June 17, 2024 12:11
The classical music community has expressed shock and sadness at the death of the up-and-coming opera soloist.
Belgian soprano Jodie DeVos has died of breast cancer at the age of 35. She died in Paris surrounded by her family.
Ms. De Vos’s final performance was at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris in April this year. Her death sparked an outpouring of grief and tributes to her talent from some of the greatest names in classical music and opera.
Soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan paid tribute to her fellow singer in a social media post: “She was a beautiful artist whose sound and presence shone vibrantly.”
“We have lost one of Belgium’s greatest musicians,” conductor Dirk Brosse told Belgian news station VRT.
French string soloists Renaud and Gautier Capuçon and American soprano Lisette Oropesa also expressed their deep sadness and offered their condolences to all those close to her.
De Vos excels in the coloratura repertoire of composers such as Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti and Verdi, and is known for singing skillfully in the very highest soprano range.
She has recorded for the French labels Alpha Classics and Warner Classics, including a wonderfully intense and vivid version of Mozart’s famous coloratura aria “Queen of the Night.” The Magic Flute You can watch it below.
Mozart: The Magic Flute K.620 Act 2: “Queen of the Night’s Aria” – Jody DeVos
Devos received her Master’s degree from the Royal Academy of Music in London in 2013. The following year she won second prize and the Audience Prize at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium.
Over the past decade, Devos has sung in many of Europe’s leading opera houses, including the Opéra National de Paris, the Opéra Montpellier and the Opéra National de Paris, and with orchestras such as the Orchestre National de Belgium, the Orchestre National de France and the Munich Philharmonic.
She was a brilliant talent who left a huge mark on the opera world, but sadly she passed away far too soon.