|
| In Recital with the Women's
Musical Club of Toronto |
| "The program, which ranged
from a Mozart concert aria to Claude Vivier, announced an
independent and curious mind: There was plenty of repertoire
- six ariettas by Bellini; songs by William Walton and Vivier's
Hymnen an die Nacht - that rarely gets aired. Mercer approached
it all with a fine ear for detail and vocal colour, a fiery
temperament and a ready wit. You felt the power of her glowing
instrument." (Tamara Bernstein,
Globe and Mail, 8 March 2008) |
| |
| Shannon 'brilliant' in Handel's
Tamerlano |
| The biggest surprise was soprano
Shannon Mercer as Asteria. She is a very fine singer, but
in this role she showed such brilliant acting skills and breath
control in the way she used her voice, that she upgraded for
me to great singer. (Classical 96.3,
February 2008) |
| |
| Bach Cantatas with Early Music
Vancouver |
| "Shannon Mercer has a fresh,
flexible voice, very considerable charm and, even for church
music, a certain sexiness." (Vancouver
Sun, 4 December 2007) |
| |
| In "golden voice" for Baroque
Consort recital |
| "Mercer's voice rang out beautifully
in the near-ideal acoustics of St. Giles…her finest moments
were in two arias by Johann Krieger. Mercer was sensitive
to the nuances of the music and text and avoided the common
trap of using the dramatic conventions of later opera. And
what a sound she has…the church was filled with Mercer's golden
voice." (Ottawa Citizen, 4 November 2007) |
| |
| Handel's La Resurrezione
with Festival Vancouver and Vancouver Early Music |
| "Richer and darker, Shannon
Mercer's voice was perfectly suited to portraying Mary Magdalene."
(Georgia Straight, 16 August 2007) |
| "Mercer and Balzer were all
you could have hoped for, singing superbly." (Vancouver
Sun, 12 August 2007) |
|
| Israël en Égypte with
Les Violons du Roy under Bernard Labadie in Québec City and
Montréal |
"Des six solistes, tous à
la hauteur, je signale le soprano radieux de Shannon Mercer."
"Of the six soloists, all excellent, I single out
the radiant voice of soprano Shannon Mercer."
(La Presse, 28 mars 2007) |
|
"Du travail des solistes,
généralement excellent, je retiens surtout l'intervention
finale de la soprano Shannon Mercer, elle dont la voix, a
cappella, peut remplir l'espace aussi généreusement que tous
les autres chanteurs réunis." "Of the soloists,
generally excellent, I remember most the solo finale by Shannon
Mercer. Her voice, a cappella, can fill the hall as much as
all the other singers together."
(Le Soleil, 24 mars 2007) |
|
| Making her French debut in the
title role of Sémélé at l'opéra de Montpellier |
| “Shannon Mercer interpreted
Sémélé with passion.” (Ópera Actual,
March 2007) |
|
| "The beautiful Shannon Mercer
regally intoned the gloriously ornamented speeches of Sémélé."
(Seen and Heard, 12 February 2007) |
|
| "Canadian Shannon Mercer performs
with much freshness and aplomb." (Le
Journal des Spectacles, 11 February 2007) |
|
| "As the new Sémélé, Canadian
Shannon Mercer posseses, in addition to a pure voice, a clarity
of diction which makes her interpretation even better."
(Le Figaro, 5 February 2007) |
|
| Messiah performances
across Canada |
| "The quartet of soloists was
particularly fine this year. Shannon Mercer, a Canadian soprano
of real promise, sang the entire part with a marked sense
of musical poise and brilliance in the rapid passages."
(Calgary Herald, 8 December 2006) |
|
| "Of the four soloists, soprano
Shannon Mercer and alto Matthew White, both Ottawa natives,
best complemented the SMAM's delicate period timbre, with
translucent voices and weightless ornamentation." (Montreal
Gazette, 4 December 2006) |
|
| As Despina in Cosi fan tutte
with the Canadian Opera Company in the opening production
of the new Four Seasons Opera House in Toronto |
| "Shannon Mercer’s sparkling
voice and pert acting [were ideal] for Despina.” (Opera,
February 2007) |
|
| "Soprano Shannon Mercer kept
her bearings beautifully as the maid Despina, delivering a
wickedly pert performance of Una donna a quindici anni."
