“... the music just pours out of her.”
    — The Orange County Register

 

“One does not just listen to Nicole Cabell with pleasure; she is also a joy to behold.”
    — Berliner Morgenpost

Photo © Marc Ginot / Opéra National de Montpellier

As Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore, Opéra National de Montpellier, November 2006

  more photos

“... a golden, creamy, evenly gauged voice from top to bottom; the music just pours out of her.”
    — The Orange County
       Register

“Cabell is now one of the most exciting lyric sopranos to grace the world’s concert halls.”
     — Chicago Magazine

“When Cabell opened that great smiling mouth, what we heard was liquid gold ... she was spellbinding ...”
    — The Times

“... the kind of star quality, and best of all the vocal resources, that bodes well for a long and successful international career.”
    — Chicago Daily Herald

“... a bright, expressive voice, as well as strong acting skills.”
    — Baltimore Sun

“Her sound was delicate and agile, her phrasing intelligent and secure, and her stage manner touching.”
    — Bloomberg

“One does not just listen to Nicole Cabell with pleasure; she is also a joy to behold.”
    — Berliner Morgenpost

Press acclaim for Nicole Cabell

2006 performance and recording reviews

More performance and recording reviews:
2009, 2008, 2007, and 2005

 As Ilia in Idomeneo with the Deutsche Oper, Berlin:

“The only singer who excelled was the young American Nicole Cabell as Ilia, a princess in love with Idamante. Her sound was delicate and agile, her phrasing intelligent and secure, and her stage manner touching. Against the background of this particular production, Cabell’s success was all the more impressive.”
    — Warwick Thompson, Bloomberg, December 19, 2006

“Nicole Cabell was the star of the evening, an appealing Ilia whose love for Idomeneo’s son helps lead to redemption. She was lithe and evocative in voice, movement and facial expression, a perfect partner to Mihoko Fujimura, cast as Idamante, her love.”
    — George Jahn, Associated Press, December 18, 2006

“... And immediately, Nicole Cabell appeared on stage; she is a young soprano that one is more than willing to describe as an up-and-coming star. ... Mihoko Fujimura and Nicole Cabell then sing about life, about the precedence of love over the inexorable consequence of holy decrees. They sing with such glowing intensity that they could convince people contemplating suicide that life has a meaning. ... Enthusiastic applause greeted the singers, first and foremost Nicole Cabell.”
    — Harald Jähner, Berliner Zeitung, December 20, 2006

“Furthermore, there was Nicole Cabell’s enchanting Ilia, whose rosy timbre and secure soprano voice lent the evening its only ray of light.”
    — Christine Lemke-Matwey, Tagesspiegel, December 20, 2006

“It’s not that the music was bad. Quite to the contrary, several of the singers were superb, especially soprano Nicole Cabell as Princess Ilia.”
    — Anne Applebaum, Slate.com, December 19, 2006

“Only Nicole Cabell as Ilia brought vocal glamour to the stage.”
    — Axel Brüggemann, Frankfurter Rundschau, December 20, 2006

“Nicole Cabell, as the Trojan princess Ilia, displays a beautiful timbre.”
    — Julia Spinola, Frankfurter Allgemeine, December 18, 2006

 As Juliette in Roméo et Juliette with the Deutsche Oper, Berlin:

“One could have expected to see the General Director [Kirsten Harms] appear in front of her audience at the Deutsche Oper in the darkest of moods in order to announce the sad news that the star-singer of the evening, Angela Gheorghiu, would not be taking part in the concert, as she had canceled literally at the last moment due to illness. Yet Ms. Harms appeared to be beaming - and quite rightly so. She had been able to secure the services of Nicole Cabell for the role of Juliette for this concert performance of Gounod’s ‘Roméo et Juliette’. This turned out to be happy news. Miss Cabell came, sang and triumphed — and this in every respect. One does not just listen to Nicole Cabell with pleasure; she is also a joy to behold.”
    — Klaus Geitel, Berliner Morgenpost, December 9, 2006

“One forgot quickly that Angela Gheorghiu canceled at the last moment, as the American Nicole Cabell knew, after a timid start, how to fill with her voice the large space of the Deutsche Oper. Cabell, who is at the start of a world-class career and already has a contract with Decca and a debut at the Met, is still quite young and sang Juliette with the same wide-eyed innocence and pleasure in her (vocal) power of seduction that Claire Danes had in spades in Baz Luhrmann’s film.”
    — Wolfgang Fuhrmann, Berliner Zeitung, December 10, 2006

