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L'Italiana in Algeri Isabella l'Opéra de Lille À commencer par le couple impossible : Isabella, belle et authentique voix de contralto de lAméricaine Allyson McHardy, enjôleuse, vamp et séductrice , Mustafa, impérial et hilarant Jonathan Veira qui occupe le plateau comme sil était chez lui. Jean-Marie Duhamel, La Voix du Nord, Nov 10, 2007 au beau et très prometteur mezzo d'agilité d'Allyson McHardy Marie-Aude Roux, Le Monde, Nov 14, 2007 Samson et Dalila Dalila Opera Ontario The standout performance was Dalila, with the lovely Allyson McHardy delivering an extraordinary rendition of the scheming seductress. With her superlative depth of tone, rich vibrato, and technical versatility, McHardy was ideal for the complexity required for the role... ...One of the most notable tunes in all of opera, the seduction scene in Act II, showcased the very best of this fetching mezzo. Steven Preece, Kitchener-Waterloo Record, Jan 27, 2007 With her buttery tone and clear diction, Canadian mezzo Allyson McHardy fit the bill of the temptress from Sorek... ... Allyson McHardy: This opera belongs to her Dalila. Leornard Turnevicius, The Hamilton Spectator, Jan 26, 2007 Il Barbiere di Siviglia Rosina San Francisco Opera Mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy, a former star of the Merola Opera Program and a singer of enormous imagination and versatility, sang a lustrous and energetic Rosina; the inventive twists and turns in her highly ornamented account of the opening "Una voce poco fa" were superb. Joshua Kosma, San Francisco Chronicle, Nov 2, 2006 Allyson McHardy [is] an accomplished comedienne. Her singing is relaxed with pin-point rhythmic accuracy. The coloratura sparkled. Tiger Hashimoto, The Examiner, Nov 2, 2006 Mezzo Allyson McHardy dashed about with charming aplomb as Rosina, while pouring out gracefully shaped phrases punctuated by her fluent ornamentationn. Her evenly scaled tones, her onstage charm, and her disciplined vocalism all point to a major career. John Bender, Opera Canada, Jan/Feb 2007 Popera Opera Ontario What a warm, beautiful and agile voice McHardy possesses, and what a range, so beautifylly displayed in Una voce poco fa and Ombra mai fu from Handel's Xerxes-better known as Largo-and the exquisite My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice from Samson and Delilah. Harry Curry, Kitchener-Waterloo Record, Nov 28, 2005 A Midsummer Night's Dream Hermia Chicago Opera Theater Allyson McHardy's dusky, velvety mezzo gave Hermia depth and character... Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal, May 24, 2005 An Evening in Paris Manitoba Opera Everybody's favourite femme fatale, Carmen, also made an appearance a la mezzo soprano Allyson McHardy, in Bizet's Cuban-inspired Habanera. Appropriately coquettish, McHardy's sense of drama and temperamental flair was exactly right. Holly Harris, Winnipeg Free Press, February 27, 2005 Off Centre Recital McHardy has a particularly large and rich instrument, with gorgeous low notes and much expressivity. John Terauds, Toronto Star, February 14, 2005 Eugene Onegin Olga San Francisco Opera Mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy, a rich-toned and thoughtful graduate of the Merola Opera Program, made an impressive debut as Tatyana's sister, Olga. Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, November 26, 2004 Schwabacher Debut Recital San Francisco Opera Sunday's wondrous recital by mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy... was just the sort of event that shows the San Francisco Opera Center's series at its best: an exciting introduction to a hugely gifted young singer, with the promise of future boasting rights for anyone able to say we heard her when... ...[she] is a mezzo of the old school who combines vocal endowments, artistic cunning and theatrical panache in roughly equal measures. If her future holds anything but stardom, I'll be very much surprised... McHardy proved herself a dazzling artist and entertainer... She has an opulent, throaty tone whose darkly hooded quality seems to imply as much as it reveals, yet she had no trouble at all conjuring up reserves of power in her upper register. The high climatic phrase of 'Zueignung' was as thrilling as the vertiginous drop to her chest register that immediately followed it. And in the Schumann cycle she proved a master at gauging the emotional tenor of each song and translating it into vocal terms... She invested 'Die Stille' ('Silence') with plenty of light-footed charm - in another life McHardy could be a killer leading lady in operetta... she came out victorious... Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, January 27, 2004 |