Dawn Upshaw facts for kids

Dawn Upshaw (born July 17, 1960) is a famous American soprano. A soprano is a female singer with a high voice. She has won many important awards, including several Grammy Awards. She sings both opera and art song, which are classical songs. Her music ranges from very old styles like Baroque to modern pieces.

Many famous composers have written music especially for her. These include Henri Dutilleux, Osvaldo Golijov, and John Adams. In 2007, she received a special award called a MacArthur Fellowship. This award is given to talented people in many fields. She also helped start a singing program at Bard College Conservatory. She led this program until 2019. Today, she is in charge of the Vocal Arts Program at the Tanglewood Music Center.

Early life

Dawn Upshaw was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She started singing when she was in high school in Park Forest, Illinois. Her choir director noticed her talent early on.

She went to Illinois Wesleyan University and earned a degree in 1982. There, she studied singing with Dr. David Nott. Later, she continued her studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. She also took classes at the Aspen Music School.

Dawn Upshaw won several singing competitions in the 1980s. She was also part of a special program for young artists at the Metropolitan Opera. Since 1984, she has performed at the Metropolitan Opera more than 300 times.

Career

Dawn Upshaw became very famous around the world in 1992. This was after she sang on a recording of Symphony No. 3 by Henryk Górecki. This piece is also known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. Millions of copies of this recording were sold.

She has performed more than 25 new musical works for the first time. Some pieces were even created just for her voice. These include the opera L'Amour de Loin by Kaija Saariaho. She also sang in El Niño by John Adams. Another important work was the opera Ainadamar by Osvaldo Golijov.

Besides opera, she has recorded many other types of music. She sang the main role in the first full recording of Gershwin's Oh, Kay!. She has also recorded albums with songs by Vernon Duke and Rodgers and Hart.

Dawn Upshaw was a special guest at a Christmas TV show hosted by President Bill Clinton. The BBC also showed a concert of hers called Dawn at Dusk. In this concert, she sang songs from American musical theater. She has also recorded songs by Claude Debussy with conductor James Levine.

She has performed Christmas music with the vocal group Chanticleer. She often tours and performs with pianist Gilbert Kalish. She has also worked with other musicians like Richard Goode.

Dawn Upshaw has often worked with director Peter Sellars. They have created many unique performances together. These include Händel's Theodora and Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress. She has also performed at the Salzburg Festival.

She has been a soloist at the Ojai Music Festival in California many times. In 2011, she was the music director for this festival. She also joined the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra as an artistic partner in 2007.

In 2006, she helped start the Graduate Vocal Arts Program at Bard College Conservatory. She was the artistic director until 2019. Now, she leads the Vocal Arts Program at Tanglewood Music Center.

Dawn Upshaw has received honorary degrees from several universities. These include Yale University and the Manhattan School of Music. She is also a visiting professor at Cornell University until 2026.

Personal life

Dawn Upshaw is a mother of two children. She lives near New York City. In 2006, she faced a health challenge and recovered.

Awards and recognition

1989 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Soloist

• Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (Music by Barber, Menotti, Harbison, Stravinsky)

1991 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Soloist

• The Girl with Orange Lips (Falla, Ravel, etc.)

2003 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance

• The Kronos Quartet & Dawn Upshaw for Berg: Lyric Suite

2006 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording

• The Atlanta Symphony and chorus with Dawn Upshaw for Golijov: Ainadamar (Fountain of Tears)

2007 MacArthur Fellowship

2014 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Soloist

• Winter Morning Walks (Maria Schneider)

Selected discography

• 1990: Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Te deum H.146, Magnificat H.74, conducted by Neville Marriner.
• 1991: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by James Levine.
• 1992: Jules Massenet: ''Chérubin'', conducted by Pinchas Steinberg.
• 1992: Henryk Górecki: Symphony No. 3.
• 2005: James Levine's 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala (1996).
• 2005: Ayre (Golijov).

See also

In Spanish: Dawn Upshaw para niños