“Angela Gheorghiu’s misfortune turned out to be Nicole Cabell’s triumph. Cabell stepped in to sing the lead role in a concert performance of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette at Berlin’s Deutsche Oper with just a few hours notice last month when the Romanian superstar was too sick to perform.
    “The appearance added to the growing reputation of Cabell, a young American soprano who has earned plaudits around the opera world since winning the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 2005. The Berliner Zeitung’s review of Cabell’s Juliet was typical of the way the German press greeted her appearance: ‘One quickly forgot that Angela Gheorghiu canceled at the last moment, as the American Nicole Cabell knew, after a timid start, how to fill with her voice the large space of the Deutsche Oper.’
    “Deutsche Oper officials first reached out to Cabell the night before the cancellation, after Gheorghiu showed signs of illness and concern grew about her ability to sing. Cabell had just finished a run of performances of L’elisir d’amore in Montpellier, France, the day before and she was sightseeing with a friend who had flown in from California. Cabell had hoped to enjoy a few days of R-and-R before going to Berlin to rehearse the controversial Hans Neuenfels production of Mozart’s Idomeneo. Instead, she cut short her Montpellier vacation and — with her friend from California in tow — raced to Berlin to rehearse Juliet.
    “Oddly, it was the second time in a month that Cabell was called on to substitute for a headliner. In early November, Broadway star Audra McDonald had to bow out of a Cincinnati Opera fundraising gala because of illness. Cabell, in the middle of series of performances of Górecki’s Third Symphony with the Minnesota Orchestra, flew to Cincinnati for the gala and then returned to Minneapolis to continue her engagement there. Next up for the young soprano is a CD on the Decca label, with the London Philharmonic and Andrew Davis, which is due out in a few weeks.”
    — Michael Markowitz, Playbill.com, January 15, 2007

“The young American Nicole Cabell triumphed as [Angela Gheorghiu’s] replacement with a warm and high-placed soprano.”
    — Frank Kallensee, Märkische Allgemeinde, December 9, 2006

“The American Nicole Cabell was also impressive, as she stepped in at the opening last week for an ailing Angela Gheorghiu.”
    — Corina Kolbe, Netzeitung, December 13, 2006

 As Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore with the Opéra de Montpellier:

“The American soprano Nicole Cabell was a vocally splendid Adina. ... The freshness of a voice that never once shows a sign of strain, the art of coloratura and of articulation, finally a voice that offered scintillating high notes, all of the above did wonders in the old Opéra-Comédie in Montpellier.”
    — J. Bonnaud, OPMUDA, January 2007

“On the Montpellier stage, Nicole Cabell was the highlight of the performance. The winner of the 2005 Cardiff Vocal Competition, this young soprano showed a luminous and silken timbre, a strong technique and made the character of Adina, the coquette with a heart of gold, her own. Acting and singing with the ease of those who dream big and see far, this artist showed a powerful musical intuition. Her first solo album with Decca is about to be released and she just replaced Angela Gheorghiu in a concert performance of ‘Roméo et Juliette’ in Berlin, where she will also sing Ilia. She can surely expect the brightest of futures.”
    — François Lesueur, Concertclassic.com, December 2006

“The American Nicole Cabell is in a class of her own; she lends Adina a real vocal and dramatic presence, charm, grace and especially a sense of style with perfectly mastered effects.”
    — Pierre Cadars, Opéra Magazine, January 2007

“How delicious is the American soprano Nicole Cabell! What elegance, what ease in her Bel Canto salvos, what beauty in the phrasing of these Donizetti melodies, which seem to be written for flutes.”
    — J.V., Le Midi Libre, December 2, 2006

“And yet, Nemorino’s fiancée, Nicole Cabell’s Adina, showed so much spontaneity and youthful freshness that she made this romantic pastorale worth seeing.
    “This energetic American soprano sings with a smile at the ready and with astounding ease, all the while charming everyone around her with this touch of sex-appeal that hides the tenderness of loving feelings. Nicole Cabell creates a zesty and witty character who is willing to do anything to win her dear Nemorino’s affection back.
    “Her juicy middle voice makes even more poignant the simplicity of this uncomplicated soul, who goes from the sharpest piques to the most elegiac cantilenas.”
    — Jean-Christophe Care, L’Hérault du Jour, December 3, 2006

“The coquettish Adina, Nicole Cabell, is an interesting find. The voice is produced with ease, well supported and full of charm. She shows great command in the coloratura passages and at the top as well as in the middle of the voice.”
    — Isabelle Stibbe, Anaclase.com, December 3, 2006

“A special mention should go to Nicole Cabell’s beautiful soprano (as Adina) who displayed delicate coloratura and a powerful timbre.”
    — Robert Sabatier, La Gazette, December 8-14, 2006

