Deutsche Grammophon has unveiled the signing of mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, in an exclusive arrangement.

The announcement comes just a week after the 26-year-old Italian-Canadian made her Covent Garden debut, singing the role of Sesto in La clemenza di Tito, in a new production directed by Richard Jones and conducted by Mark Wigglesworth.

Her DG Label debut, title ‘enargeia’ and set for release on October 8, will feature music by four composers. The Yellow Label describes it: ‘D’Angelo’s initial inspiration was the medieval abbess, mystic and polymath Hildegard von Bingen, whose music she presents here in fresh arrangements by leading American composers Missy Mazzoli and Sarah Kirkland Snider. The album also includes original pieces by both Mazzoli and Snider, as well as two stunning vocal works by the Grammy Award-winning Hildur Guðnadóttir.’

D’Angelo became a member of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artists Development Program in 2017, making her debut on the Met stage in 2018. That same year, she won all four top prizes at the Operalia competition – a first in its 26-year history – and in 2019 won the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival’s Leonard Bernstein Award, whose previous winners have all been instrumentalists.

‘In the spirit of artistic adventure and creativity, the DG team supported my idea of exploring the ancient concept of enargeia – which permeates all the music on this album – and together we’ve created a cohesive listening experience from these extraordinary works,’ said D’Angelo. ‘Above all, we share a passion for communicating in ways that can move, inspire and connect people.’

Dr Clemens Trautmann, DG President, added: ‘Emily is an extraordinary vocalist. She has set the opera world alight at an age when many artists are only just starting their careers and has shown her virtuosity and versatility in so many genres. Her DG debut album provides a rich contemporary context to Hildegard’s music, which I’m sure will touch listeners at the deepest level.’