Grammy Award Winning Artist Joyce DiDonato On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

An Interview With Eden Gold

Keep your sense of humor. Opera loves to take itself incredibly seriously. I get it: we’re singing about life and death, passion and jealousy and despair! All worthy endeavors, but if we take ourselves too seriously, it’s a grueling existence! I pride myself on working incredibly hard, but never taking myself too seriously!

As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Joyce DiDonato.

Grammy Award Winning artist Joyce DiDonato entrances audiences across the globe. The iconic mezzo-soprano has been proclaimed “perhaps the most potent female singer of her generation” by The New Yorker. Joyce is at the top of the industry as a performer, a producer, and a fierce advocate for the arts. Joyce is currently on a worldwide tour to promote her latest project, EDEN — a captivating blend of music, movement, and theater. Hailed as “groundbreaking,” EDEN brings audiences closer to the wonder and majesty of nature, and the deep sense of peace and harmony it can instill within us. Notably, EDEN received a 2023 GRAMMY Nomination for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album, further affirming its global acclaim.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I had a quite typical midwestern upbringing as the 6th of 7 kids in an Irish Catholic family where I dreamt of being a back-up singer for Billy Joel and was certain I’d be a high school choir teacher. The cool kind, obviously. But the world of opera, international travel and encounters beyond my wildest imagination weren’t at all on my radar screen. I was the perfect student who never quite dared to give voice to the rebel that was lurking inside!

What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and how did your journey begin?

Our very full household was a wildly divergent music scene unto itself: my older sisters played classical piano, my older brother was chilling out to Deep Purple in the basement, another sister was blasting Jesus Christ Superstar upstairs, Bach was quietly pulsing in my dad’s office, and Sunday night meant cocktails and big band for my parents. So music really was my first language and to this day I simply can’t imagine life without it. I can trace my journey from standing on the stage at the Metropolitan Opera directly back to my high school choir days in a very direct and obviously path.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

It was opening night of a highly anticipated new production of “The Barber of Seville” at the Royal Opera House in London. I had just finished my huge opening aria, “Una Voce Poco Fa”, and received a giant ovation from the public, and on my next cross across the stage, my shoe got caught in the set and I fell breaking my leg! However, at the time I didn’t know it was officially broken, and so I carried on with a cane. In the ER later that night it was confirmed that it was broken, and so I opted to finish the rest of the run in a wheelchair, with a fabulous pink cast that matched the costume perfectly!

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

It was the first week of high school. I had been working all summer to prepare my audition for the high school musical and I was ready to take the school by storm. My dad dropped me off in the evening and as I opened the door, trembling, to the school library where auditions were being held, what I saw terrified me to my core. One thing I obviously missed in the prep work for my very first audition ever: one doesn’t arrive in costume. Yes. My first week as a high schooler and I showed up as Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady. But not “pretty” Eiza singing “I could have danced all night.” Nope. I was singing grungy “flower maiden” Eliza dressed in my mom’s frilly apron and floppy garden hat. My first thought was “doesn’t anyone here take this seriously?” I was 13. I suppose it was a mistake, but truth be told — I stand by my commitment and I do think that level of involvement has become a signature part of my performances. Viva Eliza!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I have been incredibly fortunate for great guidance along the way, however I was never an obvious star. I was the reliable understudy. So I had to seek out my own opportunities and fight for things at each step. Funnily enough, perhaps the most helpful person was a judge who told me, point blank, that he didn’t think I had “much to offer as an artist”. I was 28, and this absolutely devastated me at the time. However, as I really examined his feedback, I realized in time that he was absolutely correct. As young opera singers, much of our training centers on turning young artists into perfect replicas of past singers: “THIS is the way it is done.” And because it is such a demanding and exacting art form, we can easily cage ourselves into a soulless search for perfection. I stood on the stage in that competition as a kind of puppet, doing everything “right”. And yet, I wasn’t saying anything. I was reproducing what I thought was expected of me. I decided at that moment always to bring my entire self on to the stage, regardless of expectation or outcome.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I’m currently wrapping up a 3-year project I’ve produced called “EDEN”. By the end of the summer, it will have traveled to over 50 cities on 4 continents bringing a message of connection and awareness to our extraordinary planet, celebrating the beauty and majesty of Mother Nature through 4 centuries of music. It has been the most significant project of my career as it marries my passion for the stage with my mission of education. In each city we perform, I invited a local children’s choir to participate in workshops focused on a local environmental issue (sustainability, clean water, etc) and then to join me on stage to sing a piece written by kids in our first workshop in London 4 years ago, “Seeds of Hope”. I’ve had over 3000 children participate in this incredible venture, and to witness their sense of empowerment as they use their voices in the great concert halls of the world to huge audiences has filled me with tremendous hope and a renewed sense of the NECESSITY of music in children’s lives. We’re failing kids in epic proportions by depriving them of arts in schools. We simply must do better.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

The arts have a unique and singular ability to awaken empathy in people. Through stories, music, dance we can see through the eyes of another human being — mercifully pulling us out of our own ego-driven existence where we completely disconnect and separate from others around us. When we are cut off from “others”, fear tends to drive lives. The moment we can witness the struggle, the challenge, the beauty of another’s life, we find all areas of intersection and commonality and fear can then subside. We are given the chance to connect. To engage. Perhaps even to love.

