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Da Ponté Lecture 2
The Art of Becoming: The Mezzo in Mozart's Da Ponte Operas
Teenage crushes, sisterly meltdowns, and a scheming old maid walk into an opera. Mozart's mezzo characters never sit still — Cherubino can't control his hormones, Dorabella can't control her heart, and Marcellina reinvents herself entirely. Where his opera seria roles are carved from marble, his da Ponte mezzos are caught mid-transformation, funny and devastating within the same phrase. This recital unpacks how Mozart used one voice type to capture growing up, falling apart, and coming back together — often all in one aria.
with mezzo Nancy Holt