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PRESS
"A truly gifted vocalist, Ms. Lyons is well on her way to the exalted status of Diva in the opera world if she continues on the path she’s on."
MARYLAND THEATER GUIDE
Maria Callas Centenary
Bellini/Donizetti
STRANIERA/LUCREZIA BORGIA
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GIULIETTA
From La Straniera, highly expressive and musical Christine Lyons reprised Alaide’s “Ciel pietoso."
CLASSICAL VOICE AMERICA
ECHO
Norina
Donizetti
DON PASQUALE
Now usually in bel canto comic operas it is the diva, the soprano at the center of the plot, who shines the brightest. She is challenged to execute some of the most difficult arias in all of opera, filled with sparkling cadenzas, articulated runs and trills, and all sorts of other decorations. Christine Lyons triumphs in the role of
Norina. She’s effortlessly brilliant, vivacious, clever, and she so enjoys the game!
BROADWAY WORLD
Enter lyric soprano, Christine Lyons, making her house debut, and one of the finest singers heard at this company in recent seasons. Saint Louis opera goers may remember her from a gorgeously sung “Norma” at Winter Opera four years ago. In attendance then, I was bowled over by the beauty of her voice....This night, with the stage to herself for her Act I scene ii cavatina “So anch’io la virtù magica / I too know the magic power,” she decked the hall in secure fioriture.... she caressed the runs flowing down from Dâ™ in her aria, oozing radiance. Her voice sounded creamiest on /o/ vowels (“conosco, conosco”), and she made the whole affair seem effortless....her head voice soaring but also with some connected chest voice for seasoning. The climax of the drama in “Don Pasquale” occurs in Act III, when Norina actually slaps Pasquale; this has to be executed correctly, or it plays like elder abuse rather than slapstick, and Lyons deployed the required remorse after smacking Pasquale on her way to her date with the tenor. With two intermissions, “Don Pasquale” can feel long, but Lyons supplied thrilling trills in the closing ensemble.
KDHX
Christine Lyons makes for a wonderful Norina
LADUE NEWS
It is Christine Lyons as the youthful widow Norina who captivates with soaring arias and a flawless vibrato.
RIVERFRONT TIMES
With a male-to-female ratio of three to one, soprano Christine Lyons, making her UAO debut, more than held her own as the opera’s love interest. Lyons provides a fully realized Norina that relies as much on small gestures like the demure tilt of her head or the brazen lift of her skirt as on her high notes and sprightly coloratura. The show may be named for Don Pasquale, but in many ways, this was Lyons’s show.”
POPLIFE STL
ECHO
Agrippina
Handel
AGRIPPINA
As Agrippina, the most cold-blooded and conniving operatic anti-heroine this side of Lady Macbeth, Christine Lyons brings a regal bearing and opulent timbre to Handel’s showpiece solos…. her soft tones caress and she can spin an eloquent, curving vocal line with skill.
SOUTH FLORIDA CLASSICAL REVIEW
Soprano Christine Lyons as the title scheming duplicitous soulmate… stops the show with her extended fierce aria “Pensieri, voi mi tormentate.”
FLORIDA THEATER ON STAGE
Christine Lyons as Agrippina made a convincing empress thanks to her grace, powerful presence, and rippling soprano.
PALM BEACH ARTS PAPER
American soprano Christine Lyons shone in the opera's title role as the mother who will do anything to win the throne for her son. The generous vibrato of her first interactions gave way to a more settled voice rich in nuances, as in the aria of the first act 'Ho un non sò che nel cor', with passages of perfect accompaniment with the strings in unison with the voice. In the second act she highlighted 'Pensieri, voi mi tormentate' ... which was executed with a magnificent vocal line.
PRO ÓPERA
PRESS
"With strength and a fearless attack at both ends of her voice…her final scene created an uproar."
BACHTRACK
NORMA
Norma
Bellini
NORMA
Norma was Maria Callas’ favorite showcase for her legendary voice. Renata Scotto once called the role of Norma “the Everest of opera.” Well, Soprano Christine Lyons climbs that peak with banners flying. She’s a true virtuosa, dazzling us with her mastery of all those Bel Canto coloratura fireworks- all the runs, trills and staccato apreggios and cadenzas that decorate the long, free-ranging melody lines.
