American mezzo Joyce DiDonato is known for her musical versatility and her advocacy. Ahead of performances in Hobart and Melbourne, she talks with Clive Paget about her love for Berlioz and her commitment to opera, even if it is “insufferably stupid” at times.

Joyce DiDonato
Joyce DiDonato. Photo © Chris Singer

As one of the world’s most in-demand singers, Joyce DiDonato enjoys a packed schedule with appearances from the Metropolitan Opera to Covent Garden. Nevertheless, at 56, she is finding time to make her long-overdue Australian debut. This November, she will fly into Hobart for a concert with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, followed by performances with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. On the program is Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été, a song cycle by a composer with whom she’s...