Jamie Barton's Recital Tour Starts with A Bang in Boston, New York
“The kind of singer that changes the way we think about mezzos in this century…the kind of singer who brings us back to other centuries. The voice itself is, of course, a marvel. Rich and sonorous, but also vulnerable, it seems to emerge from the depths of the lower abdomen, as though lungs could start where legs ended, with tone shooting up from the floor.” Jamie Barton and pianist Kathleen Kelly kick off their recital tour to rapturous acclaim in Boston and New York.
December 18, 2017
Photo by Richard Termine
Mezzo Jamie Barton kicks off a recital tour with pianist Kathleen Kelly with her Celebrity Series Boston debut and a return to Carnegie Hall.
Read reviews:
“A thoughtful and deeply satisfying program."
The New York Times
"Barton is a wonderful recitalist, and this was a terrific program. Barton doesn’t color text—she embodies it. Her acting is powerful but finely judged: every word is alive and specific, but never floats entirely free of real speech. By the same token, her diction is so magnificent, and her projection of it so finely calibrated to the hall, that after a while you just stop looking at the printed texts. Her final exploratory “Mmmmm,” in “Boys Lips” was an erotic education all by itself. Her “But oh, oh, insomniac moonlight,/How unhoneyed is my middle of the night,” in “The Empty Song,” found a balance of voluptuous pain and wry self-mockery that’s precisely right for a song that’s sparked by an empty shampoo-bottle. And anyone who can get seven distinct, hearty laughs out of a mere fourteen lines of text, plus applause and bravos in the middle of a group, as Barton did with “Big Sister Says,” is assuredly cooking with gas."
ZEALnyc
"I've always wondered what it would be like to swim in a pool of maple syrup – and now I know. From the minute Ms. Barton opened her mouth, she unleashed a rolling tone that poured over her audience, soaking them in the sugary, maple tones of her delicious mezzo. We were drenched – but in the way an idyllic bite of pancake is drenched."
Broadway World Opera
“The kind of singer that changes the way we think about mezzos in this century…the kind of singer who brings us back to other centuries. The voice itself is, of course, a marvel. Rich and sonorous, but also vulnerable, it seems to emerge from the depths of the lower abdomen, as though lungs could start where legs ended, with tone shooting up from the floor.”
Parterre Box
"It’s easy to hear why Barton has become so popular, for the singer has a voice of remarkable power and depth. Barton brought lyrical grace and zeal to a wide-ranging program of songs by French, German, Austrian, and American composers. Barton’s singing is dark, yet radiant with a voice that is smooth in all registers. Given her operatic experience, particularly in Wagnerian roles, her singing also has weight and gravity. Her high notes, too, rang like a bell. But Barton’s greatest strength lies in her ability to tell stories through music. With searching intensity that found the wide emotional range of each song she sang, Barton performed as if each piece were a miniature drama. Stories, it was revealed, are best told through song."
Boston Classical Review
"Along with the extraordinary power of her voice, Barton’s luminous smile won me over before she sang a note. Barton’s radiant joy in performing was obvious. as was the special synergy she shared with her excellent pianist, Kathleen Kelly. The other surprising thing was the originality of the program, which included music very few in the audience had heard. The truth is, even without Barton’s keen musical intelligence – and that radiant voice – this song recital would have been worth hearing because of her wonderfully imaginative choice of music... I suspected I was enjoying the loveliest thing I’ll hear this holiday season."
The Arts Fuse
All Who Wander Receives Award Nominations
"It’s the sort of instrument you could listen to all day, in any sort of repertoire." Jamie Barton's debut album receives recognition from the International Classical Music Awards and Gramophone Classical Music Awards.
November 28, 2017
““The voice is rich, generous and vibrant, big but beautifully controlled, impeccably smooth throughout its range. It’s the sort of instrument you could listen to all day, in any sort of repertoire. This really is an exciting talent, and a terrific disc.””
Jamie Barton's debut album, released on Delos Music, is receiving recognition from the International Classical Music Awards and Gramophone Classical Music Awards.
All Who Wander is one of six Solo Vocal albums shortlisted by Gramophone for their Classical Music Awards. It has also been nominated for an International Classical Music Award in the Vocal Recital category.
Accompanied by pianist Brian Zeger, All Who Wander features lush, romantic melodies by Mahler, Dvorak, and Sibelius.
Photo by Fay Fox
Read reviews:
"The voice is rich, generous and vibrant, big but beautifully controlled, impeccably smooth throughout its range. It’s the sort of instrument you could listen to all day, in any sort of repertoire. This really is an exciting talent, and a terrific disc."
Gramophone
"Barton’s grand and rich voice is perhaps as big as Flagstad’s, Farrell, and Nilsson’s, with tone as beautiful and unforced as the first two singers’. Its compass extends from the bottom of the mezzo range to an easy, room-shaking high C. But as easily as Barton can envelop you with sound, she can also grab you by the gut, and propel you deep into the emotional heart of music’s great mysteries. It is the emotional depth of Barton’s artistry that sets her apart from other singers blessed with exceptional voices. She has the power to render you breathless and at her mercy. I expect that you, too, will marvel at how, as Barton expands her voice to huge proportions, her sound and heart also expand to encompass every emotion of a woman lost in memories of a great, lost love."
Stereophile
“Jamie Barton has one of the great voices in the world today. Sumptuous, flexible, and capable of light and shade, her sizeable mezzo pours forth seamlessly. Barton’s voice at full cry is thrilling to behold but the majesty of her instrument never overwhelms the songs. Her ability to lighten her tone, especially in the tricky upper middle voice, notably allows her to sing with expressive freedom. All Who Wander is everything a song recital should be. Delivering both familiar and unfamiliar fare in beguiling interpretations, Barton and Zeger take the listener into the world of each song with deft musicality and emotional sincerity.”
