Ariadne auf Naxos: Boston Lyric Opera

Opera News

As Zerbinetta, soprano Rachele Gilmore, in sunglasses and Gibson Girl bloomers, displayed more talent and charm than any one person should be allowed to possess. In her hands, "Grossmächtige Prinzessin" (Most gracious Princess) was not merely an astonishing pyrotechnical display (although it certainly was that) but a joyous expression of Zerbinetta's character, the bushels of notes and baskets of embellishments an overflowing abundance in keeping with her view of life and love.

The Boston Music Intelligencer

Gilmore and Owens held court for the “Opera” portion, embodying both ends of the diva spectrum, with Gilmore’s coloratura acrobatics at one end, and Owens’ Wagnerian presence at the other. Gilmore’s performance as Zerbinetta was near impeccable. Gilmore also resisted the temptation to make Zerbinetta too much of a stock character, and this made her ultimate pragmatic truths resonate over her follies and antics.

The Boston Herald

Gilmore is the whole package - a clever actress with a top-notch voice and a winning manner.

The Boston Globe

Rachele Gilmore was a winning Zerbinetta, with all the coquettish charm this role demands and also the secure technique and theatrical flair to make the role’s big coloratura number feel organically connected to her character rather than like a stretch of disconnected virtuoso preening.

EDGE

As Zerbinetta, the comic, Colombina figure, coloratura Rachele Gilmore is utterly charming. Her frothy soprano has just the right weight and color for the role. Wisely, she underplayed the coyness in her portrayal of the character, singing the role in a straightforward manner. She possesses vocal flexibility, and an easy extension to the upper reaches of the voice. The centerpiece of the entire opera, her treacherous aria, "Grossmachtige Prinzessin," was put away with élan and astounding ease.

The Boston Phoenix

Coloratura Rachele Gilmore, a former graduate student at BU, trills her way into the stratosphere and proves a deft and adorable comedienne.

Boston Theater Review

Rachele Gilmore’s bright high soprano filled the hall as Zerbinetta and made me wonder at how it’s possible for such a voice to come from such a slight and beautiful woman. She, with the added comedy and voice of Julius Ahn, glowed, and used her troupe as a spring board to add life to the slow moving whole.



Lucia di Lammermoor: Knoxville Opera

Metropulse

Without doubt, the first-ever performance of the role by a soprano can be a telling indicator of whether she has those extraordinary qualities that define a great Lucia—the ability to thrill an audience with a unique vocal prowess and the ability to paint a dramatic portrayal with both subtlety and boldness. Rachele Gilmore, in Knoxville Opera’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor last weekend, did just that—she thrilled a cheering, applauding audience in what was the most solidly accomplished KOC production in recent history. Gilmore has what sopranos dream of: clear-as-a-bell, seemingly effortless high notes, and vocal flexibility with power throughout her range. Her size and voice seemed perfect for her fragile and haunted Lucia.

In the famous Mad Scene…Gilmore’s Lucia was the image of tragedy, alternating between a pale, dying flower and a menacing fiend. As the tension built and the impact of the tragedy upon the wedding guests edged higher, Gilmore’s vocal madness rippled like waves in a bloody pool. And, those infamous high notes cut through it all like the bloody dagger in her hand.

In the end, though, this was Rachele Gilmore’s evening—her first Lucia, but obviously not her last, given the tumultuous ovations she received here. Such a performance success has a bittersweet element, though. She and KOC have now set our bar of expectations for the future impossibly high.

Knoxvews

As everyone who heard Gilmore at Friday night's opening performance knows, she is doing it again. Gilmore’s Lucia simply radiates from the stage . . . It's Gilmore's voice that one can simply not get out of one's head. She was superb.

If she keeps singing like this, no one will be forgetting her.


Les contes d'Hoffman: Metropolitan Opera

Classical Source Online

Making her Met debut, Rachele Gilmore brought the house down as Olympia. Her flawless coloratura in ‘Les oiseaux dans la charmille’ was quite literally show-stopping, as she gave a delightfully comedic portrayal of the automaton.

Broad Street Review: Philidelphia, PA

...A young American woman named Rachele Gilmore, who flew up to solid and beautiful high G’s and one A-flat (that’s five notes above high C) that has never been heard at the Met in this part. I felt lucky to see and hear her.