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BROADWAY WORLD
A superior performance by soprano Christine Lyons dominates Winter Opera Saint Louis’ strong rendition of Vincenzo Bellini’s bel canto opera, Norma. Lyons, in her Winter Opera debut, shows considerable power in her lush, lingering soprano, which elevates the production considerably. Lyons’ acting is polished as well, making Norma a compelling and tragic figure, a formidable force to be reckoned with by Pollione, Oroveso and Adalgisa at different times in the two-act, three-hour presentation.
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LADUE NEWS
It was led by soprano Christine Lyons, who looked and sounded exquisite in the title role. She has the presence and dramatic conviction for the priestess, and excellent technique; she held the audience’s attention and sympathy.
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ST. LOUIS TODAY
Soprano Christine Lyons is singing the role at Winter Opera this weekend,...she turns in a mesmerizing performance. [Norma’s] wide emotional and musical range requires a daunting combination of vocal flexibility, physical stamina, solid acting ability and a dynamic stage presence. Ms. Lyons certainly has that presence, and her emotional commitment to the role makes her performance compelling. Her voice has the range and flexibility that the part demands as well... her Norma is theatrically on point.
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KDHX
Christine Lyons’ Norma encompassed the role in its entirety.
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TWO ON THE AISLE
PRESS
NORMA
La Straniera
Bellini
ALAIDE
In the lead role soprano, Christine Lyons delivered as Alaide…a sturdy performance full of great intensity. She possesses a very full sound with a fast vibrato that moves well from top to bottom with great agility in the coloratura scattered around the piece. She also often utilized a glorious portamento to connect higher note with those residing in lower registers. In some of her finest moments, her vocal qualities bore a striking similarity to that of Sondra Radvanovsky in not only its colors but the phrasing of the portamenti. She also has a strong lower range… Lyons was at her best during the closing arias, “Ah! Lo ravviso!” and “Or sei pago,” of Acts one and two, with both scenes allowing her to dig into the desperation and passion of Alaide as she loses both men in her life. Both passages require the soprano to sing over a massive chorus, something that she is also asked to do at several other intervals. This made the opera’s final moments, with its devilish vocal ascensions to a high D flat the most impressive moment of her vocal output. Here she let her voice soar to its maximum potential, expressing the fury and madness that Alaide feels in this moment. Where many sopranos simply wait for the few notes before the ascension to the high D flat, Lyons sang every single one… to end the opera with a spectacular wave of sound that capped a splendid evening for her.
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OPERAWIRE
Lyons excelled in her blistering final cabaletta in which she, like a Donizetti heroine headed for the block, curses fate and welcomes death.
OPERA MAGAZINE (LONDON)
The soprano Christine Lyons, as Alaide, the melancholy stranger of the title of Bellini’s opera, dealt capably with the bursts of fury that end each act, her voice blossoming down into its depths.
NEW YORK TIMES
Soprano Christine Lyons possessed... the requisite bel canto techniques for the title role, including solid coloratura and legato…ample vibrato.
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OPERA NEWS
Christine Lyons was a magnificent Alaide, her warm, creamy soprano at its very best when challenged by Bellini’s seemingly endless melodies. Intense and soulful, this was a tragic “Straniera” from the start, her final aria “Sono all’ara” crowning a performance of real stature.
MUSICAL AMERICA WORLDWIDE
Cast standouts included soprano Christine Lyons, whose rich, ample voice sailed through the demanding title role with power and poise.
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CLASSICAL VOICE AMERICA
The mysterious Alaide was soprano Christine Lyons, with strength and a fearless attack at both ends of her voice…her final scene created an uproar.
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BACHTRACK
[Lyons] is a natural communicator with an individual soprano sound — a lush timbre overlaid with shimmering silvery overtones. A fast but even vibrato runs through her voice like a current of electricity.
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GAY CITY NEWS
In the starring role we had a Teatro Nuovo regular—soprano Christine Lyons whose passion brought Alaide to life. Her innate musicality brought out the beauty of Bellini’s vocal lines in the lyrical passages. The vocal range called for was quite wide but Ms. Lyons was undaunted. There was the requisite brilliance in the upper register and substantial power at the bottom.
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VOCE DI MECHE
[Lyons] made a persuasive case for [her] music.
