Upshaw, Dawn
Upshaw, Dawn
Upshaw, Dawn, greatly admired American soprano; b. Nashville, Tenn., July 17, 1960. She studied at 111. Wesleyan Univ. (B.A., 1982) and then pursued vocal training with Ellen Faull at the Manhattan School of Music in N.Y. (M.A., 1984); she also attended courses given by Jan DeGaetani at the Aspen (Colo.) Music School. In 1984 she won the Young Concert Artists auditions and entered the Metropolitan Opera’s young artists development program. She was co-winner of the Naumburg Competition in N.Y. (1985). After appearing in minor roles at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y, she displayed her vocal gifts in such major roles as Donizetti’s Adina and Mozart’s Despina in 1988. In 1990 she sang Pamina in a concert performance of Die Zauberflöteat the London Promenade Concerts. In 1992 she appeared as the Angel in Messiaen’s Si. François d’Assiseat the Salzburg Festival. In 1995 she portrayed Strauss’s Sophie in Houston. In 1996 she was engaged as Handel’s Theodora at the Glyndebourne Festival. She sang Mozart’s Cherubino and Stravinsky’s Anne Trulove at the Metropolitan Opera in 1997. She also pursued a notably successful career as a soloist with major orchs. and as a recitalist. Her remarkable concert repertoire ranges from early music to the most intimidating of avant-garde scores.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire