Joyce DiDonato and Time For Three: Emily — No Prisoner Be
Introduction
Emily — No Prisoner Be is a 24-part song cycle by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts, setting the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Written for Grammy Award-winning artists Joyce DiDonato and genre-defying ensemble Time for Three. Emily is a powerful meeting of voices across centuries—each one distinct, yet in perfect harmony.
With music which feels at once familiar and new, brimming with energy, passion, and an undeniable chemistry between the performers. Emily Dickinson’s poetry and Puts’ music feel as if they have always belonged together.
The stage and lighting design by Andrew Staples envelop the audience in a timeless, ethereal world—strikingly simple yet deeply evocative. His design draws us further into Dickinson’s mind with subtle shifts of light and shadow, allowing the poetry and music to resonate.
Emily received its world premiere at the Bregenzer Festspiele on 14 and 16 August 2025. The studio album will be released in January 2026 with Platoon.
The creation of Emily — No Prisoner Be was made possible by the Lead Commissioner, Bregenzer Festspiele and Co-Commissioners Carnegie Hall and Cal Performances at University of California, Berkeley.
Composers
Creative Team
Contact
Sorcha Coller
Programme
Emily—No Prisoner Be
1. They shut me up 2. I was the slightest in the House 3. The Soul selects her own Society 4. Again—his voice is at the door— 5. Interlude No. 1 6. I dwell in Possibility 7. Because I could not stop for Death— 8. A Bee I personally knew (Instrumental; Bee Scherzo no. 1) 9. I Felt a Funeral 10. I reason, Earth is short— 11. A little Snow 12. I tie my Hat—I crease my Shawl 13. “Hope” is the thing 14. Interlude No. 2 15. The Props Assist the House 16. There is a solitude of space 17. Could I but ride indefinite (Instrumental with vocalise; Bee Scherzo no. 2) 18. So set its Sun in Thee 19. Her face was in a bed of hair 20. Tell Her 21. His Feet are shod with Gauze (Instrumental; Bee Scherzo no. 3) 22. Wild Nights! 23. There is another sky 24. ’Tis true—they shut me in the Cold— 25. If I can stop one Heart from breaking 26. No Prisoner Be
Performances
- Feb 2026 - Feb 2026North America
Green Music Center, Sonoma | Granada Theater, Santa Barbara | Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley | Chicago Symphony Hall | Shannon Hall, Wisconsin | Folly Theater, Kansas City | Carnegie Hall, New York | Richardson Auditorium, Princeton
Press
The end result was not a conventional song recital, but an encounter with a poet whose work speaks across time and space that was as artistically ambitious as it was immediately moving. "Emily - No Prisoner Be" is an ode to the freedom of thought, to the power of poetry and to the ability of music to make words resonate anew. The enthusiastic audience rewarded the evening with a standing ovation and long-lasting final applause. It was clear that this was not just a successful premiere, but a work that will remain.
- Andreas Marte | vol.at
- 15 August 2025
“Joyce DiDonato shaped the entire musical performance. She captivated the audience with her versatile voice, her singing, which was psychologically interpretative down to the last detail, and her intense stage presence.”
- Silvia Thurner | Kulturzeitschrift
- 16 August 2025
“The US string trio Time for Three brought their cross-genre experience and astounding versatility to the table. The three are not only virtuoso instrumentalists, but also singers, percussionists and occasionally even actors.”
- Andreas Marte | vol.at
- 15 August 2025
“Kevin Puts drew an arc, created a picture in which Joyce DiDonato's voice, the sound of the violins, the viola and the double bass were interwoven and left the listeners with the power of interpretation.”
- Christa Dietrich | APA0128
- 15 August 2025