Over a career spanning more than two decades, Joyce DiDonato has become one of the most prominent figures in classical music worldwide. Her name graces the programs of the most important opera houses and festivals – from New York’s Metropolitan Opera, London’s Royal Opera Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, Paris National Opera, and Milan’s Teatro alla Scala to Salzburg, Verbier, Lucerne, and other prestigious festivals around the world.
Read more Defense bonds issued for another 47.4 million euros
Joyce DiDonato was born in Prairie Village, Kansas (USA). She completed her music studies at Wichita State University and continued her professional path at the prestigious San Francisco Opera Merola Program, considered one of the most important young opera talent development programs in the world. It was here that her international career began, soon leading her to the most famous opera stages worldwide.
The singer’s creative path is marked by numerous prestigious awards – three Grammy Awards, Gramophone Award, Echo Klassik Award, International Opera Awards, Laurence Olivier Award, and many other international recognitions. Critics call her voice one of the most distinctive musical phenomena of our time. The New York Times has written that Joyce DiDonato’s voice is “no less than 24-carat gold,” and BBC Music Magazine called her “one of the most perfect singers in history.”
However, the Joyce DiDonato phenomenon is not limited to impeccable vocal mastery alone. Today she is considered one of the most important opera personalities of the 21st century – a performer who constantly expands the boundaries of classical music. Her repertoire includes Baroque masterpieces, bel canto operas, works by Mozart, Berlioz, and Strauss, but equally important are her original projects where music becomes a dialogue with literature, theater, and contemporary social themes. Every new Joyce DiDonato project attracts international attention and becomes a significant cultural event.
The performer herself has often said that the most important goal of music is not to demonstrate the performer’s skill but to change the person.
“Music has the capacity to transform us. It reminds us of our shared humanity.”
“Music can change a person. It reminds us of what unites us all.”
This idea became the foundation of Joyce DiDonato’s latest project, “Emily: No Prisoner Be”.
In Vilnius, the performer will present this new work, created together with Pulitzer Prize winner and one of the most prominent contemporary American composers Kevin Puts, and Grammy winners Time for Three. The world premiere of the piece took place in 2025 at the Bregenz Festival and immediately attracted great attention from the international music community. Critics called it one of the most important new vocal works of recent years.
Read more A 6.3 magnitude earthquake recorded off the southern coast of the Philippines
The project is based on the texts of the legendary American poet Emily Dickinson. From more than 1800 of her poems, twenty-four were selected to become part of a cohesive musical narrative. The work explores themes of inner freedom, solitude, love, self-discovery, courage, and spiritual liberation, inviting the listener on a deep emotional journey.
“Emily: No Prisoner Be” transcends the boundaries of a traditional vocal cycle. It is a synthesis of chamber opera, theater, poetry, and concert, where Kevin Puts’s music, characterized by emotionality, merges with contemporary musical language, and Joyce DiDonato’s interpretation turns each Emily Dickinson poem into an independent dramatic scene. It is not a traditional concert but a unified stage narrative where music and text become equal elements of storytelling.
A special place in the project is held by the ensemble Time for Three – one of the most original contemporary music groups in the world. Charles Yang, Nicolas “Nick” Kendall, and Ranaan Meyer – musicians with classical training who have created a completely unique ensemble sound blending classical music, jazz, bluegrass, American folk traditions, improvisation, and elements of contemporary music.
Time for Three are regular partners of the world’s most famous orchestras. They have performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and dozens of other prestigious ensembles, appearing at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Tanglewood, Ravinia, and other major festivals. In 2023, the ensemble won two Grammy Awards for the recording of Jennifer Higdon’s Letters for the Future, firmly establishing their place among the brightest contemporary chamber music groups.
In the project “Emily: No Prisoner Be”, Time for Three is not just an accompanying ensemble. The three musicians become equal protagonists in the musical narrative, constantly creating a dialogue with Joyce DiDonato. Their instrumental virtuosity, vocals, improvisational freedom, and stage energy create a completely new form of concert performance, where each performer is an integral part of the dramaturgy.
The premiere was highly praised by the international media. The New York Times wrote that Joyce DiDonato and Time for Three “revived the work with extraordinary power,” and the singer’s voice “ranged from rich strength to the finest silk thread.” Many critics already call “Emily: No Prisoner Be” one of the most important new vocal works of the 21st century.
The concert on August 7 will not only be Joyce DiDonato’s first performance in Lithuania but also one of the most significant international music events of this concert season. The Lithuanian audience will have the opportunity to hear live one of the greatest opera stars of our time in a project already called a new stage in contemporary vocal art. It is an evening where poetry, theater, music, and four exceptional personalities come together to create one of the most striking stage works of the 21st century.
Read more Poland is blushing: Next to Lithuania – highest level warnings for extremely high temperatures
