Denyce Graves finds music everywhere

music

Denyce Graves finds music everywhere

Acclaimed singer promises varied program at Power Center

BY ROGER LELIEVRE

“Put simply: If the human voice has the power to move you, you will be touched by Denyce Graves.” - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Almost too good to be true - a vital artist, a beautiful woman, a regal presence..." - The Washington Post

“One of the singers most likely to be an operatic superstar of the 21st century.” - USA Today

With such glowing reviews to her credit, it's probably a good thing mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves doesn’t pay attention to the hype.

“I don’t read things like that,” the Ann Arbor-bound Graves told The News by phone from Provence in the south of France, where she was catching a few moments of relaxation after concerts in Oslo and Paris. “When I’m working I just try to do the best I can do. If the public enjoys it, I feel I have done my job and I am happy.”

Graves will make her local debut in a recital Sunday night at Power Center (a change from the previously announced Hill Auditorium) as part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.

Equally at home in opera, jazz and gospel, Graves regularly appears at the world’s great opera houses and concert halls. She has become particularly well known to opera audiences for her portrayals of the title roles in “Carmen” and “Samson et Dalila,” and has starred opposite some of the top names in opera, including Placido Domingo, Roberto Alagna and Andrea Bocelli.

Although the Summer Festival program accurately lists her as offering a mixed program, Graves was a little more specific.

“I always try to give a little bit of everything - some early music, French melodies, German lieder, arias, some spirituals, some show tunes. I want to celebrate the many different types of genres that there are.”

Graves will be accompanied by pianist Brian Zeger.

“The best thing about being a singer is having a creative outlet of expression,” she said. “The most difficult is the lifestyle: always, always, always having to guard and protect your instrument. That translates into how much sleep you get, what you eat, how much you practice, how you exercise, if you can exercise, not seeing friends and family, traveling all the time, learning other languages ... The most surprising is how the technical work is never done.”

Still, she happily acknowledged, she’s having fun becoming a globe-trotting superstar.

“That’s my prayer - to be present and have a good time. I am certainly having more fun than I used to have. The work is stressful and I feel a great deal of responsibility, but if I don’t have fun, no one else will. I just try - and I really do believe this - to be an instrument through which this beautiful art form passes.”

Recognized by many for her performance at this year’s presidential inauguration, the Washington, D.C. native received international attention for her series of appearances in response to terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. She was invited by President Bush to participate in the National Prayer Service in Washington's National Cathedral at which she sang “America, the Beautiful” and “The Lord's Prayer.” The event was followed by an appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” on the program “Healing through Gospel Music." RCA Records has also released a recording of patriotic songs by Graves, the proceeds of which benefited various groups affected by the events of Sept. 11.

She said she was deeply moved by the experiences. “I tend to think each experience changes you a little bit. I think it polishes you, crystallizes you more. Regarding Sept. 11,I was just so proud to be able to make a contribution in whatever way I could, like most people. I think music can heal us and touch us in ways words cannot. I believe it expresses the inexpressible.”

Graves attended the Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. She continued her education at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory; Oberlin granted her an honorary doctorate in 1998. Her CDs include “Voce di Donna,” a solo recording of opera arias; “Denyce Graves: A Cathedral Christmas”; a selection of spirituals titled “Angels Watching over Me”; and “The Lost Days: Music in the Latin Style with Chucho Valdes and Eliane Elias.”

“What’s made me proudest is being able to take care of myself and my family. It’s making my family and race proud... and I’m proud that I didn't give up,” she said.

Roger LeLievre can be reached at (734) 994-6848 or by e-mail at rlelievre@annarbornews.com.

Denyce Graves closes out the first weekend of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival on Sunday at the Power Center.

PREVIEW

Denyce Graves

Who: Mezzo-soprano presented by the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.

What: Her debut Ann Arbor recital with a program of classical repertoire, Broadway tunes, jazz and spirituals.

Where: Power Center, 121 Fletcher St.

When: Sunday, 8 p.m.

How much: $14-$52.

Information: (734) 764-2538 or annarborsummerfestival.org