Teresa Eickel

REVIEWS

FOR TERESA EICKEL, SOPRANO...

“Ms. Eickel’s magnificent soprano voice, wonderfully lavish and disciplined, quite literally filled the house, receiving several well-deserved and enthusiastic rounds of applause during the performance itself and brought the entire audience to its feet during curtain calls. Moreover, Ms. Eickel not only sang the role to perfection, she acted it with conviction and reality. Had she been alone on the stage, she would have been well worth the price of admission.” -Out in Jersey

“Eickel is superb throughout, but Act II is her crucible, and she is dazzling. From her stern-funny impersonation of a judge…to her heartstopping duet with the servant-girl Suzuki, the stage belongs to her. So do our hearts.” – Mobile Register

“In the title role, Teresa Eickel was extraordinary. …The second act opens with Eickel at her best, singing “Un Bel Di” with a passion, tenderness and musicality that demonstrate this young singer’s great potential.” – The Charlottesville Daily Progress

“…a lovely young soprano, she sang some gorgeous solos and duets with Cheney, demonstrating a voice of both strength and beauty…” - The Day


FOR BRIAN CHENEY, TENOR...

“His majestic tenor voice reaches to the top of the scale with every note clear and strong. Brian also acts as well as he sings with his reactions to the other characters… he has a very promising career ahead of him.” - The Theater Mirror

“Brian Cheney in the lead role as Rodolfo the poet sang exquisitely, his supple tenor caressing every note, earning Cheney his first extended ovation in the opening scene. His acting was terrific, too, right down to his breaking voice during the heart-rending climax.” - The Day

“The title role (of Candide) was beautifully sung and winningly played by Brian Cheney, protégé of the late tenor Jerry Hadley, Bernstein’s own choice for the title role in his 1989 recording.” - The Sondheim Review

“But the heart of The Student Prince is the Prince himself, and imagine my delight when I discovered in Brian Cheney a wonderful tenor AND a fine actor! He is handsome in a very Mario Lanza/Tyrone Power/matinee-idol-of-the-1940’s kind of way, which is perfect for this role. He sings magnificently, but knows how and when to use a “stage voice” as opposed to an operatic sound”. - The Advocate


FOR CATHERINE VENABLE, PIANIST...

"Pianist Catherine Venable was perfectly suited for Cheney and approached everything on the program with beautiful, sculpted phrasing, sensitivity and nuance. New York Daily Sun

"Special kudos go to… Cathy Venable, who energetically performed the whole score on two pianos..." - The New York Times
- Various publications

AS CIO-CIO-SAN IN MADAMA BUTTeRFLY…

“Ms. Eickel’s magnificent soprano voice, wonderfully lavish and disciplined, quite literally filled the house, receiving several well-deserved and enthusiastic rounds of applause during the performance itself and brought the entire audience to its feet during curtain calls. Moreover, Ms. Eickel not only sang the role to perfection, she acted it with conviction and reality. Had she been alone on the stage, she would have been well worth the price of admission.” Toby Grace, Out in Jersey

“Soprano Teresa Eickel sang Cio-Cio-San with great power and delicacy. We clearly saw the 15-year-old bride smitten with Pinkerton. Or perhaps she was smitten with the complete change he represented from the poverty of her present situation. Eickel and Mauricio O'Reilly as Pinkerton made for a lovely teaming....Eickel's grace was remarkable-a direct reminder that, while this geisha was in mufti, she still had a geisha's ways and a geisha's heart. Several times during her performance, especially well-executed passages, in this signature role for Eickel, received spontaneous applause.” – Sherri Rase, Q On-line

“Eickel is superb throughout, but Act II is her crucible, and she is dazzling. From her stern-funny impersonation of a judge…to her heartstopping duet with the servant-girl Suzuki, the stage belongs to her. So do our hearts.” – Thomas Harrison, Mobile Register

“In the title role, Teresa Eickel was extraordinary. …The second act opens with Eickel at her best, singing “Un Bel Di” with a passion, tenderness and musicality that demonstrate this young singer’s great potential.” – Carrington Ewell, The Charlottesville Daily Progress

“Teresa Eickel's Cio-Cio San (Butterfly) transforms herself from a Japanese geisha to a Westernized woman before your eyes, and the ultimate dashing of her dream is all the more heartbreaking as a result.” – Clarke Bustard, The Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Teresa Eickel, who plays the tragic Cio-cio-san, offers more than a lucid, hearty voice…Eickel has no problem answering the libretto’s call for her to have a different persona in each act – impoverished, demure young Geisha finding hope in her love for Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, an American Navel officer, in Act I; self-assured, quasi- American wife finding another flavor of hope as she longs for her husband to return to Japan in Act II; and a woman pulverized by confusion and bitterness in Act III.” - Doug Nordfors, The C-ville


AS MIMI IN LA BOHEME…

"...slender, youthful Teresa Eickel was convincing as Mimi; her Act IV death scene, tinged with doomed fragility, was especially touching." John Mark, The Journal

“…a lovely young soprano, she sang some gorgeous solos and duets with Cheney, demonstrating a voice of both strength and beauty…” Lee Howard, The Day

AS DONNA ANNA IN DON GIOVANNI...