Parterre Box
“A rising star, Barton seems as comfortable on the concert platform as the opera stage. In these art-songs admirable throughout is Barton’s alluring tone and gorgeous phrasing. My highlight is Mahler’s magnificent Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, a multi-faceted score full of world-weary introspection. In this intensely melancholic writing, Barton communicates a real sense of yearning to moving effect, which felt extremely spiritual. The text that aches with emotion in Um Mitternacht (At midnight) is enchantingly sung, maintaining an intense expression that adds to the dream-like quality of the writing and concludes with a sense of resignation.”
Music Web International
"Barton is the most important American mezzo-soprano since Stephanie Blythe, another phenomenon capable of singing everything, and very well. Instead of Bellini’s Adalgisa and Wagner’s Fricka, which are her calling cards on opera stages around the world, the singer opted for a more intimate and very demanding repertoire. Barton has been given a voice and that abundance of means could betray her; fortunately those fears are unfounded. Her instrument is a column of generous, opulent sound that dominates to the point of allowing her to completely abandon herself to the chosen material in order to concentrate on the interpretation."
El Nuevo Herald
"We listened to All Who Wander on a rainy afternoon in London; Barton’s singing is just as much a warm hug on a cold day as it is a refreshing breeze in the heat.”
Schmopera
"Barton’s voice is delicate throughout, a sound that the audiences are not accustomed to hearing in the opera house where her potent mezzo soprano exhilarates with its brilliance and forwardness."
Opera Wire
"Perhaps the song on the record which encapsulates best what Barton can do is Sibelius’ “Säv, säv, susa”. She conveys its arched structure from repose to violence and back again with real conviction, and the final long vowels are unbelievable.”
The Arts Desk
"She is emphatically her own artist. All Who Wander is a testament to Barton’s artistic individuality—and, equally importantly, to the depths of her talent. No, the Twenty-First Century has given us no Flagstad or Callas, but what a gift we have been given in Jamie Barton."
Voix des Arts
Riders Opera Airs Worldwide
"An opera as monumental and well-crafted as Craig Bohmler's Riders of the Purple Sage can now lay claim to a rightful place in the canon of works about the American West. Riders is literally and figuratively blazing new trails, demonstrating the relevance and value of the age old genre in a dynamic and memorable production." Arizona Opera's first commissioned world premiere airs on WFMT's American Opera Series in over 400 cities.
November 25, 2017
Riders of the Purple Sage, Arizona Opera's first-ever world commission by Olivier Award-nominated composer Craig Bohmler, shattered box office records for the company. Now, audiences outside of Arizona can hear this American Western Opera, via WFMT's American Opera Series, airing to more than 400 cities worldwide.
Details of broadcast >
Jorge Mejia Is Billboard Magazine Latin Power Player
"Mejia's investment in 'Despacito' has paid dividends beyond anything he could have imagined. Penned by Sony/ATV's own Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Erika Ender, the global hit, which spent 16 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, is the most streamed song of all time, with 4.6 billion streams and counting. 'We always thought the day would come when there would be light at the end of the digital tunnel," says Mejia. "It's starting to happen.'"
November 6, 2017
“Definition of crossover: “When my wife’s family – they’re from a town in Kansas – sings one of my songs.””
Composer and pianist Jorge Mejia has landed on Billboard's Latin Power Players 2017 list, honoring music industry professionals who are "nurturing the scene and helping reshape the culture."
The Miami Symphony Orchestra (MISO) will play his compositions alongside music from Gershwin to Tchaikovsky as part of #MisoChic, an immersive multimedia experience melding music and extraordinary fashion at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.
Read the full Latin Power Players list.
Learn more about Jorge and MISO-Chic.
Jamie Barton is 'La favorite' of Madrid Audiences, Critics
"An interpretation with personality, quality, variety of expression, authority in the extremes of the registers, and daring assurance..." Jamie Barton makes her role debut as La favorite in Teatro Real Madrid's bicentennial gala.
November 2, 2017
Photo by Javier del Real
Mezzo Jamie Barton made her Teatro Real Madrid debut in the theater's bicentennial celebration gala, singing her first Léonor in La favorite alongside tenor Javier Camarena.
Read reviews:
“Jamie Barton and Javier Camarena were the two triumphant protagonists last night. Camarena roused the audience, as did Leonor’s aria “O mon Fernand,” in which Barton achieved the high point of the night, in an interpretation with personality, quality, variety of expression, authority in the extremes of the registers, and daring assurance. The cabaletta finished with bravura, where before there was smooth introspection and always potent expressive concentration.”
ABC Cultura
“Jamie Barton stole the show with top-notch singing and vibrant acting. Her sumptuous mezzo is based on a solid centre, with fresh colours and a beautiful, quick vibrato, crowned with powerful high notes. She does not just live off these natural gifts but she strives for technical excellency, displaying very nuanced and contrasted phrasing, always coloured by a rich palette and by exciting chest notes. She excelled in all her duos, trusting her good form and a deep knowledge of the role. In the ecstatic “O mon Fernand” she showed how well she can control her voice with extraordinary piano singing and smooth legato. Marietta Alboni now has a worthy heiress.”
