10 minutes with... Dawn Upshaw
Few artists have had as profound an impact on the world of classical vocal music as Dawn Upshaw. A MacArthur Genius Fellow and fivetime Grammy ® Award winner, Upshaw has captivated audiences for decades with her exquisite voice, deep musical intelligence, and unwavering commitment to meaningful storytelling. From her celebrated performances at the Metropolitan Opera to her trailblazing collaborations with contemporary composers like Osvaldo Golijov and Maria Schneider, Upshaw has consistently pushed the boundaries of classical vocal performance. Her artistry has been equally at home in the world’ s great opera houses and concert halls as it has been in intimate recital settings, where her meticulous attention to text and nuance has made her one of the most revered interpreters of both traditional and modern repertoire.
Beyond her achievements as a performer, Upshaw has dedicated herself to nurturing the next generation of vocal artists. As the director of the Tanglewood Music Center( TMC) Vocal Arts Program, she leads one of the most prestigious training grounds for young singers, helping them refine their technique, deepen their artistic expression, and prepare for the demands of a professional career. The TMC Vocal Fellows, a select group of exceptionally talented young singers, spend their summer immersed in an intensive program of masterclasses, workshops, and performances that span everything from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary world premieres. Under Upshaw’ s leadership, the program not only hones technical and interpretative skills but also encourages artists to engage deeply with the meaning behind the music they perform.
The 2025 Tanglewood season promises to be particularly intriguing, with a notable highlight being the celebration of the 150th
anniversary of Maurice Ravel’ s birth. This will include a concert performance of Ravel’ s L’ enfant et les sortilèges, an imaginative and whimsical one-act opera that showcases the composer’ s dazzling orchestration and deep sensitivity to the human voice. The production will feature the TMC Vocal Fellows, with conducting fellows leading the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra.
With a career spanning opera, recital, and new music, Upshaw is uniquely positioned to guide these young singers, encouraging them to bring both technical mastery and emotional depth to their performances. In this conversation, she reflects on her journey, her passion for teaching, her collaborations with living composers, and the enduring magic of Ravel’ s music, as well as her recent decision to step away from live performance to focus on mentorship.
BROOKE IRISH
8 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE May / June 2025