Music that changed Dawn Upshaw

Upshaw
American soprano Dawn Upshaw is presenting her second program as artistic partner the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra this week.
Photo by Dario Acosta

Dawn Upshaw is a soprano with eclectic tastes. Her mellifluous voice graces a wide range of music, from Elizabethan songs to French chansons to Broadway tunes to cutting-edge contemporary opera.

When she's not performing, Upshaw's taste in listening is similarly wide ranging.

During her latest visit to the Twin Cities as St. Paul Chamber Orchestra artistic partner, Minnesota Public Radio host John Birge invited Upshaw to play guest DJ.

For her theme, she chose "Music that Changed Me." Upshaw picked a fascinating trio of tunes and shared some surprising reasons for her choices.

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