 As the Soprano Soloist in Gorecki’s 3rd Symphony with the Minnesota Orchestra:

“The young soprano engaged by Vänskä for these performances, Nicole Cabell, displayed Thursday night at Orchestra Hall not only a remarkably rich sound that was firm and full, from the low notes of the second movement all the way up to high G, but also a close identification with the text, which speaks so tellingly of mortality and redemption.”
    — Michael Anthony, Star Tribune, November 3, 2006

“But Vanska, the Minnesota Orchestra and soprano Nicole Cabell — the winner of last year’s high-profile BBC ‘Singer of the World’ competition — made it clear that this is a work best experienced in concert.
    There are few deeper sorrows than that of a mother in mourning, and it is such sadness that suffuses Gorecki’s piece. While Cabell’s rich voice was ideal for its demands — dark, yet hopeful, immersed in its mood yet transcending it — this was as much a showcase for orchestra as soloist, particularly during the hypnotic closing of its first movement, when the cellos and basses whispered of loss and grief.”
    — Rob Hubbard, Pioneer Press, November 3, 2006

 As Clara in Decca’s recording of Porgy and Bess:

“The real find here is Nicole Cabell, a beautiful soprano who twists ‘Summertime’ into the bold opening aria that Gershwin probably hoped for.”
    — Daniel Felsenfeld, Time Out New York, October 5-11,2006

“The other two soprano roles are in the safe hands, and voices, of Nicole Cabell as Clara, with a languorous ‘Summertime’ and Monique McDonald ...”
    — Patrick O’Connor, The Gramophone, December 2006

“Nicole Cabell as Clara and Robert Mack as Sporting Life produce the best performances.”
    — Andrew Clements, The Guardian, September 22, 2006

“One thing about Porgy that never changes is the need for great singing, and in that respect the Nashville Symphony’s recording doesn’t disappoint. Nicole Cabell (Clara) sings with a remarkably silky soprano, a voice that’s incredibly sensuous in ‘Summertime’.”
    — John Pitcher, Nashville Scene, October 26, 2006

 In La Juive at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden:

“No less impressive was Cardiff Singer of the World Nicole Cabell as Princess Eudoxie: a shame it’s a small part, but she shone in her classy Act III aria, showing dexterity in the demanding coloratura passages, particularly the cadenza.”
    — Dominic McHugh. MusicOMH, September 20, 2006

“As Rachel, Marina Poplavskaya ... was neatly balanced by the bubbles and froth of her more privileged rival, the Princess Eudoxie (Nicole Cabell, in an auspicious Royal Opera debut).”
    — Neil Fisher, The Times, September 21, 2006

“Last year’s Cardiff Singer of the World winner, Nicole Cabell, was alluring as the coquettish Princess Eudoxie.”
    — Fiona Maddocks, Evening Standard, September 20, 2006

“... Mark my words, stardom beckons. It already has for BBC Cardiff Singer of the World winner Nicole Cabell. In the ‘decorative’ coloratura role of Princess Eudoxie, whose ‘haute couture’ vocal lines are as richly embellished as the jewels she craves, Cabell provided the kind of glamour and awareness that wins recording contracts. She just has - with Universal - and company executives were no doubt salivating at the quality of her show-stopping aria in act three.”
    — Edward Seckerson, The Independent, September 23, 2006

“But the real discoveries of the evening, beyond this unjustly neglected score, were the two sopranos both after the same man. In the title role, Russian Marina Poplavskaya proved herself more than ready to take on Donna Anna later this season, while American Nicole Cabell rose to some hypnotic coloratura.”
    — Anthony Holden, The Observer, September 24, 2006

“But the big news on Tuesday night was the joint appearance of two young stars-in-the-making, the delightful American soprano Nicole Cabell (the most recent BBC Singer of the World, already armed with a Decca contract), fluting away insouciantly as Rachel’s love rival, Princess Eudoxie, and even more so the sensational Marina Poplavskaya, still a member of the RO’s Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, as the Jewess.”
    — Hugh Canning, The London Times, September 24, 2006

“... excellent performances from Cabell, Poplavskaya, Schmunck, and the chorus ...”
    — Anna Picard, The Independent, London24 Sep 2006

“But what gave this performance its class was the casting of Marina Poplavskaya and Nicole Cabell as Rachel and Princess Eudoxie. Both sopranos are on the springboard of a great career. ... both communicated a sense of drama. Cabell, confident but not cocky, adorned her coloratura with warmth, intelligence and glorious musicianship.”
    — Andrew Clark, The Financial Times, September 20 2006

