"The orchestra and its director, Christopher Larkin, deserve highest praise. Never overpowering the singers, they brought to the music a wealth of nuance and expression, controlling tempo as needed. Larkin followed the soloists, requested and received dynamic variety from the instruments, and propelled the dramatic tempo throughout." -Oregon Artswatch Read full review.

"Poulenc’s music in Dialogues visits every corner of his wide-ranging style, and Larkin and the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra supported the singers superbly" -Cleveland Classical Read full review.

"Opera Saratoga’s Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson has tackled vital political issues in his programming before, but even he can’t have realized how timely Gian Carlo Menotti’s Cold War “Broadway opera” The Consul (1950)would be this summer. Seen on July 9, Edelson’s production proved tight and riveting. . . The magician Nika Magadoff and his completely preposterous comic relief episodes are probably Menotti’s greatest lapse of taste and tone in this show, but tenor Tyler Nelson handled the role dapperly and with both vocal assurance and neat prestidigitation." -Opera News Read full review.

"Tenor Daniel Montenegro is well cast as Tybalt, his voice has darkened in the years since he's been here last, and he is a good foil for Roméo." - Opera Tattler Read full review. "...tenor Daniel Montenegro (Merola 2010; Adler Fellowship 2011), as Juliet's testosterone-driven brother Tybalt, made a robust impression." -Bay Area Reporter Read full review.

"Montenegro’s Mario sweetly gains confidence, with Neruda’s assistance, as he gains Beatrice’s hand. He plays very effectively Mario’s sadness and bewilderment when Neruda, released from exile and once more globe-trotting to great acclaim, seems to have forgotten him....Montenegro saved Mario’s best vocal moment for last, as he sings the touching letter he has left for Neruda at the opera’s conclusion. A strong, agile mezzo-soprano, with vocal color to burn, Miller had the greatest opportunity of any of the female principals to create a vivid character. Both comically protective of Beatrice’s virtue and more perceptive of political and social class reality than the opera’s other characters, her Donna Rosa was the most interesting person on stage. She also had the funniest moment of the afternoon, as she and the local priest get into a briefly riotous dance during the wedding scene." -DC Metro Theater Arts Read full review. "Tenor Daniel Montenegro was a perfect Mario, a fact not surprising since in his younger days he worked with Catán to shape this character. In “Postino,” acting is paramount in exposing the deep emotions beneath the gentleness and humor. Montenegro’s Mario glowed with the sweet awareness of the magic of metaphors yet plunged into his Act III sorrows to bring about a chilling impact. His bright tenor was flexible and soared to the heights. . . Rounding out the female roles was mezzo-soprano Dana Beth Miller as Donna Rosa, Beatrice’s mother. Her delightful acting was matched by her rich, colorful voice and rock solid projection." -The Virginian-Pilot Read full review.

"it’s the moving evocations of intense love and sadness in Verdi’s music that make “La Traviata” a masterpiece, and those were beautifully conveyed on opening night by our lovers, American soprano Nicole Cabell and Mexican tenor Jesus Leon. . . While Violetta is usually the center of attention in this opera, Leon’s Alfredo was its charismatic catalyst. He consistently stole scenes, disarmingly open-hearted as he gave each line a wonderful mix of tenderness and effusive passion." -Pioneer Press Read full review. "Jesús León has a glorious tenor, brilliant singing the role of Alfredo, expressing his earnest love for Violetta, heedless of her tarnished past, with complete conviction. His anguish and humiliation after her return to Paris is palpable." -Talkin' Broadway Read full review.

“Erda, the goddess of the earth and the individual with the most power over Wotan and the universe, was deeply realized by mezzo-soprano, Alissa Anderson. Her entry out of the sidelines into the center was especially remarkable and her aria of doom and warning was memorable. It was a chilling moment, and one of the best realized scenes of the performance” - Voice Magazine

"But it's Cassandra Zoe Velasco, as Butterfly's loyal and loving maid Suzuki, whose best encapsulates the audience's revulsion at Pinkerton's cavalier thoughtlessness, seething with rage even as she retains her placid demeanor while watching her mistress' heart shattered beyond recognition." -BroadwayWorld Read full review. "Cassandra Zoé Velasco’s Suzuki (Butterfly’s maid) and Lester Lynch as Sharpless (the U.S. Consul) are standouts. Both characters are the proverbial canaries in the coal mine. Both see the dangers inherent in the marriage between Butterfly and Pinkerton and both are ignored to the peril of everyone involved." -Out and About Nashville Read full review.

