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Kara Cornell, Mezzo-soprano Reviews |
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“Mother” in Amahl and the Night Visitors – Mosaic Arts |
“Our young and excellent local mezzo,
Kara Cornell, is [a] rare artist who sings directly from
the
heart of the character. What I liked best in this performance was how she looked
up at the hoard
of
riches the kings had brought before she sang the "All that Gold"
aria. This gesture, the exactness
of
her facial expression, the slowness of it, was a kind of singing before the
singing began, and
nearly
equal to it. In Kara's performing, singing is not the only thing that happens; it
is part of
what
happens. And the best thing of all is that this is natural to her. She
accomplishes it so simply.”
- Keith Kibler,
Berkshire Review for the Arts, January 2012 Link to full review
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“Tisbe” in La Cenerentola –
Union Avenue Opera Theater |
“Gina Galati and Kara Cornell are very good as Magnifico’s less than appealing daughters”
- Harrison Kaplan,
“As
Angelina’s self- and prince-obsessed sisters… soprano Gina Galati
and mezzo
Kara Cornell were nicely differentiated in their characters,
and very funny.”
- Sarah Bryan Miller,
“[Regarding the] comic bits, only some in the cast could
make them work…
I liked Kara Cornell as one of the step-sisters.”
- Bob Wilcox, KDHX, August 2011 Link to video review (skip to 12:12)
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“Beth” in Merrily We Roll Along – Theater at Hubbard Hall |
“It was no surprise that the most beautiful singing of the
night came from Kara Cornell…
Kara sets an excellent example for
other young singers. She doesn't use her voice as an
excessive instrument, but an incisive instrument. The clarity
of her singing is the beauty
of it. She showed
again in this show, beyond any doubt, that this repertoire
can be sung beautifully if the actress is vivid.”
- Keith Kibler,
Berkshire Review for the Arts, June 2011 Link to full review
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Radio interview on WAMC Northeast Public
Radio |
- Joe Donahue, May 2011
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American Song Project: Local Composers |
“The afternoon started with material by Jane
Leslie that hinted at musical theater.
The marvelous mezzo Kara Cornell sang them with plenty of
charm,
while also
maintaining a classical dignity and restraint.”
- Joe Dalton, Albany Times Union,
April 2011 Link to full review
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An interview with The Pittsburgh Camerata |
- Rebecca Rollett,
November 2010
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“ |
“Kara Cornell, a sexy, glamorous Petra, lit up the theater
in The Miller's Son.”
- John Fleming, St. Petersburg
Times, September 2010 Link to full review
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“Sara” in Wednesday Before Last (electronica
premiere) – Mosaic-Arts |
“Bass-baritone David Crawford and mezzo Kara Cornell, for my money,
were the most accomplished and electrifying singers on
stage. It wasn’t just
their voices that captivated but their stage presence, their
openness, their
complete conviction in every movement they made and note
they sang.
- Kala Maxym,
The Opera Insider, July 2010 Link to full review
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“Carmen” in The Tragedy of Carmen – Hubbard Hall Opera Theater |
“Kara Cornell's performance was truly
extraordinary. Dianna Heldman's
staging called for a great
deal of action, which never unseated Ms. Cornell's
totally secure production
for a second. She sang impeccably throughout,
with a rich lower register
and a golden top.”
-
Michael Miller, The
“The completeness of Kara
Cornell's Carmen at Hubbard Hall was something
to behold. Every part of the
role was integrated...no, it's better than that...was
at one with its interpreter.
I have rarely seen so young a performer understand
so well what an opera singer needs to do to be real on stage.”
- Keith Kibler,
The Berkshire Review for the Arts, January 2010 Link to full review
“Kara Cornell as Carmen is a riveting actress, at once
seductive, wounded, damaged and dangerous,
and possessed of a beautiful and smoky mezzo perfect for the
dizzying range
of Carmen’s sometimes-taunting, sometimes-tawdry,
sometimes-tender emotions.”
- Phil Drew, The
Troy Record, August 2009 Link to full review
“
performance I
think
revealed herself here my heart sank because her blonde good
looks didn’t immediately make me think
of a hot-blooded
gypsy. But that fear was quickly laid to rest as Cornell’s powerful soprano,
her fine acting,
and her sensuous dancing overcame all ethnic boundaries and made her Carmen
through and
through. In fact, Cornell completely eclipsed everyone else on stage…
they were not as
electrifying or vocally excellent as Cornell’s performance.”