There is an incredibly powerful, mysterious and humbling thing that can happen in a live performance: every once in awhile there is a collective, highly-charged silence that emerges in deeply felt music. It is a moment where time seems to stand still, breath is suspended, and collectively, the audience who entered the hall as complete strangers enters into a kind of communal bliss. It is the moment a common humanity is in total accord and we are instantly — if fleetingly — reminded that we can exist in harmony and bliss. This is the demonstrable power of art. It is medicinal.

As a successful music star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated? How do you overcome obstacles in your career?

I always return to the music. When I encounter devastating challenges or obstacles that seem intent on derailing me, I can always find the strength and antidote deep within the music. When my Dad died and this enormous chasm of loss opened up in my life, 2 weeks after his funeral I was on stage in Paris singing the character of a young man, Idamante, who loses his father. Thankfully, the music was Mozart’s, and without personally being able to put a single word forward to convey the immense level of my grief, Mozart was there to help that deep sadness move through me. It saved me.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?

• Keep your sense of humor. Opera loves to take itself incredibly seriously. I get it: we’re singing about life and death, passion and jealousy and despair! All worthy endeavors, but if we take ourselves too seriously, it’s a grueling existence! I pride myself on working incredibly hard, but never taking myself too seriously!

• Learn languages. In the early part of my career I could pronounce languages correctly (as we have to sing fluently in French, German, Italian and Spanish), but I couldn’t converse in them. Working in these countries without fluency in the language cuts you off from any social life and immersion in the culture.

• Guard your inner child. I just heard RuPaul talking about having a photo of his younger self on his phone as a reminder that he is the custodian of that beautiful young boy’s heart. In truth, no one else is looking out for it. That’s our job. Help your gorgeous younger self to fulfill their dreams, to live the life they always wanted to. And to do it NOW!

• Question your thoughts and beliefs like your life depends on it. The first time I tuned in to the destructive, insistent inner voice that seemed intent on sabotaging me at every turn, I recoiled in horror. I had this tape running loudly inside my head that I just took for granted was true. Once I began to examine it — I stopped running on auto pilot and started being much more present. (But to be clear — this is still very much a work in progress!)

• Don’t turn down the volume. My Mom used to tell me not to sing at the table. It was one of the more random dinner table rules, but she insisted. So I think I learned early on that I was expected to dim my light and quiet my voice so that other people around me would be more comfortable. I’m still working on this one, but I look forward to the day I can radiate and sing with ZERO inhibition. I’m getting closer.

Can you share some insights into your creative process? How do you approach songwriting? How do you approach musical collaborations?

I’m the first one to admit that if an opera is not performed with 100% authenticity and sincerity, it can be one of the most inane experiences on the planet. However, I also know that the potential to invoke tears and chills with opera supersedes almost anything else. To get there, I have to delve into the music and text and emotion of the character so far that the ONLY option I have as a performer is to sing. The emotional truth must be so potent and real that the only way to convey it is through the voice in a heightened state. It means becoming extremely vulnerable and opening up to the possibility of total failure (because opera’s expectation is perfection!), and still putting yourself out there to help the audience have a transformative experience.

Your music has resonated with so many fans worldwide. What do you believe sets your music apart?

I’m a belligerent optimist and I expect my audience to be transformed by the end of the evening. I want them to have the experience of a lifetime and feel something deep and true that normal, every day modern life doesn’t usually afford them. I want them to know and experience that there is something greater than our single selves at play. I want them to be utterly uplifted. I want them to remember that beautiful things still exist and to leave the concert hall determined to search for more of that in their daily lives. Yeah, I’m ambitious.

With your busy schedule and demanding performances, how do you prioritize self-care and maintain a balance between your personal life and career in the music industry?

This is another “work in progress” question! Without question, nature is a great source of replenishment for me — it quickly puts a crazy career into perspective once you clock that this stone has been here for millions of years, or you see a new Webb Telescope image of the unfathomable. I also seek out other creative outlets where perfection is not required! I love photography, painting, dancing — I also make sure I derive as much pleasure as possible from each city I visit so that I never feel that I’m not where I want to be.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I would completely revamp the education system and make the arts a central part of every child’s life.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Trevor Noah.

How can our readers continue to follow your work online?

Website: JoyceDiDonato.com

Instagram: @joycedidonato

Facebook: JoyceDiDonato

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TheYankeediva

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.

Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold.