Kendra Colton, soprano

“In the duet for tenor and soprano, ‘Domine Deus,’ Kendra Colton and Alan Bennett distinguished themselves by their sweet voices and seamless techniques, but also by the intensity with which they listened to each other to adjust the details of their phrasing to what the other was doing. That is what is called chamber music sensitivity, and without it a piece like this falls flat.”

“But it was soprano Kendra Colton who provided the most texture, her rich, ringing sound not just managing Bach’s intricacies, but finding the almost foolish joyousness in their complex twists and turns.”

“Soprano Kendra Colton has a voice of startling clarity.”

“Soprano Kendra Colton was meltingly lovely singing as Mary, Mother of Jesus….”

“Soprano Kendra Colton’s aria with shining polished support from flutist Robin Carlson Peery was a joy to listen to. The flutist provided the delicate framework for Colton’s elegant, expressive vocalism.”

“Soprano Kendra Colton, a seasoned period performer from Massachusetts, used her marvelously even voice to create vibrant passages full of light and shadow.”

“Kendra Colton went quite beyond singing to occupy a region of pure feeling…. Colton’s radiant soprano brought with it the blessing of consolation.”

“Kendra Colton was touchingly musical….”

“Soprano Kendra Colton and trumpeter Stephen Bruns confidently blazed their way through J.S. Bach’s Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, ably supported by Ohyama and the ensemble. Burns tossed off the high, cruel intracacies of the trumpet part with insouciance, and Colton sang the equally demanding soprano solo just about perfectly.”

“[The concert] served as a moving testimonial to her own exceptional gifts, both musical and humanitarian.One heard in Colton’s singing not only master of line and support, of phrasing and articulation, of diction and projection. What came across most forcefully was feeling and human warmth, the soul of musical expressivity. Colton has that rare ability to establish a direct line of communication with every listener (given that one is open to the possibility). She fearlessly engages in eye contact with her listeners, while her face and voice radiate the music’s expression that she has so freely embraced. Together these attributes allow those in her audience to reach into the depths of their hearts and discover feelings they might not even have known were there. It was in her performance of Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, set to James Agee’s delicate and eloquent memories of his childhood there, that Colton’s communication capacity was most powerfully expressed.”

“Ms. Colton’s voice, her vibrato like some fluttering jewel, became the ornament of the prayer. Her vocal stylization was perfect for the mystical work, her voice penetrating but delicate.”

“Soprano Kendra Colton and mezzo-soprano Pamela Dellal had the roles of commentators; both sang with lovely tone and high technical accomplishment.”

“The single most touching moment of the evening was Colton’s ‘If God be for us’, with the fine obbligato violin solo of associate concertmaster Eric Halen. Colton’s singing was an essay in the virtues of simplicity of expression and communication with the audience.”

“Kendra Colton was haughty and repentant as Merab, compelling both in coloratura and in high, suspended legato.”

“Colton, with the larger and more sympathetic part, sang with uncommon beautiful tone matched to alert rhythm and heartfelt enunciation. She is a most cherishable artist, and provided the most rapturous moments in the performance.”

“Kendra Colton proved an excellent Susanna, displaying a soprano that was accurate, controlled, youthful, and stylish. It was not the biggest instrument, but she shaped every roulade and scale into a musical gesture. Her Susanna was calm and noble even in the face of death, but fiery after her vindication, particularly in her third act bravura aria ‘Guilt trembling.’”

“When several patrons broke with convention and applauded after an extended passage of solo singing by Colton, Neuen turned to the audience and said, ‘That’s OK,’ prompting much laughter when he did.”

“…Kendra Colton handled it with warm, cultivated tone and spacious phrasing.”

“In Psalm 42, soprano Kendra Colton sang with beautiful phrasing and great sensitivity in her lovely solo ‘Mein Tränen sind meine Speise Tag und Nacht’.”

“The evening’s ethereal moments were supplied by soprano Kendra Colton performing one of the most beautiful of religious arias, Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate. Her delivery was straightforward and effortless, even in her lovely realization of the lilting coloratura passages.”

“Soprano Kendra Colton’s exposition of the lengthy melisma… in the aria of the Credo was riveting in its sensual perfection; the passage would have made Mozart’s jaw dislocate itself, I’m sure.”

“There was an excellent solo quartet. Boston-based soprano Kendra Colton stepped in to replace the ailing Christine Schaefer and sang with confident shining sound.”

Headline: Colton as Venus was the shining star of evening “Venus descended last night disguised as soprano Kendra Colton. “It was Colton’s remarkable radiance, stamina, delicacy, compassion and pure beauty of tone which kept the rest of the musicians, and the audience from losing their heads, or souls too completely. If one is going to suffer a loss of innocence, one might as well do it in the arms of Venus. “…. Ideal beauty of sound from soprano Kendra Colton. In the ‘Amor volat undique’, Colton, robed in a classical white gown, also sang like a goddess in the lyric folk song with Ravel-like overtones. Her interaction with the principal flutist Valerie Forstman in his and other songs was celestial. Her great resonance at low volume (but always audible) was remarkable. Colton’s tone had a rich maturity without sacrificing the pure lyric quality, and stunning high notes, particularly in the ‘Stetit puella’ and the final ‘Dulcissime’ solos. “But Venus’s song ‘Sweetest boy, I give my all to you’ was the sweetest song and Colton gave her all with a riveting cadenza that must certainly have gotten the boys attention.”

“[S]ung by Colton… with a sensitive attention to the detail of the text.” Milwaukee Journal, Randal Swiggum (Ronald Perera The Outermost House, Bel Canto Chorus, Richard Hynson)“The performance was supported by Charles Austin’s elegant narration, Kendra Colton’s radiant, brilliantly assured soprano…”

“To this mix was added the soaring soprano voice of Kendra Colton, who, with the caring collaboration of Alfred Savia, gave a sensitive and thoughtful interpretation of Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder, truly his last four songs.”

“… Colton’s recurring ‘Dona Nobis Pacem’ had the pure power of a benediction”

“Soprano Kendra Colton was at her very best, dedicating her radiant voice to the performance”