(Globe and Mail, 19 October 2006) |
|
| "Shannon Mercer delivered
an ebullient performance as Despina, in her crisp, bright
soprano." (Classical Source, October
2006) |
|
| "Mercer is a sparkly performer
well-suited for Despina." (ConcertoNet,
2 November 2006) |
|
| Nannetta in Verdi's Falstaff
with Opera Lyra Ottawa |
| "Shannon Mercer showed a gorgeous
high vocal end in her third-act lover's duet." (The
Ottawa Sun, 12 April 2006) |
|
| "[Shannon Mercer's] singing
was particularly beautiful and her character bears a bit of
feistiness better than Fenton's." (Ottawa Citizen, 10 April 2006) |
|
| In recital with Music Toronto
at the Jane Mallett Theatre |
| "Shannon Mercer proved last
night that nothing beats a strong, flexible voice, honest
musicianship and a winning smile on a concert stage. The highlight
was "Elfenlied" (Elf Song), which tells of a late-night
adventure in the woods. It's the most difficult type of music,
shifting moods and requiring the singer to deliver a dramatic
narration along with a melody line. Mercer did it all with
ease." (Toronto Star, 27 January
2006) |
|
| At Lincoln Centre with Barbara
Bonney |
| "W.A. Mozart's lovely "Abendempfindung"
[sung by Shannon Mercer] was a highlight..." (The
New York Times, 15 November 2005) |
|
| "Canadian soprano Shannon
Mercer, the find of the evening, came off best. It's not hard
to see why Bonney picked her -- the light but pointed lyric
voice, quick and wide-ranging expressiveness, musical intelligence,
and stage presence surely reminded her of herself. Mercer's
account of the much-sung "Abendempfindung" was as
touching and well-shaped as any I've heard." (An Unamplified Voice, 12 November 2005) |
|
| As Grace in the Queen of Puddings's
The Midnight Court |
| "Shannon Mercer's Grace can
make a point with the curve of her mouth as well as the impressive
use of a coloratura voice." (Jon Kaplan, Now Magazine, 16-22 June 2005 Vol. 24 no.
42) |
|
| As Lucy in Menotti's The
Telephone with Opera Lyra Ottawa |
| "Mercer also sang the role
of Lucy in the Telephone singing with agility and fine, crisp
tone in the high notes yet lacking nothing in her lower register."
(Earl Arthur Lowe, Opera Canada Magazine,
Spring 2005, Vol. XLVI) |
|
| As Altisidore in Boismortier's
Don Quichotte with La Nouvele Sinfonie |
| "The finest singing came from
Shannon Mercer as Altisidore. Mercer's sparkling recitatives
and effortless runs were a constant delight." (Don Quixotte
chez la Duchesse - Jean Bodin de Boismortier) (Christopher Hoile, Opera Canada Magazine, Spring 2005,
Vol. XLVI) |
|
| As
Oberto in Handel's Alcina with Les Violon du Roy |
| "Le soprano Shannon Mercer donne au jeune Oberto une voix jeune,
agile, légère et, parfois espiègle, dont le timbre fin se combine à une exécution
ferme et remplie d'adrénaline." (Le Soleil, 11 mai 2004) |
|
| As Michal from Handel's Saul with the Ottawa Choral
Society |
| "Soprano Shannon Mercer, singing the role of Michal (from Handel's
Saul) with clarity, poise and vocal beauty, was the most consistently satisfying." (Ottawa Citizen, 1 April 2004) |
|
| As Nadina in Oscar Straus's The Chocolate Soldier
with the Toronto Operetta Theatre |
| "Shannon Mercer sang it (My Hero) quite handsomely the first time
around and made an attractive Nadina throughout her encounters with the (Swiss) Chocolate
Soldier himself." (Toronto Star, 29 December 2003) |
|
| "It would be hard to imagine a more ideal Nadina than Shannon
Mercer. With her pure, shining soprano she sings "My Hero" with just the right
combination of fervor and innocence, and expertly details Nadina's inner conflict between
unfounded adoration for her idol Alexius and her growing attraction for the down to earth
Bummerli." (Stage Door, 27 December 2003) |
|
| As Rosina in Opera Ontario's Il barbiere di Siviglia
|
| "Rosina was played by Shannon Mercer, her beautiful and wide-ranging
soprano dazzling in Una voca poco fa, the coloratura passages soaring through the
intricacies of turns and decoration with remarkable ease and control. She, too, has a
flair for comedy, playing the coquette one minute, the wide-eyed innocent in another, and
making her presence felt in no uncertain terms in yet another. What a delight she is to
hear." (Kitchener-Waterloo, 20 October 2003) |
|
| "Shannon Mercer has emerged as one of Canada's most promising young
sopranos and although most companies these days appear to be reverting to Rossini's
