OPERA NEWS
News
Handel’s Messiah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and Grant Llewellyn
“It was Allyson McHardy’s ‘He was despised’ that was the hit of the evening, dark and dramatic, the best of what the TSO version had to offer.” (Globe and Mail, 19 December 2014)
“As with any Messiah, the weight is on the shoulders of the soloists, and it is imperative that they present the wide-angled narrative with a dramatic contrast that collectively tells the tale of Christian prophecy and resurrection. No one seemed to understand this better than the smoky-voiced mezzo soprano Allyson McHardy.” (Toronto Star, 18 December 2014)
Reviews of Alcina with Opera Atelier
“Allyson McHardy takes pride of place in the “trouser role” of Ruggiero, combining authentic swagger with a warmth of tone and a dramatic intensity that are riveting.” (Toronto Star, 24 October 2014) Read the full review on the Toronto Star website.
“Allyson McHardy played Ruggiero with a stunning low and warm tessitura – especially for a mezzo-soprano.” (Musical Toronto, 26 October 2014)
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About
A unique vocal colour and commanding stage presence are the hallmarks of performances by mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy. Hailed by Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle as “a singer of enormous imagination and versatility”, she has appeared with the Paris Opera, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Chicago Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Glyndebourne Festival, San Francisco Opera, Boston Symphony, Canadian Opera Company, Warsaw Philharmonic and Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse. Adam Fischer, Seiji Ozawa, Jeremy Rohrer, Kent Nagano, Emmanuelle Haim, Bernard Labadie, Ludovic Morlot, Carlos Kalmar and Jesus Lopez Cobos are among the conductors with whom she has collaborated for performances of works such as L’enfant et les sortileges, La clemenza di Tito, Das Rheingold, Dream of Gerontius and Messiah.
Latest Album
Handel: Messiah
Music of the Baroque Orchestra
Recorded live in November 2021, Handel’s Messiah features the Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra and soloists Sherezade Panthaki, soprano, Allyson McHardy, mezzo-soprano, Brian Giebler, tenor, and Matthew Brook, bass-baritone under the direction of Nicholas Kraemer.