“It’s Erin Morley whose stratospheric high notes and flawless musicality steal the show as the automaton Olympia.”

— Financial Times, September 2024

“The soprano Erin Morley, as the super-high-note-flinging robot [Hoffmann] falls for, is an uncanny blend of human and unreal.”

— New York Times, September 2024

“Soprano Morley was in full stunt mode Saturday, executing seemingly superhuman, stratospheric leaps and spins while jerking her arms and legs like, well, a wind-up doll.”

— New York Classical Review, September 2024

“In the role of Olympia, Erin Morley returned to the production which she sang back in 2015 and 2017.  It’s a role that has brought her great success and on this evening it was no different. The opening of “Les oiseaux dans la charmille” was sung with precise coloratura and a flexible top. Morley did this all while dancing and moving around the stage like a robot. Then as she commenced the second verse, Morley added several interpolated high notes all while dancing around the stage; those familiar with the usual ornaments in this piece will be surprised just how much Morley pushed the envelope here with her additions. She was toying with expectations to tremendous success. The voice moved smoothly through the vocal line and the interpolated high notes rang with ease into the theaters, receiving a thunderous applause at the end.

In her ensuing scene with Hoffmann as he sings his heart out to the mechanical doll, Morley’s blank stare added to the absurdity of the circumstance and in their waltz, she danced with precise steps. In her following entrance which is essentially a coloratura vocalise, Morley dispatched the phrases with ease as she continuously fell to the floor and repeatedly got up and then moved about the stage. It was the true embodiment of a malfunctioning doll and a full-on virtuosic display.”

— OperaWire, September 2024

“Revisiting one of her signature roles, Olympia, whom she portrayed in this staging’s two previous runs at the Met, Erin Morley offered a captivatingly comedic portrayal of the mechanical doll with whom Hoffmann falls in love. Her radiant coloratura soprano, nimble and strong, brought the house down in the dazzlingly stratospheric aria, “Les oiseaux dans la charmille”, to which she added several interpolated high notes, all dispatched with astonishing ease while dancing around the stage like an automaton.”

— Bachtrack, September 2024

“The brilliant Erin Morley returned to the role of Olympia, excelling once again in her musical, comedic and choreographic portrayal of the malfunctioning mechanical doll. Clad in a pink gown and a reddish wig that accentuated the character’s artificiality, the exceptional coloratura soprano delivered her high-flying roulades and vocal jumps with impeccable precision, all while delivering a performance that was irresistibly funny. Her rendition of ‘Les oiseaux dans la charmille’ was truly dazzling.”

— Seen and Heard International, September 2024

“[Morley’s] brilliantly droll portrayal once more delighted with its glittering yet deliriously off-kilter high-flying coloratura hijinks.”

— Observer, October 2024

“Trionfatrice della serata la Zerbinetta di Erin Morley, che canta con una souplesse da vera virtuosa, assolutamente a proprio agio nella sua difficile parte, superando con disinvoltura la funambolica aria ‘Grossmächtige Prinzessin’, cantata con voce agile e penetrante, unita ad una disinvolta presenza scenica.”

(“The triumph of the evening was Erin Morley’s Zerbinetta, who sings with the suppleness of a true virtuoso, absolutely at ease in her difficult part, easily overcoming the acrobatic aria ‘Grossmächtige Prinzessin’, sung with an agile and penetrating voice, combined with a casual stage presence.”)

— Rivista Musica, June 2024

“Spicca la formidabile Zerbinetta di Erin Morley, impeccabile nelle acrobazie vocali della “Großmächtige Prinzessin” sciorinate con grande leggerezza e spirito.”

(“The formidable Zerbinetta of Erin Morley stands out, impeccable in the vocal acrobatics of the ‘Großmächtige Prinzessin’ displayed with great lightness and spirit.”)

— Giornale della Musica, June 2024

“Every time soprano Erin Morley as Zerbinetta was on stage the audience was all eyes and ears for what she had planned to do next . . . Morley’s soprano was beautifully clear and coherent. Her coloratura cascaded up and down with ease, making opera sound delicate and riveting at the same time. I saw several audience member’s faces light up with bright smiles during her performance . . .”

— Operawire, June 2024

“C’est Zerbinetta qui remporte le triomphe de la soirée, Erin Morley, déjà admirée à Vienne, étant absolument à l’aise sur la corde raide de son air, abordé avec une souplesse et un enthousiasme de premier ordre.”

(“It is Zerbinetta who wins the triumph of the evening, Erin Morley, already admired in Vienna, being absolutely at ease on the tightrope of her aria, approached with flexibility and enthusiasm of the first order.”)

— Première Loge, June 2024

“L’interpretazione di Erin Morley in Zerbinetta è, a dir poco, pregevole: lei è brillante, graziosa, una “Barbie” consapevole del suo fascino e cosciente della volubilità dello stesso. La Morley impersona un ruolo sopranile leggero difficilissimo, denso di tessiture insidiose che richiedono squilli estesi, centrali sostenuti e filati prolungati di veri vocalizzi di bravura. Lei c’è, sorride, ammicca e le sue cavatine o cabalette in forma di rondò, fanno apparire facile e leggero ciò che chi ascolta ha pure orecchio severo.”

(“Erin Morley’s interpretation in Zerbinetta is, to say the least, valuable: she is brilliant, graceful, a “Barbie” aware of her charm and aware of her fickleness. Morley plays a very difficult light soprano role, full of insidious textures that require extended flourishes, sustained centers and prolonged strings of true bravura vocalizations. She is there, she smiles, she winks and her cavatinas or cabalettas in the form of a rondo appear easy and light to the listener.”)

— Opera Mundus, June 2024

“La soprano estadounidense Erin Morley fue una fantástica Zerbinetta, deslumbrante en la difícil «Grossmächtige Prinzessin» como cantante y actriz. Parecía tan divertida haciendo su personaje que el público sonreía continuamente.”

(“The American soprano Erin Morley was a fantastic Zerbinetta, dazzling in the difficult ‘Grossmächtige Prinzessin’ as a singer and actress. She seemed to be having so much fun playing her character that the audience was continuously smiling.”)

— Opera World, July 2024

“La frivola Zerbinetta (la svettante Erin Morley che riceverà a fine opera una ben meritata tripudiante ovazione) . . . Una sfavillante Erin Morley, in tutù rosa-dea dell’amore, dà corpo alla capricciosa, un po’ bambola meccanica di Offenbach, un po’ ragazza-immagine sul cubo, lanciando agilissime staffilate di acuti per concupire i suoi amanti, e scegliersene uno, in un tripudio di amour-passion, che visivamente ricorda la Marilyn di ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.'”

(“The frivolous Zerbinetta (the soaring Erin Morley who will receive a well-deserved jubilant ovation at the end of the opera) . . . A sparkling Erin Morley, in a pink tutu-goddess of love, gives life to the capricious woman, a bit like Offenbach’s mechanical doll, a bit like a girl-image on the cube, launching very agile lashes of high notes to lust after her lovers, and choose one of them, in a riot of amour-passion, which visually recalls Marilyn from ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.'”)

— Music Paper, June 2024

“Morley sang [Ricky Ian Gordon’s] cycle with exceptional dignity, her precise English diction revealing the poetry in its best light, generally set to advantage by Gordon’s voice-centered approach. Other than some shimmering high notes, Gordon avoided coloratura decoration. Morley instead delivered a poignantly beautiful legato tone, lyrical and refreshing . . .

“Morley floated her vocal lines with engaging lightness in Bizet’s “Ouvre ton coeur” and Debussy’s “Les Papillons.” The latter featured fine accompaniment from [Gerald Martin] Moore, whirling through streams of figuration at the piano. The first coloratura displays came with “La Libellule,” which Camille Saint-Saëns wrote for American soprano Sibyl Sanderson. Morley negotiated several excursions above high C with elegant placement and intonation.

“The second half brought most of the evening’s delights, starting with the avian vocalise of  “Le rossignol et la rose,” from the incidental music Saint-Saëns composed for the play Parysatis. With no text and only sparse chords in the piano, Morley spun out a gorgeously fluid sound, up to extraordinary high notes, again above high C, and some cleanly delineated chromatic scales pouring downward.

“A remarkable series of Russian and German songs followed, centered more on lyrical beauty than soprano pyrotechnics . . . Most impressive of this set was Alexander Zemlinsky’s “Vöglein Schwermut,” about a bird that spreads its death-tinged melancholy about the world. Hypnotically rendered by both musicians, the song featured delicate high notes at the words “Flieg, mein Vögelchen!” (Fly, my little bird). The bird in Alban Berg’s “Die Nachtigall,” an equally mysterious song, causes roses to spring up where its songs resound, ending with more impressive high notes . . .

“Even higher was the stratospheric F sharp in “Neath My Lattice,” from The Rose of Persia by Arthur Sullivan, whose birthday happened to fall that day. Moore, clearly an archeologist of historic vocal exploits, resurrected the cadenza Sullivan wrote for soprano Ellen Beach Yaw, known as the “California Nightingale,” for Morley to sing . . .

“Morley’s single encore was “We’ll Gather Lilacs” from Ivor Novello’s Perchance to Dream, a musical premiered in London. The final track from her recent recording, it made a sentimental conclusion to the evening, capped with a little coda and a limpid last high note from the singer we might now call the “Utah Nightingale.”

— Washington Classical Review, May 2024 (Vocal Arts DC)

“The wide-ranging program featured selections in five languages and far-flung styles and periods, loosely linked by imagery of flowers and nature. Yet this felt like something more holistic than the typical recital grab bag, Morley offering an unusually unified sonic and artistic vision for these songs. Her high lying lyric soprano retains a distinctive and consistent color across her focused range, with dignified, cool-hued shades punctuated by flashes of blinding white in her upper extension.

“The color and altitude of the voice give an impression of clarity and delicacy that can lull one into thinking this is a modestly sized instrument, but that would be a mistake, as she easily summons the same power she uses to reach the back of the Family Circle when needed. The refined vocal presentation is enhanced by an elegant bearing and economy of gesture on the recital stage, channeling the same self-assured presence and stillness that draws one’s eye to her characters in the opera house.

“The evening opened with the first complete performance of Huit Chansons de Fleur, a song cycle by Ricky Ian Gordon which anchors the new album . . . Morley’s performance eschewed extremes, prioritizing subdued vocal effects and subtle changes in the weight of her sound to realize the score’s incremental turns from light to dark. The flower motifs in these poems, triggering memories or representing beautiful but distant and unattainable objects, found urgent expression in Morley’s palette of austere colors, while her careful engagement with the text added depth and movement to Gordon’s finely wrought vocal lines. Just a few of the highlights included “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” on poetry of Wordsworth, the wistful “Her Garden” on a text by Donald Hall, and “The Tulips” set to Gordon’s own text.

“The following set of French songs offered a glimpse of the technical prowess that has been a mainstay of Morley’s career, from liquid trills in Bizet’s “Ouvre ton coeur” to ecstatic high notes (a final high note generating audible commotion in the audience) in Saint-Saens’s showpiece “La Libellule” and a virtuoso tour of different bird sounds in the same composer’s wordless “Le Rossignol et la rose.” After the relative warmth of the Gordon songs, Morley’s voice assumed a steelier edge here, a gleaming scalpel to meet the precision demands of these selections . . .

“A single encore, Ivor Novello’s “We’ll Gather Lilacs in the Spring,” the big hit from the 1945 musical Perchance to Dream, echoed Morley’s wistful affect from “Last of Rose of Summer,” closing with a delicate floated pianissimo that nicely summed up the graceful and superbly executed music-making that characterized the evening.”

— Parterre Box, May 2024 (Vocal Arts DC)

“In addition to tremendous technique and a beautiful, shimmering soprano, [Morley] brings deep musicality and a searching intelligence to everything she does.

“Camille Saint-Saëns’s “Le Rossignol et la Rose” (The Nightingale and the Rose) is a pure vocalise sung on the syllable “ah,” and while it’s a real coloratura showpiece, it primarily showed off Morley’s precision and phrasing. And although the pianist has little to do, Martineau still made a musical impact far beyond the number of notes he had to play.

“In the same composer’s “La Libellule” (The Dragonfly), Morley’s rhythmic sense came to the fore, and Claude Debussy’s “Les Papillons” (Butterflies) was a sonic delight, bathing you in Morley’s shimmering tone and Martineau’s pearly pianism.

“The recital proper closed with a spectacular account of “’Neath My Lattice,” from Arthur Sullivan’s operetta The Rose of Persia, full of challenging coloratura that Morley executed with aplomb and the kind of musicality that makes what could be a trifle sound like a grand masterpiece. As an encore — and the audience would happily have heard five — Morley and Martineau performed Ivor Novello’s “We’ll Gather Lilacs,” carrying the flower theme to the very end.”  (Cal Performances)

— San Francisco Classical Voice, February 2024 (Cal Performances)

— The Guardian, April 2024

“The best albums of 2024 so far” . . .

“The coloratura soprano Morley’s first recital disc is like an enchanting walk in a garden bursting with blossom and colour. Her selections of songs inspired by nature draws on works by Saint-Saëns, Rachmaninov, Berg and more, and also includes the premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s song cycle, Huit Chansons de Fleurs. Each piece showcases Morley’s immaculate technique and remarkable control. An absolute delight.”

— The Sunday Times, April 2024

“Her voice is opalescent, a font of sheer, innocent colors, with bell-like clarity, pristine runs and notes in alt that spin like mad. Her singing has an instrumental purity, but it is also tenderly observant. A Saint-Saëns vocalise has such specificity that you almost forget it has no words. There’s humor, too: In Milhaud’s “Tais-toi, Babillarde,” Morley mimics a chatty swallow with cheeky exuberance.

“Morley and the pianist Gerald Martin Moore shift swiftly through styles and moods. In one compelling sequence, they thread together nightingale songs — the vibrant sensuality of a Rimsky-Korsakov romance, the intriguing mystery of a Berg lied, the resplendence of the Saint-Saëns vocalise — with radiant weightlessness.

“Ricky Ian Gordon’s new song cycle “Huit Chansons de Fleurs” comes in the middle and slows the program’s rapid pace. His effortless prosody, soaring melodies and generous spirit suffuse the music, even turning a poem of mournful decay, “Her Garden,” into a tribute to the love shared with someone who has died. Morley gently tugs on the rhythm and shades the delicate melody, sounding both technically immaculate and emotionally fragile in an album of predictable loveliness and unexpected poignancy.”

— The New York Times, April 2024

“Morley demonstrates the impressive bandwidth of her coloraturas, each coated with the warm timbre of her slender yet remarkably full-bodied soprano voice. In the Milhaud piece she adds to her virtuosic display of coloratura runs, an uncanny feel for the French language, clearly articulated and intelligently phrased.

“Morley thrives on the ambitiousness of her solo debut. In Brahms’ “Lerchengesang” she imbues her voice with a deeply felt sadness. By contrast, in “Neath My Lattice Through the Night” she delights with formidable joie de vivre topped by the sky high tones of the title-giving Rose-in-Bloom’s cadenza.   

“She is helped by the sympathetic accompaniment of her pianist and mentor Gerald Martin Moore who aptly supports his American Nightingale even through the album’s most relentlessly fast passages.

“Erin Morley, in short, commands a beautifully ductile instrument which enthusiasts will be glad to find immortalized on CD . . . “Rose in Bloom” is – to end on a pun – the portrait of a blossoming artist.”

— Operawire, April 2024

“Morley’s consummate mastery of high, florid music ensures there are inevitably several songs representing composers’ penchant to equate piping coloratura with bird song, as well casting the net a little wider to include flying insects. In that vein, the opening track, Camille Saint-Saëns’s “La Libellule” (“The Dragonfly”) charts the insect’s path with delicate vocal trills and a concluding Spanish-inspired piano coda. The same composer’s vocalise “Le rossignol et la rose” (“The Nightingale and the Rose”) is reminiscent of the famous “Bell Song” from Delibes’s opera, Lakmé. Throughout, Morley handles virtuosic leaps, scales and high notes beautifully, imbuing even the sweetest of vocal bonbons with taste and artistry.

“The recording’s centrepiece is American composer Ricky Ian Gordon’s Huit Chansons de Fleurs, setting texts by poets such as William Wordsworth, Dorothy Parker and Gordon himself. The songs are representative of the 20th-century American school of pleasant, tonal vocal writing. Morley differentiates their varying moods from the quirky waltz rhythms of Parker’s “One Perfect Rose” to the haunting hummed vocalise in “Peonies at Dusk.”

“The recital ends on a pair of literal high notes. The title track from Sir Arthur Sullivan’s opera The Rose of Persia, includes the first airing of a cadenza composed for its original soprano Ellen Beach Yaw. Finally, [Morley delivers] heady nostalgia in Ivor Novello’s 1945 song “We’ll Gather Lilacs” in which Morley’s final high note encapsulates all the sadness and regret of post-war England.”

— La Scena Musicale, May 2024

“This is an extraordinary recording in a very literal sense.  I requested the disc based solely on the very far from ordinary programme. I cannot remember a single-disc programme where such diverse composers from Saint-Säens to Berg, Milhaud to Zemlinsky, Rachmaninov to Sullivan – all capped off by Ivor Novello – combine in such euphonious harmony. Then coloratura soprano Erin Morley starts to sing and there is nothing ordinary at all about her stunning voice and innate musicality . . .

“This CD titled Rose in Bloom is in fact Morley’s debut on disc in a solo recital and I suspect it has the potential to become a classic. By choice I do not often listen to mixed composer song recitals, I tend to prefer single composer collections or extended song cycles, but this programme – twenty songs by eleven composers – is a triumphant example of how to take individually fine works but the mould them into something greater than the sum of its parts. The overarching concept of the programme is that of a garden and the life – flora and fauna – that exists within it. As well as beauty there is transience, death, decay and rebirth. Another neat analogy Morley makes in her personal note in the liner is the sense of a garden having an organic unity where ‘rare’ flowers can flourish alongside familiar favourites . . .

“Morley sets her credentials out from the very first bars of Saint-Säens’ La Libellule [The Dragonfly] . . . This is a sparkling ‘waltz song’ with cascading vocal writing requiring effortless agility and ease in the very highest range – Morley tosses off the high E over two octaves above middle C with almost indifferent ease . . . Morley’s voice is genuinely beautiful in its own right; very well focused with excellent evenness across the entire range with her vibrato and excellent trills in complete control. Her French is likewise clear and idiomatic (as is her German – I cannot comment on her Russian). But what I like is that this is not simply a stream of golden tones; here and throughout the programme Morley deploys her remarkable instrument to tell the story of the song; the steel beneath the silk. A remarkable song which few performers dare to record . . .”

“A stunning recital and if I hear anything better this year it will have to be very special indeed . . . Clearly this is a project which is the result of a lot of careful planning and thought as well as enormous amounts of skill to carry it off as well as it has been.  A genuine joy to hear so much unfamiliar music performed with such sovereign technique and musical sensitivity.”

— Music Web International, June 2024

“What a gorgeous album this is, bursting with birdsong and the fragrances of flowers. American coloratura soprano Erin Morley is a seasoned opera performer, but Rose in Bloom is her debut recital disc. Understandably, there’s no shortage of bel canto fireworks and florid vocalises, courtesy of composers as diverse as Saint-Saëns, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, and Milhaud. Nightingales and other feathered songsters pour forth their souls, as Keats might say, in such an ecstasy.

“But there are also songs more firmly in the Lieder tradition, by Berg, Brahms and Zemlinsky. Then there are a couple of lighter numbers which with the recital ends; the last of which, Ivor Novello’s beautiful We’ll Gather Lilacs, finds Morley accompanying herself on piano, allowing voice and opera pedagogue pianist Gerald Martin Moore to rest early his insightful and empathetic musical faculties and simply enjoy the show.

“Not that Morley, whose bright, flexible soprano is a remarkable instrument and is as capable of responding to the greatest technical challenges as it is to the most subtle and complex interpretative problems, is the only warbler here: flautist Ransom Wilson also makes wonderful contributions to Michael Head’s Bird-song and Arthur Sullivan’s ‘Neath My Lattice Through the Night (from The Rose of Persia).

“The heart of the recital is however Ricky Ian Gordon’s Huit Chansons de Fleurs, commissioned by So-Chung Shinn and Tony Won Lee. Here are meticulous and sensitive settings of poems by Dorothy Porter, William Wordsworth, Donald Hall and others, including Gordon himself, the whole as variegated and colourful as any garden.”

— Limelight Arts, July 2024

“Soprano Erin Morley has performed widely and appeared on various opera recordings, but this is her debut recital album. One hopes to hear more in this vein from her! She has a medium-sized voice that is perfectly suited to song repertory. The title, Rose in Bloom, suggests the flower theme here but could also apply to Morley herself, who truly hits her stride with perfect control over the high notes that populate most of the songs. The songs are mostly from the late Romantic era or the 20th century, with one contemporary group, the Huit Chansons de Fleurs (actually in English) by American composer Ricky Ian Gordon. These, with texts by classic poets and by Gordon himself, are a bit more relaxed than the exacting numbers that open the program, which works well as a contrasting stretch, and in general, the variety of Morley’s program is impressive. The songs cover flowers of many kinds, as well as the birds that feed from them, and each one is vivid. Sample Saint-Saëns little-known “Le Rossignol et la Rose,” from ballet music for a play called Parysatis, with its arresting nightingale call at the beginning. Morley gets exquisite support from pianist Gerald Martin Moore, a famed teacher and vocal consultant with whom she has worked frequently in the past. A wonderful song recital and a can’t-fail gift for the gardener in one’s life.”

— All Music, July 2024

“Erin Morley, soprano américaine, récemment nommée Chevalière de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres en France par le ministère de la Culture, est une des stars actuelles du Metropolitan de New York. Habituée, entre autres, des rôles de Sophie du Chevalier à la rose et de Pamina, elle s’était notamment fait remarquer avec une éblouissante interprétation de Marie (La Fille du régiment), chantée en période de Covid en s’accompagnant elle-même au piano. Elle fait entendre ce soir une voix toute en en nuances, ses interventions faisant preuve d’une parfaite musicalité.”

(“American soprano Erin Morley, recently named Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France by the Ministry of Culture, is one of the current stars of the New York Metropolitan. Accustomed, among others, to the roles of Sophie from Der Rosenkavalier and Pamina, she particularly stood out with a dazzling interpretation of Marie (La Fille du Régiment), sung during the Covid period, accompanying herself at the piano. This evening she makes a voice full of nuances heard, her interventions demonstrating perfect musicality.”)

— Première Loge, April 2024

“Bella svettante e finalmente divertente, Morgana, la disinibita sorellina. Ha la voce e il timbro brillante di Erin Morley. L’aria “Tornami a vagheggiar”, per molti aspetti, contraltare del “Ah mio cor!” della sorella e come questa, grazie alla Sutherland (che se ne era appropriata come Alcina), altrettanto conosciuta, è risultata penetrante e sicura, siglando, a ragiona, il successo dell’esecutrice.”

(“Beautiful, soaring, and, finally, fun, Morgana, the uninhibited sister. She has Erin Morley’s brilliant voice and timbre. The aria “Tornami a vagheggiar”, in many respects, is the counterpart of the “Ah mio cor!” of her sister and like this, thanks to Sutherland (who had appropriated it as Alcina), equally well known, she was penetrating and confident, sealing, rightly so, the success of the performer.”)

— GB Opera, February 2024

“Erin Morley è Morgana, coquette in O s’apre al riso dalla pulita linea vocale, cui tocca l’aria più famosa dell’intera partitura Tornami a vagheggiar in cui si impegna sicura, con flautate salite in acuto . . . discreto il gusto delle variazioni, eseguite con precisione, che le meritano una salva di applausi.”

(“Erin Morley is Morgana, a coquette in “O s’apre al riso” with a clean vocal line, who has the most famous aria of the entire score “Tornami a vagheggiar” in which she engages confidently, with flute notes rising to the top. . . the taste of the variations is discreet, executed with precision, which deserves a salvo of applause.”)

— Corriere dello Spettacolo, February 2024

“La technique superlative et la musicalité d’Erin Morley lui permettent de dresser le portrait le plus complet de Morgana au disque. Elle triomphe sans surprise d’un « Tornami a vagheggiar », dans lequel l’éclat des suraigus (ajoutés) ne se fait pas au détriment de la précision (trilles, appogiatures). Erin Morley n’oublie pas l’écriture centrale du rôle et va droit au coeur dans ses deux arias avec instrument solo : « Ama, sospira » (merveilleuse Alice Piérot au violon), « Credete al mio dolore » (sublime Gauthier Broutin au violoncelle).

