Denyce Graves and Laura Ward in Recital

"if the human voice has the power to move you, you will be touched by Denyce Graves." -Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Denyce Graves continues to gather unparalleled widespread and critical acclaim in performances on four continents. USA Today identifies her as "an operatic superstar of the 21st Century." The combination of her expressive, rich vocalism, elegant stage presence, and exciting theatrical abilities allows her to pursue a wide breadth of operatic portrayals and to delight audiences in concert and recital appearances. Denyce Graves has become particularly well-known to operatic audiences for her portrayals of the title roles in Carmen and Samson et Dalila. These signature roles have brought Ms. Graves to the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Opéra National de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Washington Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Arena di Verona, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opernhaus Zürich, Teatro Real in Madrid, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Los Angeles Opera, and the Festival Maggio Musicale in Florence. Ms. Graves was seen on the Emmy-award winning BBC special "The Royal Opera House," highlighting her debut performances there. She has been a frequent guest on television shows, including Sesame Street, The Charlie Rose Show, and Larry King Live. In 1996 Ms. Graves was the subject of an Emmy-award winning profile on CBS's 60 Minutes. Laura Ward is an excellent accompanist and a genuine equal in music-making. As a distinguished collaborative pianist, she is known for her technical ability and vast knowledge of repertoire and styles. Concert engagements have taken her to Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Teatro Colon, the Spoleto Festival (Italy), the Colmar International Music Festival, and Saint Denis Festival in France.