“The bell-like voice of the bubbly Royal Opera debutant, Nicole Cabell, excelled as Eudoxie and Dario Schmuck did not disappoint in his cruel high-lying role. Both had sufficient heft to project over a consistently noisy orchestra in the ensemble scenes.”
    — Jim Pritchard, Seen and Heard, September 26, 2006

 In Concerts of Music by Liszt and Halévy at Bard College:

“But long before Liszt opted for the monastery late in life, he had a more serious, contemplative side, demonstrated by the appealing song “Die Lorelei,” expressively and elegantly sung by the superb young soprano Nicole Cabell on Friday. Listeners were also treated to Ms. Cabell’s velvety voice in the weekend’s final concert, on Sunday, where she sang “Tandis qu’il sommeille” from “La Juive,” by Halévy.”
    — Vivienne Schweitzer, The New York Times, August 15, 2006

 In Britten’s Les Illuminations at the BBC Proms:

“One concert last week stood out for the number of attractions on offer. It was as if a card-player who had been having a poor run suddenly found himself dealt four aces in one hand. ... The fast-rising American soprano Nicole Cabell, winner of the 2005 Cardiff Singer of the World, made her debut. Cabell is impressive for the technical ease of her lyric voice and her aptitude in a variety of musical styles. In Britten’s Les illuminations she sang in good French, projecting enough of the underlying emotional ambiguities to make the songs come alive in this large hall.”
    — Richard Fairman, Financial Times, August 10, 2006

“Most impressive, however, was soprano Nicole Cabell, winner of last year’s BBC Singer of the World competition. Britten’s Les Illuminations has been part of her repertoire for a while now, and her full, rounded tones were perfectly suited to this sultry music, carried effortlessly above Andrew Davis’s sensitive string accompaniment. The magical descent with which she ended Phrase was worth admission alone, her projection to the audience exemplary.”
    — Ben Hogwood, MusicOMH.com, August 4, 2006

“The 2005 Cardiff Singer of the World, Nicole Cabell, found the implicit sex in the ‘murmurs and visions’ of Les Illuminations, plumbing the contradictions between the sound and sense of Arthur Rimbaud’s verse.”
    — Edward Seckerson, The Independent, August 7, 2006

“... Nicole Cabell (the luminous, sensual soloist) ...”
    — Barry Millington, The Evening Standard, August 3, 2006

 In a Crossover Concert at the Ravinia Festival:

“But its central glory was Nicole Cabell, the extraordinarily gifted young American soprano who was making her first Ravinia appearance since winning the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition last year.
    “The Lyric Opera’s star alumna has it all — striking natural beauty, a killer smile, a statuesque frame a supermodel would envy, and, of course, that gorgeous voice.
    “She put her radiant soprano to crowd-pleasing use in a clutch of American musical theater classics from ‘Kismet,’ ‘Street Scene,’ ‘Showboat’ and other shows, accompanied by the CSO and, in a brief cabaret turn on a darkened stage, by Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman at the piano.
    “Cabell was best in songs such as ‘Harlem on My Mind’ and ‘And This is My Beloved,’ where her artistic poise, absolute sincerity of expression and alluring femininity were at one with the musical material. I would gladly have done without hearing orchestral excerpts from Verdi’s ‘Aida’ to have heard Cabell sing a few operatic arias. Maybe next time.”
    — John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, July 3, 2006

 As Juliette in Roméo et Juliette with the Spoleto USA Festival:

“This year’s surprise was the soprano Nicole Cabell, the 2005 winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, who sang the female lead in Gounod’s ‘Roméo et Juliette’ at the Galliard Municipal Auditorium (opened May 26). Her bold sound and natural, flowing musicality made the most treacherous coloratura arias sound effortless. Equally impressive was her acting prowess, especially in the opening party scenes, where she projected an awkwardness and hunger for new experience exactly right for a young girl who does not want marriage forced upon her. Her love scenes had rapture to spare; her wrist-slitting suicide splashed blood and eloquence in equal measure.”
    — Jack Sullivan, Opera, December 2006

“This was the Carolinas’ first look at Chicago-based soprano Nicole Cabell after her 2005 triumph as BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. The soprano displayed creamy coloratura and a warm dramatic tone, plus stamina enough to deliver the long Act IV monologue and Act V duet with firm control. She’s an expressive actress, with a long, high-cheekboned face that would have interested Modigliani, and she supplied the action with the sense of doom directors Clarac and Deloeil wanted from the start.”
    — Lawrence Toppman, Opera News, August 2006