On l’aura compris : théâtrale, superbement chantée, cette version d’Alcina s’installe, de très loin, comme la référence tant attendue du chef d’œuvre de Haendel.”

(“Erin Morley’s superlative technique and musicality allow her to paint the most complete portrait of Morgana on record. She unsurprisingly triumphs in “Tornami a vagheggiar”, in which the brilliance of the (added) high notes does not come at the expense of precision (trills, appoggiaturas). Erin Morley does not forget the central writing of the role and goes straight to the heart in her two arias with solo instrument: “Ama, sospira” (marvelous Alice Piérot on violin), “Credete al mio dolore” (sublime Gauthier Broutin on cello ).

One understands: this theatrical, superbly sung version of Alcina establishes itself, by far, as the long-awaited reference of Handel’s masterpiece.”)

— Forum Opéra, February 2024

“Soprano Erin Morley has sparkling top notes as Alcina’s more vulnerable sister Morgana: her Act 3 aria ‘Credete al mio dolore’ with its doleful cello solo is especially affecting, while in Act 2 ‘Ama, sospira’ her bright tone is wonderfully complemented by Alice Piérot’s sweet-toned violin solo.”

— Europadisc, February 2024

“Von Händels Oper um die Zauberin Alcina gibt es etliche gute Einspielungen, aber dieser setzt sich mühelos an die Spitze. Die Besetzung ist herausragend und mit Minkowski und Les Musiciens du Louvre steht ein Ensemble zur Verfügung, das die dramatische Musik opulent zu Gehör bringt.

“Morgana, Alcinas Schwester, ist eine weitere wichtige Rolle, und ihr fällt gleich die erste große Arie zu. Die Amerikanische Sopranistin Erin Morley hat stimmlich und darstellerisch alles, was sie braucht um uns mit ihrer Interpretation von Anfang an zu fesseln.”

(“There are many good recordings of Handel’s opera about the sorceress Alcina, but this one easily takes the lead. The cast is outstanding and Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre provide an ensemble that brings the dramatic music to lush life.

“Morgana, Alcina’s sister, is another important role, and the first major aria falls to her. The American soprano Erin Morley has everything she needs vocally and dramatically to captivate us with her interpretation from the very beginning.”)

— Pizzicato, February 2024

“Erin Morley’s diamond-bright soprano quite literally sets the bar high with her first aria, as Morgana is struck by Cupid’s arrow on meeting ‘Ricciardo’: pin-prick staccatos mimicking the pangs of love are despatched with crystal-clear accuracy, and her stratospheric ornamentation in the da capo feels fully rooted in the drama.”

— Presto Music, February 2024

“Erin Morley ist mit ihrem leuchtenden lyrischen Sopran eine Traumbesetzung für Alcinas Schwester Morgana, die sich in die als Jüngling verkleidete Bradamante verliebt. Den liebesverzückten, koloratur- und trillerglitzernden Barockopernhit „Tornami a vagheggiar, te solo vuol amar“ am Ende des ersten Akts präsentiert Morley in glockenhellem Jubelton und lässt so gewiss alle Melomanenherzen höherschlagen.”

(“Erin Morley, with her luminous lyric soprano, is a dream choice for Alcina’s sister Morgana, who falls in love with Bradamante, who is disguised as a young man. Morley presents the lovestruck, coloratura and glittering baroque opera hit “Tornami a vagheggiar, te solo vuol amar” at the end of the first act in a bell-like jubilant tone and is sure to make every melomaniac’s heart beat faster.”)

— Online Merker, February 2024

“Erin Morley is vocally dazzling as the opportunistic Morgana.”

— BBC Music, February 2024

“As Morgana we have the positively glorious Erin Morley who hardly needs my endorsement. She gets the whole show off to a wondrous start with her “O s’apre al riso,” delightfully gamboling and trilling about with the freedom and ease of a bird . . . It’s a vivacious performance with unique ornamentation that absolutely delights the ear. Her “Credete al mio dolore” at the top of Act III is a particularly fine piece of singing made even more powerful by the cello accompaniment of Gauthier Broutin. What’s so extraordinary is how she constantly threads the vocal needle. My hope is that she herself will eventually inherit this magic isle one day, if you know what I mean.”

— Parterre Box, February 2024

“Two performances were notably fine. Simon Keenlyside – in noble voice – made an upsettingly relatable Rigoletto and Erin Morley was an all-too-vulnerable Gilda, singing with heartbreaking sweetness and purity.”

— The Spectator, November 2023

“[Langrée] had a star turn from Morley, when it came to a showstopping ‘Et Incarnatus Est’ aria, in the Credo.”

— The New York Times, July 2023

“Soprano Erin Morley . . . was particularly effective in the technically demanding Et incarnatus est, turning it into a glimpse of heaven.”

— BachTrack, July 2023

“[The soloists’] gorgeous, luminous singing hit a peak with Morley’s sensuous ‘Et incarnatus est’.”

— Financial Times, July 2023

— Chicago Classical Review, June 2023

“Soprano Erin Morley sparkled even amid “Missa’s” denser tutti passages, but her voice never lost its attractive slenderness, like a delicate diamond chain.”

— Chicago Tribune, June 2023

“The soloists knew when to exercise refinement and when to deploy drama. Soprano Erin Morley soared to heavenly heights with sweetness and clarity.”

— Hyde Park Herald, June 2023

“The standout moment is the famed “Ach! Ich fühl’s” where Morley reminded the listener of why she is one of the best singers in the world right now. The aria opened with a passionate but gentle plea, the agony of heartbreak felt in the soft high notes. This soft approach opened up slowly with the sixteen and thirty-second note runs on “Herzen mehr zurück!” “Sieh Tamino!” was thus more focused and potent in its delivery, Morley’s singing taking on greater desperation. And then, suddenly after following him about the stage, trying to connect with him, it almost as if it Morley’s Pamina gave up, her sound and singing growing softer and more intimate, the high B flat on “der Liebe Sehnen” among the most gentle notes she sang on the night. She was no longer singing for Tamino but for herself. With each passing and softening phrase, she drew the audience into her increased physical stillness . . .”

— OperaWire, May 2023

“Erin Morley’s exquisitely pure soprano bloomed in Pamina’s arias and ensembles.”

— Wall Street Journal, May 2023

“Erin Morley was a clear audience favorite as Pamina. Her voice was rich and resonant and carried effortlessly into the hall.”

— New York Classical Review, May 2023

“The supple-voiced and sympathetic Erin Morley, as Pamina, captures beautifully a young woman torn between different types of love—for her mother, for Tamino and for Sarastro, who becomes a surrogate father. Her “Ach, ich fühl’s” employs a richly sensitive pianissimo to convey the depths of her despair.”

— Observer, May 2023

“Opposite Brownlee is the silver-toned soprano Erin Morley as Pamina. Poignant and perfect, her more assertive character at the start slowly loses confidence until she becomes desperate over her mother’s cruelty and Tamino’s seeming disinterest. Her suicide aria, “Ach! Ich fühl’s” was heartbreaking, completely drawing the audience into her pain.”

— BachTrack, May 2023

“Erin Morley, as Pamina, sounded absolutely lovely, especially in the upper reaches of her soprano, where she created her own kind of magic.”

— Opera News, May 2023

“The wonderful Erin Morley scrubs the simper off Pamina — hers is a wiser, more determined girlfriend than we usually get.”

— Vulture, May 2023

“Brilló entre los solistas eltimbre irisado, canto pulido e instrumen-to cristalino de una irresistible Morgana, por la soprano estadounidense, debutante en el Liceu Erin Morley. Sus arias fueron un placer sonoro gracias a la pureza de la emisión, belleza vocal y gracilidad de las coloraturas y variaciones. Sus dos arias con solo obbligatti de violín solista y chelo fueron lo mejor de la velada.”

(“The iridescent timbre, polished singing and crystalline instrument of an irresistible Morgana shone among the soloists, by the American soprano, debutant at the Liceu, Erin Morley. Her arias were a sonic pleasure thanks to the purity of the emission, vocal beauty and gracefulness of the colors and variations. Her two arias with solo obligati for solo violin and cello, were the best of the evening.”)

— La Vanguardia, February 2023 (Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona)

“Mejor Interpretación Vocal fue Morgana de Erin Morley. La soprano estadounidense brilló con luz propia en cada una de sus 4 arias, con un registro agudo, confiado y bien proyectado, con el que dispara arriesgados adornos a la sala hay capo. Lo comprobamos en la famosa aria final del Acto I, Regreso al vagueo. Pero incluso en dos arias con instrumento obligado, su musicalidad no fue menor.”

(“Best Vocal Performance was Morgana by Erin Morley. The American soprano shone with her own light in each of her 4 arias, with a sharp, confident and well-projected register, with which she shoots risky ornaments into the room in the da capos. We verify this in the famous final aria of Act I, ‘Tornami a vagheggiar’. But even in two arias with an obligato instrument, her musicality was no less.”)

— El País, February 2023 (Auditorio Nacional, Madrid)

“Pero a su misma altura, o incluso superior, frisó una deslumbrante Morley. Para ella fueron, sin duda y con toda justicia, las mayores ovaciones de la noche.”

(“But at the same level, or even higher, was a dazzling Morley. For her they were, without a doubt and with all justice, the biggest ovations of the night.”)

— Scherzo, February 2023 (Auditorio Nacional, Madrid)

“Die Sopranistin Erin Morley ist eine hinreißende Morgana. Weil sie Ton und Charakter der jungen, ihrer Gefühle noch nicht ganz sicheren Frau genau trifft. Mit ihrem beweglichen Timbre, aber auch in ihrer Körpersprache.

Nachdem sie, frisch verliebt und ein bisschen kokett, über ihre Gefühle für Ricciardo geschwärmt hat, kuschelt Morley kurz die Noten an sich. Eine von diesen kleinen Gesten, die ab und an doch ein Hauch von szenischer Darstellung andeuten.”

(“Soprano Erin Morley is a gorgeous Morgana. Because she hits the tone and character of the young woman who is not quite sure of her feelings. With her agile timbre, but also in her body language.

After gushing about her feelings for Ricciardo, newly in love and a little flirtatious, Morley briefly cuddles the score. One of those little gestures that occasionally hint at a touch of scenic representation.”)

— Hamburger Abendblatt, February 2023 (Elbphilharmonie Hamburg)

“La soprano Erin Morley interprète Morgana de sa voix lumineuse, et le premier conquis semble être le chef d’orchestre qui la fait revenir saluer après l’air “Tornami”. Cet air révèle sa technique assurée et son aisance dans les aigus qu’ils soient piqués, soutenus ou effleurés. Oronte, lui-même, ne résiste pas au charme de son chant lorsqu’elle tente de le reconquérir après l’avoir éconduit. Aux côtés du violoncelle solo, sa voix (s’)enveloppe dans une sensibilité exacerbée.”

(“Soprano Erin Morley interprets Morgana with her luminous voice, and the first conquered seems to be the conductor who brings her back to bow after the aria “Tornami”. This air reveals her assured technique and her ease in the high notes whether they are pricked, sustained or touched. Oronte himself cannot resist the charm of her song when she tries to win him back after having rejected him. Alongside the solo cello, her voice (is) enveloped in an exacerbated sensitivity.”)

— Olyrix, February 2023 (Philharmonie de Paris)

“En el reparto sobresalieron claramente Magdalena Kozená como Alcina y Erin Morley como Morgana. Para ambas las mayores ovaciones de los asistentes. La primera poniendo sentimiento y toda la carne en el asador en “Ah! mio cor!” y el resto de sus intervenciones. La segunda, por la compenetración con el repertorio y la limpieza vocal. Verdaderamente gozosas sus arias “”Ama, sospira” con un ejemplar acompañamiento de la primera violín y “Credete al mio dolore” junto al chelo.”

(“Magdalena Kozená as Alcina and Erin Morley as Morgana clearly stood out in the cast. For both the biggest ovations of the attendees. The first putting feeling and all the meat on the grill in “Ah! mio cor!” and the rest of her interventions. The second, for the rapport with the repertoire and vocal cleanliness. Her arias “Ama, sospira” with an exemplary accompaniment of the first violin and “Credete al mio dolore” along with the cello are joyful indeed.”)