“Mexican tenor Jesús León was making his Bellas Artes and role debut as Hoffmann so the stakes were high. After a very solid career in Europe, León proved to be ready to perform the challenging role of Hoffmann. His voice is very lyrical, Italianate in color and projection, with squillo in his secure, blazing high notes. He was very convincing vocally in the lyrical parts of the score, such as the "Ballad of Kleinzach", his declaration of love for Olympia or the difficult “O Dieu de quelle ivresse” in Giulietta’s act. He is one of the few tenors that this critic has heard live that is heard with clarity during the trio of Dr. Miracle, Crespel and Hoffmann, giving a radiant high C at the end of it with no problem. His voice blended very well with his leading ladies (Vitelaru and Velasco) and made a credible portrayal of the tormented poet. A true triumph for León. . . Mezzosoprano Cassandra Zoé Velasco scored a huge success in the role of Nicklausse/The Muse. Her voice has darkened since the last time we heard her live. She sang with elegant phrasing, lovely velvety tone and pure French style. Velasco and Vitelaru’s voices blended beautifully during the famous Barcarolle and the young Mexican mezzosoprano sang with intensity the beautiful aria “Vois sous l’archet frémissant”.” -OperaClick.com Read full review.

"The outstanding mezzo-soprano Rebecca Ringle, her voice dark and warm and a tangible anchor in the ensembles. . . As Wright, the fine baritone Sidney Outlaw . . .The whole thing was, though, a generally intense and pleasurable musical experience in the hands of UrbanArias founder and conductor Robert Wood." -Anne Midgette, Washington Post Read full review. "Taking on this complicated challenge was Sidney Outlaw as Frank Lloyd Wright. In “And her scent, was it musk?” and “Each room opens into the next” in particular, Outlaw’s powerful baritone showcased a man driven by the muse of passion and his quest of perfect form. . . The most immediate of these relationships was with his wife, Catherine, played by the dignified Rebecca Ringle. A devoted wife crushed by the inconstancy of her husband, she pleads to keep her family together in the sorrowful aria, “If not for mine, then for the children’s sake.” Ringle’s warm, rounded mezzo gives Catherine’s grief roots and as her voice falls on deaf ears, Ringle’s transformation into a knowing, judging observer produces some spectacularly piercing looks that could break stone. . . Not to be overlooked, the members of the Inscape Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Robert Wood were also superb." - Em Skow, DC Metro Theater Arts Read full review.

"Some of the saltier characters have some of the best music of the evening. At the top of that list is Arnalta, Poppea’s cheeky Nurse, whose lullaby, ‘Obblivion soave’, would be welcomed by anyone at bedtime, especially as delivered by the superb mezzo-soprano Rebecca Ringle Kamarei." -Seen and Heard International Read full review. "One of the musical highlights was the lullaby sung by Arnalta (Rebecca Ringle Kamarei)" -Cincinnati Business Courier Read full review. "With two important contributions — one more dramatic, one chiefly vocal — Rebecca Ringle Kamarei made an outstanding impression as Arnalta, the well-filled contralto role of Poppea's confidante. Her resistance to Poppea's headstrong romantic tantrums was stoutly set forth in the first act; in the second, her performance of a tender lullaby to the high-maintenance young woman floated under expert control." -Jay Harvey Upstage Read full review.

"There were more ferocious contributions from the great Susanne Mentzer in a no-holds-barred performance as Gertrude — luxury casting if ever there was — and the redoubtable bass Philip Skinner as Claudius; the duet between these two, a haunting pas de deux of guilt, recrimination and graveyard-whistling, was a high point of the performance." -San Francisco Chronicle Read full review. "Gertrude, played by Susanne Mentzer, apparently suffering from a cold at the August 13th performance, rose to the occasion. From one movement to the next, she took charge. Her smallest gesture – hands, feet, tilt of head – took effect. And she kept it up, cold, metallic raincoat and two-toned platinum/black Goth hair-do and all. She showed the anguish Gertrude felt when confronted by Hamlet, daring him to kill her, and, the shock of recognition that the morally tuned-in son blankets her with. It was satisfying theater here, musically and dramatically, the confrontation cutting deeper than much of the depiction thus far. Her rich mezzo voice allowed us to be sympathetic to her, if not approving. Even her stroking of King Hamlet’s head in the opening scene hot tub – a perhaps another California touch – brings us closer to what she blinded herself to when she goes “off” with Claudius." -OperaWire.com Read full review.