Reviews

 

Manon "Manon Lescaut"
Hot Soprano Navigates Nuances of Complex 'Manon' With Style:
Manon requires a strong lirico spinto soprano, one who can sing over the orchestra while carrying a dramatic tone. At the same time...fascinating the audience with her voice. Kierstine had all these qualities and more. With nuanced expressiveness, volume control, a shimmering voice and a wonderful stage presence, she won the audience's approval with no reservation.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin (February 01, 2009)

Puccini Given a Polished Performance:
The role of Manon is a prime example of....a heroine in her teens with a vocal part that demands a fully mature voice.  (Julia Kierstine's) large, clear, flexible soprano created a dynamite Manon. Her head voice was sweet and warm, anchored in a powerful chest voice. Hers was by far the largest and finest voice on stage.
Honolulu Advertiser (February 01, 2009)

Leonore: “Fidelio”
“…..(as) the brave and loyal Leonore, Julia Kierstine, who wowed CSO audiences previously as Mimi and Violetta, showed tremendous musical and dramatic range……the couple’s incomparable duet of rapturous joy (was) the dramatic climax of the opera.”
Chattanooga Times Free Press

Amelia: “Un Ballo in Maschera”
“Soprano Julia Kierstine was a splendid Amelia. She would reach for climactic notes fearlessly, rendering them truly and without shrillness – then drop to a sweet, beautifully controlled mezza voce. The long Act II duet proved the afternoon’s musical highlight.”
San Francisco Chronicle, (Joshua Kosman)

Leonora: “IL Trovatore”
“The real treat of the evening was Julia Kierstine…..To the famed Adagio, “D’Amor Sull’ali Rosee” she lent a sumptuous array of coloratura ornaments, including several splendid pianissimi and a spinning, pulsing trill that absolutely mesmerizes the listener. She is a treasure.”
Palo Alto Weekly (Palo Alto, California)

“(As Leonora), Kierstine’s soprano is a resplendent instrument, progressing from the Puccinian to the somewhat heavier Verdian, yet still able to carry off the iridescent coloratura passages. Her Leonora enkindled the whole cast in scene after scene, bringing home the tragedy of these figures cursed by fate.”
San Jose Mercury News

Violetta: “La Traviata”
“Soprano Julia Kierstine looks the part, (her) acting is completely convincing, and she sings the score as though responding simultaneously to emotions…….(her singing) the pure liquid silver that makes ‘La Traviata’ one of the world’s most popular operas.”
The Register-Guard (Eugene, Oregon)

Floria Tosca: Tosca”
“Friday’s opening night cast was a cornucopia of operatic talent. Julia Kierstine’s Tosca, a celebrated singer in the Rome of 1800, is not only a powerful soprano whose beauty, power and intonation in her upper register is a wonderment, but (she is) also a skilled actress.”
San Mateo Times (San Mateo, California)

“On opening night, it was clear there was (another) good reason for another staging of this opera: Julia Kierstine’s sizzling Tosca…….Kierstine had a clearly defined, highly individual interpretation of the title role. Kierstine also clearly understands the verismo vocal tradition and has the technique to carry it off with aplomb. The famous Act II aria, ‘Vissi d’Arte’ was much more than just a vocal set piece for Kierstine. For her, it was a very personal prayer, full of tenderness, passion and even defiance.”
Palo Alto Weekly (Palo Alto, California)

Guest Artist / Soloist: “A Tribute to Verdi”, South Bend Symphony
“If Verdi was the inspiration for this concert, soprano Julia Kierstine was its star…….bringing three very distinct heroines to life in a series of performances as engaging and spontaneous as the were technically sound. Her acting was sonatural and persuasive that her duets with (the other soloists) seemed even out of context. Lacking costumes and scenery, (they were) more genuine than  the love scenes in most fully mounted opera productions.”
South Bend Tribune

Guest Artist / Soloist: “Canti Lunatici” (Bernard Rands, Composer)
“Julia Kierstine was magnificent in traversing the varied demands. Her timbre was silvery, her pitch exact and her control of techniques, complete.”
Cleveland Plain Dealer (Donald Rosenberg)



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