© 2026 WRVO Public Media
NPR News for Central New York
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

An American Opera Star Shines in Britain

Joyce DiDonato is a young American mezzo soprano who has taken London by storm. She is appearing at the Royal Opera House as Rosina in Barber of Seville. DiDonato, who is from Kansas, admits that when she was a child, she cared little about opera -- her musical world revolved around Shaun Cassidy and Billy Joel.

But if she came to opera gradually, DiDonato has burst onto the scene in Europe, where American opera singers are often considered to be lacking the passion of the world's elite singers. DiDonato says she hopes to blend the American tradition of clinically perfect training with the feeling and zest of her European counterparts.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Rob Gifford
Rob Gifford is the NPR foreign correspondent based in Shanghai.
Recent cuts to federal funding are challenging our mission to serve central and upstate New York with trusted journalism, vital local coverage, and the diverse programming that informs and connects our communities. This is the moment to join our community of supporters and help keep journalists on the ground, asking hard questions that matter to our region.

Stand with public media and make your gift today—not just for yourself, but for all who depend on WRVO as a trusted resource and civic cornerstone in central and upstate New York.