“As the bereaved Donna Anna, soprano Teresa Eickel delivered the most heartfelt songs of the night.” Christopher Blank, The Commercial Appeal

AS LIU IN TURANDOT
“Also notable among the leads was soprano Teresa Eickel as Liù, a slave girl love-struck by Calaf.…Eickel was making her Sacramento debut and her powerful and pathos-stirring voice was a pleasant surprise.” Edward Ortiz, The Sacramento Bee

“Teresa Eickel was well cast in the role…easily displaying empathy to others in the cast and at the end, delivering to Turandot a passionate “Tu che di gel sei cinta.” She was awarded with extended applause.” – James Keokler, San Francisco Classical Voice
- Compiled reviews

AS EDGARDO IN LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR...

"Though Lucia's mad scene is always the focal point of the opera, it was tenor Cheney who stole the show. With a voice strong yet unforced, he was gripping in the final scene, his voice dripping with heartbreak as he leaned over Lucia's body, gasping again and again “bell'alma inamorata.” Too often this opera's heart-wrenching final pages seem an afterthought; Cheney made them the climax. ...the singular performance by Cheney alone was worth the price of admission." The Day

“Edgardo, rival of Enrico and lover of Lucia, is played by Brian Cheney with robust defiance of the former and unfettered passion for the latter. In Cheney’s firm and clear voice, the depth and nobility of the character emerges.”
Times Herald Record

“Edgardo was sung brilliantly by tenor Brian Cheney”
The River Reporter

“His majestic tenor voice reaches to the top of the scale with every note clear and strong. Brian also acts as well as he sings with his reactions to the other characters… he has a very promising career ahead of him.”
The Theater Mirror

AS RODOLFO IN LA BOHEME...

“Charismatic tenor Brian Cheney's Rodolfo was simply phenomenal. His glorious first-act solo aria was the high point of the entire production. Cheney's commanding stage presence, thrilling vocal beauty, and passionate projection called to mind Franco Corelli. Send Cheney up to the big leagues” -The Providence Journal

“Brian Cheney in the lead role as Rodolfo the poet sang exquisitely, his supple tenor caressing every note, earning Cheney his first extended ovation in the opening scene. His acting was terrific, too, right down to his breaking voice during the heart-rending climax.” -The Day

“Cheney fulfilled every aspect of the very demanding role of Rodolfo with outstanding moments.” - El Nuevo Miami Herald

AS CANDIDE IN CANDIDE

“The title role was beautifully sung and winningly played by Brian Cheney, protégé of the late tenor Jerry Hadley, Bernstein’s own choice for the title role in his 1989 recording.” - The Sondheim Review

“Cheney rises to the difficult role of Candide, and masters the challenging music. To hear someone sing like this, with such an appearance of effortlessness, inspires an almost painful relief, like the massage of a knotted muscle.” - Urban Tulsa Weekly

“The role of Candide has been one of Brian Cheney's ambitions for years and he is superb. He sings in an unadorned tone that emphasizes the character's naivete and vulnerability, especially in the songs like "It Must Be So" and "Candide's Lament," where Candide opens his heart and questions the ideas he's long held dear.” - Tulsa World


AS PINKERTON IN MADAMA BUTTERFLY...

“Brian Cheney, the tenor who sings the role of Pinkerton, reminds me of Metropolitan Opera tenor Jerry Hadley. He has his look and his voice.

He surprised me when he took the high-C with Cio-Cio San (most tenors don’t) in the incredible duet in the end of Act 1, and he stayed right up there with her. That’s the sign of a brave tenor. He sang his role brilliantly in a production full of talented colleagues.”
River Reporter

“Opposite Adair was Brian Cheney as Lt. Pinkerton. In the loves duets, his robust and cheerful tenor voice also rang with joy. But in the closing episode of tragedy, his character turned remorseful and his voice turned ominous with emotion.” - The Times Herald-Record

AS ALFREDO IN LA TRAVIATA...

“Cheney conveys great affability in the part of Alfredo, and he appears so relaxed on stage that one hardly feels like he's acting at all. A lyric tenor, his voice floats delicately in the most romantic parts, but he can still conjure up some gusto in the more dynamically demanding songs.” - The New London Day

AS KARL FRANZ IN THE STUDENT PRINCE...

“But the heart of The Student Prince is the Prince himself, and imagine my delight when I discovered in Brian Cheney a wonderful tenor AND a fine actor! He is handsome in a very Mario Lanza/Tyrone Power/matinee-idol-of-the-1940’s kind of way, which is perfect for this role. He sings magnificently, but knows how and when to use a “stage voice” as opposed to an operatic sound”. -The Advocate

"Brian Cheney is strong as Prince Karl Franz. He acts as well as he sings, which is important in a play about duty, where the boy doesn't get the girl. His wincing goodbye is true. He sings "Serenade" lusitly, "Beloved" tenderly and he makes "I'll Walk With God" into a transformational moment worthy of a man who would be king." - The Times Union

AS THE TENOR SOLOIST IN THE MESSIAH...

"Tenor Brian Cheney was a revelation. A protégé of the late Jerry Hadley, Cheney's voice was like spun gold. He seemed to dwell on his notes, basking in their loveliness. Each phrase was sculpted, each word was cleanly enunciated. Not just a gorgeous voice, Cheney showed imagination as he altered his colors or use of vibrato." - The Daily Gazette

“(the performance) gave newcomer Cheney more time to thrill the crowd with his darkly hued voice, wonderfully sustained tones and exquisitely finished phrases. His entire range was mellifluous, and his passion was palpable.” - The Advocate


- Compiled Reviews