— Beckmesser, February 2023 (Auditorio Nacional, Madrid)

“Morgana, sœur d’Alcina, rôle tenu ce soir par la chanteuse américaine Erin Morley. Dès son premier air « O s’apre al riso », elle fait montre d’une technique infaillible (des aigus cristallins d’une pureté incroyable) qui, évidemment, culmine dans l’air bien connu « Tornami a vagheggiar » concluant le premier acte avec un tel brio, qu’il obligea Marc Minkowski à la faire revenir sur scène depuis les coulisses pour qu’elle soit justement ovationnée. Sa voix trouve de nouveau à s’épanouir dans l’air poignant « Ama, sospira », au deuxième acte, doublée par un violon solo surnaturel – on va y revenir – et sans doute plus encore dans l’air douloureux « Credete al mio dolore » au troisième acte où, cette fois‑ci, elle est accompagnée par un violoncelle solo qui nous tira des larmes de la première à la dernière note. Ce ne fut donc pas vraiment une surprise si, à la fin, Erin Morley gagna à l’applaudimètre devant Ruggiero.”

(“Morgana, sister of Alcina, was played this evening by the American singer Erin Morley. From her first aria “O s’apre al riso”, she demonstrates an infallible technique (crystalline high notes of incredible purity) which, of course, culminates in the well-known aria “Tornami a vagheggiar” concluding the first act with such brilliance, that it forced Marc Minkowski to bring her back on stage so that she was justly given a standing ovation. Her voice finds new expression in the poignant aria “Ama, sospira”, in the second act, doubled by a supernatural solo violin – we will come back to this – and probably even more so in the painful aria “Credete al mio dolore” in the third act where, this time, she is accompanied by a solo cello that brought tears to our eyes from the first to the last note. It was therefore not really a surprise if, in the end, Erin Morley won by applause in front of Ruggiero.”)

— Concerto Net, February 2023 (Philharmonie de Paris)

“Erin Morley fue una Morgana, de timbre limpio y fresco, de emisión segura y gran control de la respiración, que le permite hacer una canto versátil para las dinámicas, excelentes legatos, y grácil coloratura. Demostró un canto asentado, y si su ‘Ama, sospira’ fue un brillante y homogéneo diálogo de pura fusión con el concertino, lleno de sensibilidad y gusto fue el que compartió con el primer chelo en su ‘Credete al mio dolore’.”

(“Erin Morley was Morgana, with a clean and fresh timbre, safe emission and great breath control, which allows her to make a versatile song for dynamics, excellent legatos, and graceful coloratura. She demonstrated an established singing, and if her ‘Ama, sospira’ was a brilliant and homogeneous dialogue of pure fusion with the concertmaster, then full of sensitivity and taste was the aria she shared with the cellist in ‘Credete al mio dolore’.”)

— CulturPlaza, February 2023 (Palau de les Arts, Valencia)

“La voix gracieuse, la musicalité exquise de la soprano américaine Erin Morley sont bien celles d’une enchanteresse sœur d’Alcina, se régalant des pouvoirs d’un aigu rond et chaud, mais qui sait aussi s’assombrir dans un « Credete al mio dolore » d’une touchante pureté.”

(“The graceful voice, the exquisite musicality of the American soprano Erin Morley are the eyes of an enchantress sister of Alcina, regaling herself with the powers of a round and warm treble, but who also knows how to amaze in a ‘Credete al mio dolore’ of touching purity.”)

— Classique News, February 2023 (Auditorium, Opéra de Bordeaux)

“For my money, Morley gave the evening’s absolutely most enchanting performance (and this is an opera about enchantment, since Alcina turns men into animals or make them seem dead when they’re not really), thoroughly and clearly the most endearing, showing off her charming voice and ability to put the audience in her pocket.

She was the first on stage and never really ceded her power over the audience, with one of those da capo arias that makes your head spin (another followed pretty closely) … Her spot-on coloratura on one hand and emotional abilities on the other made her a joy to listen to. I was deliriously happy in “Tornami a vagheggiar,” with Morley joined by a pair of oboes.)”

— Broadway World, February 2023 (Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona)

“Erin Morley encarna una princesa Isabelle de auténtico lujo, con una coloratura perfecta, de una facilidad pasmosa, rematada con unos agudos refulgentes. Su gran aria del acto cuarto, la plegaria “Robert, toi que j’aime”, quizás el momento más recordado e interpretado de la ópera, también influencia evidente en algunos episodios de otros grandes colosos decimonónicos como Verdi o Wagner, adquiere en la voz de Morley, que uno casi puede notar lagrimar, un resultado totalmente conmovedor y que en vivo cortaba la respiración del afortunado público asistente.”

(“Erin Morley embodies a princess Isabelle of true luxury, with a perfect coloratura of astonishing ease, topped off with brilliant high notes. Her great aria from the fourth act, the prayer “Robert, toi que j’aime”, perhaps the most remembered and performed moment of the opera, also an evident influence in some episodes of other great nineteenth-century giants such as Verdi or Wagner, acquires in Morley’s voice so that one can almost feel tears, a totally moving result that took the breath away from the lucky live audience.”)

— Codalario, September 2022

“Erin Morley (Isabelle) fait valoir un velouté d’émission et des aigus rayonnants avec une facilité déconcertante, d’une tendresse étreignante, qu’il faut absolument entendre dans la cavatine déchirante « Grâce pour toi » au IV, l’un des sommets de l’ouvrage.”

(“Erin Morley (Isabelle) asserts a velvety emission and radiant high notes with a disconcerting ease, of an embracing tenderness, which is absolutely necessary to hear in the heartbreaking cavatina “Grâce pour toi” of Act IV, one of the summits of the work.”)

— Concerto Net, October 2022

“Son Isabelle, déjà exceptionnelle à Bordeaux, touche cette fois au miracle, notamment par la lumière et la facilité de ses aigus et suraigus, forte comme piano. Une éblouissante leçon de chant, aussi parfaite techniquement que chargée d’émotion. Et quelle qualité de diction, partagée d’ailleurs avec ses trois principaux partenaires! Ils forment un quatuor d’une homogénéité jamais encore atteinte au disque dans Robert le Diable.”

(“[Morley’s] Isabelle, already exceptional in Bordeaux, this time touches on a miracle, in particular by the light and ease of her treble and supertreble, forte as well as piano. A dazzling singing lesson, as technically perfect as it is emotionally charged. And what a quality of diction, shared moreover with her three main partners! They form a quartet of a homogeneity never before achieved on record in Robert le Diable.”)

— Lyrik, September 2022

“La noblesse du phrasé d’Erin Morley (Isabelle) fait des prodiges dans le rôle de la princesse palermitaine. Les facettes d’une colorature (à la Bellini) sont lustrées lors de la scène du tournoi (II), l’émoi amoureux est palpitant quoique pondéré dans le cantabile de la fameuse cavatine déjà citée. La maîtrise de l’esthétique et de la prosodie françaises sont des atouts estimables.”

(“The nobility of the phrasing of Erin Morley (Isabelle) works wonders in the role of the Palermitan princess. The facets of her coloratura (à la Bellini) are lustrous during the tournament scene (II), the amorous emotion is thrilling but balanced in the cantabile of the famous cavatina. Her mastery of French aesthetics and prosody are valuable assets.”)

— Première Loge, September 2022

“[Edris’s] warmth contrasts with Erin Morley’s brilliance as Isabelle, who loves Robert even as she becomes aware of the darkness within his soul. This is a sensational performance, all staggering coloratura, an electrifying top E in her Act 2 scena and real depth of feeling in her Act 4 cavatina, the most familiar passage in the score.”

— Gramophone, October 2022

“Morley, a great artist and a genuine star . . . Her tone is glorious, her coloratura and trills exactingly precise, but always placed at the service of character and drama rather than display. She sounds particularly ravishing in Tornami A Dir Che M’Ami . . .”

— The Guardian, July 2022

“Even by Glyndebourne’s lofty standards, the singing was superb, taking the bel canto idiom in its stride, and matched by acting that blurred the cynical artifice while remaining robustly spiky. The American lyric soprano Erin Morley was spellbinding as Norina, with assured coloratura, delicate and accurate phrasing, and effortlessly achieved top notes. And, as she revealed in her blissful portrayal of the shrewish Sofronia making merry with Don Pasquale’s fortune, Morley is an accomplished comedian.”

— Opera Magazine, September 2022

“Erin Morley’s Norina runs rings around the men – just as she does with Donizetti’s notes, however thick and fast they come – negotiating with skill a character who can sometimes lose the audience’s sympathy en route.”

— The Stage, July 2022

“Sung with impeccable control and limpid tonal beauty, soprano Erin Morley’s Gilda was rightly the emotional epicenter of this Rigoletto. The manner in which her splendidly-schooled technique projected the voice into the vast hall without forcing exemplified a style of singing that is now infrequently heard, the tonal production recalling the voice of another noteworthy MET Gilda, Bidu Sayão. Morley’s performance in the Act One duet with Rigoletto, in which Gilda shyly but bravely confessed her longing to explore the world around her, introduced her Gilda as an adventurous soul whose exploits had to that point been solely within the confines of her imagination. Singing ‘Lo dite a questa povera figlia’ persuasively, she displayed her Gilda’s talent for gently inveigling her father.

“Incandescently voiced by Morley, ‘Ah de’ miei vergini sogni son queste le voci tenere sì care a me!’ in the duet with the Duca divulged a new dimension of Gilda’s psyche, the girl’s interest in the man she knew as Gualtier Maldè blossoming into love. That love coursed through her singing of ‘Addio, addio, speranza ed anima’ and her plaintive enunciation of her beloved’s assumed name. Without disrupting the opera’s dramatic progression by performing the aria as a distinct entity rather than an organic expression of Gilda’s swirling feelings, Morley sang ’Caro nome che il mio cor’ magnificently, the emotional pangs of every staccato and trill elatedly communicated to the listener. Her abduction and delivery to the Duca precipitated Gilda’s spiritual maturation, the woman who rushed into her father’s arms in Act Two already distinguished by the courage that would effect her final sacrifice. Shame haunted Morley’s voicing of ’Tutte le feste al tempio,’ but the vitriol of Rigoletto’s invection against the Duca occasioned an account of ‘O mio padre, qual gioia feroce,’ culminating in a fabulous E♭ in alt, in which Gilda embraced her metamorphosing sensuality.

“That observing the Duca in pursuit of Maddalena in Act Three broke Gilda’s heart was audible in Morley’s singing, her argent timbre briefly tarnished by shadows of disillusionment, yet her vocalism in the quartet disclosed an inextinguishable flame of hope. Eschewing an interpolated top D♭, she preferred the quartet’s written—and considerably more musical—ending, which she sang as a movingly intimate reflection. The extroverted, indomitable Gilda arose in the trio with Maddalena and Sparafucile, braving the storm to offer her own flesh to the assassin’s blade in order to save the Duca with a heroic top D. Morley’s performance in the opera’s final scene, as Gilda died in Rigoletto’s arms, was imbued with pathos but no regret. Her ‘Ah, ch’io taccia!’ radiated grief, but visionary fulfillment permeated ‘Lassù in cielo, vicina alla madre.’ Too often, Gilda is depicted as an archetype, a paragon of betrayed innocence, but Morley’s Gilda was a woman, innocent and betrayed, who took control her life by relinquishing it in an act of love.”

— Voix des Arts, June 2022

“La Gilda de Erin Morley est la grande triomphatrice de la soirée . . . Avec le sentiment pour seul guide, elle plie sa jeune voix aux longs portamentos dans Gualtier Maldè… Caro nome, avec des aigus qui percent à la surface telles des acmés d’une facilité absolument déconcertante et qui méritent à eux-seuls la belle standing-ovation au tomber du rideau. La jeune fille fait entendre dans le III la blessure de la femme amoureuse et trompée, qui choisit délibérément de s’offrir à la lame de l’assassin pour laver son honneur et celui de son père.”

(“Erin Morley’s Gilda is the great triumphant of the evening . . . With feeling as her only guide, she bends her young voice with long portamentos in Gualtier Maldè… Caro nome, with high notes that pierce the surface like peaks of absolutely disconcerting ease and which alone deserve the beautiful standing ovation at the fall of the curtain. In Act 3, the young girl makes heard the wounds of a woman in love and deceived, who deliberately chooses to offer herself to the blade of the assassin to clear her honor and that of her father.”)

