SEARCH BY DATE

Dec 20, 2021

Marble City Opera’s ‘Lily’ – Audrey Babcock Is Spellbinding in One-Woman Show

“Conceived, written, and performed by Babcock. . . Babcock was unequivocally spellbinding, both vocally and dramatically, as Lily, calling up both specters of darkness and moments of optimism with a voice that can range from raw, guttural despair to powerful clarity with perfect, seemingly effortless diction. Dramatically, Babcock was able to paint her smoky, dark character with a controlled sense of physical desperation, but also with expressions of tenacity that defines suc

Dec 19, 2021

In Review: Thompson in The Glimmerglass Festival's "Silent Night"

"Wm. Clay Thompson’s Father Palmer and Timothy Bruno as the General were strong contributors to this stirring performance" -Opera News Read full review. "Ideally cast as Father Palmer, Wm. Clay Thompson delivers a Christmas mass in Latin for soldiers from all three camps." -Operatoonity Read full review.

Dec 19, 2021

Opera News: Thompson brings "mahogany-timbered" bass to Glimmerglass Festival "Vixen"

"Mahogany-timbred bass Wm. Clay Thompson was an imposing presence as the oafish, lying Poacher" -Opera News Read full review.

Dec 19, 2021

Bix brings his "brilliantine tenor" to DMMO "Wozzeck"

“Corey Bix sang the role of the Captain, Wozzeck’s corpulent superior who constantly berates him. Bix’s tenor voice soared through Berg’s complex score, traversing an insanely wide vocal range as he jumped from dark low tones to brassy high notes. His performance of the Captain came off as a familiar villain (aka the kind that doesn’t even realize that he is the bad guy). The Captain is too self-absorbed to even comprehend how poorly he treats Wozzeck, and Bix conveyed that n

Dec 18, 2021

In Review: Zetlan shines in wildly successful "Ellen West"

“Persuasive and powerful, too, was Jennifer Zetlan as the tormented psychoanalytic patient at the center of “Ellen West”; Ms. Zetlan was focused through rangy, angry vocal lines and sweetly plangent in nostalgic reflection. . . The text is an enigmatic and poignant expression of a self that feels itself unreal…Gordon’s elegantly impassioned score drew dusky lyricism from the Aeolus Quartet, conducted here by Lidiya Yankovskaya.” –Zachary Woolfe, New York Times Read full revie

Dec 18, 2021

Opera News hails Zetlan and Thurman for "Jane Eyre" recording

"Jennifer Zetlan, with her resplendent tone and dazzlingly clear delivery, gives a ceaselessly compelling, emotionally complex performance. . . Other high points include a passage for Blanche, the snobbish beauty Rochester has no intention of marrying, who can scarcely disguise her class condescension when referring to Jane. Katrina Thurman leaps through this bouncy aria with enjoyably imperious agility.” -Opera News Read full review.

Dec 18, 2021

In Review: Rofrano leads "energetic and light-hearted reading" of "Cendrillon" with City Lyric Opera

"Not 5 minutes past the curtain call we wanted to see Pauline Viardot's Cendrillon over again. Where was the repeat button? We relished every moment of this charming work brought to the stage by City Lyric Opera, a most worthy company with high ideals. . . Career advancement is not easy for female conductors and we were thrilled to see the young rapidly rising Maestro Michelle Rofrano on the podium leading an energetic and light-hearted reading of Pauline Viardot's telling

Dec 17, 2021

In Review: Faircloth and Wood illuminate Austin's "Rigoletto"

"Guest conductor Robert Wood underscored the drama and sonority of the music for Austin Opera’s latest staging, which plays through Sunday at the Long Center. For her part, stage director Tara Faircloth highlighted the concrete and specific psychologies of the characters rather than the general and pictorial elements in a story about a venal Duke of Mantua pitted against Rigoletto, his cruel and vengeful jester, and Gilda, Rigoletto’s innocent daughter and one of the Duke’s p

Dec 17, 2021

In Review: McIntyre, Bix, and Sanders in DMMO "Sweeney Todd"

"The estimable American festival, Des Moines Metro Opera, ventured confidently into Stephen Sondheim territory with an enthralling new production of Sweeney Todd. The first great asset in its favor is that the company entrusted the stage direction to the confident skills of Kristine McIntyre. This endlessly inventive director revels in character motivation, ever-shifting stage pictures, and a rich inventory of detail-oriented business. Ms. McIntyre is also well-acquainted wit

Dec 17, 2021

Opera News commends Krumm's "exquisite" performance as Meg in "Little Women"

"As the eldest March girl, Meg, mezzo Laura Krumm was exquisite. Her lyric instrument had the warm shimmer of a lyric soprano combined with the best mezzo depth. Her Meg was utterly lovely, elegantly swept up in John Brooke’s courtship and generous with her family." -Opera News Read full review.