original mezzo-soprano Rosina…there was something very convincing about hearing
Mercer's bright tones coming from the heroine's coquettish mouth." (Toronto Star, 7 October 2003) |
|
| “...presque irréprochable. Et on peut en dire autant de la soprano
Shannon Mercer, aussi belle qu’excellente par son timbre clair et sa fluidité dans
les mélismes.” (La Presse, 25 novembre 2003) |
|
| “Although Rossini intended the part to be sung by a mezzo-soprano,
Mercer is ideal for the role. The Ottawa native’s bright, clear voice embodies
Rosina, who is at once innocent, flirtatious and full of guile.” (Cancette, October, 2003) |
|
| “Shannon Mercer’s winning portrayal as Susanna displayed as
many histrionics resources as vocal; her limpid soprano remained perfectly focused under
pressure, and her bewildered look in the Act Three Sextet (“Suo madre/ suo padre/
etc.”) was a gem.” (Classical Voice, 10 August 2003) |
|
| “As Susanna, betrothed to the rakish Figaro but desired by the
Count, soprano Shannon Mercer was a singing and acting miracle.” (Santa Barbara Voice, 9 August 2003) |
|
| L'italiana in Algeri with the Canadian Opera
Company |
| "…the show was all but stolen by Shannon Mercer, in the role of
Mustafa's wife, the wronged Elvira. She played Oscar, the King's servant, in the COC's
recent production of Verdi's "A Masked Ball" and commanded the audience's
attention then, too, with her rich soprano and sympathetic stage presence. She has a voice
of strength and beauty." (Buffalo News, 7 April 2003) |
|
| "Soprano Shannon Mercer, an alumna of the COC's Ensemble Studio,
brightly shines as King Mustafa's discarded wife, Elvira. Her histrionics, brilliant
timing and musical leadership - especially in the finales - capture the audience's rapt
attention." (Torontostage.com, 3 April 2003) |
|
| In duo recital with Katherine Kohrer in San Francisco |
| "You don't often hear singers meshing as beautifully as
soprano Shannon Mercer and mezzo-soprano Katherine Rohrer did Sunday night during their
joint Schwabacher Debut Recital. In duets by Mendelssohn, Britten and Rossini, the two
women displayed an almost uncanny knack for blending their voices in tune, supporting one
another's phrases and modulating each other's delivery to great effect. The four
Mendelssohn duets…were the program's most luxuriant delights, where the two singers'
gift for lushly intertwined textures came most ravishingly to the fore." (San Francisco Chronicle, 19 February 2003) |
|
| In the Canadian Opera Company's Un Ballo in Maschera |
| "The Canadian light soprano Shannon Mercer was witty, crisp and
delightful in the supporting role of the king's page, Oscar." (Globe
and Mail, 27 January 2003) |
|
| "The bright spot of the evening was Shannon Mercer's radiant
performance of the young page Oscar. Because Mercer was the only compelling actor of the
stage - she was also in splendid voice - this sprite-like character of ambiguous gender
became the fulcrum of the opera...Mercer was also the only one who sang with her whole
body; as she knelt over the dying King in the final scene, hers was the only believable,
and touching grief." (National Post, 27 January 2003) |
|
| "Shannon Mercer gives a lyrically engaging performance. Her
energetic personality and youthful charm in her portrayal of Oscar, the Count's page,
makes her a prominent standout. Ms. Mercer executes two very famous arias with impeccable
panache and vocal beauty. Her presence on stage grabs the viewer's attention and brings
the story to life." (Torontostage.com, 29 January 2003) |
|
| As Dido in Dido and Aeneas in Montréal |
| "No typical baroque squeaker, [Mercer] had a full, radiant voice and
a natural way of using it. Nor did her virtues as a performer end with her sound. Mercer
conveyed the plight of the abandoned queen almost as potently with her stageworthy face as
with her singing. Yet there was no straining for histrionic effect. Dido's great farewell
aria, Thy Hand, Belinda, was dignified as well as moving...Mercer made the show." (Montreal Gazette, 25 February 2002) |
|
| "Dans le rôle principal, celui de Didon, Shannon Mercer constitua
une petite révélation. Jeune, grande et belle, avec une voix impeccable, un port très
noble et beaucoup de naturel, la jeune chanteuse d'Ottawa a tout pour une importante
carrière." (La Presse, 25 fevrier 2002) |
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Copyright © 2007
Shannon Mercer
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