Suzanne Rigden, Canadian Soprano

Home

Reviews:

SUZANNE RIGDEN with Orchestra London & Pro Musica performing “MESSIAH”

Ontario Arts Review by Marina Opitz, December 19, 2011:

"Canadian soprano Suzanne Rigden gave a poised performance and was especially powerful in her solo movement “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth”.  Her sound was bright and flexible while she maintained excellent diction."

 

SUZANNE RIGDEN in Merola Grand Finale, with members of Merola Opera Program and San Francisco Opera Orchestra, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, 2011

Merola’s Grand Promise

Merola Opera Program By Jason Victor Serinus August 20, 2011

"Soprano Suzanne Rigden, 25, who a pitch-perfect friend informs me emitted a perfect high F when she sang Rosina in the first-cast Barbiere, was a bright, fresh, and delicious Blonde in her duet from Mozart’s Abduction From the Seraglio with 30-year-old bass Peixin Chen."

 

http://www.examiner.com/classical-music-in-san-francisco/merola-grand-finale-2011

"Ich gehe doch rate ich dir" from Entführung, Suzanne Rigden was spunky as Blonde and Peixin Chen a loveable buffoon as Osmin...  (In the the first act finale of Rossini’s L'italiana in Algeri) ... Suzanne Rigden managed to be a mousy Elvira, never upstaging Renée Rapier's sassy Isabella."

 
One blogger described "... the belly-shaking comic genius of Suzanne Rigden (Elvira)"
http://abeastinajungle.blogspot.com
"Suzanne Rigden and Pei Xin Chin were both in excellent form for the comedic duet. Rigden has a wonderful stage presence to match her bright, strong voice."
"Rigden went on to have an excellent overall night, with not only strong high-notes but a performance that reminded me of Reese Witherspoon's better comedic outings." 
 

, SF Classical Music Examiner, August 21, 2011

Merola Grand Finale 2011 - San Francisco classical music | Examiner.com

"The selection that probably fared better than any of the others involved the synthesis of a solid score by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with an appropriately contemporary dramatic perspective in Conde’s staging.  This was the duet “Ich gehe doch rate ich dir” from the second act of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, in which Blonde’s English blood comes to a full boil when Osmin tries to treat her as his slave.  Peixin Chen’s bass voice was as hardy as it had been in his Basilio in the second cast of Barbiere, while Suzanne Rigden endowed Blonde with the same rebellious sass that had spiced her Rosina in the first cast.  She then kept that character in high gear in her portrayal of Elvira at the end of the program, in which all of the Merolini performed the first act finale of Rossini’s L'italiana in Algeri."

 

SFist Reviews: Merola Grand Finale (By Cedric in on August 22, 2011)

"Suzanne Rigden and Peixin Chen paired for a lively Mozartian banter from the Abduction from the seraglio with the most colorful contrast, her crystalline voice fluttering around his barreling, cavernous tone."

 

SUZANNE RIGDEN as Rosina in Merola Opera Program's Il barbiere di Siviglia, Aug 4 & 6, 2011

San Francisco Chronicle, Saturday, August 6, 2011:

"As Rosina, soprano Suzanne Rigden revealed a remarkable gift for stratospheric coloratura. She larded her showpiece aria, "Una voce poco fa," with a wealth of impeccable passagework that started high and then just kept going higher, with pointed, note-perfect placement."

 

The Opera Tattler, Aug 5 & 7, 2011

"Suzanne Rigden (Rosina) has a dizzying ability to sing high notes, her coloratura technique is impressive."

"Suzanne Rigden ripped those coloratura notes (atop a cluttered table no less) with beauty."

 
Opera Canada (Winter 2011), by John Bender:  San Francisco Opera's Merola summer training program for emerging artists featured two impressive young Canadians this year in a fully staged Il barbiere di Siviglia (seen Aug. 6)  "The lovely Suzanne Rigden led the show as Rosina. Her bright, clear soprano accurately spanned the role's wide range as she projected the girl's lively, defiant character with real conviction. She sang with impressive accomplishment and genuine promise, and found a warm reception here."

The Merolini romp with Rossini, Stephen Smoliar, SF Classical Music Examiner, August 5, 2011

"Suzanne Rigden’s Rosina jumped through all of her virtuoso hoops without ever showing a sign of strain"

"Suzanne Rigden, a soprano Rosina, has a fearsome coloratura. Hearing her pick off all those high notes was like watching a bowler make a strike every time."

