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Denyce Graves
- Biographical Sketch -
DENYCE
GRAVES
Recognized worldwide as one of today's most exciting vocal
stars, Denyce Graves continues to gather unparalleled
popular and critical acclaim in performances on four
continents.
USA Today
identified her as one of the "singers most likely to be an
operatic superstar of the 21st Century," and after a recent
performance in Atlanta, the
Journal-Constitution
exclaimed, "if the human voice has the power to move you,
you will be touched by Denyce Graves."
Her career has taken her to the world's great opera houses
and concert halls. The combination of her expressive, rich
vocalism, elegant stage presence, and exciting theatrical
abilities allows her to pursue a wide breadth of operatic
portrayals as well as delight audiences in concert and
recital appearances. Denyce Graves has become particularly
well-known to operatic audiences for her portrayals of the
title roles in
Carmen
and
Samson et Dalila.
These signature roles have brought
Ms. Graves to the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna Staatsoper,
Royal Opera - Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Opéra
National de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Washington
Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Arena di Verona, Deutsche
Oper Berlin, Opernhaus Zürich, Teatro Real in Madrid,
Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Teatro Colón in Buenos
Aires, Los Angeles Opera, and the Festival Maggio Musicale
in Florence.
Denyce Graves made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in
the 1995-96 season in the title role of
Carmen.
She returned the following season to lead the new Franco
Zeffirelli production of this work, conducted by James
Levine, and she sang the opening night performance of the
Metropolitan Opera's 1997-98 season as Carmen opposite
Plácido Domingo. She was seen again that season as Bizet's
gypsy on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera for Domingo's
30th Anniversary Gala, and she made her debut in Japan as
Carmen, opposite the Don José of Roberto Alagna. Ms. Graves
appeared in a new production of
Samson et Dalila
opposite Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera, and she was
partnered again with Domingo in the 1999 season-opening
performances of this work for Los Angeles Opera. She was
seen as Saint-Saëns’ seductress with Royal Opera, Covent
Garden and The Washington Opera, both opposite José Cura -
the latter under the baton of Maestro Domingo, as well as
with Houston Grand Opera. Her debut in this signature role
came in 1992 with the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia
Festival under the direction of James Levine and opposite
Mr. Domingo and Sherrill Milnes, and she made a return
engagement to the Festival in this same role in
1997.
Ms. Graves appears continually in a broad range of
repertoire with leading theaters in North America and
Europe. She recently sang her first performances of Judith
in a William Friedkin production of Bartok’s
Bluebeard’s Castle
in her return to Los Angeles Opera. Highlights of the
mezzo-soprano’s other recent appearances include her first
performances of the title role in
La Périchole
with the Opera Company of Philadelphia; a rare double-bill
of
El amor brujo
and
La vida breve
specifically mounted for her by Dallas Opera; Federica in
the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of
Luisa Miller,
led by James Levine; and Nicklausse in
Les contes d’Hoffmann
with The Washington Opera. Ms. Graves’ debut with the
Théâtre Musical de Paris – Chatelet was as Baba the Turk in
a Peter Sellars/Esa-Pekka Salonen production of
The Rake's Progress,
and she returned to Covent Garden as Cuniza in
Verdi's
Oberto
after her debut performances as Carmen. Her debut at Teatro
alla Scala was as the High Priestess in
La vestale
led by Riccardo Muti, and she soon returned as Giulietta in
a new production of
Les contes d'Hoffmann
and as Mère Marie in the Robert Carsen production of
Les dialogues des Carmélites.
Her first performances as Dulcinée in Massenet's
Don Quichotte
were with The Washington Opera. She appeared at Teatro
Bellini in Catania in the title role of
La favorita,
and audiences in Genoa saw her first performances of
Charlotte in
Werther
soon after her debut there as Carmen. In 1999 Ms. Graves
repeated the role of Charlotte for Michigan Opera Theatre
opposite the Werther of Andrea Bocelli in his first staged
operatic performances. Her debut in Austria came as Carmen
with the Vienna Staatsoper, and she has also been seen in
this role with Grand Théâtre de Genève, Genoa’s Teatro
Carlo Felice, the Bregenz Festival, and festivals in
Macerata, Italy and San Sebastian, Spain. Ms. Graves gave
her first performances of Adalgisa in
Norma
for Opernhaus Zürich. In the 1999-2000 season, Denyce
Graves gave her first performances as Amneris in
Aida
with Cincinnati Opera.