Bachtrack
“Debuting with an already fully developed interpretation, the justly deserved standout among the vocal cast was the American mezzo-soprano, Georgia native Jamie Barton, who offered a magnificent Leonor. A big voice – meaty, with generous volume and extensive range, and velvety. It’s also delicate, with an attractive timbre and impeccable placement, and a homogeneous lined-up sound. Likewise, the American singer is a great vocalist, possessing a good singing technique, dominating legato singing, dynamics, and style. All this was on stupendous display in her interpretation of Leonor’s grand scena in the second act, “Oh mon Fernand” and the subsequent cabeletta, in which she sang a high C the size of a house, that filled the theater and contributed to the celebration by adding to the theater’s history one of those memorable sounds that are heard there from time to time. A magnificent vocal performance.”
Codalario
“In the titular role, the mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton displayed a whole paragon of virtues: a big, extensive, and homogeneous voice, with a meaty round timbre, an interpretation with character, technical support, and perfect stylistic accuracy. Her Leonor had personality, magnetism, and moments of unparalleled vocal intensity, like her brilliant and vibrant cabaletta. She dominates the smooth singing just as she does the more vigorous passages and this double debut – with the role and at the Teatro Real – was a complete success for her. In her singing there is control, color, and temperament. Without a doubt, it’s a voice to follow – though certainly young, it has much to say.”
Platea Magazine
“The American mezzo Jamie Barton is the center of the action with a juicy and clear voice, in charge of attracting and engrossing the others.”
El Mundo
“Oren highlighted the extraordinary quality of the cast, led by Barton y Camarena.”
El Sombrario
"In Madrid we had the debut of Javier Camarena in the role, as well as the presence of mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Léonor. Both were excellent, though one must acknowledge that La Favorita del Re was also the audience’s ‘favorita’. Jamie Barton, who was making her debut in Madrid, has a wide and very beautiful voice, well-handled and expressive, and an outstanding top register. Her Léonor was superb from start to finish, and her interpretation of ‘O mon Fernand’ and the subsequent cabaletta were the highlights of the concert. She represents the continuation of the great tradition of American mezzo-sopranos, following in the footsteps of Marilyn Horne and Dolora Zajick. There’s really no comparison to Jamie Barton in this role today..."
Seen and Heard International
“Camarena and Barton carry the opera on their backs. She is a young diamond…and will do wonders in this and other roles. Her Leonor will surely be well-placed as the next in the line of those created by Stignani, Barbieri, Simionato, Cossotto, Verrett and Horne. The opposite of the usual, her voice shines most in the extreme registers of her range than in the middle voice, and in her much applauded debut at the Real – and in this particular opera – she has left an unbeatable impression.”
El Pais
Corinne Winters Digs Deep in New Daniel Kramer La Traviata
"No one could ask for more from the role: a Traviata who delivers glittering coloratura runs as well as intimate lyrical passages, extroverted self-expression, and bitterest pain with magnificent touching intensity.” Winters makes her Theater Basel debut as Violetta in a new co-production with English National Opera.
October 22, 2017
Photo by Sandra Then
““No one could ask for more from the role: a Traviata who delivers glittering coloratura runs as well as intimate lyrical passages, extroverted self-expression, and bitterest pain with magnificent touching intensity.””
Soprano Corinne Winters makes her Theater Basel debut in a new Daniel Kramer production of La traviata.
The production runs intermittently through February 25, 2018; tickets can be purchased via Theater Basel.
Photo by Sandra Then
Read more reviews:
“The star of the evening is soprano Corinne Winters, who in the lead role wholly convinced as both actor and vocalist… Winters shapes her role of Violetta Valery to the end, with differentiated vocals for every turn of phrase. Winters is a woman with the beauty of a Catherine Zeta-Jones and the voice of a young Anna Netrebko. She makes use of the enormous range of this part with all her facets and shades. Her Violetta is frivolous, girlish, in love, humiliated, and eerily strong. She pulls off the coloratura in the cabaletta 'Sempre libera' and moves us with consummate dynamics in the romance 'Addio del passato.'”
O-Ton
"Victim and driving force in one: Corinne Winters, Zürich’s memorable Mélisande, here in her signature role. She does not belong to the league of twittering sopranos who so often inhabit this role. No, her's is a lyric soprano without all of the extraneous high notes – a voice that actually sings the suffering, a vocal actress who intones her own requiem."
Badische Zeitung
Photo by Sandra Then
“The American Corinne Winters filled her role with vocal refinement and touching intensity – in the end, the entire audience lay at her feet without reserve.”
Aargauer Zeitung
“Corinne Winters gives a poignant Violetta. She does not rely on high, long-held top notes, but on emotion. It flows best in the third act - many a patron wiped a tear from his cheek.”
Der Neue Merker
“With Corinne Winters, the Theater Basel has an outstanding protagonist who gives this Violetta dignity and depth. Even in the dazzling first act, for which the stage designer Lizzie Clachan has built a round mirror hall in the art deco style, this attractive, doomed upper-class courtesan – in the midst of bodices, wigs and suspenders, in her slit white silk dress – is never vulgar. In the second act, she resembles a Madonna when she squeezes her bedspread like a cloak, and, kneeling on the ground, sings her love for Alfredo. Corinne Winters, in her multi-faceted interpretation, always returns to this intimate, warm tone. Her perfectly rounded dark timbre soprano can also harden in order to shine in the fortissimo outbursts above the full orchestra. In his opulent production, Daniel Kramer sets the stage on optical luster and strong contrasts. In the last act, the evening also gains a scenic appeal. Here Violetta dug her own grave. One last time Corinne Winters is entrancing with her compelling artistry, before this lover, carried by the warm orchestral sound, goes without quarrel to death.”
