Dawn Upshaw and eighth blackbird

Soprano Dawn Upshaw has achieved worldwide celebrity as a singer of opera and concert repertoire ranging from the sacred works of Bach to twenty-first-century composition.  A three-time Grammy Award winner, Upshaw is featured on more than fifty recordings, including the million-selling Symphony No. 3 by Henryk Gorecki.

Upshaw’s inimitable versatility and skill are showcased in Argentinean composer Osvaldo Golijov’s Ayre, a new song cycle based on 15th-century Spanish folksongs that features Upshaw and was commissioned by Carnegie Hall.

In her performance of Ayre, Upshaw is accompanied by eighth blackbird, one of the premiere new music groups in the world. Founded in 1996, eighth blackbird has established a reputation for its provocative and engaging performances. The six-member ensemble has won both the Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and is also a three-time recipient of the CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.  The ensemble has a local connection too, as a former Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition contestant. 

“It’s becoming clearer with every new piece that Golijov is fast becoming one of the most important composers for voice today—and that Upshaw is both his perfect muse and prophet.”

–Boston Herald