Denyce Graves has worked with leading symphony orchestras
and conductors throughout the world in a wide range of
repertoire. She has performed with Riccardo Chailly,
Myung-Whun Chung, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach,
James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur,
Riccardo Muti, and Mstislav Rostropovich. Ms. Graves has
appeared in Verdi's
Messa di Requiem
with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestre Philharmonique de
Monte-Carlo, as well as for Rostropovich's farewell
performances with the National Symphony. She performed
Mahler's
Kindertotenlieder
with Orquesta Sinfonica de Sevilla, and repeated this work
in concert engagements in Genoa and with the Kansas City
Symphony. Mahler's
Eighth Symphony
was the vehicle of her debut with the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra, and she traveled to Rio de Janeiro for
Verdi's
Requiem
as well as
Concert for Planet Earth,
a gala performance celebrating the United Nation's Summit
on the Environment. This concert was broadcast live around
the world, and has been released on Sony video and audio
recordings. Her debut with the BBC Symphony was in 2002 in
a program of arias and songs under the baton of Gianandrea
Noseda. She appeared as Marguerite in concert performances
of
La damnation de Faust
with the Houston Symphony, led by Christoph Eschenbach, as
well as with the Orchester der Beethovenhalle in Bonn. Her
first performances of Mussorgsky's
Songs and Dances of Death
were with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and she returned to
the Ravinia Festival to perform Rossini's
Stabat Mater
with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of
Riccardo Chailly. In Italy, she returned to the Teatro
Carlo Felice in Genoa for Chausson's
Poème de l'amour et de la mer,
and she was seen in a program of Ravel's
Shéhérazade
and Gershwin works at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, where
she also performed the title role in Honegger's
Antigone.
In Florence, she appeared in performances of
Handel's
Messiah
with Zubin Mehta.
One of the music world's most sought-after recitalists, Ms.
Graves combines her expressive vocalism and exceptional
gifts for communication with her dynamic stage presence,
enriching audiences around the world. Her programs include
classical repertoire of German
Lieder,
French
mélodie,
and English art song, as well as the popular music of
Broadway musicals, crossover and jazz together with
American spirituals. For her New York recital debut,
The New York Times
wrote, "[h]er voice is dusky and earthy. She is a
strikingly attractive stage presence and a communicative
artist who had the audience with her through four encores."
In the 1997-98 season, Denyce Graves completed her first
solo recital tour with critically acclaimed performances
throughout North America. Since the success of her tour,
she has planned extensive recital tours through the 2005-06
season.
In 2001 Ms. Graves gave a series of appearances in response
to the tragic events in New York City, Washington, D.C.,
and Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.
Ms. Graves was invited by President Bush to participate in
the National Prayer Service in Washington's National
Cathedral in which she sang ‘America, the Beautiful’ and
‘The Lord’s Prayer.’ This event was televised worldwide and
was followed by Ms. Graves' appearance on
The Oprah Winfrey Show
in a live musical program of 'Healing through Gospel
Music.' Ms. Graves has since participated in numerous other
benefit concerts, and RCA Records released a recording of
patriotic songs by Denyce Graves, the proceeds of which
benefit various groups who have been affected by the events
of September 11.
Ms.
Graves appears regularly on radio and television as a
musical performer, celebrity guest, and as the subject of
documentaries and other special programming. Her weekly
show on XM Radio, a nation-wide satellite network, is
titled “Voce di donna.” The program includes music and
interviews with people in the world of music, including
other singers, producers, presenters, and managers. In 1997
PBS Productions released a video and audio recording
titled,
Denyce Graves: A Cathedral
Christmas,
featuring Ms. Graves in a program of Christmas music from
Washington's National Cathedral. This celebration of music
including chorus and orchestra is shown each year on PBS
during the Christmas season. She was seen on the Emmy-award
winning BBC special "The Royal Opera House," highlighting
Ms. Graves' debut performances there, and in a program of
crossover repertoire with the Boston Pops, which was taped
for national television broadcast. In December 1999 Ms.