— Wanderer, June 2022

“The in-demand, sweet-voiced soprano, who earlier this season headlined Matthew Aucoin’s uneven retelling of the Eurydice legend at the Met, triumphed just last week as Lakmé with Washington Concert Opera. She portrayed an unusually feisty Gilda whose desperate need for independence from her over-protective father leads to disaster. One never doubted her firm resolve to sacrifice herself for a man who doesn’t deserve her.

“Her dreamy “Caro nome” was dotted with exquisite trills, and Morley also vividly conveyed Gilda’s maturation not only dramatically but vocally. As she recounted her seduction/rape by the Duke, her voice took on darker, richer overtones: she had clearly been changed by the experience . . . her dying duet with her devastated father soared with aching pathos abetted by ravishing piano high notes.”

— Observer, June 2022

“Kelsey’s Rigoletto has become even more nuanced and fascinating in the intervening months, which is raised to even greater heights in this run by the exquisite Gilda of Erin Morley.

“Morley’s Gilda is a radiant creation that sparkles both vocally and dramatically. The flawless coloratura, pinpoint staccato, and stunning high notes, made for a lovely “Caro nome,” but it was her moving duets with Quinn’s Rigoletto and Stephen Costello’s Duke that made her Gilda so memorable.”

— New York Classical Review, May 2022

“Soprano Erin Morley triumphed as Lakmé Sunday in her WCO debut. Washington listeners may remember her young artist roles at Wolf Trap Opera Company in the 2000’s, including a fizzy Zerbinetta. Her coloratura technique has become even more impressive since the Nightingale in Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol at Santa Fe Opera. Every moment she sang, onstage and from the wings, her voice shimmered with radiance and delicacy.

“The character’s big showpiece, “L’Air des Clochettes” (or “Bell Song”) in Act II, was a tour de force. Morley set the stage with ravishing unaccompanied flourishes in the opening cadenza. Her crystalline staccato notes, perfectly tuned and placed up to high B and C#, answered in dialogue to the glockenspiel and harp. She added all the optional ornamentation off the top of the staff and then some, even going up to a stratospheric G# at the end of the first verse, and then ending on a long, exquisitely sung high E.

“Lakmé’s other major solo, the berceuse “Sous le ciel tout étoilé,” opens Act III, when Lakmé has rescued Gérald after her father attempted to assassinate him. It featured Morley’s luxuriant legato singing and her gleaming pianissimo tone, as well as ending powerfully on the optional high C final note. She was dramatically so believable, a vocal portrait of such innocence and mystery that audience members were as bewitched as Gérald.

“She was seconded in the opera’s other famous excerpt, the “Flower Duet” (“Sous le dôme épais”) from Act I, by another noteworthy Wolf Trap alumna, the puissant mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven as Mallika, Lakmé’s servant. Her warm tone on the lower part, purring but present, allowed Morley to float the top part above with consummate ease . . .

“On Sunday night at Lisner Auditorium, artistic director Antony Walker showed again that this opera does not deserve the obscurity into which it has fallen.”

— Washington Classical Review, May 2022

“It is difficult to imagine that [Marie van Zandt] elucidated the parallels between Bellini’s and Delibes’s heroines as persuasively as Erin Morley did in her first portrayal of Lakmé. In WCO’s Lakmé, the prière at the beginning of Act One, ‘Blanche Dourga, pâle Siva,’ was pure bel canto, the soprano’s syncopation and trills on top B♭ recalling Norma’s ‘Casta diva.’ Morley dominated these early hazards, technical acuity seconded by often exquisite tonal beauty, and she joined Raven in a bewitching traversal of ‘Sous le dôme épais où le blanc jasmin.’ The simplicity of her rendering of ‘Pourquoi dans les grands bois aimé-je à m’égarer pour y pleurer?’ perfectly suited the poignancy of the music, the girl’s melancholy limned by delicate phrasing. Morley’s vocalism underwent a transformation in the duo with Gérald, the initial trepidation of her ‘D’où viens-tu?’ blossoming into emotional confidence.

“Aptly rewarded with a standing ovation, Morley’s performance of ‘Où va la jeune Indoue’ in Act Two, the Légende de la fille du Paria more often identified as the Air des clochettes, was sensational, the sole signal of the music’s difficulty being a floated top B that faltered very briefly. The intonation of the pealing staccati was utterly accurate, and the top Es were effortless. The Légende is the zenith of many Lakmés’ performances, but it was only one peak in the expansive range charted by Morley. Her voicing of ‘Mon ciel n’est pas le tien’ in the duet with Gérald was achingly expressive and complemented by a sublime account of ‘Dans la forêt, près de nous.’ Yet another facet of her characterization sparkled in her conflicted singing of ‘Ils croient leur vengeance assouvie!’ in the act’s final scene.

“Another peak in Morley’s performance was the berceuse in Act Three, ‘Sous le ciel tout étoilé,’ resplendently sung and crowned by an especially lovely top C. In this performance, Lakmé’s ‘Quand ils ont effleuré de leurs lèvres brûlantes’ was unmistakably a cousin of Amina’s ‘Ah! non credea mirarti’ in La sonnambula, and Morley voiced Delibes’s music with the poise demanded by bel canto. The last of her duets with Gérald received musical emoting of great poise from this Lakmé, who then voiced ‘Tu m’as donné le plus doux rêve’ and the haunting ‘S’il faut à nos dieux’ with unaffected grace. Beyond the walls of Lisner Auditorium, it was a stormy evening in Washington, and a burst of thunder shook the hall at the moment at which Morley lowered her head to mark Lakmé’s death. Uplifted by an ensemble of artists who liberated Lakmé from the stigma of cultural insensitivity, hers was a performance that literally rose to the heavens.”

— Voix des Arts, May 2022

“Coloratura soprano Erin Morley, fresh off recent success at the Met Opera and La Scala, gave us an engaging Lakmé. Ms. Morley truly sang like an angel, or in this case almost a goddess, on stage and off. She seemed to navigate the highest notes with complete control, with only the smallest effort. Her embellishments often moved beyond beautiful, becoming breathtaking; listening to her was not only pleasurable, it was exciting. Her Bell Song received a tremendous ovation, many in the audience standing . . . Met Opera folks should seriously consider making plans for a run at the Met featuring Ms. Morley.”

— Opera Gene, May 2022

“But Erin Morley is such a singer to negotiate those challenges. In fact, in her debut performance of the role, it was one of those rare instances of a singer dignifying a part as opposed to the usual other way around. She is charismatic, authoritative, and tireless, her impeccably detailed singing as subtle yet expressive as her onstage demeanor with her slightly tremulous tone lending an air of vulnerability unique from other, more girlish sounding interpreters of the part.

“From the very first offstage entrance, floating along the decorated vocal line with immaculately placed high-notes and trills, Morley’s crystalline yet solid soprano expanded to meet every one of the role’s requests and then some as she conjured plaintive piety, blind romantic impulse, and earnest decisiveness . . .

“Morley moved through [the Bell Song] with accuracy and ease, varying her attack for differing narrative effect and rarely altering her sound across her range (including a briefly interpolated G-sharp). And in her lullaby that begins the final act, she manipulated the dynamics of the song, slimming her tone to a whisper then opening up to a full-throated sigh to mesmerizing effect.

“Whether or not the opera will take root again here remains to be seen. But as of Sunday, the western hemisphere has a powerfully persuasive champion for the part in Erin Morley and D.C., awash in a spectacular storm, had its finest night of opera all season.”

— Parterre Box, May 2022

“Right from the Prelude, the performance had a tingly spark, which turned incandescent the moment the offstage voice of Erin Morley wafted into the hall like a mysterious vapor, intoning Lakmê’s tender prayer. There wouldn’t be much point in revisiting Delibes’s most successful work for the stage without a first-rate coloratura soprano-the opera’s raison d’être since Marie van Zandt originated the title character in 1883. Morley fulfilled the requirement with her silky timbre, pinpoint accuracy, superhuman breath control and, the crowning touch, a depth of musicality that enriched her portrayal of a Brahmin high priest’s love-rattled daughter during the British Raj era in India . . .

“Morley’s skills reached their inevitable peak in “Où va la jeune Indoue” (the bell song), which sent the audience into quite a frenzy. You just don’t hear trills so clear and shimmering every day, not to mention penetrating crescendos or delicate diminuendos so perfectly gauged, ascents into the stratosphere so effortless and pure. As exhilarating as Morley sounded in the heights, she proved just as compelling in the score’s more down-to-earth passages; her poignant, limpid-toned “Pourquoi dans les grands bois” and exquisitely shaded Act III lullaby left a lingering glow.”

— Opera News, August 2022

“Spicca su tutti per brillantezza interpretativa la Zerbinetta di Erin Morley, l’unica riuscita a strappare durante la serata uno scrosciante applauso a scena aperta al termine della sua funambolica aria “Großmächtige Prinzessin”. Sovracuti vertiginosi, trilli, salti d’ottava, volatine e picchiettati non sembrano impensierirla minimamente, ma la forza del soprano americano sta non solo nell’ammirevole gestione tecnica delle follie belcantistiche riservate al suo ruolo, ma nella rara capacità di dare forma a tutto tondo al suo personaggio: non solo frivolezza e cinismo dunque, ma anche quella malinconia celata che fa di Zerbinetta uno dei ruoli femminili più affascinanti e complessi nella storia dell’opera.”

(“Erin Morley’s Zerbinetta stands out above all for its interpretative brilliance, the only one who managed to snatch a thunderous open-stage applause during the evening at the end of her acrobatic aria “Großmächtige Prinzessin”. Dizzying over-notes, trills, octave jumps, volatine and tapped do not seem to bother her in the least, but the strength of the American soprano lies not only in the admirable technical management of the bel canto follies reserved for her role, but in the rare ability to give shape in the rondo to her character: not only frivolity and cynicism therefore, but also that hidden melancholy that makes Zerbinetta one of the most fascinating and complex female roles in the history of opera.”)

— GB Opera Magazine Italia, April 2022

“Sul piano drammaturgico lo spettacolo ruota intorno alla Zerbinetta della giovane Erin Morley, deliziosa e impeccabile nel celebre rondò, affrontato con naturalezza e senza dare troppa enfasi alle colorature.”

(“On the dramaturgical level the show revolves around the Zerbinetta of the young Erin Morley, delightful and flawless in the famous rondo, approached naturally and without giving too much emphasis to the coloratura.”)

— Musica, April 2022

“Nella parte di Zerbinetta abbiamo invece ascoltato Erin Morley, al suo debutto scaligero. Il soprano americano ha sfoggiato sicurezza nella coloratura virtuosistica che caratterizza il ruolo, nonché un interessante fraseggio e disinvoltura scenica che l’hanno fatta apprezzare al pubblico che l’ha premiata con lunghi applausi.”

(“In the part of Zerbinetta we listened to Erin Morley, in her Scala debut. The American soprano flaunted confidence in the virtuosic coloratura that characterizes her role, as well as an interesting phrasing and scenic ease that made the audience appreciate her, who rewarded her with long applause.”)

— The Blog Art Post, April 2022

“Singing the title role, Eurydice, was Erin Morley, the American soprano. She is ever reliable, at least in my experience. Last night, she sang precisely and beautifully, often in the stratosphere, which is to say, in her upper, upper register. She simply “let it happen,” never forcing anything. Also, she was winning, winsome. Years ago, I said, repeatedly, that Joyce DiDonato and Diana Damrau—to name two—had a “secret ingredient,” namely “adorability.” Erin Morley has it too. This is no small gift for a singer, or a performer of any kind.”

— New Criterion, November 2021

“Erin Morley’s richly varied soprano gave the title character . . . depth and poignancy . . . Ms. Morley’s vibrant soprano encompassed Eurydice’s naiveté, playfulness and growing understanding, moving from a bright, flexible, high-lying tessitura to a more dramatic and lyrical expressivity.”

— Wall Street Journal, November 2021

“Leading the pack was Erin Morley who was undeniably having a blast in the leading role . . . She delivered with fluid and elegant legato lines, interspersed with some potent high notes that made their appearance throughout. When listening to Morley, there’s always this sense of musical and vocal security that was undeniably present here throughout.”

— OperaWire, November 2021

“Morley delivers Eurydice’s fluttering lines with pathos and aplomb . . .”

— Vulture, November 2021

“Effortlessly appealing stage presence . . .”

— Observer, November 2021

“Quant à Erin Morley, elle porte l’opéra avec une ferveur missionnaire, le dipôle musical principal étant celui qu’elle forme avec son père, l’excellent Nathan Berg.”

