press
Ms. Baldwin has been praised as "ferociously talented" (San Francisco Examiner) and "mesmerizingly vulnerable" (New York Times), singing with "strength and majesty" (Palm Beach Arts Paper) and "unnerving beauty" (Opera Today).
MACBETH
Lady Macbeth | LoftOpera | New York City
"The four principles were very finely cast, each filling their role naturally with ease—not a small feat for such vocally and dramatically challenging roles as these. Elizabeth Baldwin as Lady Macbeth sings a role few would dare with pizazz and effortlessness. She embodies Lady Macbeth completely, her voice sparkling through her coloratura passages and her upper range clear and easy. A lingering high note at the end of her aria in Act II caused awe and delight to ripple through the audience, yet Baldwin does all of it completely naturally. Her mad scene was haunting, the final climax echoing through the rafters with unnerving beauty."
opera today
"Soprano Elizabeth Baldwin brought an earthy presence to Lady Macbeth, appearing with Mr. Irvin in a staged Act I prelude that depicted the royal couple as loving parents who had lost a child. She unsheathed a white-hot soprano in the Letter Scene, wielding her voice with the ruthlessness of an assassin's knife. Ms. Baldwin sang this very demanding music with total focus, making the high notes ring with power and her mounting, bloodthirsty madness both terrifying and real. The sleepwalk was frightening, especially as she moved through the vast, darkened space, the vaults of the warehouse suggesting a cold and drafty castle."
SUPERCONDUCTOR
"Mesmerizingly vulnerable"
"Not only was this its first full Verdi opera, but also the performances of the two outstanding leads — the baritone Craig Irvin and the soprano Elizabeth Baldwin — were so strong that perhaps for the first time, the how and where of the event receded into the background.
Ms. Baldwin inhabited her role with searing conviction. Her voice is capable of flashes of granitic coldness [and] gained an appealing smokiness and heat as the evening progressed. Her sleepwalking scene was mesmerizingly vulnerable."
THE NEW YORK TIMES
"Soprano Elizabeth Baldwin as Lady Macbeth was vocally electrifying and delivered her several show-stopping scenes with gusto, power and agility. Her soprano has dark undertones and the wide range required for this role. In her opening "Vieni t’affretta" she truly gave it her all and held certain final notes for what seemed longer than usual, in an impressive virtuoso display. In the drinking song "Si colmi il calice" she was delightful and graciously balanced the joyful tune with the efforts to reign in her hallucinating husband. And her sleepwalking aria "Una macchia è qui tuttora" was cookoo and almost child-like. Generally, Baldwin’s acting came across as less aggressive than usual for this role, in line with the production’s take where she lost her child and her husband is the more evil of the couple. ...
we could only feel exhilaration. Because when Macbeth is done so well it’s just so damn good."
ALLEGRI CON FUOCO
"Lady Macbeth is one of those parts, like Norma, Carmen, Donna Anna, that seldom gets an ideal performance: She demands too much, of the singer and the actress... Elizabeth Baldwin, the soprano entrusted with the role, has large, expressive eyes and a large, expressive voice, a searing but creamy top... and the necessary agility. Her Brindisi was exceptionally well honed, a rare feature in any Macbeth. Baldwin made the Lady’s hysteria and bloodthirst credible.
parterre box
"Musical values are always strong at LoftOpera, but this was perhaps their best-cast production so far, without a weak link across the principal roles... It was worth the wait to hear [Elizabeth Baldwin's] so arresting an instrument, pealing with squillo in Lady Macbeth’s many high B’s and C’s."
THE NEW YORK OBSERVER
"vocal steel and RELENTLESS FEROCITY"
"LoftOpera takes musical values seriously, and “Macbeth” offered a pair of excellent young singers in the leading roles. The hunky, bearded baritone Craig Irvin was especially good at capturing Macbeth’s uncertainty and superstitious terror, while soprano Elizabeth Baldwin deployed vocal steel and relentless ferocity as his power-crazed, manipulative Lady."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
"...And Now the Real Gems of the Night – The Cast. The choices on stage were only magnified by the brilliance of the performers.. It was clear that the leads, all debuting their respective roles, were at home with every aspect of the work and had strong chemistry with one another. That kind of cohesiveness only comes over the course of a run.