Graves participated in a concert given at the Nobel Peace
Prize Awards in Oslo, Norway which was televised throughout
Europe. As the only classical music artist to be invited
for this event, she performed selections from her RCA Red
Seal release alongside performances by Sting, Paul Simon,
Tina Turner and others. She has been a frequent guest on
television shows including
Sesame Street,
The Charlie Rose Show,
and
Larry King Live.
In 1996 she was the subject of an Emmy-award winning
profile on CBS's
60 Minutes.
In 1999 Denyce Graves began a relationship with BMG
Classics/RCA Red Seal. That same year
Voce di Donna,
a solo recording of opera arias, was released on RCA Red
Seal. Denyce Graves’ most recent RCA recording,
The Lost Days,
a recording with jazz musicians of Latin songs in the
Spanish and Portuguese languages, was released in January
2003. In June 2003
Church
was released. This recording, developed by Denyce Graves,
brings together African-American divas from various forms
of music, all of whom were first exposed to music through
their upbringing in church. Participants recorded music of
their choice and include Dr. Maya Angelou, Dionne Warwick,
En Vogue, Patti LaBelle, and others. Other recordings of
Ms. Graves include NPR Classics' release of a recording of
spirituals,
Angels watching over me,
featuring the mezzo-soprano in performance with her
frequent partner, Warren Jones and an album of French
arias,
Héroïnes de l'Opéra romantique
Français,
with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo under Marc
Soustrot. Her full opera recordings include Gran Vestale
in
La vestale,
recorded live from La Scala with Riccardo Muti for Sony
Classical; Queen Gertrude in Thomas'
Hamlet
for EMI Classics; Maddalena in
Rigoletto
with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under James Levine;
and Emilia in
Otello
with Plácido Domingo and the Opéra de Paris, Bastille
Orchestra under Myung-Whun Chung, both for Deutsche
Grammophon.
Denyce Graves begins the 2004-05 season with her return to
the Bayerische Staatsoper in performances of the title role
in
Carmen.
The mezzo-soprano then returns to The Washington Opera for
her first performances as Azucena in
Il trovatore.
Ms. Graves appears throughout the United States in concert
and recital appearances before returning to Europe for
performances in Philip Glass’s
Symphony No. 5
with the Bayerische Rundfunk. Audiences at the Metropolitan
Opera see Denyce Graves in her reprisal of the role of
Dalila, and she later continues her U.S. concert and
recital tour. Ms. Graves ends her season with the creation
of the title role in
Magaret Garner,
an opera by Richard Danielpour written specifically for her
and to be performed with Michigan Opera Theater and
Cincinnati Opera.
In 2003 Denyce Graves was appointed as a Cultural
Ambassador for the United States, and she now travels
around the world under the auspices of the State Department
appearing in good-will missions of musical performances,
lectures, and seminars. Her first trips in 2003 brought her
to Poland, Romania, and Venezuela. Ms. Graves has been the
recipient of many awards, including the Grand Prix du
Concours International de Chant de Paris, the Eleanor
Steber Music Award in the Opera Columbus Vocal Competition,
and a Jacobson Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Music
Foundation. In 1991, she received the Grand Prix Lyrique,
awarded once every three years by the Association des amis
de l'opéra de Monte-Carlo, and the Marian Anderson Award,
presented to her by Miss Anderson.
Denyce Graves is a native of Washington, D.C., where she
attended the Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts.
She continued her education at Oberlin College Conservatory
of Music and the New England Conservatory. In 1998, Ms.
Graves received an honorary doctorate from Oberlin College
Conservatory of Music. She was named one of the "50 Leaders
of Tomorrow" by
Ebony Magazine
and was one of
Glamour Magazine's
1997 "Women of the Year." In 1999 WQXR Radio in New York
named her as one of classical music's "Standard Bearers for
the 21st Century." Denyce Graves has been invited on
several occasions to perform in recital at The White House,
and she provides many benefit performances for various
causes special to her throughout each
season.
Biographical information courtesy of Ms.
Graves.