2009-2010 |
| Mozart@254 concert with the
Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Peter Oundjian |
| "Toronto singer Shannon Mercer
has a rare combination of a pure, lyric soprano voice coupled
with enough power to fill a large hall. On top of that, she
deftly shaped the dramatic arc of this profession of undying
love." (Toronto Star, 4 January 2010) |
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| Rave reviews for Shannon's Messiah
with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra |
| "The standout was soprano Shannon
Mercer, who not only has a luminous lyric voice, but who sings
every word as if she truly means it. She made us want to rejoice
greatly, and we were convinced that her redeemer really is
alive. The size and acoustics of Roy Thomson Hall are not
kind to the smaller, more lithe voices that are best at singing
18th century music, but Mercer fully overcame these obstacles."
(Toronto Star, 17 December 2009) |
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| "Feathery-voiced soprano Shannon
Mercer and honey, warm mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó were
their usual excellent selves." (Classical96.3,
20 December 2009) |
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| Not the Messiah at London's
Royal Albert Hall |
| "The two Americans from the original
cast, Shannon Mercer as Judith and William Ferguson as Brian
bringing the house down in their Amourdeus duet and bringing
lyrical beauty to their duet in The Final Song." (View
London, 26 October 2009) |
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| "An operatic sex scene makes the
form fit the content, is brilliantly performed by Shannon
Mercer and William Ferguson (as Brian), and gets the ovation
it deserves." (Times, October 24 2009) |
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| Shannon wows once again as Pamina
in Opera Lyra Ottawa's The Magic Flute |
| "Ottawa soprano Shannon Mercer
sang Pamina, Tamino's beloved. Along with her beautiful singing,
she brought an interpretation to the role that suggested that
she would be an ideal spouse for Tamino. The two of them,
along with flutist Joanna G'froerer, created a sense of high
seriousness, almost sacredness, in the fire and water scene.
In this production, the scene was the emotional climax of
the opera." (Ottawa Citizen, 14 September
2009) |
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2008-2009 |
| Purcell's The Faerie Queene
with Early Music Vancouver and MusicFest Vancouver |
| "Mercer was clear as a bell in
tone, diction and rhythm, and straightforward in interpretation.
Her ornamentation was fleet and precise; it also had a vital,
filliping definition. Happiness was Mercer's forte, and her
performance did not need to be complicated." (Globe
and Mail, 10 August 2009) |
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| Shannon Mercer brings her Pamina
to Victoria |
| "Probably the evening's highlight,
though, was Shannon Mercer's achingly beautiful performance
of Pamina's Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden. Ms
Mercer had been impressive even up to that point but this
convinced the audience that she was much more than the typical
'Damsel-in-distress.'" (Review Vancouver,
April 2009) |
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| "Shannon Mercer's Pamina is tender,
guileless and, in her moments of anguish, deeply moving."
(Victoria Times Colonist, 18 April 2009) |
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| "Soprano Shannon Mercer beautifully
expressed the shifting emotions of Pamina, a damsel in some
distress..." (Monday Magazine, 23-29
April 2009) |
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| As Constanza in the Queen of
Puddings world premiere of Inês |
| "Constanza, played by soprano Shannon
Mercer, attacked notes with a delicious lightness and a pure,
tuned clarity that made it seem like a heavenly light beamed
upon her every time she opened her mouth." (Live
Music Report, 25 February 2009) |
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| Shannon "a lovely Pamina, often
touching" in The Magic Flute |
| "The lead singers and the music
itself were the saving of the evening. Soprano Shannon Mercer
and tenor Colin Ainsworth were handsome and vocally appealing
as the Princess Pamina and the Prince Tamino, the lovers elevated
to a nominal wisdom by their fidelity and courage." (Globe
and Mail, 1 November 2008) |
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| "Indeed, there was much to smile
about in Opera Hamilton's production. First and foremost,
the singing. How Toronto soprano Shannon Mercer has blossomed
since she last sang here five years ago. Beautiful tone, pure
and steady, she was a delight in Pamina's plangent aria, Ach,
ich fuhl's." (Hamilton Spectator, 1 November
2008) |
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2007-2008 |
| US Tour of Eric Idle's Not
the Messiah |
| "The duet for Brian and Judith
as they are having sex made the simulated orgasm scene in
When Harry Met Sally seem like a weak test run. Soprano Shannon
Mercer and tenor William Ferguson moaned and yelled with increasingly
hysterical abandon - all in good Baroque form, you understand."
(Houston Chronicle, 18 July 2008) |
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| "Shannon Mercer, a shining soprano,
was Brian's vocally flexible girlfriend." (LA
Times, 4 August 2008) |
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| Shannon "soaring beautifully"
with Tafemusik |
| "The best singers in the quartet
were Mercer and Ainsworth. Both have bright voices, with fine
intonation and an impressive palette of vocal colours at their
disposal." (Tafelmusik - Globe and Mail,
10 May 2008) |
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| "The soloists were a treat: soprano
Shannon Mercer, her lovely lyric voice soaring beautifully
through Haydn's demanding musical ornaments" (Tafelmusik
- Toronto Star, 8 May 2008) |
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| "Breathtaking" in Nova Scotia |
| "To tell the truth, it was a breathtaking
experience... Shannon Mercer, the guest soloist for the afternoon,
is a baroque soprano with a voice designed to express the
warmth of baroque vocal music in its mid-range as well as
the lightness and ice-cracking purity of its highest notes.
Mercer sang two contrasting arias from Tamerlano and then
returned on the second half to sing three of Henry Purcell's
weepiest arias, with heart-rending conviction. Few composers,
even given, as here, the right voice, orchestra and conductor,
weep as convincingly as Purcell in Fairest Isle (King Arthur),
When I Am Laid in Earth (Dido and Aeneas), and the queen of
heartbreakers, O Let Me Weep, Forever Weep (The Fairy Queen).
Mallon, a truly inspired programmer as well as conductor,
wove these arias and the superb Shannon in between movements
from Purcell's The Gordian Knot - An Overture, Aire, Minuett
and Chacone. Very clever, and very effective." (The
Chronicle Herald, 14 April 2008) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| In "golden voice" for Baroque
Consort recital |
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"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)
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