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Jorge Mejia Named A Steinway Artist
A Steinway Artist featured in Billboard Magazine’s “40 under 40” and “Latin Power Players” lists, classical pianist and composer Jorge Mejia defies easy categorization.
October 18, 2017
““Steinway represents everything I strive for as an artist: an unflinching dedication to beauty and unparalleled artistry. There is simply no other piano for me.””
Featured in Billboard Magazine’s “40 under 40” and “Latin Power Players” lists, classical pianist and composer Jorge Mejia defies easy categorization. His impassioned performances and evocative compositional style are enriched by his role as a leader in the Latin music world, infusing all facets of his work with a keenly global perspective.
Jorge has now been named a Steinway Artist by Steinway & Sons. He is thrilled to join the ranks of such legendary artists as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Arthur Rubinstein, and Keith Jarrett.
Christopher Allen Featured in Opera News Magazine
"At thirty-one, conductor Christopher Allen is one of the fastest-rising podium stars in North America. Allen’s leadership is a model of clarity, vigor and intelligence, keenly detailed and richly colored; his work with soloists, chorus and orchestra is first-class..." The October issue of Opera News includes a 2-page spotlight on the young conductor – and his tattoos.
October 1, 2017
Photo by Gabriel Gastelum
““Opera is not dead. I’m just going to keep saying that.””
During a late afternoon lunch in St. Louis’s plush Tenderloin Room last June, Allen answered questions carefully and succinctly; his voice is soft, but his passion for opera is loud and clear. “The stories of our time need to be told. And the medium where I can help that is opera. That’s what we do—tell stories. Look at Ricky’s Grapes of Wrath, which we are doing now. Steinbeck’s novel was written in the ’30s, but there are so many things in it that are relevant today. How scary is that?
“Did you see Fellow Travelers at Cincinnati Opera? Greg Spears is a brilliant composer, and that piece is a perfect example of a story that is relevant to our time and needed to be told. I sat there and thought, ‘Wow, this is absolutely entertaining—people need to see this.’ And the reaction of that audience was astonishing. Opera is not dead. I’m just going to keep saying that. I suppose ‘Opera is dead’ is a good media headline, but I don’t know how true it is.
Read the full feature in Opera News.
Verismo Clients in Audi Magazine
"Atlanta is home not only to some of the most progressive and competent fine arts institutions in the U.S. but also to uniquely engaged creative communities. The fearless and empathetic role of the artist in Atlanta makes the place a paragon of a new American art mecca..." Mezzo Jamie Barton and The Atlanta Opera are featured in Audi Magazine's "Art x ATL" piece.
August 1, 2017
““Now, he’s been able to realize big, emotional blockbusters—like the epic wartime piece we saw—responsibly, by shrewdly collaborating with many other production companies. Not to spoil anything, but I cried a second time during the second act of Zvulun’s production of “Silent Night,” the performance completely overwhelming my expectations.””
As part of its "Art x ATL" feature, Audi Magazine interviewed mezzo Jamie Barton and The Atlanta Opera's Tomer Zvulun.
Jorge Mejia's Preludes Played by Simone Dinnerstein in Miami
"A full-scale and colorful mosaic. Mejia’s world is imagery, cinema, storytelling, and he doesn’t hold back..." Dinnerstein and the Havana Lyceum Orchestra feature Mejia's preludes in their first U.S. tour.
June 23, 2017
““A full-scale and colorful mosaic. Mejia’s world is imagery, cinema, storytelling, and he doesn’t hold back...””
Hosted by the New World Symphony, excerpts from Jorge Mejia's set of preludes were recently played by pianist Simone Dinnerstein, accompanied by the Havana Lyceum Orchestra in their first U.S. tour. Dinnerstein describes the preludes as “almost a genre of their own. Composed to be performed next to spoken text, they create a wonderful cinematic effect, full of vibrant colors and lush melodies.”
Read reviews and previews:
"To complete the panorama were Four Preludes for Piano by the Colombian Jorge Mejia – a full-scale and colorful mosaic. Mejia’s world is imagery, cinema, storytelling, and he doesn’t hold back. The composer narrated in Spanish before each prelude, in a trip through childhood and adolescence that portrayed his life experience, with Dinnerstein personifying it at the piano."
El Nuevo Herald
"The brilliant American pianist Simone Dinnerstein was the featured soloist in a program that included two Mozart piano concertos, four delightful sketches by Jorge Mejia, and Aaron Copland... Not since the Vietnam War have I seen our country so divided and discontent and with so little prospect for peace and unity behind our shared American values. But this concert showed me that we can, with good will, kindness and principled compromise, find ways to bridge our divisions and come together. Yes, we are turning, turning, but we will 'come ‘round right.'"
Miami Herald
"Opening the program is a special performance of preludes by composer Jorge Mejia. Each prelude is a piece of the story of Mejia’s life of coming from Colombia to the U.S. The story of his family and his sensitivity will be narrated in Spanish as the orchestra and piano play. 'To have a pianist of Simone Dinnerstein’s caliber and to have an orchestra like this performing the pieces is absolutely exhilarating,' said Mejia."
WLRN
The Atlanta Opera Brings Argentine Tango Opera to Life
“An unfailingly inviting and seductive soundworld…provided a comfortable entry point for what might otherwise have proved an elusive evening for many. Zvulun and his team can be proud of what could well become a new classic for Atlanta.” The Atlanta Opera continues its adventurous Discoveries series programming with Astor Piazzolla's Maria de Buenos Aires.