Speaking of bravura, the same can be said for soprano Elizabeth Baldwin in a fascinating turn as Lady Macbeth. The role of Lady Macbeth is known for its challenges. The voice must fluctuate in a number of ways. The first aria “Vieni t’affretta” requires the voice of a dramatic soprano as well as the flexibility of a bel canto soprano. The second aria “La Luce Langue” is written in the low range making it almost perfect for a mezzo. The brindisi requires a leggiero soprano and the final sleepwalking scene requires intense vocal acting.
Baldwin was more than up to the challenge as she possesses a powerful voice that can easily cut through Verdi’s large orchestrations and choral music. Her Lady was a victim of circumstances. While there was a clear ambitious urge and sexuality to her Lady, there was a vulnerability from the loss of her child. Her opening reading of the letter “Nel di della vittoria” had a sweetness rarely heard in a portrayal. But that sweetness turned to strength as she began the recitative “Ambizioso Spirito.” The voice had a grainy quality particularly in the top range giving this Lady the “ugliness” Verdi required for the role. Baldwin also dispatched the coloratura runs in the cabaletta “Or Tutti Sorgete” with assurance reassuring that this was no Lady to be played with.
But that quickly changed in the subsequent duet with Macbeth. It is in this duet that Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that he is being foolish (“Follie, Follie”). Verdi’s music gives Lady Macbeth coloratura runs that describe a kind of mockery to Macbeth’s fears. However, Baldwin didn’t portray these that way. She had a breathy quality that demonstrated that this lady was a bit hesitant in her actions and also scared. But that quickly changed when she gains power. At the beginning of Act two. Baldwin’s Lady turned up her hunger for power and became a full-on seductress. During her “La Luce Langue” Baldwin reveled in the low notes giving them a wicked color all while seducing her husband. And of course she dispatched the final “Cadra (He will fall)” with delight and vocal power tearing through the hall. The delight was displayed in the ball scene during her Drinking song “Si Colmi, il calice (Fill your cups).” Baldwin poured wine into guest’s cups all while dispatching the coloratura lines with ease. The voice also regained that sweetness heard at the beginning and there was also a light edge to it. But in the second repeat, the voice took on a hard edge. Baldwin began it sweetly before eventually turning to the graininess from the opening aria. There was a forced quality to the way she pronounced each word creating that sense that Lady Macbeth was angry and embarrassed.
Baldwin’s madness began to be present at the end of act three. The soprano combined a sexual urge with a will for power. As she sang the duet “Ora di morte e di vendetta,” the soprano wrapped herself around Macbeth all while singing with a suave mezza voce in the middle of the duet. However, her vocal power increased as the duet climaxed to the end. And with that climax so did her sexual urges.
Her sleepwalking scene was a perfect virtuosic display. When she first entered the stage she ambled about looking for something, her eyes transfixed on that unknownobject. But when the aria began her attention quickly turned to her hands. Baldwin rubbed her hands uncontrollably before taking a bottle and spilling water on her hands. And the music continued to grow in intensity, so did her voice and her desperate actions. Baldwin had no problem singing while running around the stage trying to escape the character’s madness. Her final D flat was also remarkable as Baldwin turned away from the audience and walked away as she dispatched the final arpeggio and infamous note with aplomb."
opera today
NORMA
Norma | Teatro Municipal de Santiago | Santiago, Chile
"BRILLIANCE AND FLEXIBILITY"
"Casta Diva took over the stage-she was a true diva. Double merit is in the fact that this was her debut with her role, and it was not percievable. This implies a marvelous preparation, since it is one of the most difficult operas for a soprano. The American displayed a lyrical spinto voice of great power, brilliance and flexibility, just what is needed to sing Norma."
"Casta Diva se adueñó del escenario, fue una autentica diva. Doble mérito tiene el hecho de que era su debut con el rol y no se notó. Eso implica una preparación portentosa, pues se trata de una de las óperas más difíciles para una soprano. La estadounidense hizo gala de una voz lirico spinto de gran potencia, brillo y flexibilidad, justo lo que se necesita para cantar Norma."
CINE Y LITERATURA
DIE Walküre
Sieglinde | Miami Music Festival Wagner Institute | Miami, FL
"Soprano Elizabeth Baldwin as Sieglinde... sang with strength and majesty... Hers is a big voice, too, one that had no difficulty trading those athletic passages of erotic promise with Armstrong, and which demonstrated that she, too, could go the distance for a full Walküre if an enterprising house wants to put one on. Baldwin has a voice of substantial weight that is smooth through all its registers, which is what Wagner singing needs to be effective over the long haul."
