Mezzo-Soprano/Actor
"To call Joy Davidson's Callas a bravura creation is simply to understate her accomplishments so various in her exploration of the Callas persona ... She binds us to this character by chains of fascination ... Brava, La Divina" (Allan Swofford, Theatre Critic)Joy Davidson returns to the theatre with the same passion and theatrical intensity she brought to her 45 operatic roles touring Europe and North America. Miss Davidson appeared with companies such as the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, La Scala, New York City Opera, San Francisco, Chicago Lyric and various companies in France, Germany, Spain, South America and Canada. Bizet's CARMEN was her signature role performed some 300 times in 28 different productions. Other frequently performed roles included Adalgisa, Bellini's NORMA; Azucena and Amneris, Verdi's IL TROVATORE and AIDA; Charlotte, Massenet's WERTHER; Dalila, Saint-Saens' SAMSON ET DALILA; and leading roles in Menotti and Penderecki's operas. Under the management of Columbia Artists Miss Davidson was a recitalist and appeared as guest soloist with major orchestras e.g. Maggio Musicale, Leningrad Philharmonic, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, with conductors such as Bernstein, Ozawa, Muti, Rudel and Keene in works of Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler, Ravel, Stravinsky.
Following her retirement from singing, she created and headed the vocal/opera department of New World School of the Arts. Joy and her husband, Dr. Robert Davidson resided in Miami, FL with their five children, Lisa, Scott, Jeremy, Bonnie and Jordan.
In addition to performances of Callas in McNally's MASTER CLASS, Joy is touring MARIA by Alma Bond, edited by Bill Taylor, a one-woman drama in which we hear the voices of those who significantly influenced the life and career of Maria Callas. Performances include a unique opportunity for question and answer concerning this remarkable artist who changed opera in the 20th Century by demanding theatrical reality and thus set the standards by which singing actors have been judged. Recent performance was CSU/Opera Fort Collins which included a Master Class for vocal students at CSU. A performance April 17, 2010 at the Kravis Center, West Palm Beach sold out the Rinker Theatre.
A second one woman tour de force: "ALICE: The Tart-Tongued Daughter of Theodore Roosevelt" by Kitty Felde was premiered at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts, Naples, FL in March 2010. Three performances each included a Question and Answer period with Ms. Felde and Ms. Davidson. Further information and photos are at www.joydavidsonpresents.com and video excerpts from both plays can be viewed on youtube.com/joypresents.