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 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 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.

Der Neuer Marker-Austrian Classical Music Online Periodical
From 2007 Belvedere Competition Semi-Finals

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.