(“As for Erin Morley, she carries the opera with a missionary fervor, the main musical dipole being that which she forms with her father, the excellent Nathan Berg.”)

— Le Devoir, December 2021

“With her crystalline voice and multi-faceted characterization, Erin Morley was a captivating Eurydice. Her final aria, in which she writes to Orpheus and prepares to dip herself in the river of forgetfulness, was exquisitely sung and extremely moving.”

— Seen and Heard, November 2021

“Erin Morley plays Eurydice in both realms with grace, delivering long arias near the end of the second and third acts which were musically the most sublime parts of the evening. Her afterlife redemption – sung in letters to the living after learning what it means to love another person – is what makes the story work.”

— Bachtrack, December 2021

“Enfin, on est heureux de retrouver Erin Morley sur une scène française dans un rôle à la mesure de son très grand talent. Les couleurs et l’épaisseur du timbre sont a priori ceux d’un soprano léger. Pourtant, la chanteuse dispose d’un panel de nuances mais aussi d’une puissance et d’une longueur de souffle qu’on ne trouve pas toujours dans ce type de gosiers, et qui lui permettent de transmettre un « Grâce pour toi ! » bouleversant, justement acclamé. Quant à la technique, elle est superlative, lui permettant d’enchaîner vocalises (on a rarement entendu celles d’« Idole de ma vie » émises avec autant de facilité), aigus et suraigus avec une facilité déconcertante.”

(“Finally, we are happy to find Erin Morley on a French stage in a role commensurate with her great talent. The colors and the thickness of the timbre are a must for a light soprano. However, the singer has a range of nuances but also a power and a length of breath that is not always found in this type of throat, and which allow her to transmit a “Grâce pour toi!” that is moving, rightly acclaimed. As for the technique, it is superlative, allowing her to string together vocalizations (we have rarely heard those of “Idole de ma vie” emitted with such ease), high notes and super-high notes with disconcerting ease.”)

— Première Loge, September 2021

“Avec le rôle de la Princesse Isabelle (l’amante de Robert), Meyerbeer offre à la soprano américaine Erin Morley de quoi faire étalage de sa maîtrise technique et, plus encore, de sa musicalité. Dans un feu d’artifice vocalisant, elle expose son timbre cristallin, des aigus fins et vibrés dans un phrasé à la fois virevoltant et éthéré. Elle varie les couleurs de son chant et joue sur l’ampleur de sa voix pour accompagner une performance très investie et très applaudie, l’orchestre lui-même battant des pieds et des archets à la fin de son grand air (et Amina Edris ne pouvant réprimer un sourire de satisfaction devant la longueur de son aigu final).”

(“With the role of Princess Isabelle (Robert’s lover), Meyerbeer offers American soprano Erin Morley something to show off her technical mastery and, even more, her musicality. In vocalizing fireworks, she exhibits her crystalline timbre, fine, vibrating highs in a phrasing that is both twirling and ethereal. She varies the colors of her singing and plays on the breadth of her voice to accompany a very invested and much applauded performance, the orchestra itself beating its feet and bows at the end of her great aria (and Amina Edris is unable to suppress a smile of satisfaction at the length of [Morley’s] final high note).”)

— Olyrix, September 2021

“Erin Morley se joue avec une facilité déconcertante des roulades vertigineuses, ajoutant des notes extrêmes aux notes extrêmes et des figures acrobatiques aux cadences infernales voulues par Meyerbeer, sans jamais compromettre la précision du trait et la pureté de l’émission.”

(“Erin Morley plays the dizzying runs with disconcerting ease, adding extreme notes to extreme notes and acrobatic figures to the infernal cadenzas intended by Meyerbeer, without ever compromising the precision of the line or the purity of the release.”)

— Forum Opera, September 2021

“On découvre avec ravissement les titulaires des deux rôles féminins, Erin Morley (Isabelle) et Amina Edris (Alice) qui font entendre des timbres d’une rare fraicheur, une musicalité sans failles et une élocution optimale du texte. Les voix sont aussi bien différenciées, à commencer par un type colorature pour la première, se jouant des passages d’agilité sans effort apparent, ajoutant ici et là quelques suraigus extrapolés, toujours dans une qualité de son extrêmement séduisante. La douce cavatine « Robert, toi que j’aime » du IV est également l’un des sommets de la soirée, au cours duquel l’interprète fait passer une dose d’émotion palpable.”

(“We are delighted to discover the holders of the two female roles, Erin Morley (Isabelle) and Amina Edris (Alice), who deliver timbres of rare freshness, flawless musicality and optimal elocution of the text. The voices are also well differentiated, starting with a coloratura for the first, playing on passages of agility without apparent effort, adding here and there some extrapolated highs, always in an extremely seductive quality of sound. One of the highlights of the evening is the sweet cavatina, “Robert, toi que j’aime”, during which the performer conveys a palpable dose of emotion.”)

— BachTrack, September 2021

“De la distribution ressort avant tout Erin Morley, Isabelle d’un incroyable éclat sur les multiples aigus de la dernière octave, tant dans les ensembles que pour ses grands airs, dont le plus connu, Robert toi que j’aime, à l’acte IV.”

(“From the cast emerges above all Erin Morley, Isabelle of an incredible brilliance in the multiple high notes of the last octave, both in the ensembles and for her big arias, including the most famous, Robert toi que j’aime, in Act IV.”)

— ResMusica, September 2021

“Erin Morley portrayed the princess Isabelle. Morley is a true Lirico-leggera soprano, with a beautiful velvet quality timbre from low register up to high C and then sparkling top notes. Her interpretation of her opening aria “En vain J’espere” showed off her clean coloratura, her long melancholic legato phrasing, and her crystalline color on the several B naturals written in the score. The coloratura increases in the cabaletta “Ah viens Robert” with long fast scales. Morley did not only sing a secure immaculate coloratura but filled the notes with emotion and meaning, almost making you forget the vocal fireworks. She performed a beautiful cadenza between the two verses of the Cabaletta which reached a whispered B natural, and sang effortless trills, staccato notes, and long scales, including a two octaves scale from high B to low B natural. Morley coronated the ending with a brilliant and securely sustained E natural.

“Her top notes are so stable and brilliant that she interpolated an unexpected high F in the battle scene during the solo cadenza “allons aux armes.” Even though the music of “Robert le Diable” has not been popular for over a century and a half, the most recognizable aria would be Isabelle’s fourth Act aria “Robert, toi que j’aime”  as it has been recorded and sung in concerts by many sopranos. Morley’s interpretation was dolent, moving, and full of pathos, coloring the legato lines with multiple dynamics and showing a mastery of diminuendo/crescendo phrasing. It was the most applauded number of the evening.”

— OperaWire, October 2021

“Erin Morley, die im Silvesterkonzert 2019 bei der Staatskapelle debütierte, gab sich den Liedern mit grosse Wonne und feinstem Gefühl hin. Sie artiulierte klar und mit perfekt geführter Stimme, absolut Intonationssicher auch bei freien Einsätzen wie in “An die Nacht”. Im Schlusslied “Amor” wird die Virtuosität in höchster Lage überschwänglich. Brillant meisterte Morley diese Partie, brillant vermittelte Thielemann zwischen Orchester und Singstimme. Jede Regung, jede Wendung wurde auf das Feinste ausgeformt. So schwelgerisch und doch filigran scheint Strauss idealtypisch getroffen.”

(“Erin Morley, who made her debut with the Staatskapelle at the New Year’s Eve Concert in 2019, indulged the songs with great delight and the finest feeling. She articulated clearly and with a perfectly guided voice, absolutely sure of intonation, even with free performances like in “An die Nacht”. In the final song, “Amor”, the virtuosity becomes exuberant in the highest register. Morley mastered this role brilliantly, Thielemann brilliantly mediated between the orchestra and the singing voice. Every movement, every turn was finely sculpted. So luxuriant and yet filigree, Strauss seems ideally done.”)

— Sächsische Zeitung, May 2021

“In sanfteren Momenten war letztlich . . . zu hören, wie delikat lyrisch Morley zu gestallten versteht. Auch zeigte sie in expressiv sich entladenden poetischen Passagen ausreichend Substanz (“Als mir dein Lied erklang”). Als nachgereichter Qualitätsbeweis dann Thomas Hennigs “Nacht” fur Singstimme und Orchester. Grosse Klarheit, grosse Klasse.”

(“In softer moments . . . you could ultimately hear how delicately lyrical Morley knows how to create. She also showed sufficient substance in expressively discharging poetic passages (“Als mir dein Lied erklang”). Thomas Hennig’s “Nacht” for voice and orchestra was then submitted as proof of quality. Great clarity, great class.”)

— Der Standard, June 2021

“Was Morley nun bei den Brentano-Lieder so wunderbar leicht und warm von der Bühne verströmte, war nicht nur die Behaglichkeit, die man sofort zwischen ihrer Stimme und dem Satz von Strauss verspürte, sondern auch Ergebnis des Meisterwerks der einfühlsamen Begleitung, für das Chefdirigent Christian Thielemann verantwortlich zeichnete. Da saß jeder Atemzug gemeinsam mit den Instrumenten auf den Punkt, jedes noch so kleine Anziehen im Tempo . . .”

(“What Morley now exuded so wonderfully light and warm from the stage with the Brentano songs was not only the comfort that you immediately felt between her voice and Strauss’s words, but also the result of the masterpiece of sensitive accompaniment, for which chief conductor Christian Thielemann was responsible. Every breath together with the instruments was on point, every little tightening in tempo . . .”)

— Dresden Neueste Nachrichten, May 2021

“Gesangsstücke vom Richard Strauss machten den Anfang. Nicht die wieder und wieder erklingenden “Vier letzte Lieder”, sondern ungemein virtuose Kompositionen zu Texten von Brentano und Bürger. Die Sopranistin Erin Morley hatte diese Auswahl mit vorgeschlagen und zeigte sich bestens dafür prädestiniert.”

(“Vocal works of Richard Strauss began the program. Not the “Four Last Songs” that are sung again and again, but extremely virtuoso compositions based on texts by Brentano and Bürger. The soprano Erin Morley had suggested this selection and was perfectly predestined for it.”)

— Musik in Dresden, May 2021

“Sopranistin Erin Morley ließ mit silbrigem Klang keinen Zweifel an herzallerliebsten Muttergefühlen in Strauss-Liedern. Passend trat auch “Amor” in Aktion, dessen an Zerbinetta erinnernde Herausforderungen Morley hinreissend parierte.”

(“With a silvery sound, soprano Erin Morley left no doubt about the dearest mother feelings in the Strauss songs. “Amor” also stepped into action, whose challenges, reminiscent of Zerbinetta, were ravishingly parried by Morley.”)

— Kronen Zeitung, June 2021

“Für ihre prächtigen Klangfarben, die sie mit brillanter Leichtigkeit vorzutragen verstand, wurde die Sopranistin Erin Morley heftig gefeiert. Im Myrtenlied wirkte es mitunter, als führe sie das Orchester und diente Thielemann ihr hierzu quasi als Medium.”

(“The soprano Erin Morley was heavily celebrated for her magnificent timbres, which she knew how to perform with brilliant ease. In [“Säusle, Liebe Myrthe”] it sometimes seemed as if she was leading the orchestra and Thielemann was serving her as a kind of medium.”)

— Dresden Neueste Nachrichten, June 2021

“. . . Gelangen etwa der schwärmerische Tonfall oder auch jene Trillerketten exquisit, die in „Amor“ den kindlichen Liebesgott wie einen Kolibri flattern lassen.”

(” . . . Her enthusiastic tone of voice or even those chains of trills that make the childlike god of love flutter like a hummingbird in “Amor” are exquisite.”)

— Die Presse, June 2021

“Die US-amerikanischen (Koloratur-)Sopranistin Erin Morley, die 2019 ihr Debüt bei der Sächsischen Staatskapelle unter Christian Thielemann im ZDF-Silvesterkonzert als Prinzessin Mi in Lehárs “Land des Lächelns“ gab, begeisterte mit ihrer Interpretation einer Auswahl von Orchesterliedern von Richard Strauss nach Texten von Clemens Brentano und Gottfried August Bürger.