- Gail M. Burns, August 2009 Link to full review
“This
production is by no means lesser than larger productions of the traditional
version,
because of an
extraordinary performance by Kara Cornell as Carmen. She is by turns imperious,
sultry,
passionate,
and devious - everything that a great Carmen should be… so by all means at some
point
in your life
catch a production of the traditional Carmen
with all the bells and whistles. But when you do,
you will not
get the experience offered at this Hubbard Hall opera - of experiencing in
an intimate
setting a first rate portrayal of Carmen
by a performer of Cornell’s immense talent.”
- Alex Brooks, The Eastwick Press, August 2009 Link to full review
“If you want to see what singing acting really is, go see
Kara Cornell…
Voice, face and body are one thing. She makes opera a
completely believable speech.”
- Keith Kibler,
The Berkshire Review, August 2009 Link to full review
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Soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio – Burnt Hills Oratorio Society |
“Outstanding among the 4 soloists was alto Kara Cornell… she
sounded
as if she understood and felt the meaning and emotions of
the words she was singing.”
- Peter C. Gerdine,
voxincamera, December 2009
“Cornell [had a] lovely way with a phrase and sang with a
smile in her voice”
- Geraldine Freedman, The Post
Gazette, December 2009
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“Cinderella” in Into the Woods – |
“Her performance grew nicely, and by the time she reached
the witty On the Steps
of the Palace she was totally endearing.”
- John Fleming,
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“Cherubino” in Le nozze di Figaro – Capital Opera |
“Cornell’s intense acting and her apparent sympathy for the
vagaries of the adolescent male
gave her Cherubino an appealing
vulnerability and comic extravagance…throughout
Cherubino’s
escapades her voice was impeccably focused, bright but rich in color,
and her phrasing was a marvel of taste and an intuitive
sense of form.”
- Michael Miller, The Berkshire
Review, April 2009 Link to full review
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“It featured… fine solos… from mezzo-soprano Kara Cornell, who had a lovely unbroken sound whether singing in chest or head voice.” - Joseph Dalton, The Times Union, March 2009 Link to full review
“There was good interplay between the chorus and orchestra
[in Corigliano’s Fern Hill]
as well as an interlude in the middle that Cornell sang with
lush tones…
her agile voice and strong range skipped through it all.”
- Geraldine Freedman, The Daily
Gazette, March 2009
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Vocal Recital – U |
“[Cornell] gave a splendid recital… [she] is a singer who
can balance impeccable
production and phrasing with enthusiastic and colorful
dramatics. Rossini and Heggie
gave her plenty of scope to act, and her bright, coherently
balanced mezzo voice richly expressed
the beauty and intimacy of Berlioz’ floating lines. And,
thanks to Heggie, she proved herself
a top blues singer, as well!”
- Michael Miller, The Berkshire
Review, February 2009 Link to full review
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“Dorabella” in Cosi fan tutte –
Hubbard Hall Opera Theater |
“Cornell brought a rich, generous mezzo-soprano voice to her
Dorabella. Not
only did she sing and act her character with imagination and
flair, she achieved
some truly impressive moments, not the least of which was
her “Smanie implacabili”,
which she sang with security, style, and a fine sense of Dorabella’s extravagance.”
- Michael Miller, The Berkshire
Review, August 2008 Link to full review
“Besides singing
beautifully, Cornell was the comic star of the evening, with her facial
expressions worth the price of admission. Of the two
sisters, Dorabella is much more
willing to fall under the spell of the “Albanians” and
Cornell makes this obvious with
every twitch of her nose.”
- Bill Rice, Schenectady Post
Gazette, August 2008 Link to full review
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Mendelssohn’s Elijah – Octavo Singers |
“Cornell had a big voice, and an even range that projected
easily.”
- Geraldine Freedman,
“Zweite Dame” in Die
Zauberföte –
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“The Queen’s three
attendants have some of the evening’s most beautiful music,
and these three fine
voices blend gorgeously.”
- Steve
Callahan, KDHX Theater Review, July 2007
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World premiere
of Sacred Songs and Interludes – The |
“Cornell's voice was lyric and flexible, and soared through her top
register beautifully.”
- Eric Haines, Pittsburgh
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