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BROADWAY WORLD
Christine Lyons, the evening’s Alaide, has a striking chesty soprano with an attractive smoky quality.
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PARTERRE BOX
Lyons offered expressive singing, with an appealing sense of the character’s vulnerability.
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OBERON'S GROVE
Christine Lyons was... regal as Alaide, the mysterious stranger, who is actually a queen in hiding.
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SEEN AND HEARD INTERNAT'L
Madama Butterfly
Puccini
CIO-CIO SAN
GIULIETTA
Christine Lyons is a celebrated soprano rapidly making a name for herself in opera houses across the globe. Critics have described her as a “true virtuosa” and a “revelation.” Last Friday night, she made her debut as a performer with the Baltimore Concert Opera as Cio-Cio San in “Madama Butterfly,” and what a debut it was. She was as lovely as she was talented, and that is saying a lot. A truly gifted vocalist, Ms. Lyons is well on her way to the exalted status of Diva in the opera world if she continues on the path she’s on. Her Cio-Cio San displayed an impressive range of emotions, all of them personified by her soaring soprano.
MARYLAND THEATRE GUIDE
Tancredi
Rossini
AMENAIDE
GIULIETTA
The Amenaide was Christine Lyons, displaying a generously scaled lyric soprano, her rapid vibrato adding lushness to the tone.
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OPERA NEWS
Newcomer Christine Lyons, was a revelation…. Lyons’ quick vibrato and complex timbre brought greater emotional immediacy to Amenaide’s conflict between duty and desire…. [she] handled the florid passages with musicianship and flair.
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GAY CITY NEWS
Remarkable.
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BACHTRACK
I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Bellini
GIULIETTA
GIULIETTA
A nuanced and richly textured performance, Christine Lyons as Giulietta was spellbinding, highlighting her range and interpretation, singing the aria with rosy, agile coloratura. In short, Lyons is exquisite.
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CAPE CHARLES MIRROR
L'Elisir d'amore
Donizetti
ADINA
GIULIETTA
As Adina.... her lustrous soprano won us over from the start.
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VOCE DI MECHE
Turn of the Screw
Britten
GOVERNESS
GIULIETTA
The beautiful Christine Lyons composed an intense Governess.
ARTBURST MIAMI
Concert
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The concert commenced with the incomparable Christine Lyons. I have written about Ms. Lyons before, and last night's performance only solidified my opinion that her soprano is a voice for the ages, a beautiful, soaring instrument that recreated her triumphant portrayal of Cio-Cio San singing the aria "Un Bel di vedremo" from "Madama Butterfly" by Puccini to perfection. Her acting ability is evident in every passage, and her superb skill at portraying emotions is more than impressive.
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MARYLAND THEATRE GUIDE
Christine Lyons used her captivating soprano and sang this familiar song “Ständchen” by Franz Schubert with freshness, sentiment and a sprinkling of vocal stardust…. Ms. Lyons has a rare power of expression plus a lustrous soprano that should carry her far.
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BROOKLYN DISCOVERY
Standouts among the soloists include Christine Lyons, who possesses a plush lyric voice.
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OPERAWIRE
We have been waiting patiently for someone to get us to appreciate Carlyle Floyd’s Susanna and Ms. Lyons crisp English diction and psychological insight helped us to turn the corner. In “Ain’t it a Pretty Night”, she expressed all the longing and excitement of leaving home, and all the nostalgia for what might be left behind. We wondered if Ms. Lyons had experienced those feelings when she left Atlanta because her performance oozed conviction.
To truly appreciate Ms. Lyons’ gifts, one needs to hear her Italian. We well remember her performance as Adina.... But last night we heard an enhancement of vibrato in her glorious performance of “Io son l’umile ancella” from Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur. The Italianate vowels and phrasing were perfect.
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VOCE DI MECHE
This was one of the most emotionally moving concerts I’ve ever attended.... Christine Lyons added a sparkling soprano to Handel’s ‘Let the Bright Seraphim’ and sang a beautifully ornamented ‘Last Rose of Summer.’
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BROAD STREET REVIEW
Poignant.
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BROADWAY WORLD
Especially moving.
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PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
Lyons' voice rang with sterling clarity.
CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL
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