May 15, 2017
As part of this year's Discoveries series, The Atlanta Opera presented Astor Piazzolla's Maria de Buenos Aires, an operita based on Argentine tango. Performed at Le Maison Rouge, a burlesque space at Paris on Ponce on the Atlanta Beltline, the chamber piece transported audience members to the Argentine capital, complete with tango dancers. General and Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun's adventurous programming is earning TAO a reputation as a company where the gamut of operatic experiences can be enjoyed. The full run of Maria was sold out nearly a year before the first performance.
Read reviews:
“An unfailingly inviting and seductive soundworld…provided a comfortable entry point for what might otherwise have proved an elusive evening for many. Zvulun and his team can be proud of what could well become a new classic for Atlanta.”
Opera Magazine UK
"The latest offering in the Atlanta Opera’s Discoveries Series, Zvulun’s initiative to take the opera out of the opera house and explore more adventurous repertoire….[Maria was] a dream-like alchemy of jazz elements, chromaticism, and Argentina’s urban song. The suggestive choreography of the tango, highlighted throughout, infused the Atlanta Opera’s production with an undeniable authenticity."
Opera News
"Zvulun staged the show as immersive theater, taking advantage of Le Maison Rouge’s innate “red velvet bar” character to emulate that of a Buenos Aires tango bar and surround the audience with action at close range. The intimate approach and the venue’s evocative ambiance truly lent power to the performance."
ArtsATL
Riders Opera World Premiere Success Inspires $1 Million Donation
The impact of Craig Bohmler's Riders of the Purple Sage continues to be felt across the Southwest. Inspired by the success of Riders, major donors have now pledged a $1 million gift to Arizona Opera.
April 27, 2017
Scott Stallard remembers sitting in the Phoenix audience early last month and getting “goosies” the moment the curtain rose for Arizona Opera’s “Riders of the Purple Sage.”
“It was stunning,” Stallard said Monday. “We saw that show and we had a glimpse of the future and how increasingly exciting ... it is going forward. We just wanted to be a part of that.”
Last week, Stallard and his wife, Marlu Allan, donated $1 million to Arizona Opera to support bringing similarly exciting new works to the stage.
Jamie Barton Is Stellar in HGO Götterdämmerung, World Still Goes Down in Flames
"An international phenom with that dazzlingly creamy voice and commanding stage presence. With power to spare, she soars over the lush orchestration...to penetrate the wrenching heart of her tale." Mezzo Jamie Barton returns to Houston for the final installment of Wagner's epic Ring cycle.
April 25, 2017
Photo by Lynn Lane
Mezzo Jamie Barton returns to Houston Grand Opera for Götterdämmerung, the thrilling conclusion of Wagner's Ring cycle. Appearing as both Waltraute and 2nd Norn, Barton joins an all-star cast featuring Christine Goerke as Brünnhilde, Simon O'Neill as Siegfriend, Meredith Arwady as 1st Norn, Heidi Melton as 3rd Norn, and Andrea Silvestrelli as Hagen. Conducted by Patrick Summers, the production is the final installment in an artistic marvel designed by La Fura dels Baus.
Performances run through May 7; tickets can be purchased via the HGO site.
Read reviews:
"Mezzo Jamie Barton is already an international phenom with that dazzlingly creamy voice and commanding stage presence. As Waltraute, she shines most bright. Her account of father Wotan's fall into despair is an achingly beautiful mini-scene that displays her glorious voice to full effect. With power to spare, she soars over the lush orchestration...to penetrate the wrenching heart of her tale. It's a glorious performance from this gifted young artist."
Houston Press
"A fleet of extravagant women joins Goerke in this final installment, beginning with the three Norns—Meredith Arwady, Jamie Barton and Heidi Melton—who twist the strands of fate in the prelude with opulence and ease."
Houstonia
“Goerke and her Valkyrie sister Waltraute, sung by Jamie Barton, are two strong women, two strong dramatic singers, matching each other in anguish and intensity in a memorable scene.”
Arts+Culture Texas
“The central couple was surrounded by compelling portrayals. Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, a powerful Fricka earlier in the Ring, made an equally formidable Waltraute. Not only did her voice well up commandingly when her monologue foreshadowed the final catastrophe, but she brought weight and intensity even to the quietest moments.”
Texas Classical Review
Corinne Winters Is The Bee's Knees in San Diego's Art Deco Traviata
"As moving and vocally compelling as I have ever experienced...” Winters makes her San Diego Opera debut as Verdi's tragic heroine in a Marta Domingo production.
April 24, 2017
Photo by Katarzyna Woronowicz
““Sublime singing and acting...Winters showed why she’s one of the world’s top interpreters of the role. Her voice is creamy, delicate and flexible in the coloratura role, but she also brings a raw authenticity to her acting.””
Soprano Corinne Winters continues her 2017 trio of La traviatas with her debut at San Diego Opera. She is joined in Marta Domingo's art deco production by tenor Jesús Garcia and baritone Stephen Powell, with David Agler conducting.
The production runs through April 30; tickets can be purchased via San Diego Opera.
Read more reviews:
“Corinne Winters, who has made Violetta her signature role, gives a marvelous performance. She sparkles in the darker moments. Her high notes are magnificent; she is able to project her pianissimos perfectly, even in a recumbent position. Impressive technique, and a smooth, creamy, effortless sound throughout. When Winters is paired with velvety-voiced baritone Stephen Powell, magic ensues.”
Times of San Diego
"Corinne Winters gave an engrossing rendition of her role. Winters’ interpretation showed the audience both the public glamor of the celebrated nineteenth century courtesan and the private tragedy. Winters’ vocal and physical acting in the ensuing acts made her Violetta truly memorable. When she sang that love and understanding had come far too late, many audience members were in tears as the opera ended."
