“... 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

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“... 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

2007 performance and recording reviews

More performance and recording reviews:
2009, 2008, 2006, and 2005

 In New Year’s Concerts with the Orchestre de Lyon:

“With her dark, velvety timbre and her powerful dramatic soprano voice beautifully supported by an even and balanced vocal line, Nicole Cabell was seductive in arias by Gounod, Verdi and Offenbach.”
    — A. M., Le Progrès, December 31, 2007

 In a Christmas Concert with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall:

“Cabell lent a rich lyric soprano to a vibrant performance of the Johann Sebastian Bach-Charles Gounod ‘Ave Maria.’ With the choir, a precise and sonorous ensemble, she sang, by turns, the melody or high harmony above the choristers, in ‘The First Nowell,’ and capped a fervent, fluid ‘Angels We Have Heard on High,’ by Edward Shippen Barnes and James Chadwick, with the choir, with a bright final high note. Cabell brought a touch of class to an audience sing-along, with the chorus and Severinsen, on trumpet, of Irving Berlin’s ‘White Christmas.’”
    — Bruce-Michael Gelbert, Q On Stage, December 15, 2007

 As Musetta in La Bohème at the Lyric Opera of Chicago:

“Thank goodness for soprano Nicole Cabell, whose sexy spitfire of a Musetta energized every scene she was in.”
    — John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, November 12, 2007

“High points in this production, which has four more performances through November 23, include soprano Nicole Cabell as the flirtatious singer Musetta: her honeyed voice is rich but never heavy, and she’s scintillating in the aria ‘Quando Me’n Vo,’ moving with a dancer’s ease and emoting with an actor’s conviction.”
    — Barbara Yaross, Chicago Reader, November 8, 2008

“Soprano Nicole Cabell as Musetta, the vixen with the heart of gold, dazzled Marcello as well as the audience with her seductive aria ‘Quando m’en vo.’ She was totally in character whether vamping Kelsey’s sturdy Marcello or looking after the dying Mimi.”
    — John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, October 3, 2007

“The great Café Momus scene comprising Act 2 belongs to Musetta, the Paris courtesan with a heart of gold. Portrayed by American soprano Nicole Cabell, the scene includes Musetta’s waltz (‘Quando m’en vo’) in which the entire Bohemian neighborhood joins in: brass band, adults and children (kudos to the Lyric Opera Chorus and Chicago Children’s Choir).
     “Cabell, a 2005 alumna of the Lyric’s Ryan Opera Center, is making her featured Lyric Opera debut with these performances (she sang several roles as a member of the Opera Center). The California native has the kind of star quality, and best of all the vocal resources, that bodes well for a long and successful international career.”
    — Bill Gowen, Chicago Daily Herald, October 4, 2007

“American soprano Nicole Cabell, an alumna of Lyric’s Opera Center and main prize winner of the 2005 BBC-Cardiff Singer of the World competition, was a lively Musetta.”
    — Wynne Delacoma, Chicago Sun-Times, October 3, 2007

“With her clear, almost effortless soprano voice, Nicole Cabell gave a fine reading of the famous waltz-aria that dominates the act. While addressing all the comic demands of the role, Ms Cabell gave a fine interpretation of the number without any of the affectations that some singers bring to it.”
    — James L Zychowicz, Seen and Heard, October 20, 2007

 As Musetta in La Bohème at the Washington Opera:

“Nicole Cabell sang the role of Musetta with agility and brilliance.”
    — Tim Page, The Washington Post, September 17, 2007

“As Musetta, Nicole Cabell made her Cafe Momus entrance wielding a whip and proceeded to enliven things with a bright, expressive voice, as well as strong acting skills.”
    — Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun, September 19, 2007

 As Musetta in La Bohème at the Santa Fe Opera:

“There were two splendid singers in the cast. Cardiff Singer of the World for 2005 Nicole Cabell was a smashing Musetta (not that she smashed plates in the Café Momus, like other Musettas). The voice was a pleasure to hear, creamy from top to bottom, and her trim figure and fetching manner made her thoroughly convincing.”
    — George Loomis, Musical America, August 27, 2007

“Puccini’s La bohème boasts a sparkling Musetta by the Cardiff ‘Singer of the World’ (2005) soprano Nicole Cabell. She was in lovely, creamy voice and, abetted by her svelte figure, was every inch the endearing flirt.”
    — George Loomis, Financial Times, August 22, 2007

