Deutsche Grammophon signs rising star singer Emily D’Angelo
Berlin, 25 May 2021. Challenging conventions and pushing boundaries, Emily D’Angelo is a new musical force to be reckoned with. Deutsche Grammophon is pleased to announce the signing of an exclusive agreement with the 26-year-old Italian-Canadian mezzo-soprano, an artist already in high demand at the world’s leading opera houses and concert venues. Just last week she made a highly acclaimed role and house debut as Sesto in La clemenza di Tito at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in a new production directed by Richard Jones and conducted by Mark Wigglesworth.
“In a word, Emily D’Angelo is a phenomenon” – Le Devoir’s pithy review sums up the way her voice wows public and press alike. Opera Wire was equally full of praise about her 2019 performances in La clemenza di Tito at New York’s Metropolitan Opera: “D’Angelo’s Annio was undeniably the bright light of the evening, always looking poised and energised for every moment of conflict.”
A keen recitalist and concert singer as well as star of the operatic stage, D’Angelo is known for her wide-ranging repertoire and is making her mark as a champion of contemporary music. Her passion for introducing audiences to new works is reflected in her DG debut album, enargeia. Set for release on 8 October 2021, the recording features music by four composers. D’Angelo’s initial inspiration was the medieval abbess, mystic and polymath Hildegard von Bingen, whose music she presents here in fresh arrangements by leading American composers Missy Mazzoli and Sarah Kirkland Snider. The album also includes original pieces by both Mazzoli and Snider, as well as two stunning vocal works by the Grammy Award-winning Hildur Guðnadóttir.
“It’s a tremendous honour to join Deutsche Grammophon at such an exciting time in the label’s history,” comments Emily D’Angelo. “In the spirit of artistic adventure and creativity, the DG team supported my idea of exploring the ancient concept of enargeia – which permeates all the music on this album – and together we’ve created a cohesive listening experience from these extraordinary works. Above all, we share a passion for communicating in ways that can move, inspire and connect people".
Dr Clemens Trautmann, President Deutsche Grammophon, welcomes the Yellow Label’s latest signing. “Emily is an extraordinary vocalist,” he says. “She has set the opera world alight at an age when many artists are only just starting their careers and has shown her virtuosity and versatility in so many genres. Her DG debut album provides a rich contemporary context to Hildegard’s music, which I’m sure will touch listeners at the deepest level. We look forward to developing equally thought-provoking projects with her in the future."
“Emily is a true recording artist who creates an album as a piece of art, explores new sounds and takes the listener on a journey through the spirit of the music,” adds Valérie Gross, Deutsche Grammophon’s Senior A&R Director Vocal & Opera Productions. “Her charismatic artistry and powerful presence as a performer, coupled with a hugely personal and unique voice, give her instant star quality."
Emily D’Angelo was born in Toronto in 1994 to a musical family. Encouraged to sing from an early age by her parents and pianist grandmother, she built a solid foundation for her musicianship as a member of the Toronto Children’s Chorus. She studied cello in secondary school before completing her bachelor’s degree in Music at the University of Toronto, after which she joined the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio.
She became a member of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artists Development Program in 2017, and made her debut on the Met stage in 2018. That same year, she added to an already impressive number of awards by winning all four top prizes at the Operalia competition – a first in its 26-year history. The following year she achieved another first when she won the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival’s prestigious Leonard Bernstein Award, whose previous winners have all been instrumentalists.
In addition to opera, D’Angelo’s career highlights so far include engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the world premiere of a song cycle by Ana Sokolović and performances of new music by, among others, Unsuk Chin and Matthew Aucoin. She was named by New York’s Lincoln Center as one of its eleven 2020 Emerging Artists and by WQXR NYC Public Radio as one of its “40 Under 40” singers to watch, reinforcing her status as one of today’s fastest rising vocal stars.
Recent performances include her appearance in January 2021 as Dorabella in Così fan tutte, streamed live from La Scala, Milan, and her return to the Berlin Staatsoper in April as Cherubino in Vincent Huguet’s new production of Le nozze di Figaro, conducted by Daniel Barenboim (the opening night was broadcast live on Mezzo.tv), as well as the above-mentioned Covent Garden debut as Sesto. D’Angelo is also set to make her role debut as Idamante in Idomeneo at the Munich Opera Festival this summer.
