Centre stage: Joyce DiDonato as Sister Helen in Dead Man Walking
Joyce DiDonato has had a quiet 12 months, particularly by her standards. In fact, she struggles to find the language to describe it. “What’s the word?” the 53-year-old superstar mezzo says, puzzled for a second. “A sabbatical!” It’s no surprise that DiDonato struggles with the term. Her life for the past few decades has been one relentless march across the globe – in part because of the opera world’s (former) international churn, but also because she has the energy to match. When not impressing us with her Rosina, her Agrippina or her Maria Stuarda, she has been a formidable ambassador off-stage, whether it’s via her much-loved masterclasses for students, or her chirpy, engaged tweeting.