Opera Today
“It proved to be an auspicious San Diego debut for Corinne Winters in the title role. Her bright, lithe soprano jumped through all of the role’s coloratura hoops, yet it displayed warmth and body for her more lyrically sustained vocal confessions. Her incisive dramatic instincts energized every encounter, and her final act death scene was as moving and vocally compelling as I have ever experienced in this opera.”
San Diego Story
Riders World Premiere Breaks Box Office Records, Earns Critical Acclaim
"This is what great art can do. It can energize a community." The world premiere run of Craig Bohmler's Riders of the Purple Sage is a runaway success.
March 6, 2017
““It blew away even my wildest expectations, financially or in terms of the public response. This is what great art can do. It can energize a community.””
Riders of the Purple Sage, Arizona Opera's first-ever world commission by Olivier Award-nominated composer Craig Bohmler, has shattered box office records for the company, now celebrating its 45th season.
Single ticket sales for Riders totaled $390,924 – the third highest in the company's 45 seasons. Total ticket sales were the highest for the company in twelve years, and total attendance for the world premiere run was 7,796.
The production has been hailed as a history-defining moment for Arizona Opera – one that has given the company a "seat at the big boy's table."
Read reviews:
"Suave melodies and distinctive motives...a fascinating work that deserves to be heard often."
Opera Today
"Monumental and well-crafted, Riders can lay claim to a rightful place in the canon of works about the American West. A dynamic and memorable production...resonates with authenticity in the voices of a superb cast...that merits the unequivocal standing ovation."
Broadway World
"Bohmler's cinematic score also has a very contemporary energy, with flashing violins of the sort that build excitement in the latest “Star Wars” flick. This engaging production is built on sturdy bones: iconic hero-and-villain characters, a suspenseful story and a score that’s studded with soaring, hummable melodies. There’s no denying the edge-of-your-seat energy..."
The Republic
"Bohmler’s score had strong references to classic Western film themes — it reminds us of the Silver Screen era Westerns without imitating them."
Arizona Daily Star
The Atlanta Opera Announces 17/18 Season
In the coming season, The Atlanta Opera will showcase its vision as a regional leader in the arts through innovative, theatrical productions of diverse works. The 17/18 season will also feature the first fully staged performances of Jake Heggie's Out of Darkness, in TAO's fourth consecutive season offering a contemporary work by an American composer.
February 8, 2017
Early look at The Flying Dutchman, designed by Jacob Climer with projections by S. Katy Tucker
““In 2017-18, we will collaborate with visionary theatrical and visual artists to ensure that everyone who comes through our doors can have a transformative experience. We will also perform 50 percent of our season in English, ensuring that newcomers to opera have a welcoming introduction. This season, we are focusing on the theme of ‘The Outsider,’ with programming that responds to our present moment, where so many communities feel on the fringe. This will include both contemporary stories and timeless works that resonate today.””
Centering on opera's fascinating outsider characters, The Atlanta Opera's 2017/18 mainstage season opens November 4 with Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, in a new production by Zvulun, followed by Bizet’s Carmen, Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment, and Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. With these productions, TAO celebrates its 10th anniversary at the stunning, acoustically superior Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center.
The Discoveries Series returns in the fall for its fourth season. In response to quickly sold-out spring 2017 productions, this season will feature an expanded number of performances. The series includes Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins, directed by Serenbe Playhouse Artistic Director Brian Clowdus, and the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s Out of Darkness: Two Remain, directed by Zvulun and starring Theatrical Outfit Artistic Director Tom Key.
Zvulun spoke with Schmopera about discovering Wagner and what he's most excited about in 2017/18.
Corinne Winters's 2017 Traviata Trifecta
"Opera is alive, and exists only from the downbeat until the curtain falls." The soprano sings Verdi's tragic heroine in productions at Seattle Opera, San Diego Opera, and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden this season.
February 7, 2017
This season, soprano Corinne Winters sings Verdi's doomed La traviata in debuts at Seattle Opera and San Diego Opera, and in her return to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.
Winters, who considers Violetta her life's work, spoke with Bachtrack, Opera Sense, and Opera Wire about her signature roles, major house debuts, and why she identifies with the titular courtesan.
For performance dates, visit www.corinnewinters.com.
Photo by Fay Fox
Barton's Role Debut as Jezibaba Bewitches Audiences
"It’s hard to find adjectives superlative enough to describe her voice: huge and sumptuous, but with such broad possibilities of color that the singer can chill the blood with just a glint of steel in the tone. Lurching, heaving and writhing nonstop, she looked as if she might any moment explode out of sheer malevolence." Jamie Barton returns to the Metropolitan Opera in a new production of Rusalka.
February 4, 2017
Mezzo Jamie Barton, fresh from being named winner of the 2017 Beverly Sills Artist Award, makes her role debut as Jezibaba in a new production of Rusalka at the Metropolitan Opera.
Directed by Mary Zimmerman and conducted by Mark Elder, Dvorak's Czech fairy tale stars Kristine Opolais in the title role, Brandon Jovanovich as the Prince, and Eric Owens as the Water Sprite.
Performances run through March 2, and tickets can be purchased via the Met website. The February 25 performance will be streamed live in cinemas worldwide via the Met's Live in HD program.