 

 

 

"Operatic Ruminations" on Auditions for the General Director, Merola Opera Program, June 25 2011

Posted by Brad Wade, Sunday, June 26, 2011

"I had a couple of favorites. Suzanne Rigden impressed me in the first half with her strong, clear tone in Olympia’s aria from The Tales of Hoffman"

 

SUZANNE RIGDEN in COC Ensemble and OdeM Atelier lyrique Joint Concert Features Voices of the Future

Article in La Scena Musicale, April 8, 2011:

"Rigden and Kramer acting it up as Rosina and Figaro"

"Her duet (Wallis Giunta) with Suzanne Rigden from La clemenza di Tito was nicely sung, their voices blended beautifully."

"Suzanne Rigden has a bright, clear high soprano, which she used to advantage, adding extra appoggiaturas in Morgana's aria from Alcina"

 

SUZANNE RIGDEN as "Morgana" in Handel's ALCINA,  Pocket Opera of New York:

KATE WILLIAMS, New York Opera Review, "Astroturf Alcina," Monday, March 21, 2011

"Suzanne Rigden, with her PONY debut in the role of Morgana, sang confidently, her gorgeous high notes ringing with a special spin.  Her coloratura moved easily, ... her acting was concise and believable."

 

SUZANNE RIGDEN as "Sophie" in Massenet's WERTHER,  l'Opéra de Montréal

 
Magazine article by Wayne Gooding on l'Opéra de Montréal:
 
"Suzanne Rigden, a member of OdeM's Atelier Lyrique, was a charming and vivacious Sophie."
 
 
Sonya Ouali, LeBryant.com Samedi, 29 Janvier 2011
http://www.lebruyant.com/evenements/culture/538-werther-ou-la-passion-amoureuse-a-lopera-de-montreal
 
"Une mention spéciale à la talentueuse soprano, Suzanne Rigden, qui interprète avec grâce Sophie, la jeune sœur de Charlotte."
 
 
Royal du Perron  ZoneCulture.com, par Royal du Perron, Mardi, 25 janvier 2011

"J’ai aimé revoir Suzanne Rigden (qu’on a récemment applaudie dans Rigoletto) se glisser dans la peau de Sophie. Cette jeune soprano évolue avec une belle aisance."

 

Publié le 23 janvier 2011 à 11h18

Claude Gingras
La Presse

"Le brin de soleil qui vient sans cesse égayer le sombre tableau s'appelle Suzanne Rigden, c'est-à-dire Sophie."

 

ResMusica.com  [Scène] Lyrique
Werther [Montréal] Drame de sang et de feu ?    Par Jacques Hétu (25/01/2011)

"La voix cristalline de la soprano Suzanne Rigden vient égayer cette partition plutôt sombre."

 

Dimanche le 23 janvier, 2011

Jocelyne Tourangeau, PLANÈTE QUÉBEC

"J’ai beaucoup aimé la voix de Sophie, la jeune sœur de Charlotte (Suzanne Rigden, soprano)."

 

Earl Arthur Love, The Classical Music Network

"Suzanne Rigden, a student with OdM’s highly successful Atelier lyrique de l’OdM, performed Sophie with a lightness of touch and a bright, ringing tone."

 

THE MONTRÉAL BUZZ, An Insider Take on the City, posted by Brenden

"Soprano Suzanne Rigden was notable in her role as Charlotte's younger sister Sophie, drawing a warm round of applause from the audience."

 

  Déposé par Martin Prévost le 26 janvier 2011 

"Bravo aussi pour les intermèdes rafraîchissants de Sophie (Suzanne Rigden), l’éternelle optimiste qui voit du bonheur partout, intermèdes rigolo sans être impertinents."

