"Music can be a real guiding light towards empathy, and I can't think of any better prescription," DiDonato says. The opera star's latest album turns to Baroque arias to address present-day conflict.

Joyce DiDonato On Why Art Matters In The Midst Of Chaos

November 4, 20164:31 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered
Joyce DiDonato is one of the most acclaimed opera singers of her generation; this year, she won the Grammy for Best Classical Vocal Solo. Her latest album, In War and Peace: Harmony Through Music, is a collection of baroque arias from the 17th and 18th centuries divided into two sections ? one addressing war, the other, peace.
DiDonato joined NPR's Ari Shapiro to discuss this newest recording, a project she hopes will be a force for healing. "Music, because it goes to the heart and bypasses the brain, can put people in a position to hear another point of view, to be less afraid of it," she says. Hear their full conversation at the audio link and read an edited transcript below...