In the Spotlight During Bleak Times

Denyce Graves is one of the most glamorous opera singers in the world, but on her days off, you’ll likely find her curled up with a book or shopping at Wal-Mart.

“For my birthday, a lot of friends got together and gave me this huge gift certificate to Wal-Mart,” she says with a laugh. “Whenever I go missing--which is often when I’m home--people say, ‘Have you guys called Wal-Mart? She’s probably there.’”

The image of Graves the discount shopper may be difficult to reconcile with the elegant mezzo-soprano, best known for her dynamic, smoldering performances in the title role of “Carmen,” one that she has repeated at opera houses around the globe.

But as she talked by phone from her home in Leesburg, Va., Graves, 36, seems far from a haughty diva, cracking jokes, shopping by catalog (“When I shop, it is a sporting event”) and describing how she’s been wrapping holiday presents for her husband, classical guitarist David Perry, on a rare free day.

Although she’s best known in classical circles, a new audience discovered her powerful voice when she sang at a prayer service at Washington National Cathedral, just days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Her moving renditions of “America the Beautiful” and “The Lord’s Prayer,” televised live nationwide, brought many to tears. The songs are available on two new CDs: “American Anthem,” a collection of patriotic songs released by her record label, RCA, and “Memorial,” a three-song set that can be ordered through her Web site. Proceeds from both projects will benefit the American Red Cross.

Question: How did you keep your emotions in check while performing at the prayer service?

Answer: I, like everybody else, felt broken by what had happened, and my heart just bled at the entire situation. I was very much affected by that as we had friends who were lost. But at the same time, I come from a very spiritual background about life and the afterlife, and I know that it’s not the end.

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Q: Your popularity has increased since that performance. Is that an awkward feeling?

A: You know, there are times in our lives when you feel like you’re a gift from God, for such a higher purpose. And I was sincerely honored to have been asked to participate, to be there in any capacity, because I, like so many other people, wanted to do something. And it gave the talent and what I go around doing for a living so much more purpose, and about that I was extremely grateful and proud.

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Q: Recently, you’ve tried to steer away from some of the sexier opera roles you’re known for, such as Carmen and Delilah. Why?

A: That’s not all of who I am as an artist, and so I think every artist wants to be recognized in a complete way and not have people think of them as in terms of one sort of thing. But I suppose that happens to everybody.... If you think Jim Carrey, you’ll think, “Oh, comedian,” when in fact, he has an impressive body of work and he’s done lots of serious roles as well.

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Q: Many classical singers are doing crossover albums. Is that something you’re planning to do?

A: We are releasing one next year called “The Lost Days” on RCA, and it is a Latin disc, and it is a real departure from what I did [in the past]. Most of the music was written for me for this project, and some of them are traditional Latin songs with very different treatments and arrangements. Some of it is traditional; some of it is folk; some of them are tangos and sambas.

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Q: You performed with your husband at the Washington prayer service. Do you often perform together?

A: Not very much at all. In fact, we performed at NASA for one of the shuttle launches back in August, and that was the first time that we performed together in many, many years. We’ve been married 12 years, and in the beginning, we did one concert together and we nearly killed each other. And we said, “That’s it, no more.” ... He makes me crazy! We’re both artists, and he has his way of doing things and I have my way.