Mit ihrer weichen, sehr geschmeidigen, mit Leichtigkeit und Mühelosigkeit geführten, Stimme, wie für diese Lieder geschaffen, gestaltete sie sicher und stilsicher „An die Nacht“, „Ich wollt ein Sträußlein binden“ und „Säusle, liebe Myrthe!“(op. 68) nach Texten von Clemens Brentano, „Muttertändelei“ (op. 43/2) mit einem Text von Gottfried August Bürger sowie „Als mir dein Lied erklang“ und „Amor“ (op. 68 Nr. 5) von Brentano in ihrer emotionalen Vielseitigkeit, eingebettet in den sanft wiegenden, von Thielemann sehr aufmerksam, den Intentionen der Sängerin folgend, geführten Wohlklang des Orchesters, der die gestalterischen Feinheiten der Sängerin weiterführte.

Ihr feines, nicht aufgesetzt wirkendes, Vibrato ließ ihre Stimme strahlen, verstärkte noch den guten Klang, ohne vordergründig zu wirken. Das eben ist die große Kunst, die so leicht klingt und schwer zu machen ist, die feine Nuance, die sie beherrscht und die bei ihr so selbstverständlich wirkt. Ihre fließenden Übergänge, mit feinstem Decrescendo zum emotional aufgeladenen Pianissimo bis zu enthusiastischem Forte wurden vom Orchester aufgenommen und weitergeführt und mündeten in leise verhallendem Orchesternachlang. Sängerin und Orchester verschmolzen bei gleicher Auffassung, gleichem Können und gleichen Intentionen zu einem in sich geschlossenen, organischen Ganzen.”

(“The US-American (coloratura) soprano Erin Morley, who made her debut with the Sächsische Staatskapelle under Christian Thielemann in the ZDF New Year’s Eve concert as Princess Mi in Lehár’s “Land of Smiles”, impressed with her interpretation of a selection of orchestral songs by Richard Strauss based on texts by Clemens Brentano and Gottfried August Bürger.

With her soft, very supple voice, guided with ease and effortlessness, as if created for these songs, she created “An die Nacht”, “Ich wollt ein Sträusslein binden” and “Säusle, liebe Myrthe!” (Op. 68) based on texts by Clemens Brentano, “Muttertändelei” (op. 43/2) with a text by Gottfried August Bürger as well as “Als mir dein Lied erklang” and “Amor” (op. 68 No. 5) by Brentano in their emotional versatility, embedded in the gently swaying melody of the orchestra, which Thielemann very attentively carried on the artistic subtleties of the singer, following her intentions.

Her fine, not superficial vibrato made her voice shine, reinforced the good sound without being superficial. That is the great art that sounds so easy and is difficult to make, the fine nuance that she masters and that seems so natural to her. Their flowing transitions, with the finest decrescendo to emotionally charged pianissimo to enthusiastic forte, were picked up by the orchestra and continued and culminated in softly fading orchestral aftertaste. Singer and orchestra merged with the same concept, the same ability and the same intentions into a self-contained, organic whole.”)

— Online Merker, June 2021

“Erin Morley gave a moving performance of “We’ll Gather Lilacs” from Ivor Novello’s musical “Perchance to Dream.” Morley never fails to impress as her own accompanist and her voice shone pure, ending the piece with a light, goosebump-raising pianissimo high [B].”

— Operawire, April 2021

“Erin Morley setzt sich als Sophie stimmlich mit ihrem voll klingenden Sopran und darstellerisch deutlich in Szene.”

(“Erin Morley puts herself in the limelight as Sophie, vocally with her full-sounding soprano and with clear acting.”)

— News.at, Dec 2020

“Mit Erin Morley stand ebenfalls eine ideale Sophie an ihrer Seite auf der Bühne. Sie schaffte es mit ihrem Spiel, den Charakter von Klischees befreit mit Leben zu füllen, ohne dabei übertrieben zu wirken. Ebenso gut liegt ihr die Partie in der Kehle. Ihr glasklarer Sopran ist hell und strahlend timbriert, verfügt über mühelos schwebende Spitzentöne und bietet dennoch in der Mittellage die nötige Substanz, um nicht unterzugehen oder forciert zu klingen. Im finalen Duett verschmolzen die Stimmen von Morley und Sindram schließlich zu berückender Schönheit und für einen Augenblick schien es, als würde die Zeit tatsächlich etwas langsamer rieseln.”

(“With Erin Morley there was also an ideal Sophie at [Daniela Sindram’s] side on stage. With her acting she managed to free the character from clichés and fill it with life without appearing exaggerated. Her game is just as good in the voice. Her crystal clear soprano is bright and radiantly colored, has effortlessly floating top notes and yet offers the necessary substance in the middle register so that it does not drown or sound forced. In the final duet, the voices of Morley and Sindram finally merged into enchanting beauty and for a moment it seemed as if time was actually trickling a little more slowly.”)

— BachTrack, Dec 2020

“Die US-Amerikanerin Erin Morley singtund spielt die arglose Unbeholfenheit der Sophie im zweiten Akt so umwerfend, dass Daniela Sindram als Octavian gar nicht anders kann, als sich in dieses Geschöpf zu verlieben.”

(“The American Erin Morley sings and plays the innocent awkwardness of Sophie in the second act so stunningly that Daniela Sindram, as Octavian, cannot help but fall in love with this creature.”)

—Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, Dec 2020

“The soprano Erin Morley, in New Haven, Conn., accompanied herself in a coloratura showpiece from Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment,” demonstrating nimble piano technique while tossing off ornate runs and gleaming high notes, and asking those watching to join in for the choruses.”

— New York Times, April 2020

“Accompanying herself, Erin Morley turned her martial number from La Fille du Régiment into an all guns-blazing one-woman parade for the Met (“Vive le Métropolitain!”) from her perch in Connecticut.”

— The Times (UK), April 2020

“Tenor Jonas Kaufmann sang a melting aria from La Juive at the opposite end of a Munich practice room from pianist Helmut Deutsch, while soprano Erin Morley trilled La Fille du Régiment while playing her own more than creditable piano accompaniment.”

— Observer, April 2020

“Erin Morley Steals the Show: Throughout the performance, most of the singers performed with a pianist while others appeared with audio tracks. But Erin Morley neither – she accompanied herself while she sang a section from Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment” in what was the scene-stealing performance of the gala. She capped it all with a tremendous high note. Michael Volle, who followed, express his admiration and surprise. That she came so early in the gala and remained in the mind long after goes to show how impactful her number proved.”

— Operawire, April 2020

“Morley provided one of the best performances with fluid voice, considerable piano skill and ebullient personality in “Chacun le sait” from Donizetti’s “La fille du régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment),” imploring viewers to “sing along” for the choruses.”

— 13 ABC WHAM, April 2020

“Star power is something that absolutely is transferable from stage to screen. Soprano Erin Morley gave us a damn show – she accompanied herself doing “Chacun le sait” from La fille du régiment, and gave us something impressive, elastic, and ending with an ovation-worthy high F.”

— Schmopera, April 2020

“Even better were those singers who accompanied themselves at the piano, Erin Morley putting in a particularly virtuoso double act in La Fille du régiment from her home in Connecticut.”

— Financial Times, April 2020

“Ansichten und Moralvorstellungen, die in Mitteleuropa gar nicht so fern waren, z. B. die Rolle der Frau, wenn die kleine, aufgeweckte Mi, Sou-Chongs Schwester, singt: „Unser einziges Vergnügen, das soll sein das Kinderkriegen und das Deisein für den Herrn Gemahl. Stricken sticken, waschen. Kochen und dann wieder in die Wochen.” Erin Morley tat dies mit feinem Witz und scheinbar betulich- naivem Augenaufschlag als „brave“ junge Chinesin, die mit den westlichen Sitten liebäugelt, stimmlich, gestalterisch und darstellerisch überaus überzeugend und mit einer abschließenden „pfiffigen“ Bewegung am Schluss – genau im Takt der Musik.”

(“Views and morals that are in Central Europe were not that far away, e.g. For example, the role of women when the small, bright Mi, Sou-Chong’s sister, sings: “Our only pleasure is childbearing and existing for our husband. Knitting, embroidery, washing. Cooking, and then again in the week.” Erin Morley did this with a fine wit and seemingly naive look as a “good” young Chinese woman who flirted with western customs, was extremely convincing in terms of voice, design and performance, and with a final “smart” movement at the end – exactly in time with the music.”)

— Online Merker, Jan 2020

“Die wunderbare Koloratursopranistin Erin Morley beeindruckte durch ihren Gesang als Schwester des Prinzen Sou-Chong Mi.”

(“The wonderful coloratura soprano Erin Morley impressed with her singing as Prince Sou-Choung’s sister Mi.”)

— IOCO, Jan 2020

“Vedl’a Archibaldovej a Bršlíka to bola Američanka Erin Morley, ktorá na silvestrovských koncertoch v Semperovej opere interpretovala postavu Mi. Je známa z viacerých live prenosov Metropolitnej opery, napríklad ako Pamina či Olympia, v našich zemepisných šírkach počuť jej koloratúrny soprán v operách vo Viedni a v Mníchove a na rôznych koncertných pódiách . . . Morley sa zaskvela hlasovo i výrazovo ako subreta, schopná zasiahnuť aj do kabaretnej produkcie.”

(“Next to Archibald and Breslik, it was American Erin Morley who interpreted the character of Mi at the New Year’s Eve concerts at Semperoper. She is known for several live broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera, such as Pamina and Olympia, and her colorful soprano has been heard in operas in Vienna and Munich and on various concert stages . . . Morley shone with voice and expression as a soubrette, capable of crossing over into a cabaret production.”)

— Opera Slovakia, Jan 2020

“In gleichermaßen emotional packender Art und Weise vermochte Erin Morley mit ihrem klaren, in der Höhe wunderbar leuchtenden, klangschönen Sopran ohne jegliche Schärfen in der Rolle der Gilda zu überzeugen. Gildas Verliebtheit und ihre daraus resultierenden Konflikte in ihrem Inneren sowie im Verhältnis zu ihrem Vater konnte das Publikum ganz unmittelbar nachempfinden und miterleben. Eine besondere Hervorhebung verdienen die berückenden Piani, mit denen die Amerikanerin das Publikum verzauberte.”

(“In an equally emotionally charged manner, Erin Morley was able to convince with her clear, wonderfully beautiful, sonorous soprano, without any sharpness, in the role of the Gilda. The audience could directly empathize and experience Gilda’s infatuation and the resulting conflicts within her as well as in relation to her father. The captivating Piani, with whom this American singer enchanted audiences, deserve special mention.”)

— Online Merker, Nov 2019

“In der Rolle der Gilda schafft es Erin Morley, sich zwischen dem schönen Leichtsinn des Herzogs und der Unterdrückung durch den Vater zu behaupten. Mit ihrem mädchenhaft zierlichen, doch kraftvoll geschlossenen Sopran bewegt sie sich in der durchgehend hohen Lage dieser Figur, die ständig abzuheben scheint, mühelos und kann sogar die leicht angesetzten Spitzentöne noch mit einem kontrollierten Vibrato beleben.”

(“In the role of Gilda, Erin Morley manages to assert herself between the Duke’s beautiful recklessness and her father’s suppression. With her feminine, graceful, yet powerfully unified soprano, she effortlessly moves in the consistently high position of this figure, which seems to be constantly taking off, and can even liven up the slightly set top notes with a controlled vibrato.”)

— Abendzeitung, Nov 2019

“Die Amerikanerin Erin Morley wirkt zart und eher gebrechlich, anschmiegsam schüchtern zeichnet sie eine von Liebe entrückte wohl behütete Tochter. In Jeans und Pullover ist sie ein moderner Teenie. Ausnehmend leicht gelingen ihr die schwierigen Triller, die immer wieder in ihre Arien hineingeflochten sind.”

(“The American Erin Morley looks delicate and rather frail, cuddly, and shy, she draws a lovingly withdrawn well-guarded daughter. She is a modern teen in jeans and sweaters. Exceptionally easily she succeeds in the difficult trills, which are repeatedly woven into her arias.”)

— Opera Online, Nov 2019

“Redondeando un terceto protagonista muy esmerado, la soprano estadounidense Erin Morley cantó una Gilda de manual. De emisión límpida y extraordinaria musicalidad, su interpretación admira por la conjunción de seguridad, estilo y contención, logrando una expresividad belcantista sumamente natural y precisa. Su voz, perfectamente empastada con la de Tézier, deparó algunos de los mejores momentos de la velada, con un sobreagudo nítido y nunca esforzado en exceso. Su candoroso retrato del personaje de Gilda logró llevar el rol mucho más allá de lo que la propia producción de Schilling parecía concebir de antemano.”

