box Office, online at www.kennedy-center.org, and by calling (202) 467-4600. To purchase a subscription for the Renée Fleming VOICES series, patrons should visit the Box Office, call the Subscription Office at (202) 416-8500, or go to www.kennedy- center.org/subscribe. Groups of 20 or more may contact the Kennedy Center Group Sales office at (202) 416-8400.
ABOUT JOYCE DIDONATO
ABOUT RENÉE FLEMING VOICES Renée Fleming VOICES is a concert series at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Curated by legendary soprano Renée Fleming, the VOICES series heralds the extraordinary power and vitality of the human voice across a wide range of genres. Distinguished artists from Broadway, jazz, pop, and opera stages have appeared on the series, including Jamie Barton, Lawrence Brownlee, Billy Childs, Alan Cumming, Rinde Eckert, Cynthia Erivo, Megan Hilty, Ute Lemper, Meow, Patina Miller, Jane Monheit, and Gregory Porter, among others.
“The range of human vocal expression is virtually limitless—there are as many kinds of voices as there are kinds of people. My goal for this series at the Kennedy Center is to celebrate the best singing in styles that may be familiar, and also to expose audiences to types of vocal music that might be totally new to them,” says Fleming. “From the classical song recital, to cabaret, bluegrass, rap, and world music, the common thread will be vocalism of exceptional quality or innovation, representing a diverse range of styles.”
For more information, go to http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/series/rfv
ABOUT THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is America’s living memorial to President Kennedy. Under the guidance of Chairman David M. Rubenstein and President Deborah F. Rutter, the nine theaters and stages of the nation’s busiest performing arts facility attract more than three million visitors to more than 2,000 performances each year, while Center-related touring productions, television, and radio broadcasts reach 40 million more around the world.
The Center produces and presents performances of music, dance, comedy, and theater; supports artists in the creation of new work; and serves the nation as a leader in arts education. With its artistic affiliates, the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, the Center has produced more than 300 theatrical productions and dozens of new ballets, operas, and musical works, in addition to hosting numerous international cultural festivals. The Center’s Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning The Kennedy Center Honors is broadcast annually on CBS and annual The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is broadcast on PBS.
The education programs of the Kennedy Center, including those of its affiliate VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, have become models for communities across the country and have unlocked the door to learning for millions of young people. Education at the Kennedy Center produces and presents age appropriate performances and educational events, and fosters innovative programming, curriculum, and professional development for students, teachers, and families.
The Center and its affiliates stage more than 400 free performances by artists from throughout the world each year on the Center’s main stages, and every day of the year at 6 p.m. on its Millennium Stages, which are also streamed live, online. The Center also offers reduced and complimentary tickets to young people, active members of the military, and the underserved through its MyTix program and offers a Specially Priced Tickets program for students, seniors, persons with disabilities, and others with fixed low incomes.
To learn more about the Kennedy Center, please visit kennedy-center.org.
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Funding Credits Support for Renée Fleming VOICES is provided by the Buffy and William Cafritz Family Foundation.
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PRESS CONTACT TICKETS & INFORMATION Chanel Williams (202) 467-4600; (800) 444-1324 (202) 416-8447 www.kennedy-center.org/ [email protected]
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