Emily D'Angelo (born 1994) is a Canadian

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

. Since making her debut at 16, D'Angelo's most notable role to date has been singing the lead role in the 2023 opera '' Grounded''.

Early life and education

Ms. D'Angelo grew up in a musical family. Her grandmother was a professional pianist, and her parents are both amateur musicians. She sang in the

Toronto Children's Chorus The Toronto Children's Chorus (TCC) is a children's choir based in Toronto. It was founded in 1978 by Jean Ashworth Bartle. The group has close to 350 members aged 6 to 18. History In 1982, the choir won first prize at the International Eisteddf ...

and went on international tours with the group. She also played cello. D'Angelo attended

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance. She went on to complete a fellowship at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, which is part of the

Ravinia Festival Ravinia Festival is a primarily outdoor music venue in Highland Park, Illinois. It hosts a series of outdoor concerts and performances every summer from June to September in a wide variety of musical genres from classical to pop. The first orche ...

. Ms. D'Angelo won the Canadian Opera Company (COC) Centre Stage Ensemble Studio Competition in 2015. She was awarded both First Prize and the Audience Choice Award. Additionally, she came first at the 2016 Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition Finals.

Career

D'Angelo's debut as a soloist was at age 16 with the

Toronto Symphony Orchestra The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1906, the TSO gave regular concerts at Massey Hall until 1982, and since then has performed at Roy Thomson Hall. The TSO also manages the Toron ...

. At the Spoleto

Festival dei Due Mondi The ''Festival dei Due Mondi'' (Festival of the Two Worlds) is an annual summer music and opera festival held each June to early July in Spoleto, Italy, since its founding by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958. It features a vast array of conc ...

in 2016, D'angelo made her stage debut as Cherubino in ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...

''. In 2017, she was accepted into the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

. She made her debut on the stage at the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

with the Met in 2018. In 2021, she was signed to

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

and released an album only featuring songs by women composers. In October of 2023, D'Angelo debuted the role of Jess in the world-premiere of '' Grounded'', an opera by composer

Jeanine Tesori Jeanine Tesori, known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson, (born November 10, 1961) is an American composer and Arrangement, musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical com ...

and librettist

George Brant George Brant is an American playwright. Born in Park Ridge, Illinois, he is the author of several award-winning plays, most notably ''Grounded''. Career Brant completed his undergraduate studies at Northwestern University and received his Mast ...

commissioned by the

. The performances were held at the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

with

Washington National Opera Washington National Opera (WNO) is an American opera company in Washington, D.C. Formerly the Opera Society of Washington and the Washington Opera, the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Performance ...

. The opera was composed with D'Angelo being specifically chosen by Tesori to perform the role of Jess.

Recognition

She was the first singer to receive the

Leonard Bernstein Award The Leonard Bernstein Award is a German music award endowed with 10,000 euros. Since 2002, the award has been sponsored by the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. The prize is awarded to talented classical musi ...

from the

Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (SHMF) is a classical music festival held each summer throughout the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany. History The festival was founded in 1986 by German concert pianist and conductor Justus Fr ...

. She was the first vocalist ever to receive all four first prizes from the

Operalia Plácido Domingo's Operalia, The World Opera Competition is an annual international competition for opera singers, founded by Plácido Domingo in 1993. Overview The competition's parent organization, Operalia Foundation, is a nonprofit organizat ...

competition.

Discography

* ''Enargeia'' (2021) (Juno Award for Best Solo Classical Album) * ''Freezing'' (2024). (Juno Award for Best Solo Classical Album)

References

External links

* * *
Performance schedule

Operabase Operabase is an online global database for audiences and professionals. It lists details on opera performances, opera houses and companies, and performers as well as their agents. It was founded in 1996 by English software engineer and opera love ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:DAngelo, Emily Canadian operatic mezzo-sopranos Canadian women opera singers 1994 births Living people 21st-century Canadian women opera singers Singers from Toronto Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year – Solo or Chamber Ensemble winners