"It must be nerve-wracking for a young singer to step into such a role and Carolyn Holt applied herself with aplomb, settling convincingly and confidently into her part... The audience showed approval of her performance with loud drumming of feet at the curtain call.”.
"Carolyn Holt was no less convincing as Mrs Grose. Her reluctance to assume the worst of the children and ease of chemistry with Wingate was superbly achieved... Her voice shone with a maturity perfectly matching the role."
“The Royal Opera's devastating staging features a faultless cast of young singers... Sydney Baedke (Female Chorus) sang magnificently... her soprano was even throughout the range, expressive and free in the upper reaches of the role."
Contemporary resonances abound in this revival of Benjamin Britten’s opera
"It must be nerve-wracking for a young singer to step into such a role and Carolyn Holt applied herself with aplomb, settling convincingly and confidently into her part... The audience showed approval of her performance with loud drumming of feet at the curtain call.”.
"Carolyn Holt was no less convincing as Mrs Grose. Her reluctance to assume the worst of the children and ease of chemistry with Wingate was superbly achieved... Her voice shone with a maturity perfectly matching the role."
Rounding off his first year as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Head of Opera, Philip White ends this season with Kurt Weill’s 1946 opera Street Scene, which fuses European operative traditions with aspects of musical theatre. Directed by Alexandra Spencer Jones - making her operatic debut - the production feels very much steeped in the era in which it was written and set, though it still reveals truths which are pertinent to us today.
Notable smaller parts include the young Irish mezzo Carolyn Holt as the voice of Antonia's dead mother
Carolyn Holt as the voice of Antonia's mother stood out with her rich and seductive mezzo-soprano
Carolyn Holt’s Dido was particularly affecting, her smooth mezzo betraying little of her final intent
Carolyn Holt's powerful and earthy mezzo performance as Florence assumes the recklessness of the condemned."
Impressive performance from mezzo-soprano Carolyn Holt as Florence
Particularly outstanding are Carolyn Holt as the crusading Sister Helen, her rich-seamed timbre captivating at every emotional level.
..the first full production in the UK – is top quality. That goes for the performances too, and especially that of mezzo Carolyn Holt as Sister Helen, whose singing is matched with nuanced, characterful acting...