Boston Theater Review
A Little Night Music
by Shannon Rosa
Full article
The Boston Opera Collaborative was at its most spectacular this past weekend with their production of A Little Night Music, Stephen Sondheim's charming and funny tale of love across generations…. If this is the future of opera in Boston, sign me up.
Boston Musical Intelligencer
Many Debuts in BOC's A Little Night Music
by Larry Phillips
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Boston Globe
by Matthew Guerrieri
High Craft, Dramatic Heat Spark 'Crucible'
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“The large cast showed impressive depth and quality. Particular standouts were Julia Teitel, a vocally resolute dramatic linchpin as Elizabeth Proctor; Chelsea Beatty as the hesitant accuser Mary Warren, sung with substance and acted with clarity; and Christina Calamaio, quietly insistent as the unbending Rebecca Nurse. Both production and piece rise to the occasion of the play's most potent dramatics….”
Boston Musical Intelligencer
by Geoffrey Weiting
Full article
Boston Opera Collaborative mounted a strong production, its sizable ensemble cast showing both strong musicianship and solid acting chops. It was consistently apparent that Stage Director Roxanna Myhrum and Music Director Adam Kerry Boyles are very skilled at their jobs...The orchestra, led by Adam Kerry Boyles, played with precision and cohesion, supporting and enhancing the singers’ performances. The dramatic personae were convincingly realized, in particular the characters who made transitions...Boston has long been said to have a love-hate relationship with opera, but I am hopeful this stereotype will swiftly disappear with the committed assistance of a fine company such as Boston Opera Collaborative.
Boston Theater Review
The Crucible
J. Jacob Krause
Full article
“… I was mightily impressed by this production. Boston Opera Collaborative is pushing the limits of itself to reach greater heights and I applaud them for it! They are capable of creating amazing shows and have the talent and resources for it. This production will surely get them on the radar for Boston's opera goers and they will reap the benefits for it. Watch out Opera Boston and BLO…the BOC have the youth and vivacity that you crave.”
Boston Musical Intelligencer
Giving Emerging Artists a Chance: Boston Opera Collaborative Tackles Carmen
by Larry Phillips
"We knew that we were in capable musical hands as the overture began under the direction of Michael Sakir. Act I sets the boisterous scene and also hints at the unfolding tragedy. The Seville dragoons and the cigarette girls led by the sultry Carmen (Désirée Maira) flirt with one another as she sings her habanera “L’Amour est un oiseau rebelle”; Katrina Holden (Frasquita) and Christina English (Mercédès) were excellent throughout as Carmen’s sinuous sidekicks. Rebecca Teeters (Michaëla) and Jeffrey Nardone (Don José) provided the Act I highlight in their wonderful duet about the letter from Don José’s mother. Nardone later surpassed himself in Don José’s tragic aria, “La fleur que tu m’avais jetée.” Teeters also excelled in her moving Act III aria, about saving Don José from Carmen’s wiles. She is a performer worth watching."
Boston Musical Intelligencer
BOC Carmen with a Different Cast
by Mark Kroll
"The resources of this new and intrepid opera company are limited, but apparently not the talents of its members, who offered a fine performance.... Conductor Michael Sakir led the small and very young but very skilled orchestra with calm control and nice sense of pacing....The stage direction under Nathan Troup was impressive: soloists, dancers and chorus moved fluently and purposefully on stage, the action always aligned with the story. The lighting, minimal as it was, still managed to convey a sense of mood and place. All of this would be irrelevant, of course, if the singers did not come through. They did, for the most part, but more importantly, many of these youthful voices showed real promise for the future. Brooke Larimer gave us a dark, husky Carmen. Daniel Erbe’s Don José had a tendency to slip into a caricature of Dudley-Do-Right, and the singer had some problems at the top of his register, but he proved a perfect match for Larimer’s rapacious Carmen. Escamillo was beautifully sung by Sepp Hammer, and Margaret Felice, with her drop-dead beautiful voice, was ideal as Micaëla. The cast was rounded out by other fine young voices: Taylor Horner (Zuniga), Bülent Güneralp (Moralès), Rachele Schmiege (Frasquita), Kristina Riegle Mercédès), Joel Buford (Dancaïre), and Brendan Buckley (Remendado). The chorus was terrific: they sang beautifully and acted well too."
Boston Musical Intelligencer
Fine singers, Clever Orchestration, in Handel’s Alcina from Boston Opera Collaborative
by Larry Phillips
Full article
"This is a treble-voice show, clothed here in 1920s garb. Soprano Leah Hungerford, who sang an imperious Queen Alcina, looked at times like a vamp. Her sister Morgana, sung by soprano Emily Burr, played the part of a pixie in Act I and became a flapper as the opera progressed. Mezzo-soprano Kristina Riegle sang a regal knight betrothed to alto Brooke Larimer’s Bradamante disguised as a man. All were excellent. Among the many fine arias, I would single out Alcina’s anguished lament “Ah! mio cor” in Act II and Bradamante’s revenge aria in the same act, as well as Ruggiero’s angry aria in Act III “Sta nell’ircana.” Kathryn McKellar, Christopher Aaron Smith, and Adrian Packel filled lesser roles. Each act ended with a touch of Yo-el Cassell’s effective choreography for five dancers....Hats off to Boston Opera Collaborative for providing us with such an entertaining diversion in this Handel year."
Edge Boston
Alcina
by Ed Tapper
Full article
"With its recent run of Handel’s Alcina, Boston Opera Collaborative continued a fast-growing tradition of offering unusual operatic works to local audiences. Performed on the tiny stage of the Tower Auditorium at the Mass College of Art, BOC’s productions are bare-boned, with minimal sets, and costumes directly from the Marshall’s selling floor.... Yet, whatever it lacks with respect to budget, the company compensates for in sheer chutzpah!"
Boston Phoenix
Puccini goes Punk
by Sarah Faith Alterman
Full article
"Coming into your own as a classical singer involves an extraordinary hustle and flow, a constant whirlwind of voice lessons, auditions all over the country, character and text interpretation, and applications to Young Artists Programs (YAPs) — highly competitive development and performance residences with professional opera companies — all in an effort to get that first juicy role under your belt, which can help lead to big breaks.... Rising up out of a shortage of professional performance opportunities and artists' programs, several small local opera outfits have emerged, including Boston Opera Collaborative..."