“Fast-rising star Nicole Cabell’s Musetta moved like a cat as she uncoiled her pretty, gleaming soprano, the voice of temptation come to life. Yet she also revealed the sympathetic woman beneath the surface layers of luxury as well as the flirt on the make.”
    — Craig Smith, The New Mexican, June 30, 2007

 In her first solo CD, Soprano:

“Here’s an hour of enchantment from the American soprano who won the 2005 Cardiff Singer of the World. There she swept the board with her final item, Teresa’s taxing but rewarding aria from Benvenuto Cellini. Here it forms the centrepiece of a recital that takes her with extreme accomplishment through a varied programme.
     “Perhaps the French pieces suit her best of all, and she seems happy singing in the language. She delivers Juliette’s Waltz Song with insouciance with insouciance, then follows it with a deeply soulful account of Juliette’s last-act aria. ‘Depuis le jour’ is right up there among the best of the past, with the high note towards the end, touched with pure lightness. The dash of the bolero from Les filles de Cadix is as fitting as it should be.
     “But Cabell can do many other things so well as to satisfy the most fastidious connoisseur of fine singing. Her bel canto skills are disclosed in Julietta’s opening aria from Capuleti, with the even legato a pleasure to encounter. Norina’s flighty aria from Don Pasquale is done with just the requisite allure.
     “The two popular Puccini arias again show off her clear, clean tone and secure technique, even if one would sometimes like a bit more light and shade in her bright voice. It’s big leap from there to Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, but once more Cabell gives every evidence that she knows what she is about and the aching phrases hanging in the air. The Menotti aria is well sung but musically nothing special; ‘Summertime’ gets a lovely reading. Sir Andrew Davis and the LPO find the right mood for each piece in turn and the recording is faultless. Who knows, maybe Decca has a new Sutherland in view.”
    — Alan Blythe, The Gramophone, Editor’s Choice, May 2007

“Nicole Cabell’s CD debut, as winner of the 2005 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, shows versatility as this American lyric soprano’s strength. She encompasses Tippett and Menotti with the same voice of liquid gold as her conventional pieces by Charpentier and Donizetti. In her three Puccini arias she can sculpt slow legato phrases with a sensuality that twine them around you. Yet her rapid floridity is fearless in the long arias by Bellini and Berlioz. Her Gershwin ‘Summertime’ is refreshingly direct. An outstanding launch.”
    — Ian Dando, NZ Listener, April 28-May 4 2007

“Events moved fast once the American soprano Nicole Cabell won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World contest in June 2005 with a lyric voice one part silver, one part gold and another part intoxicating red wine. She signed an exclusive contract with one of the ritziest of record companies, Decca. Over Christmas week of that year the microphones sprouted to catch her in a motley programme with the London Philharmonic, featuring her Cardiff show stopper from Benvenuto Cellini, Gershwin’s Summertime, Charpentier, several Italian diva jewels, even a little Tippett. The CD catches her at a moment in her career. If we miss the ultimate in polish, we get plenty of raw promise, and that promise can be exceptional. Try her glissando down to the close of Summertime: an occasion for the tingling of spines. Listen to her float the last line of Quando me’n vò, from La Boheme. In general the romantic yearning in Puccini’s music suits her; she glows especially in the arias from Gianni Schicchi and La Rondine, luxuriating in the long, ambulating melodies, phrased with considerable skill. Andrew Davis, who’s conducted her often at Lyric Opera of Chicago, conjures luscious accompaniments from the London Philharmonic; the horn player Timothy Brown well deserves a bow of his own. In repertoire Cabell is plucky. How often does Puccini walk with Tippett? What other recitalist embraces Menotti? Her track from his opera The Old Maid and the Thief isn’t the CD’s most successful, but you have to applaud someone not content with trodden paths. Presenting Cabell’s trophy at Cardiff, Joan Sutherland warned her: ‘Don’t do too much too soon.’ Words worth pondering; and from some angles maybe she’s already recorded too soon. But when that voice is kept focused, its power and heat are undeniable. Nicole Cabell, soprano, is not going to go away.”
    — Geoff Brown, The Times, March 16, 2007

