Dawn Upshaw facts for kids

Dawn Upshaw (born July 17, 1960) is a famous American singer. She is a soprano, which means she sings in a high voice. Dawn has won many important awards, including several Grammy Awards. She sings both opera (musical plays) and art song (classical songs). Her music style ranges from very old (Baroque) to modern classical music.

Many famous composers have written music especially for her. These include Henri Dutilleux, Osvaldo Golijov, John Harbison, Esa-Pekka Salonen, John Adams, and Kaija Saariaho. In 2007, she received a special award called a MacArthur Fellowship. This award is given to talented people who show great originality.

Dawn Upshaw also helps teach young singers. In 2006, she started a special program at Bard College Conservatory in New York. She was the artistic director there until 2019. Now, she leads the Vocal Arts Program at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts.

Early Life and Training

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 earned her master's degree in 1984.

Dawn also took classes at the Aspen Music School. She won two important singing competitions in 1984 and 1985. She was also part of a special program for young artists at the Metropolitan Opera. Since 1984, Dawn Upshaw has performed more than 300 times at the Metropolitan Opera.

Singing Career Highlights

Dawn Upshaw became famous around the world in 1992. She sang on a recording of Symphony No. 3 by Henryk Górecki. This recording sold over a million copies. It is also known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs.

She has performed over twenty-five new musical works for the first time. Many pieces were created just for her. These include the opera L'Amour de Loin by Kaija Saariaho, which won an award. Other special works include The Great Gatsby by John Harbison. She also sang in the oratorio El Niño by John Adams.

In 2009, she performed a new song cycle called The North Wind was a Woman. This was at a special opening event for the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Centre.

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

Dawn Upshaw was a special guest of President Bill Clinton and Mrs. Clinton. This was for a TV show called Christmas in Washington. The BBC also showed a concert of hers from London in 1996. It was called Dawn at Dusk and featured American musical theater songs. She also recorded songs by Claude Debussy with conductor James Levine.

She also sang on a Christmas music album with the singing group Chanticleer. This album was called Christmas with Chanticleer featuring special guest Dawn Upshaw.

Collaborations and Teaching

Dawn Upshaw often tours and performs with pianist Gilbert Kalish. She has also worked with other pianists like Richard Goode and Margo Garrett. She has worked many times with director Peter Sellars. They worked together on operas like Händel's Theodora and Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress.

She has performed as a soloist at the annual Ojai Music Festival in California many times. In 2011, she was the music director for this festival. There, she performed a new work by George Crumb called Winds of Destiny.

In 2007, she became an artistic partner with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. As mentioned, she founded the Graduate Vocal Arts Program at Bard College Conservatory in 2006. She led this program until 2019. She now leads the Vocal Arts Program at Tanglewood Music Center.

Dawn Upshaw has received special honorary degrees from several universities. These include Yale University and the Manhattan School of Music. She is also a visiting professor at Cornell University from 2020 to 2026.

Personal Life

Dawn Upshaw is a mother of two children. She lives near New York City. In 2006, she was treated for early-stage breast cancer.

Awards and Achievements

Dawn Upshaw has won many important awards for her singing.

• 1989 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Soloist
  • For her album Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (Music by Barber, Menotti, Harbison, Stravinsky).

• 1991 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Soloist
  • For her album The Girl with Orange Lips (Music by Falla, Ravel, and others).

• 2003 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance
  • With the Kronos Quartet for Berg: Lyric Suite.

• 2006 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording
  • With the Atlanta Symphony and chorus for Golijov: Ainadamar (Fountain of Tears).

• 2007 MacArthur Fellowship
  • This is a special award for very creative and original people.

• 2014 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Soloist
  • For her album Winter Morning Walks (Music by Maria Schneider).

Selected Recordings

Here are some of the albums Dawn Upshaw has recorded:

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

See also

In Spanish: Dawn Upshaw para niños