PALM BEACH ARTS PAPER
ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
Prima Donna/Ariadne | Pittsburgh Opera Theater | Pittsburgh, PA
"Mr. Eaton discovered two singers for the leads – dramatic soprano Elizabeth Baldwin in the title role, and coloratura Elizabeth Fischborn as the comedienne Zerbinetta – either of whom would be an asset to any opera company in the world. Ms. Baldwin, who won first place in last year’s Mildred Miller international competition, has an opulent sound, with solid top notes and a penetrating low, and she sings expressively to boot. She manages Ariadne’s long-breathed phrase about death setting her free, one of the most gorgeous moments in all music, with soaring line and beauty."
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
MEROLA GRAND FINALE
Soloist | Merola Opera Program | San Francisco, CA
"ferociously talented"
san francisco examiner
"powerhouse soprano"
"Powerhouse soprano Elizabeth Baldwin wowed me with her sensational voice and commanding presence in the second half of the program. As she sang Medora’s stunning solo from Act 1 of Verdi’s Il Corsaro, I felt chills...caught in the grips of overpowering but doomed love."
"The evening ended with a glorious “Già che il caso ci unisce...Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso,” from Giacomo Puccini’s opera, La Rondine (The Swallow), bringing most of the fellows on stage. Once again, soprano Elizabeth Baldwin, as Magda, made an impression. Her powerful richly textured voice projected above the others—and with her commanding stage presence—I could not help but circle her name and scrawl beside it several exclamation points. All these singers are going places but she’s on my watch list."
ARTHOUND
peter grimes
Ellen Orford | Chautauqua Opera | Chautauqua, NY
"Grimes is a character of mysterious psychological makeup, but so is Ellen Orford, the widowed schoolmistress who tries to help the fisherman. Elizabeth Baldwin brought enormous sympathy to the role, suggesting something more than friendship. Her singing was a keen reflection of the woman’s conflicted emotions — fervent and penetrating, occasionally strident, always gauged to the expressive moment."
THE CHAUTAUQUAN DAILY
BEETHOVEN 9
Soprano Soloist | Sarasota Orchestra | Sarasota, FL
"A good performance of his 9th Symphony requires singers able to sustain this vocal pummeling, and I’m happy to write that both chorus and soloists rode out these passages with great aplomb... Elizabeth Baldwin’s sharply focused soprano surmounted those thorny passages with seeming ease."
Sarasota observer
SEVEN FOR LUCK
Soprano Soloist | Tanglewood Festival | Lenox, MA
"The Tanglewood Music Center Fellows, led by conductor Stefan Asbury, came in next and took their places for three songs from Seven for Luck, settings of poems by former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove. Soprano Elizabeth Baldwin, one of the TMC Fellows, sang the three pieces magnificently. Her voice was clear and rich and strong, beautiful in tone, and she expressed the poetry well. The first song was sensuous and bluesy, somehow Southern in tone, with excellent playing from the orchestra, especially in the cello section. The second song, “Chocolate,” was jazzy, urban, and humorous. The third song, “Serenade,” began with a marvelous harp solo and then built in richness and passion to include the orchestra."
Berkshire Living Magazine
"A distinguished TMC vocal fellow, soprano Elizabeth Baldwin, made great sport out of the quirky, witty and wise lyrics in three selections of Williams' "Seven for Luck" song cycle based on texts by former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove, backed by Asbury and the TMC Orchestra. Once again, the composer's wide-ranging versatility was on display to great effect in this seldom-performed concert piece."
BERKSHIRE EAGLE
IN SWEET MUSIC
Soprano Soloist | Tanglewood Festival | Lenox, MA
"Similarly, in a performance of William Schuman’s In Sweet Music: Serenade on a Setting of Shakespeare, Elizabeth Baldwin’s soprano voice suffused the Hall with a ravishing tone; each delicate intonation and nuance of her voice heard distinctly. At the piece’s conclusion, Baldwin held one note seemingly forever; first, mezzo forte and then ending in the faintest of a whisper. Ozawa Hall’s superb acoustics allowed one to hear how this final whispered vocal curled, (like a wisp of decaying smoke), from Baldwin’s lips into the expanse of the Hall; extinguishing itself somewhere deep in the recesses of the surrounding lawn and the greenery of the Berkshire Hills beyond."