Joyce DiDonato

Joyce DiDonato leads a magnificent all-American cast as Sister Helen Prejean in the UK premiere of Jake Heggie’s powerful operatic exploration of the US justice system and capital punishment.

Written in 2000 to a libretto by Terence McNally, Dead Man Walking is based on Sister Helen Prejean’s book about her work with condemned prisoners on death row. The opera centres on the powerful relationship that developed between a convicted murderer awaiting execution, Joseph De Rocher, and the nun who fights for clemency. It put Heggie on the map as a major force in modern opera, and Dead Man Walking has received numerous revivals worldwide. Mark Wigglesworth returns to the BBC SO to conduct an evening likely to stir up strong emotions.