Read reviews:
“What makes this show bearable, if not indeed indispensable, is the presence of the magnificent mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Jezibaba. It’s hard to find adjectives superlative enough to describe her voice: huge and sumptuous, but with such broad possibilities of color that the singer can chill the blood with just a glint of steel in the tone. Though I didn’t care for the jokey take on the character Zimmerman imposed on her, I was flabbergasted at how passionately Barton threw herself into the performance. Lurching, heaving and writhing nonstop, she looked as if she might any moment explode out of sheer malevolence. If everyone involved in this Rusalka were operating at Barton’s level, the Met would have its biggest hit of the decade. As it is, the company might be better off condensing the opera to a single hour-long act called Hello, Jezibaba!”
New York Observer
“The real marvel of the cast was Jamie Barton, who was absolutely sensational as the sorceress Ježibaba. Her voice was a wonder in itself, a full, shady mezzo with harrowing power, and fierce fire in her chest. Of everyone in the cast, she had the most success in navigating the cartoonish aesthetic of the production, hamming it up just enough to embrace the comic elements of the role, but never forgetting its essential darkness. Barton brings tremendous presence to the stage, coupled here with a specific and deliciously wicked vocal characterization.”
New York Classical Review
"As Jezibaba, Jamie Barton, in a wonderful spiderweb dress, blended comedy and cruelty, her pungent mezzo taking on a fierce brightness."
Wall Street Journal
“Barton is a lot of fun here. Her low mezzo is irresistibly rich and colorful, epic in size and effortless. (I’ve seen a lot of Rusalkas and hence a lot of Jezibabas and she is the best by a large margin.) She also shows real comic flair in a villain mode.”
Likely Impossibilities
“Jamie Barton, a recent winner of the Beverly Sills Artist Award, is a delightfully campy villain as the witch Jezibaba. Her meaty mezzo is wonderfully deployed, especially during the transformation set piece, in which Zimmerman likens Rusalka’s metamorphosis to a surgical intervention. The only drawback is the role’s brevity in a rather long evening, leaving the audience craving more of Barton’s superlative work.”
Parterre Box
“Barton, a mezzo from Georgia who is becoming a Met mainstay, is wickedly devious as Jezibaba.”
Huffington Post
“Jamie Barton as Ježibaba was gloriously demented as the wily witch. She gets to play some delicious comedy and sings with such skill, you feel like she is really capable of casting spells with sound.”
NY Theatre Guide
"Jamie Barton’s devilish Ježibaba was the highlight. Surrounded by half-human/half-animal henchmen, Barton brought such electric charisma that it was hard not to find affection for the wily sorceress."
Classical Source
"The extraordinary Jamie Barton is the vocal star of this production and outshines even Eric Owens, just as she outshone Plácido Domingo in the Met’s Nabucco this winter. Barton and her critters are terrifying: Her cackle froze the auditorium’s giblets."
New Republic
“As the crusty witch Jezibaba, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton dug into her lower range with some dramatically appropriate guttural effects, but more than her predecessor Dolora Zajick, maintained grace and musicality no matter how nasty her sentiments.”
Operavore
Corinne Winters Stuns in Return to Konwitschny Traviata
"Corinne Winters is an especially compelling Violetta, alternating power with subtlety...as heartbreaking as any I have ever seen." Corinne Winters appears as Violetta at Seattle Opera.
January 16, 2017
Corinne Winters returns to Peter Konwitschny's intermission-less La traviata in her Seattle Opera debut, alongside Joshua Dennis as Alfredo and Weston Hurt as Germont.
Winters triumphed in her European debut as Violetta in the same production at English National Opera, earning her both critical acclaim and a coveted Opera Magazine cover in the UK.
Performances run through January 28; tickets can be purchased from the Seattle Opera website.
Photo by Jacob Lucas
Read reviews:
"Konwitschny’s pared-down production places the focus firmly on Violetta, and Corinne Winters is theatrically and vocally the ideal fit for Konwitschny’s vision. An intensely compelling presence, Winters’ Violetta is by turns angry, vulnerable, and gritty. Fascinatingly, she was at her most desperately moving in the first act, showing compassion for Alfredo’s humiliation and physically shielding him from the taunting chorus. Vocally, her rich soprano best suits the spinto outbursts of Act II, though she ably navigated the Act I coloratura with fearless brilliance and a ringing E flat. Best of all, her nuanced shading and projection of the text eliminated the need for the projected supertitles."
Bachtrack
"Corinne Winters, as Violetta, brought her character to life with a rich, commanding soprano that gripped the audience from the first moment to the last. Her 'Sempre libera' shone through the starkness of the production to conjure up the demi-monde with her youth, beauty, lush voice, and passionate performance."
Seattle Gay News
"Soprano Corinne Winters, also in her Seattle Opera debut, as Violetta, ranges convincingly from sharp and fiery to meek and broken as bodily illness and social rejection catch up with her."
The Stranger
"On opening night the singers were in excellent voice, with Corinne Winters an especially compelling Violetta. She is a talented actor as well as singer, alternating power with subtlety; her performance of Violetta’s final aria was especially touching, as heartbreaking as any I have ever seen."
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"Corinne Winters' Violetta is a sublime blend of fiery and fragile. Plus she has a gorgeously clear soprano voice, progressing with eloquent ease from fierce to desperate to seriously ill, on even the highest notes."
Queen Anne News
"Winters was the opening evening’s star as she performed a flawless Violetta. Winters achieved a convincing portrayal due to her terrific technique and her tasteful approach to the character... Hurt’s bronze-like voice combined magnificently with Corinne Winters’ fine vocal nuances in their duet of the Second Act, in the best moment of Saturday’s performance."
Opera World
"The young and slender Winters looked and acted the role superbly. She has the voice too, beautiful, expressive, and able to sing softly and expressively including on the highest notes, as she gradually fades to death in the last act."