Dec 17, 2021

Krumm brings "rich vocal color and sheer self-assurance" to "Cavalleria rusticana"

"Cavalleria” also featured a gorgeous contribution by mezzo-soprano Laura Krumm as Lola, the focus of all the men’s desires. Krumm has been a strong, reliable presence on local opera stages since her time as an Adler Fellow several years ago, but I’ve never before heard her sing with such a combination of force, rich vocal color and sheer self-assurance. This performance – brief but entrancing – felt like a major step forward." -Datebook Read full review.

Dec 17, 2021

In Review: Wolverton, Abreu, and Outlaw impress in Mill City's "Così fan tutte"

"Soprano Karin Wolverton dazzled in Minnesota Opera’s “Silent Night” and shines as Fiordiligi. . . Baritone Sidney Outlaw and tenor Javier Abreu ham it up as Guglielmo and Ferrando. They’re never evil, just young and kind of dumb, led around and misled by Don Alfonso. They sing beautifully, too. All the singers in this production do." -MinnPost Read full review. "Soprano Karin Wolverton and mezzo-soprano Sarah Larsen made a strong impression as Fiordiligi and Dorabella, deftl

Dec 17, 2021

Opera News hails Wolverton in Madison Opera "Rusalka"

Karin Wolverton delivered a terrific Foreign Princess with a big, refulgent soprano voice that dominated proceedings with her every utterance." -Opera News Read full review.

Dec 17, 2021

In Review: Slack "transcendent" in Fort Worth Opera's "Porgy & Bess"

"The score makes generous use of polyphony and call and response. Robbins’ widow Serena (soprano Karen Slack) fired off vocal pyrotechnics during her aria, “My Man’s Gone Now.” Some moments felt oddly upbeat, but the virtuosic solo was a reminder that coloratura is not solely the domain of Mozart." – FWWeekly.com Read full review. "Karen Slack was a fetching Serena" – DallasNews.com Read full review.

Dec 17, 2021

In Review: Slack "shines" in "Fire Shut Up In My Bones" at Opera Theatre of St. Louis

"Billie, the hardscrabble mother (the feisty, rich-voiced soprano Karen Slack), works in a chicken factory to keep her family fed and as stable as possible." -The New York Times Read full review. "The gifted soprano Julia Bullock shines in her role...So does dark-voiced soprano Karen Slack as Billie, a strong woman who finally manages to tell her youngest son that she loves him" - Saint Louis Today Read full review. "powerhouse Karen Slack" -ReviewSTL.com Read full review.

Dec 16, 2021

In Review: Colaneri and Latini in The Glimmerglass Festival's "The Ghost of Versailles"

"While this comic opera in two acts provided plenty of laughs, Corigliano’s score was sensational: Its color, intensity and clarity without sacrificing volume; how it slithered, thundered, or wailed for effect; or how effortlessly it moved from 18th-century style to Harry Potter mystery. Music director Joseph Colaneri conducted a superb orchestra." -Daily Gazette Read full review. "The fine soprano Joanna Latini was Rosina . . . Corigliano’s score is a riotous mix of styles —

Dec 16, 2021

Latini brings "jaw-dropping vocals" to Calgary "La bohème"

"Marcello’s love interest was Joanna Latini, the production’s Musetta. With a voice as strong as Mimi’s, but perhaps with a more innate dramatic quality, she delivered all the was needed in the famous Waltz Song in the Cafe Momus act, her infuriating actions (at least to Marcello) filled with comedy and impressive wilfulness—Musetta’s underlying quality. Latini made a strong impression and earned her full share of applause at the end." -Calgary Herald Read full review. "Joan

Dec 16, 2021

In Review: Calenos and Whitney in Cleveland Opera Theater's "La bohème

"Singing was high-quality throughout the opera. The clear-voiced soprano Eleni Calenos was a sympathetic Mimi opposite the robust tenor Mackenzie Whitney as Rodolfo, who relaxed in his high register as he went along." -Cleveland Classical Read full review. "As the poet Rodolfo, tenor Mackenzie Whitney brought a lightness of tone and earnestness of demeanor to a difficult role that requires the singer to walk the line between ardent lover and callous cad, a distinction Whitney

Dec 16, 2021

In Review: Calenos in "Die Fledermaus" at the Greek National Theater

"All the performers excelled musically and dramatically, led by soprano Eleni Calenos, who was radiant as Eisenstein’s wife Rosalinde...Calenos is well-known to New York’s Greek-American Community and her star is rising in the opera world. During the premier she lit up the community’s social media accounts as her friends in Athens reported her triumph and Greeks in New York posted congratulations." -National Herald Read full review.

Dec 16, 2021

In Review: Alvarez as "Aida" gives "breathtaking lyricism"

"L’interprétation très exigeante de la partition acrobatique d’Aïda a été mise en vedette par Elaine Alvarez, pleinement engagée, qui a incarné les complexités théâtrales du personnage principal avec un équilibre dramatique et un lyrisme époustouflants.“/ "The very demanding interpretation of AIDA's acrobatic score was featured by fully engaged Elaine Alvarez, who embodied the theatrical complexities of the main character with a dramatic balance and breathtaking lyricism." -O

Browse Roster

NEWS

THE LATEST NEWS AND FEATURES ABOUT OUR ARTISTS

Photo: Fundacion Teatro Nacional Sucre