Call Me Debbie: True Confessions of a Down-To-Earth Diva - Softcover

Voigt, Deborah

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062118285 ISBN 13: 9780062118288

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks, 2016

Synopsis

Internationally beloved opera star Deborah Voigt recounts her harrowing and ultimately successful private battles to overcome the addictions and self-destructive tendencies that nearly destroyed her life.

Call Me Debbie is one of the most electrifying performances of Deborah Voigt's life. The brilliantly gifted opera soprano takes us behind the velvet curtains to tell her compelling story--a tale of success, addiction, music, and faith as dramatic as any role she has performed. For the first time, she talks about the events that led to her dangerous gastric bypass surgery in 2004 and its shocking aftermath: her substantial weight loss coupled with the "cross addiction" that led to severe alcoholism, frightening all-night blackouts, and suicide attempts. Ultimately, Voigt emerged from the darkness to achieve complete sobriety, thanks to a twelve-step program and a recommitment to her Christian faith.

Colored by hilarious anecdotes and juicy gossip that illuminate what really goes on backstage, Voigt paints diverting portraits of the artists with whom she's worked, her most memorable moments onstage, and her secrets to great singing. She also offers fascinating insight into the roles she's played and the characters she loves, including Strauss's Ariadne and Salome, Puccini's Minnie, and Wagner's Sieglinde, Isolde, and Brunnhilde, sharing her intense preparation for playing them.

Filled with eight pages of color photos, Call Me Debbie is an inspirational story that offers a unique look into the life of a modern artist and a remarkable woman.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"A startlingly frank look at the life of one of our generation's most prominent operatic stars."--Associated Press

In Call Me Debbie, internationally renowned opera singer Deborah Voigt describes her journey to become one of the world's most celebrated artists and also discusses her private battles with addictions to food and alcohol, and a myriad of other self-destructive tendencies that nearly destroyed her.

Voigt reveals here the troubling sequence of addictive behavior that led to her being fired from a London opera production for being too large to fit into the "little black dress" demanded by the role, and her subsequent gastric bypass surgery and its dramatic aftermath. She speaks openly of the "cross-addiction" that led to severe alcoholism, frightening all-night blackouts, and suicide attempts. Here, too, is the story of how she achieved complete sobriety, thanks to a twelve-step program and a recommitment to her Christian faith.

Highlighting hilarious anecdotes and juicy gossip about what really goes on backstage, Voigt talks candidly about the impresarios, singers, and conductors with whom she's worked and offers fascinating insight into the roles she has played and the characters she loves.

Complete with eight pages of color photographs, Call Me Debbie is an inspirational story that offers a unique look into the life of an incredible artist.

About the Author:

Deborah Voigt is one of the world's leading dramatic sopranos, internationally revered for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. She has also portrayed some of the iconic heroines in Italian opera to great acclaim. An active recitalist and performer of Broadway standards and popular songs, Voigt appears regularly, as both performer and host, in the Metropolitan Opera's The Met: Live in HD series. She is also co-creator of Voigt Lessons, a one-woman show she developed with award-winning playwright Terrence McNally and director Francesca Zambello.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0062118285
• ISBN 13: 9780062118288
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288