Joyce DiDonato just hit the nail on the head with this incredibly moving speech about the power of music

2 November 2017, 15:11

The American mezzo-soprano used her ECHO Klassic Award speech to say something very important about the role of music in society.

The annual German ECHO Klassic Awards took place this weekend in Hamburg, at the stunning new Elbphilharmonie concert hall.

Among the winners were Jonas Kaufmann, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (led by Marin Alsop) and opera singer Joyce DiDonato, who was named Female Singer of the Year for her album In War & Peace (Warner Classics).

We’ve all heard the standard award acceptance speeches, in which the star thanks their manager, make-up artist, family and dog for helping them achieve their success.

But Joyce DiDonato decided to take her moment onstage to say something a bit more powerful, led by the quote: ‘The opposite of war is not peace. It’s creation’.

Here’s the clip:

This speech will make you realise what's really important. "The opposite of war is not peace. It's creation"- @JoyceDiDonato, @ilpdo pic.twitter.com/QJ4mky2HWp

— Dog & Trumpet (@dogandtrumpet) October 30, 2017

Aaaaaand you’re in floods of tears.

But seriously, hats off to Joyce for a magnificent speech, and for using her moment to express something more important than any single music awards ceremony. 

For a full list of winners, click here.