Photo by Chris Christodoulou
Joyce DiDonato received a question "from aspiring young singer, 18 years of age," about advice, after she dyed her hair "dirty blonde/light brown ... and missing my blonde hair terribly, and since you are a successful blonde I was wondering what your views on the matter are."
It takes the kind of tolerant, kind, funny, and wise person DiDonato is to turn the subject around to a lengthy in-depth discussion of art and appearances, "because I feel it highlights some of the issues where I believe our industry is failing in these days":
... with all due respect, the last thing you should be thinking about right now, is the color of your hair.
...
We don’t have to look very far to see celebrities in our culture trying desperately to define themselves primarily and desperately as merely perfect physical specimens, and the eager public asking for more — but sadly, the impression that is made is one of being utterly hollow inside."Hollow" has no place in this world of high art — at least not in a significant or lasting way, and most certainly not in a way that deeply moves people at their core, which is, I think, the object of our world of music>"
Regardless of hair color, or even the presence of absence of hair, DiDonato's thoughts on the larger issue are very much worth reading.