She began her vocal career as a talented high school singer in Park Forest, Illinois. Upshaw received a B.A. in 1982 from Illinois Wesleyan University and went on to study voice with Ellen Faull at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, earning her M.A. in 1984. She also attended courses given by Jan DeGaetani at the Aspen (Colorado) Music School. She was a winner of the Young Concert Artists auditions (1984) and the Walter M. Naumburg Competition (1985), and was a member of the Metropolitan Opera Young Artists Development Program. Since her start in 1984, Upshaw has made over 300 appearances at the Metropolitan Opera.
Upshaw came to international fame with her million-selling recording (1993), with David Zinman, of the hauntingly powerful Symphony No 3 by Henryk GΓ³recki, known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (Symfonia pieΕni ΕΌaΕosnych).
In the past decade she has premiered more than 25 new works and has embraced several works created for her, including the Grawemeyer Award-winning opera LβAmour de Loin by Kaija Saariaho, The Great Gatsby by John Harbison, the nativity oratorio El Nino by John Adams, and Osvaldo Golijov's chamber opera Ainadamar and song cycle Ayre.
Her rendition of Ayre made her appear almost as a charismatic rock-singer. It is a tribute to her vocal range, as well as her star-stature, that she has moved out of the traditional role of a classical singer. Her engagements with James Levine over the years led to a 1997 recording of Debussy songs.
She tours regularly with piano accompanist Richard Goode. Margo Garrett and Gilbert Kalish are also long-standing partners. She has worked with the director Peter Sellars many times, including his staging of HÀndel's Theodora at Glyndebourne, his Paris production of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress (1996), a staging of Bach's cantata BWV 199, presented in the 1995-96 season at New York's 92nd Street Y, and the Salzburg Festival production of Olivier Messiaen's St François d'Assise (1998).
Upshaw was a guest of President of the United States Bill Clinton and Mrs. Clinton on the NBC special, Christmas in Washington. The BBC presented a prime-time telecast of her 1996 London Proms Concert, "Dawn at Dusk", in which she performed songs from the American musical theater.
Dawn Upshaw joined the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra as Artistic Partner beginning with the 2007-08 season, and she is Artistic Director of the Graduate Program in Vocal Arts at the Bard College Conservatory of Music, which accepted its first students in the 2006-2007 academic year. She also is a faculty member at the Tanglewood Music Center.
She holds honorary Doctor of Arts, honoris causa, from Yale University, the Manhattan School of Music, Illinois Wesleyan University and Allegheny College.
I Feel Pretty
Dawn Upshaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, so pretty
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
And I pity
Any girl who isn't me tonight
I feel charming
Oh, so charming
And so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real
See the pretty girl in that mirror there
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face
Such a pretty dress
Such a pretty smile
Such a pretty me!
I feel stunning
And entrancing
Feel like running and dancing for joy
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!
Have you met my good friend Maria
The craziest girl on the block?
You'll know her the minute you see her
She's the one who is in an advanced state of shock
She thinks she's in love
She thinks she's in Spain
She isn't in love
She's merely insane
It must be the heat
Or some rare disease
Or too much to eat
Or maybe it's fleas
Keep away from her
Send for Chino!
This is not the
Maria we know!
Modest and pure
Polite and refined
Well-bred and mature
And out of her mind!
I feel pretty
Oh, so pretty
That the city should give me its key
A committee
Should be organized to honor me
La la la la
I feel dizzy
I feel sunny
I feel fizzy and funny and fine
And so pretty
Miss America can just resign!
La la la la
See the pretty girl in that mirror there
What mirror where?
Who can that attractive girl be?
Which? What? Where? Whom?
Such a pretty face
Such a pretty dress
Such a pretty smile
Such a pretty me!
Such a pretty me!
I feel stunning
And entrancing
Feel like running and dancing for joy
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!
The song "I Feel Pretty" is from the musical "West Side Story", written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. In the song, the character Maria expresses her joy and confidence after meeting and falling in love with Tony. She admires herself in the mirror and sees a beautiful, charming, and attractive girl. She is so happy with herself and her life that she pities any girl who isn't her. Maria's friends, however, are in a less happy state, and she makes jokes about them, including her friend Maria, who thinks she's in love and in Spain, but is actually just insane.
The song is a perfect reflection of Maria's character, who is innocent and naive but full of life and love. The lyrics are simple and catchy, with a lighthearted and upbeat melody that is easy to remember. The song shows how love and happiness can change a person's outlook on life and make them feel beautiful and confident. The audience can hear the change in her character after meeting Tony and how joyous and carefree she feels just by being in love. The song is empowering as it encourages people to feel beautiful and confident in who they are.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel pretty
I feel beautiful
Oh, so pretty
Extremely beautiful
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
Not only beautiful but smart and cheerful as well
And I pity
Any girl who isn't me tonight
I feel sorry for any girl who doesn't feel as good as I do
I feel charming
I feel delightful
Oh, so charming
Extremely delightful
It's alarming how charming I feel!
Surprising how delightful I feel
And so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real
So beautiful that it's surreal
See the pretty girl in that mirror there
Who can that attractive girl be?
Looking at myself in the mirror and admiring how beautiful I look
Such a pretty face
Such a pretty dress
Such a pretty smile
Such a pretty me!
Admiring my beautiful features - my face, dress, smile, and myself
I feel stunning
And entrancing
Feel like running and dancing for joy
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!
Feeling gorgeous and captivating, wanting to dance and express joy because I am loved by a wonderful boy
Have you met my good friend Maria
Asking if you've met my friend Maria
The craziest girl on the block?
She's the most insane girl in the area
You'll know her the minute you see her
You'll recognize her instantly
She's the one who is in an advanced state of shock
She's the one who is mentally unstable
She thinks she's in love
She thinks she's in Spain
She isn't in love
She's merely insane
She believes she's in love and Spain, but not really. She's just crazy
It must be the heat
Or some rare disease
Or too much to eat
Or maybe it's fleas
Jokingly suggesting potential reasons for Maria's insanity - heat, a rare disease, overeating, or flea infestation
Keep away from her
Send for Chino!
Stay away from her and call Chino for help
This is not the
Maria we know!
Maria's current behavior is not normal for her
Modest and pure
Polite and refined
Well-bred and mature
And out of her mind!
Maria used to be proper and well-behaved, but now she's gone crazy
That the city should give me its key
A committee
Should be organized to honor me
Feeling so beautiful that the city should recognize and honor me for it
I feel dizzy
I feel sunny
I feel fizzy and funny and fine
And so pretty
Miss America can just resign!
Feeling lightheaded, happy, bubbly, and fine. So beautiful that Miss America might as well give up her crown
La la la la
Nonsensical singing
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind