"Once in a generation, a true dramatic soprano comes along, with a rare voice built for the works of Wagner and Strauss in an opera house the size of the Met. Deborah Voigt is the real deal."        – Where, April 2004 Deborah Voigt in concert in Toulouse, France, February 3, 2005.     Photo courtesy of www.ResMusica.com

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PERFORMANCE REVIEWS:

• Annie Get Your Gun, Glimmerglass Festival, July/August 2011
• Die Walküre, Metropolitan Opera, April/May 2011
• La fanciulla del West, Lyric Opera of Chicago, January/February 2011
• La fanciulla del West, Metropolitan Opera, December 2010/January 2011
• La fanciulla del West, San Francisco Opera, June/July 2010
• Salome, Washington National Opera, October 2010
• Der Fliegende Hollände, Metropolitan Opera, April/May 2010
• More performance reviews

As Annie in Annie Get Your Gun, Glimmerglass Festival, July/August 2011

"Ms. Voigt was delightful. She has found her own way into the role of Annie Oakley, the country bumpkin sharpshooter who falls into a competitive romance with the dashing marksman Frank Butler and becomes a star in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Ms. Voigt does not have anything like the bluster and vocal brass of Ethel Merman, who created the role. (Who does?) But her timorous sweetness and, when Annie gets challenged, spitfire sassiness come across as affectingly authentic.”
   – Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, July 17th 2011
   Slideshow

As Brünnhilde in the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Wagner’s Die Walküre

“I have seldom heard the role sung with such rhythmic accuracy and verbal clarity. From the start, with those go-for-broke cries of ‘Hojotoho,’ she sang every note honestly. She invested energy, feeling and character in every phrase ... a compelling and creditable Brünnhilde.”
   – The New York Times, Anthony Tommasini, April 23, 2011

“In a role that reduces even great divas to shrieks, she sang with confidence and musicality.”
   – Bloomberg, Manuela Hoelterhoff, April 24, 2011

“... a warm, endearing portrayal.”
   – The Star-Ledger, Ronnie Reich, April 24, 2011

“... you could never take your eyes off Deborah, even when she was silently listening, because of the emotional intensity of her portrayal. I found Voigt's interpretation of Brünnhilde, as a playful, willful and ultimately disobedient and disowned daughter, to be so moving and convincing that tears streamed down my face when Wotan regretfully took his leave of her in the last act, saying that she would never see him again.”
   – Huffington Post, Lee Rosenbaum, April 24, 2011

“She sang with clearly focused tone, mostly dead-on high notes, and a surprisingly ample lower register. ... Dramatically, Voigt made a most winning warrior maiden. She looked terrific with flowing red hair, and acted with conviction and nuance.”
   – Associated Press, Mike Silverman, April 23, 2011

As “Minnie” in Puccini’s La fanciulla del West at Lyric Opera of Chicago, January/February 2011

“[Deborah Voigt’s] absolute characterization and conviction as Minnie were equally commanding and inviting. This is a heart-of-gold woman who can use a six-shooter and keep a man’s world of miners in line, but one who also itches for love and even book learning.”
   – Chicago Sun Times, Jan 24th, 2011 [Andrew Patner]

“Voigt, who also sang Minnie recently in San Francisco and New York, radiated all-American good looks and a spunky sincerity that suited the character's essential innocence. You could readily accept her portrayal of a virginal, independent frontier woman functioning as a surrogate sister to the roughneck miners who jostle for her attention. She was perhaps most winning in the teasing exchanges of Act 2, when Minnie demurely kept the ardent Johnson at arm's length.”
   – Chicago Tribune Jan 23rd, 2011 [John Von Rhein]

“It’s easy to see why soprano and Wheeling native Deborah Voigt has been the “Golden Girl” of choice for major American centennial revivals of this work. With her beautifully sunny portrayal, Voigt gets across the tough-love niceties of a savvy businesswoman who truly cares for all the miners in camp. Voigt … hit her vocal stride for Acts II and III as the drama was ratcheted up”
   – The Daily Herald Jan 23rd, 2011 [Scott C. Morgan]

“Dramatically, the soprano seemed completely at home in the role whether in her hearty camaraderie with the boys in her saloon, breaking up bar fights with her six-shooter, or cheating at cards to save her man. Yet Voigt also showed touching vulnerability when conveying Minnie’s loneliness and her reawakened love for the on-the-lam bandit Ramerrez.”
   – Chicago Classical Review, Jan 23rd, 2011 [Lawrence A. Johnson]

“In the lead, Deborah Voigt (Minnie) IS the miners' darling. Voigt works the men with seasoned flirtation denial. Gal shoots whiskey or a pistol with sassy fervor. Cue Marcello Giordani (Johnson) and Voigt puddles with a dreamy vulnerability. Their duet 'Mister Johnson, siete rimasto indietro' is a charming courtship dance. Later, they each vehemently plead for the other's interest in separate and equally passionate arias. Out of the delightful chemistry between Viogt and Giordani is a not-so-innocent, enamored love affair.”
   – Chicago Now, Jan 23rd, 2011 [Kate Walsh]

As “Minnie” in Puccini’s La fanciulla del West at the Metropolitan Opera, December 2010 – Marking the 100th Anniversary of the world premiere at the Met.

“Voigt displayed a shining top that pierced through the sumptuous orchestration. But it was not just her voice that made it a memorable night. Her warm, endearing manner combined with an infectious stage-dominating moxie to make Minnie all her own. She was a force Rance just could not deal with.”
   – Associated Press, 12-12-10 [Ron Blum]

“With a gleaming high C and charm to spare, she rides a horse and cheats at cards to save her bandit from the evil clutches of the jealous sheriff.”
   – Bloomberg, 12-10-10 [Zinta Lundberg]

“As might be expected, Voigt nails that high C and a few others with golden assurance”
   – TheaterMania, 12-8-10 [David Finkle]

“The soprano Deborah Voigt, in a role that suits her big, bright voice and hearty character, sings the plucky, gun-toting, good-hearted saloon owner Minnie… I cannot think of a soprano who could sing any better this demanding role, which requires luscious legato phrasing, a powerful top range and stamina. For Minnie, she has found a way to soften the sometimes harder edges of her voice and sing with lyrical pliancy while still cutting through the orchestra for big climaxes, including a fearless high C in Act I.
   “But what wins you over is Ms. Voigt’s deep feeling for the character. She looks in her element when she appears in Act I, breaking up a brawl in her bar by shooting three rounds on her rifle. When she falls for the intriguing stranger Dick Johnson, whom she has met before and thought about often, Minnie opens up poignantly, confessing that she is just a nobody, really, trying to do some good, while the orchestra swells with undercurrents as harmonically murky and plush-textured as anything in Debussy.
   “Ms. Voigt moved me deeply during my favorite passage in the opera, the moment in the love duet when Minnie, thinking about what she has accomplished (after all, she does run a business and is beloved by the campers) confesses to the worldly Johnson that she has had only “30 dollars’ worth” of education. Then, in a tender phrase that Ms. Voigt sang disarmingly, Minnie says, “If I had had more learning, who knows what I might have been?”
   – The New York Times, 12-7-10 [Anthony Tommasini]

As “Minnie” in Puccini’s La fanciulla del West at San Francisco Opera, June 2010

“Both vocally and dramatically, the role is almost ideally suited to Voigt's strengths — large, gleaming high notes (most of which hit their mark squarely), and a stage presence that radiates an endearing charm, whether she's teaching Bible class to the miners, cheating in a poker game against Sheriff Jack Rance or riding in on a white horse to save her man.”
   – Associated Press, 6.10.10 [Mike Silverman]

“Voigt, singing Minnie for the first time, brought theatrical vibrancy and considerable personal charm to the role - it was no stretch to imagine an entire troop of miners eating out of her hand …”
   – San Francisco Chronicle, 6.11.10 [Joshua Kosman]

“The culmination of miners’ mayhem is suddenly stopped with the grand entrance of the heroine, Minnie, showcasing the incomparable Deborah Voigt. This also marks another milestone in the dramatic soprano’s career. She sings the role of the female protagonist for the very first time. Puccini’s “Annie Oakley” has requisites that few women will ever achieve. Mother figure, bible teacher, financial custodian, saloon proprietor and lover are all woven into this complex yet rather down to earth figure. Deborah Voigt can be added to the list of singers who have tamed the Wild West in unaffected and unembellished fashion. Firstly, this role is exceedingly taxing vocally since the range of notes endlessly bounces on both ends. Secondly, the melodramatic Act II demands awoman of sustainability both in action and motion. Thirdly, Minnie is a character that must delicately satisfy the many sides of a female scarcely found during that particular time and place. It is a set of unusual circumstances, yet Deborah Voigt conservatively delivers on all levels which, in turn, gives us comfort, security, hope and love. She is a crowd pleaser.”
   – Concerto.net, 6.9.10 [Christie Grimstad]

“[Deborah Voigt’s] passionate chasteness suits Minnie, an innocent seeking true love. Stick her together with bandito Licitra — sexily mellow-voiced in his San Francisco debut — and you've got both ends of an electrical connection.”
   – San Jose Mercury News, 6.10.10 [Richard Scheinin]

“Deborah Voigt…distinguished herself with a strong performance with strong acting. The Minnie role is one of the more difficult soprano roles among Puccini's operas. It calls for a singer who must combine a Wagnerian sense for grandeur and gravitas with the lyrical softness of a Puccini soprano. Voigt is known more for her work with Germanic repertoire, but here she proved worthy. She deeply embodied the role and gave it spark. Her voice was often radiant, especially in the three arias at the end of the first act. “
   – The Sacramento Bee, 6.10.10 [Edward Ortiz]

“As Minnie, Deborah Voigt gives a winning performance singing, acting, and horse-riding…”
   – The San Francisco Examiner, 6.10.10 [Janos Gereben]

“Deborah Voigt's entrance as Minnie was beautifully conceived: she stood on the stairs leading to the saloon while delivering her first lines. Indeed, her characterization benefited both from the direction (by Lorenzo Mariani) and from her sensitivity to detail, and her vocal performance was nearly flawless – her bright, vigorous tone filling the house without ever sounding aggressive. What is more, she interacted gracefully with everyone on stage, allowing the audience to understand the reasons why Minnie so fascinates the miners – and also why she has become so attached to them, in spite of her famed independence.”
   – Musicalcriticism.com, 6.11.10 [Maria Romani]

Salome, Washington National Opera, October 2010

“Voigt is onstage for one hour and 40 minutes, almost continually singing, and there is not a false moment in her performance. Her Salome wheedles, coos and demands; she is alternatively lascivious, manipulative and vengeful, demanding the head of Jokanaan on a silver charger when he doesn’t return her advances. In every mood, Voigt’s sublime, creamy voice precisely delivers Strauss’ highly charged, soaring music.”
   – Barbara Mackay, Washington Examiner, 10-8-10
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“An added bonus: the score’s dramatic vocal parts call for Wagnerian singers of substantial power and skill, making this opera one of the most electrifying of all vehicles for a truly great star like Deborah Voigt. She’s long been famous for the title role of Salome, and demonstrated precisely why on Thursday evening—her first-ever performance with WNO.
   “Deborah Voigt was more than a match for this opera’s test of strength. And yet, had she merely sung at full blast just to prove the point, hers would not have been the fine performance that it was. She was still able to depict Salome’s wildly shifting emotions with exquisite vocal shadings ranging from water-color pastels to heavily-saturated modernist hues.
   “She also proved fearless as an actress, abandoning any sense of regal propriety, fully indulging in Salome’s depravity, right down to that famous, final embrace of Jokanaan’s bloody, severed head.”
   – Terry Ponick, The Washington Times, 10-9-10
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“Voigt has a lovely voice, and she has worked to make this role her own ... she channels the freshness of a teenager. Her voice still gleamed in places on Thursday ... certainly a worthy performance.”
   – Anne Midgette, The Washington Post, 10-9-10
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“‘Salome’ was a triumph for Voigt and Zambello when they did it together at the Chicago Lyric Opera in 2006.”
   – Anne Midgette, The Washington Post, 10-7-10

“Deborah Voigt looks svelte, beautiful, and youthful—the ideal singer to make her company debut this week as the temptress Salome in Washington National Opera’s new production. Vocally, Voigt’s tone of liquid gold with its radiant upper range remains as distinctive as when I first heard her sing in a 1992 Rossini Gala on PBS. Even among such luminaries as Marilyn Horne, Samuel Ramey, and Frederica Von Stade, the fledgling artist stood out. That same year Voigt won the prestigious Richard Tucker Award, and I’ve followed her dazzling career ever since.”
   – Susan Dormady Eisenberg, The Huffington Post, 10-6-10
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Der Fliegende Hollände, Metropolitan Opera, April/May 2010

“Deborah Voigt ... brought steely power and lyrical elegance to her first Met Senta ... Ms. Voigt’s musical vitality and vocal charisma were especially welcome.”
   – The New York Times, April 25th, 2010
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“[Deborah Voigt] transformed what had been a routine opening night of Wagner’s Der Fliegende Hollände into a memorable revival at the Metropolitan Opera on Friday ... All in all, it was a satisfying evening that rose when Voigt commanded the stage.”
   – Associated Press, April 25th, 2010
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