Joy Davidson

Mezzo-soprano Joy Davidson was born at Fort Collins, Colorado. She studied voice with Elena Nikolaidi at Florida State University and made her operatic debut at Miami as Rossini’s Cenerentola in 1965.

Ms. Davidson joined the short-lived Metropolitan Opera National Company from 1965-1967 where her roles included Britten’s Lucretia. She won the Sofia International Opera Singers Competition in 1967, and in 1969 made her debut at New York City Opera as Kontchakovna in PRINCE IGOR, a role in which I saw her three times..and met her after one of them:

(Note: NYC Ballet star Edward Villella danced in the PRINCE IGOR production, and Maralin Niska had one of her best roles as Yaroslavna).

In 1969, Joy Davidson made her Santa Fe debut as Jeanne in Penderecki’s DEVILS OF LOUDON (above photo, which she signed for me), the opera’s US premiere performances. In the same year, she made her San Francisco Opera debut as the Secretary in Menotti’s THE COUNSEL, and in 1971 she made her La Scala debut as Dalila.

1971 also brought Joy Davidson back to the New York City Opera to star as Carmen (above) in a new production. In the ensuing seasons, she appeared in Vienna, Munich, Dallas, Barcelona, Turin, Lyon, at the Maggio Musicale and at the Spoleto Festival. 

Joining the Metropolitan Opera on tour in 1976, Ms. Davidson sang Adalgisa opposite Shirley Verrett’s Norma in Boston and Cleveland. These were Verrett’s first Normas, and TJ and I traveled from Hartford to Boston for the occasion. Verrett had a great triumph; Ms. Davidson was taxed by some of the high notes in Act I, but fared much better in Act II. In 1978, the Joy Davidson was again cast as Adalgisa, in performances at the Bushnell in Hartford, opposite Cristina Deutekom’s Norma, which I attended. Here, Ms. Davidson enjoyed a thorough success.

There are very few recorded souvenirs of Joy Davidson, unfortunately. Here she is in a German-language DON CARLO from Munich, 1968:

Joy Davidson – O don fatale – DON CARLO – in German – Munich 1968

She sang Jane Seymour in Donizetti’s ANNA BOLENA at Santa Fe in 1970; here is Seymour’s great scene of remorse, with Donald Gramm as Henry VIII.

A rather remarkable document, which took me a great deal of searching to locate and verify, is a complete 1977 telecast of Massenet’s WERTHER from Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid. The mezzo’s name is listed as “Davison”, so this item does not readily appear in searches. Though the visuals are rather dated, it is a very attractive performance, and both Ms. Davidson and Alfredo Kraus give passionate portrayals. Watch it here, it’s really quite wonderful. 

~ Oberon