 

WERTHER Opéra de Montréal

"A NIGHT AT the Opera, doesn't that sound romantic! Opéra de Montréal is presenting WERTHER this month of January. This Opera was originally presented by Opera Australia and was written by JULES MASSENET (1842-1912). Everything about it blew me away. The first sight is the sumptuous richly colored set by MICHAEL YEARGAN, a summer day comes to life. The direction by CHRISTOPHER DAWES is impeccable as the action, the music, and the characters flow seamlessly forward. The costumes are superb the work of BARILA (CANADA) (www.barilaclothing.com). And then there are the magical performances : PHILLIP ADDIS as WERTHER, MICHÈLE LOSIER as his lost love Charlotte, STEPHEN HEGEDUS as Albert, Charlotte's husband, SUZANNE RIGDEN who plays Sophie, and the whole cast.  If you have never been to the Opera, this one will show what the fuss is all about."
-Lena Ghio

 

ARTHUR KAPTAINIS, The Gazette January 24, 2011

"... soprano Suzanne Rigden (one of a few current Atelier members in the cast) was suitably childlike as Sophie."

 

Jocelyne Tourangeau, PLANÈTE QUÉBEC

Page SUZANNE RIGDEN, SOPRANO (CANADA)
«Charme indéniable, présence enjouée et étonnante assurance»

 

Suzanne Rigden as "Marie" in La fille du Régiment, IVAI, Israel: 

Haggai Hitron, HaAretz (Israeli Nation-wide Newspaper translated from Hebrew), reviewing  La fille du Régiment at International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 2010:

"The singers in the two main roles, Suzanne Rigden ("Marie"), and Jonathan Blalock ("Tonio", her lover) have exciting vocal potential."
 

 

Suzanne Rigden in Other Reviews:

Publié le 14 décembre 2009 à 09h00 | Mis à jour à 09h03

Claude Gingras
La Presse

Carmen dans le sanctuaire

"Des sept chanteurs en présence, tous de l'Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal, je retiens deux noms: Suzanne Rigden, soprano coloratura qui a donné presque à la perfection les notes suraiguës de la Reine de la nuit et de la poupée mécanique Olympia, et Aaron Ferguson, ténor léger ayant exactement la transparence de Tamino. "

 

Le Devoir par Christophe Huss, décembre 2009

"Reste à donner le nom de la perle de l'après-midi: la soprano colorature Suzanne Rigden, charme fou, présence joviale et assurance étonnante. Ses vocalises de la Reine de la Nuit étaient comme des flèches, avec un placement de voix parfait. Son Olympia fut fort drôle et juste."

 

Picture and article in Vancouver Sun, April, 2009 - UBC OPERA FIVE

SUPPER SINGERS: Vancouver Opera Guild members held a fundraising banquet in former operatic tenor Francesco Alongi's Don Francesco restaurant this week. The padrone sang, natch, and University of B.C. music professor Nancy Hermiston had five students -- sopranos Simone Osborne and Suzanne Rigden, tenors Brian Lee and Zhang Xiao Dong, and baritone Andrey Andreychek -- perform to applause that may be augmented a thousand fold in world concert halls soon.

 

From http://gatheringnote.com/2009/01/27/young-opera-singers-on-their-way-the-metropolitan-opera-northwest-regional-audition/

Reviewer  Philippa Kiraly

Most spectacular was the last singer on the program. Suzanne Rigden from Vancouver, B.C. sang two of the highest and most acrobatic arias in the repertoire—the Queen of the Night’s aria from Mozart’s “Die Zauberflote” and the Doll Song from Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann.” A fierce and vengeful queen in the first, she became a wound up doll with gestures which much amused the audience in the second. Her intonation in both arias was just about perfect (and very difficult to achieve), and she won both the other encouragement prize and the People’s choice award, each bringing her $1000.

 

Reviewer  Teresa Mallam - Prince George Free Press on UBC Performance of HANSEL AND GRETEL

"If the others were anything like soprano Suzanne Rigden, there’s a lot of serious talent at UBC. Rigden has an amazing voice with good projection.   She also looked the part with blond braids and playful demeanour, so for me, made a convincing Gretel."

 

Reviewer J H Stape on UBC Opera Premiere of DREAM HEALER by Lloyd Burritt:

"No less a testimony to these elements [professional growth, fine training, and sheer dynamism of UBC's Opera School] was the elegant performance of Suzanne Rigden as Countess Blavinskaya, the former Imperial ballerina in love with the moon, her coloratura vibrant and powerful."

 

Opera Canada magazine:

"Countess Blavinskeya, rapturously sung and danced by coloratura Suzanne Rigden, on the other hand achieves her desire of "returning to her home on the moon," and commits suicide."