“The surprise discovery at this year’s Spoleto was soprano Nicole Cabell, the 2005 winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the world Competition, who sang the female lead in Gounod’s ‘Romeo et Juliette’. Her bold, sensual voice — which had octane to spare in the most strenuous coloratura arias — combined with a natural, flowing musicality. Her acting was equally compelling, especially in the opening party scenes, where she projected a simultaneous enchantment and awkwardness exactly right for a young girl bursting with life who does not want marriage foisted upon her, as she makes clear in her effervescent but painful aria, ‘Je veux vivre dans ce rêve.’ Cabell is a commanding presence, and it is a measure of tenor Frederic Antoun’s abilities that his Romeo was not overshadowed by this stunning Juliette. Indeed, the sexual chemistry between the lovers — a stark contrast to the total non-chemistry in Spoleto’s ‘I Capuleti e i Montecchi’ two years ago — was a needed counterpoint to Gounod’s decorous melodies and ever-so-tasteful harmonies.”
    — Jack Sullivan, American Record Guide, September-October 2006

“Spoleto’s Juliet is a joy to behold
    “Heroine in festival’s operatic production has voice that justifies hype
    “It sounds at first like typical marketing hype: The British Broadcasting Corp. calls its vocal contest Singer of the World. Next thing you know, somebody will dream up a competition that declares its winner an idol.
    “But Nicole Cabell, who won the BBC’s prize in 2005, makes the contest’s name sound a lot more reasonable. When she’s on stage at Spoleto Festival USA as the heroine of Charles Gounod’s ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ it’s hard to imagine who in the world could make Juliet more compelling.
    “Cabell’s Juliet exudes the passion of young love. Her voices sparkles and glows. No matter how high Gounod’s rapturous melodies soar, Cabell exults in them. No matter how fierily she opens up in the music’s big moments, her voice’s shine is undimmed.
    “Even an operatic Juliet needs more than voice, of course. Cabell, youthful and svelte, is instantly believable as a girl swept up in romance.
    “Her broad smile must gleam all the way to the back row of Charleston’s Gaillard Municipal Auditorium, where the production opened Friday night. Her lustrous eyes capture a wealth of feelings — especially the darker ones that Spoleto’s staging, big on death wish, plays up.”
    — Steven Brown, The Charlotte Observer, May 28, 2006

“Juliette is Chicago-based soprano Nicole Cabell. She was the 2005 winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, the top prize for emerging opera talent. Cabell is tall and beautiful with a distinctive voice. Hers is a bright sound with bite. She also has the all-important middle and low notes that extend her repertoire possibilities beyond the chirper status. Her voice is gilded with a dusky overcoat that adds sensuality and gives sophisticated colour to her freshness. Her formidable coloratura placement is pitch perfect. Cabell’s connection with text is also an actor’s dream.”
    — Paula Citron, The Globe and Mail, May 29, 2006

“2005 ‘Singer of the World’ Nicole Cabell showed herself a finely detailed tragic actress, with truly a lovely sound and presence. ... She phrased with utmost musicality and feeling; the difficult potion aria was absolutely thrilling.”
    — David Shengold, Gay City News, June 15, 2006

 As Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with the Madison Opera:

“The musical performance was crowned by the passionate, womanly Pamina of Nicole Cabell, recent winner of the BBC/Cardiff Singer of the World. Cabell’s ‘Ach, ich fühl’s’ was a lovely piece of vocalism, intelligently shaped with meticulous attention to dynamic shading, her vibrant lyric soprano exquisitely floated above the staff.”
    — Mark Thomas Ketterson, Opera News, July 2006

“Not enough can be said about the performances of Jo and Cabell, both of whom elicited enthusiastic responses from the audience. ...
    “Cabell brought warmth and grace to her role along with her magnificent soprano, which floated effortlessly throughout the performance. Cabell is at the very beginning of what will likely be a brilliant operatic career, something few in Friday’s audience would likely dispute.”
    — Michael Muckian, The Capital Times, April 22, 2006

“Of the primary hero and heroine, lyric soprano Nicole Cabell had slightly the better of it, primarily because she has the most brilliant of the arias, which she sang with sweet and mellow power (if that is not a contradiction).”
    — John Aehl, Wisconsin State Journal, April 22, 2006

 At Marilyn Horne’s Birthday Gala Recital at Zankel Hall, New York:

“Nicole Cabell is a highly touted soprano with a lovely sweet voice like honey ...”
    — Anne Midgette, The New York Times, January 30, 2006

 More performance and recording reviews: 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005.

Represented by Columbia Artists Management

Photo © Decca/Kasskara