“Last month we had the opportunity to hear a singer we had never heard before, soprano Nicole Cabell, performing the role of Clara, in Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess, and we were impressed with her sound.
     “Now comes a new, recording under the DECCA label featuring Ms. Cabell in a debut album (due in May, 07) under her own name. The singer comes highly recommended, having won the BBCs Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in 2005, listing credits and reviews worthy of a talent in clear ascendancy — which she obviously is. For this debut CD she chooses some of what she likes best. ‘I wanted to sing not simply pieces that I love,’ she is quoted in her acknowledgement, ‘but the music that I believe fits my voice.’ A lyric soprano with punch, Ms. Cabell, glides effortlessly through a series of well-known arias in English, French and Italian, culling some of the best from composers such as Puccini, Gounod, Gershwin, Bellini, Donizetti. With superb accompaniment from Maestro Davis and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Ms. Cabell gives a strong accounting of herself and leaves no doubt that no matter how many times one hears ‘O mio babbino caro,’ (Gianni Schicchi) or ‘Quando m’en vo,’ (La boheme) which she will be performing in concert this month with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon, there’s still room for hearing and enjoying it anew from a different voice with a slightly different interpretation. Everything one reads about this voice is true: smooth legato, florid passages and delightful coloratura — and we might add with this debut CD, a nice selection of music that will satisfy most tastes with its even thematic presentation. Our personal favorite? Charpentier’s soulful ‘Depuis le jour où je me suis donnée’ (Louise), but then, there are many favorites on this CD.”
    — OperaOnline.US

 In Poulenc’s Gloria with the Orchestra of St Luke’s at Carnegie Hall:

“In the Gloria, the choir was joined by the talented American soprano Nicole Cabell, who made her Covent Garden debut this season and is engaged to sing at the Met in upcoming seasons. Her voice had a dark radiance, effectively penetrating the huge sound projecting from behind her.”
    — Feast of Music, March 20, 2007

 As Imelda in Imelda de’ Lambertazzi, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London:

“What more could anyone want? Well, a starry as well as a star-crossed Imelda, of course. And there she was in the person of the soprano Nicole Cabell, mourning in mellifluous melody for all mothers; ardently and stylishly declaring her love for Bonifacio; and finally, with Richard Lester’s solo cello, sighing and sobbing her last as she expires.”
    — Hilary Finch, The Times, March 14, 2007

“In the title role, Nicole Cabell sang with limpid tone and sensitivity.”
    — Rupert Christiansen, Daily Telegraph, March 12, 2007

“Nicole Cabell’s Imelda was mistress of the beautifully spun line.”
    — Andrew Clark, Financial Times, February 15, 2007

 In Solo Recital at St John’s Smith Square, London:

“‘It’s a voice that wraps itself around you.’ That is how Marilyn Horne described the lyric soprano of the Californian Nicole Cabell, who took first prize at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the Year in 2005 and who presented her solo calling card to London on Wednesday in her Rosenblatt Recital.
    “The voice does, indeed, have something of the pashmina about it: long, sinuous phrasing, warm tone and a sophistication that touches everything she sings. Cabell does no more and no less at present than simply sing the music that fits her voice best: Puccini, French opera and American song.
    “Every register of her voice is illuminated through her generous smile; there’s a sudden sense of lift-off into coloratura and an irresistible glide through every second of schmaltz. But this audience was enthralled by her Musetta Quand m’en vo’ soletta per la via, by her Rondine Chi il bel sogno di Doretta and by her Gounod Juliette Je veux vivre. She also brought close focus to three songs by Liszt, consummately accompanied by Simon Lepper.
    “And it was good to hear Ben Moore’s responses to Keats’s nightingale in his setting Darkling I listen, followed by a tricksy, witty performance of Amor, one of William Bolcom’s superb Cabaret Songs.”
    — Hilary Finch, The Times, February 23, 2007

“The Rosenblatt Recital Series, which presents concerts around London from artists ranging from the well-known to the brand-new, last week showcased Nicole Cabell, the glamorous 29-year-old winner of the 2005 Cardiff Singer of the World competition.
    “Accompanied by pianist Simon Lepper, the American soprano tackled an impressive variety of repertoire. Her greatest strengths, it seems, lie in poetry and contemplative song. Three Liszt songs — ‘Es muss ein Wunderbares sein’, ‘Die Lorelei’ and ‘Enfant, si j’étais roi’ — held the audience spellbound as the voice seemed to become one with the accompaniment and indeed the piece. Later in the concert, Ben Moore’s Keats setting ‘Darkling I listen’ created a similar magic.
    “‘Padre, germani, addio’ from Idomeneo was imbued with urgency, while Bolcom’s ‘Amor’, was delivered with mischievous sparkle and wit.
    “In other offerings from American music theatre, Cabell proved herself as an entertainer; she struck just the right balance between schmaltz and musicality, a rare gift when presenting a mixed recital programme to a largely classical audience.”
    — Ruth Elleson, Opera Today, March 1, 2007

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

Represented by Columbia Artists Management

Photo © Decca/Kasskara