Indianapolis Star

Rachele Gilmore, who made such a hit with Indianapolis Opera audiences in the company’s production of “The Tales of Hoffmann” in 2008, cast a similar spell upon the Metropolitan Opera late last year in its production of the Offenbach work. After Gilmore gets wound up for the showcase aria of the doll Olympia, you can see and hear her deft characterization (tricky, when the character is a machine) and commanding coloratura.


Ariadne auf Naxos: Indianapolis Opera

Opera News

Rachele Gilmore's ebullient Zerbinetta scattered vocal filigree with abandon.

NUVO: Indianapolis' Alternative Voice

Coloratura Rachele Gilmore as Zerbinetta delivered exquisite high pitches in both parts, her “speech” to Ariadne about love — "Großmächtige Prinzessin” in The Opera — being the evening’s high point.

The Examiner

More than doing justice to Grossmächtige Prinzessin, one of opera's most famous arias, was Rachele Gilmore, whose coloratura soprano voice delighted an engaged and highly responsive audience.

The Indianapolis Star

Rachele Gilmore reveled in the agile display required of the wise, fickle Zerbinetta.


Opera Hong Kong Gala Concert

South China Morning Post

No fewer than 14 operas were represented, but coloratura soprano Rachele Gilmore soon got our noses out of the programme notes when she took to the stage with her gently diverting presence, gravity-defying vocal technique and tonal purity.


Die Fledermaus: Opera New Jersey

Opera News

Gilmore brought a genuinely rounded, fresh tone to Adele's music and handled her antics with aplomb.

Town Topics- Princeton, NJ

The first character to effectively claim the stage was soprano Rachele Gilmore, singing the role of Adele, housemaid and the lucky character to sing the show-stopper “Laughing Song” in Act II. Ms. Gilmore sang with effervescence and high energy, with solid vocal color.


Les Contes d'Hoffman: Indianapolis Opera

Opera News

The doll, Olympia, is a sure-fire success for any soprano who has the notes. Rachele Gilmore has them, along with a charming personality. The audience adored her.

The Indianapolis Star

On Friday, the highlight of the opera happened in Act 1, namely Rachele Gilmore's excellent company debut as Olympia. Her "Doll Song," or "Les oiseaux dans la charmille," was clear and staccato. It also offered some of the most disarmingly relaxed high-register coloratura work I have ever heard. Despite the dramatic limitations of a doll, she managed to pull off a little slapstick.

NUVO: Indianapolis' Alternative Voice

She [Olympia] was sung by an IO newcomer, Rachele Gilmore, a startling find indeed, for she possesses the purest coloratura voice I’ve ever heard grace the Clowes Memorial stage. Skipping effortlessly into the highest reaches of the vocal compass as she moved about in jerky fashion, she became the evening's enchantment.


The Last Great Romantic Strauss Gala Concert: Toledo Opera

The Toledo Blade

Only in the debut of coloratura soprano Rachele Gilmore, singing Zerbinetta’s playful aria from the 1911 opera, Ariadne auf Naxos, was there no issue between orchestra and soloist.

And a wonderful debut it was. Gilmore’s agile titanium voice - light but very, very strong, smooth and clear — shone in a delightful performance that married fine singing with excellent acting.

The Toledo Free Press

It is natural to admire the virtuosity of the opera singers; it is more challenging, at least for me, to give in to the foreign language and cadence of the vocals. That changed when Rachele Gilmore took the stage.

An Opera news release described Gilmore as a young singer “with a silvery timbre and dynamic stage presence,” and while I do not have the knowledge to confirm the former description, I can heartily attest to the latter. When she sang, Gilmore embodied the same sensual expression and arousing effort I saw in the orchestra musicians. It's a passionate, tactile and stimulating presence not that far removed from the steamy moves of the average pop chanteuse, but opera tempts the libido and the intellect, and that's a far more powerful combination.


The George London Competition Finals

The New York Sun

No matter how rich the talent, hearing 22 singers without a break can be daunting and just a tad soporific. But when number 19 came out as the glittering ball of electricity that is soprano Rachele Gilmore, it was time to sit up and take notice. Blowing through “Da tempeste il legno infranto” from Handel's Giulio Cesare with stunning diction and elasticity of ornamentation, Ms. Gilmore made a strong case for best performance of the day.


The Belvedere Competition Semi-Finals

Der Neuer Marker-Austrian Classical Music Online Periodical


Höhepunkte sind Rachele Gilmore (USA) Sophie Rosenkavalier, silberne Höhe und excellente Aussprache.

High points were Rachele Gilmore (USA) Sophie Rosenkavalier, silver high notes and excellent diction.