CASEY DONOVAN
Saturday 15th January 2022, 8:30pm, Speaker's Corner
The multi-talented Casey Donovan delivered a captivating concert at Sydney Festival, showcasing her vocal versatility and ability to tap into the true emotion of the music she sings. In the shadows of St Mary's Cathedral in the pop-up open air venue, the one-hour concert was the perfect Covid safe escape from the real world.
During the one-hour concert, Donovan, in a shimmering cocktail dress, delivered a wonderfully broad range of songs, interspersed with anecdotes and casual patter that set up songs and also expressed the performer's candid honesty. With songs ranging from Bachelor Girl's Buses and Trains to Lady Gaga's Born This Way, Carole King's You've Got A Friend to her own original Where Do I Find Love, Donovan ensures that this is not simply a concert of 'stand up and sing' but a true interpretation of the music and lyrics, connecting to the underlying meaning and emotion of the songs in a way that many performers can only dream of. She infuses a soulful emotional connection, delivering incredibly poignant renditions that range from passionate and vulnerable, playful and sassy, and powerful and pleading, all while ensuring the songs have depth and 'light and shade'. She uses the full range of her powerhouse voice while ensuring the renditions have texture and depth, understanding the contrast of restrained and soaring phrases adds to the emotional nuance of the interpretations.
https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/events/casey-donovan
Photos: Yaya Stempler
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