The SunBreak
"From beginning to end, the opera is all Violetta’s. Winters sang Violetta in the original Konwitschny production at the English National Opera in 2013, and her familiarity with the role allowed her to perform it with full-blown confidence. With so many arias and duets – many when Violetta is taken down by her worsening consumption and sings on the floor or in other compromised positions – her secure strong soprano resonates. She does everything right in the role. Winters embraced Violetta so thoroughly that we don’t pity her. We are sad that she has to die, that she loses her true love, but she goes out with dignity, backing away triumphantly into those red curtains."
Oregon ArtsWatch
"What’s more vital is the singing, and here the show satisfies. To her sure-footed performance of her showpiece 'Sempre libera,' Corinne Winters brings a hint of a hard edge, making audible the desperation in her assertion to remain unencumbered following Alfredo’s declaration of love. That this was a choice and not a vocal given she demonstrated later in her satiny, quiet opening phrases in 'Dite alla giovine' and in the headlong passion of her farewell declaration, 'Amami, Alfredo.'"
Seattle Weekly
"On the plus side, there’s the singing, chiefly that of Corinne Winters in the title role. She is a beautiful and fearless Violetta, capable of both power and subtlety, and able to leap onto the lone chair during one of the most feared of all soprano arias, “Sempre libera.” An affecting actress, she made Violetta’s exuberance, despair, and inexorable decline in health all very clear."
Seattle Times
All Who Wander Is A Hit
"It’s the sort of instrument you could listen to all day, in any sort of repertoire." Jamie Barton's debut album is receiving critical acclaim from San Francisco to London.
December 31, 2016
“No one who has heard Jamie Barton in action is in any doubt about the American mezzo-soprano’s gifts. She boasts an expansive, robust vocal sound, tinged with richly varied colors, and she deploys it with a distinctive combination of heroic power and tender intimacy. So the splendors of her debut release don’t exactly come as a surprise. But that hardly diminishes the joy of listening to Barton’s expressive, full-throated performances.”
Jamie Barton's debut album, released November 11 on Delos Music, is earning rave reviews from San Francisco to London.
Accompanied by pianist Brian Zeger, All Who Wander features lush, romantic melodies by Mahler, Dvorak, and Sibelius.
Read reviews:
"The voice is rich, generous and vibrant, big but beautifully controlled, impeccably smooth throughout its range. It’s the sort of instrument you could listen to all day, in any sort of repertoire. This really is an exciting talent, and a terrific disc."
Gramophone
"Barton’s grand and rich voice is perhaps as big as Flagstad’s, Farrell, and Nilsson’s, with tone as beautiful and unforced as the first two singers’. Its compass extends from the bottom of the mezzo range to an easy, room-shaking high C. But as easily as Barton can envelop you with sound, she can also grab you by the gut, and propel you deep into the emotional heart of music’s great mysteries. It is the emotional depth of Barton’s artistry that sets her apart from other singers blessed with exceptional voices. She has the power to render you breathless and at her mercy. I expect that you, too, will marvel at how, as Barton expands her voice to huge proportions, her sound and heart also expand to encompass every emotion of a woman lost in memories of a great, lost love."
Stereophile
“Jamie Barton has one of the great voices in the world today. Sumptuous, flexible, and capable of light and shade, her sizeable mezzo pours forth seamlessly. Barton’s voice at full cry is thrilling to behold but the majesty of her instrument never overwhelms the songs. Her ability to lighten her tone, especially in the tricky upper middle voice, notably allows her to sing with expressive freedom. All Who Wander is everything a song recital should be. Delivering both familiar and unfamiliar fare in beguiling interpretations, Barton and Zeger take the listener into the world of each song with deft musicality and emotional sincerity.”
Parterre Box
“A rising star, Barton seems as comfortable on the concert platform as the opera stage. In these art-songs admirable throughout is Barton’s alluring tone and gorgeous phrasing. My highlight is Mahler’s magnificent Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, a multi-faceted score full of world-weary introspection. In this intensely melancholic writing, Barton communicates a real sense of yearning to moving effect, which felt extremely spiritual. The text that aches with emotion in Um Mitternacht (At midnight) is enchantingly sung, maintaining an intense expression that adds to the dream-like quality of the writing and concludes with a sense of resignation.”
Music Web International
"Barton is the most important American mezzo-soprano since Stephanie Blythe, another phenomenon capable of singing everything, and very well. Instead of Bellini’s Adalgisa and Wagner’s Fricka, which are her calling cards on opera stages around the world, the singer opted for a more intimate and very demanding repertoire. Barton has been given a voice and that abundance of means could betray her; fortunately those fears are unfounded. Her instrument is a column of generous, opulent sound that dominates to the point of allowing her to completely abandon herself to the chosen material in order to concentrate on the interpretation."
El Nuevo Herald
"We listened to All Who Wander on a rainy afternoon in London; Barton’s singing is just as much a warm hug on a cold day as it is a refreshing breeze in the heat.”
Schmopera
"Barton’s voice is delicate throughout, a sound that the audiences are not accustomed to hearing in the opera house where her potent mezzo soprano exhilarates with its brilliance and forwardness."
Opera Wire
"Perhaps the song on the record which encapsulates best what Barton can do is Sibelius’ “Säv, säv, susa”. She conveys its arched structure from repose to violence and back again with real conviction, and the final long vowels are unbelievable.”
The Arts Desk
"She is emphatically her own artist. All Who Wander is a testament to Barton’s artistic individuality—and, equally importantly, to the depths of her talent. No, the Twenty-First Century has given us no Flagstad or Callas, but what a gift we have been given in Jamie Barton."
Voix des Arts