(“Rounding out a very careful third protagonist, the American soprano Erin Morley sang a textbook Gilda. Clear sound and extraordinary musicality, her interpretation admires the combination of security, style and containment, achieving a very natural and precise belcanto expressiveness. Her voice, perfectly blended with that of Tézier, offered some of the best moments of the evening, crisp and never overstressed. Her candid portrait of Gilda’s character managed to take the role far beyond what Schilling’s own production seemed to conceive beforehand.”)

— Platea Magazine, Nov 2019

“[Morley] schwingt sich mit ihrer hellen Stimme ebenso schwerelos und präzise wie Puck mit seinem gelenkigen Körper in extreme Höhen der Koloraturen.”

(“[Morley] swings about to extreme heights of coloratura with her bright voice just as weightlessly and precisely as Puck does with his agile body.”)

— Klassik Begeistert, Oct 2019

“Deren Koloraturbrillanz adelte den musikalischen Teil des Abends mit Klangschönheit und Präzision.”

[“Her coloratura brilliance ennobled the musical part of the evening with beautiful sound and precision.”]

— Die Presse, Oct 2019

“Likewise coloratura Erin Morley (Tytania), who tosses off Britten’s angular and occasionally awkwardly intervallic riffs with impossible ease and sparkling accuracy.”

— BachTrack, Oct 2019

“Die amerikanische Sopranistin Erin Morley sang nach der Gilda ihre 2. Premiere an der Wiener Staatsoper. Blitzsaubere Silbertöne bis in höchste Höhen, gekonnte Agilitá zeigte ihr jugendlicher Koloratursopran. Aber auch feine Lyrismen standen ihr zu Gebote.”

(“The American soprano Erin Morley sang (after Gilda) her second new production at the Vienna State Opera. Bright silver tones to the highest heights, her youthful coloratura soprano showed a skillful agility, but also fine lyricisms were at her command.”)

— Online Merker, Oct 2019

“Coloratura soprano Erin Morley sang the role of Tytania, with a spirited sound, first in “Set your heart at rest,” and then in “What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?” During the latter portion, Morley offered quite a confident account of a bewitched Tytania, her voice gracious and rich in expressions as she behaved like a woman in love with an ass. It was a nicely accentuated acting.”

— OperaWire, Oct 2019

“Stealing the show was the Cunegonde of Erin Morley. She radiated a Tracy Flick-style, go-getter glow and sang with a big, bright soprano. She brought down the house with her precision performance of “Glitter and be Gay” — smartly staged as a cheerleader routine — even Yannick​ turned from the podium to applaud after the aria was over.”

— NJ.com, June 2019

“As Cunegonde, soprano Morley was the perfect spoiled rich girl and interpolated her own ornaments into ‘Glitter and Be Gay’ with spectacular effect . . . young cast members Erin Morley and Alek Shrader​ put lasting stamps on their widely sung lead roles.”

— Philadelphia Inquirer, June 2019

“Morley’s silvery soprano is triumphant, especially in biting counterpoint to Lenny’s ‘très tragique’ violin duet as masterfully played by concertmaster David Kim. The orchestral gallop and Morley nailing those tricky scales, as light as her kicky choreo in those red pumps and to die for red tulle and satin ensemble.”

— Concerto.net, June 2019

“Erin Morley as Cunegonde had all the glitter one could want for her famous aria, which I’ve rarely heard sung with more accuracy, insouciance and panache. But I was even more impressed by the way she found a musical and dramatic through-line. The coloratura is tough to pull off—but for many singers, the melodrama is even harder, and I’ve often heard it overacted. Morley delivered on all fronts, and throughout had charm and voice to burn.”

— Parterre Box, June 2019

“Soprano Erin Morley, who proved an excellent recitalist with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society​ earlier this season, turned in an even more impressive performance here. There was never any doubt she could deliver the stunning Cs and E-flats of Cunegonde’s showpiece aria ‘Glitter and Be Gay’—and she added what sounded to these ears like a high A-flat. But her interpretation of the tricky character—who vacillates between vapidity and surprising intelligence—has deepened and expanded since I first saw her play the part at Carnegie Hall last year.”

— Broad Street Review, June 2019

“Sister Constance [was] sung like an angel by Erin Morley . . .”

— America Magazine, June 2019

“As for Erin Morley, her Constance was, if anything, fresher, more endearing, and more poignant than before. At the end, the audience gave her the kind of ovation usually reserved for a leading lady, a star.”

— The New Criterion, May 2019

“These impressive singers found their individual dramatic voices, especially the beguiling, pure-toned soprano Erin Morley as the chatterbox Constance . . .”

— New York Times, May 2019

“As Constance, Erin Morley started off the night with sprightly vocalism. Her opening ‘Encore ces maudites fèves’ is a lively passage that brought some comic relief. Dancing about and singing with brilliance, especially on the high Bs and high Cs natural she is tasked with, Morley was pure life and joy.”

— Operawire, May 2019

“[Constance] is the innocent conscience of the piece, kind and questioning in Morley’s committed portrayal. There is a natural cheer in the tart brightness of Morley’s soprano that mixed gorgeously with the many darker voices in the cast.”

— New York Classical Review, May 2019

“Erin Morley appeared on high as Mater Gloriosa, singing with sublime purity of tone and impossibly soft and controlled phrases. This was another brilliant use of the immersive space of the hall as she entered, looking angelic, perched in front of the organ above the chorus.”

— Concerto.net, June 2019

“The soprano Erin Morley, a lovely, sweet-toned Pamina, conveyed the poignant confusion of a young woman trapped between an avenging mother and Sarastro.”

— The New York Times, December 2018

“Soprano Erin Morley often made a captivating figure in the role of Pamina . . . While the abridged nature of the version cut numbers such as “Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fuhlen,” when Morley did sing, it felt like a blossoming from the character’s temerity to a sonorous maturity. This was heard in her defiant vocal climax before fainting in the clutches of Monostatos, as well as her transition to her dejected aria “Ach, ich fuhl’s, es ist verschwunden.” Morley navigated through the phrases with a sorrowful delicacy, even as the orchestra, under Harry Bicket, slowed to emphasize her sustaining lyricism. For this, Morley drew tremendous applause which did not wait for the orchestra to finish the closing measures.”

— OperaWire, December 2018

“[Morley’s] achingly lovely “Ach, ich fühl’s” was the indisputable highlight of the performance—deeply felt and floated with exquisite grace.”

— Parterre Box, December 2018

“The casting of Carnegie Hall’s “Candide” was almost offensively luxurious. Erin Morley, whose high notes were a highlight of “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” at the Metropolitan Opera last fall, breezed through Cunégonde’s crowd-pleasing number “Glitter and Be Gay.””

— The New York Times, April 2018

“Erin Morley is in a class of her own among coloratura sopranos, singing even the most dazzlingly difficult material with beauty and musical sense. The role of Cunegonde is a little shallow for Morley’s dramatic talents, but she made the most of it, batting her eyes at anything that sparkled. The aria “Glitter and Be Gay” brought the show to a halt, as it should—she reveled in her warm-toned middle voice, milking the lament for all it was worth before vaulting through the sparkling coloratura with blinding brilliance.”

— New York Classical Review, April 2018

“Erin Morley was a coloratura dream as Cunegonde. Singing “Glitter and be Gay,” on the very stage where, in 1975, Candide’s first Cunegonde, the late Barbara Cook, launched her post-theater singing career, Morley’s rich vocal embellishment was enriched by superb comic timing.”

— Schmopera, April 2018

“Erin Morley, who portrayed Cunegonde, easily received the biggest ovation of the evening for her virtuosic “Glitter and be Gay.” And it was well-deserved as Morley easily sang the difficult roulades with such perfection, switching from spoken verses to the laughing coloratura. Here, Morley showcased a more subtle rendering of the aria never going overboard with the dialogue, but instead interacting with jewels on her wrist and the ones that two supers handed over to her. She danced around the stage as she interpolated one high note after another and held out her final E flat with ease.

But this wasn’t Morley’s only big moment. From the start of the night, the soprano showcased youthful energy dancing and singing each line with such fluid technique. And for those awaiting lyrical moments, Morley had plenty as she easily blended her coloratura soprano with Paul Appleby’s elegant tenor.”

— OperaWire, April 2018

“With a voice as brilliant as a diamond, Erin Morley, all high glamor with her hair piled atop her head, swathed in rose silk and wearing death-defying heels, hardly needed jewels to glitter. She sailed through Cunegonde’s bravura aria.

If Appleby’s Candide was the personification of naive earnestness, Morley’s Cunegonde was the total opposite, self-absorbed with a devil-may-care frivolity. How she would fare as a farmer’s wife was anyone’s guess.”

— Seen and Heard International, April 2018

“Erin Morley made the music of Cunegonde sound matter-of-fact, with pinpoint accuracy above the staff in “Glitter and be Gay” (the Ds and E flats joined by an interpolated high F), coquettish bearing and an ideal attitude of sassy tragi-comedy.”

— BachTrack, April 2018

“At last Carnegie answered my prayers: Morley’s utterly delicious Cunegonde was a joy all evening but her own uniquely dizzy, dazzling yet wickedly sly “Glitter” finally delivered me to a new Eldorado after all my years of wishing. She relished Wilbur’s divine words while adding some sparkling ornaments to the already challenging coloratura. That she brought down the packed house was a given.

She and Appleby partnered for the evening’s most unexpectedly satisfying moment: the usually hilarious reunion duet “You Were Dead, You Know.” Their initial sighting of each other—normally excited and horny–was instead filled with shy hesitation. It blossomed into a bemused exchange of their recent histories with each bravely determined to hide their more embarrassing lapses. Their exchange culminated in a ravishingly beautiful melismatic sequence in which their intertwined voices floated magically into the air with a sigh. Heaven!”

— Parterre Box, April 2018

“Opera stars Paul Appleby and Erin Morley were nothing short of glorious in these roles . . . the coquettish Morley’s wondrous soprano made the now-legendary aria “Glitter and Be Gay” seem nearly effortless, as well as quite funny.”

— Theater Pizzazz, April 2018

“Soprano Erin Morley . . . made a charismatic Cunegonde . . . Midway through the first act, she performed a neo-striptease while singing the fiendishly difficult coloratura aria, “Glitter and Be Gay.” Morley is one of those rare talents who can sing, act, and dance. She, herself, is a gem to be treasured.”

— Broadway World, January 2018

“Erin Morley’s slightly hardened Cunegonde — her “Glitter and Be Gay” is played more for coloratura #MeToo anxiety than laughs — makes her own travails more touching than usual.”

— LA Times, January 2018

“Morley spun “Glitter and Be Gay” with almost superhuman insouciance – not to mention nailing all the high notes . . .”

— Bachtrack, January 2018

“Erin Morley is a total joy as Cunégonde, a girl who can undergo the most horrible debasement and cheerfully proclaim, “I may not be pure, but my jewels are!” Her coloratura lament, “Glitter and Be Gay,” is a showstopper. Hopefully we will see more of her.”

— Los Angeles Daily News, January 2018

“Erin Morley did more than one thought possible with the cardboard- cutout character of Cunegonde, not just with her coloratura stunts–particularly in her showstopper aria, “Glitter and Be Gay”– but in her persuasive portrayal of the earliest to the final stages of a woman’s life.”

— KPCC, February 2018

“Erin Morley as the easily seduced Cunegonde, more in love with gold than Candide, was a vocal wonder, singing the showstopper ‘Glitter and Be Gay’ with acrobatic ease and managing every twist of the plot with spot-on comedic timing.”

— Seen and Heard International, February 2018

“Morley’s Cunegonde, who steals the show with her coloratura runs like the one at the end of “Glitter and Be Gay,” her aria about the mask she wears as a working girl.”

— Hollywood Reporter, January 2018

“The show-stopping number occurs in Act One, when Cunegonde mourns the loss of her innocence while revelling in her newfound riches in the coloratura aria “Glitter and Be Gay.” Although it is one of the most difficult soprano pieces to perform, Morley hit every note perfectly while dancing wildly and even lying down at one point.”

— Daily Trojan, January 2018

“Soprano Erin Morley brings dizzying vocalism to Cunegonde’s showstopper ‘Glitter and Be Gay’.  Behind her bravura technique is a voice of underlying vulnerability that helps humanize this somewhat shallow cardboard character.”

— Classical Voice, February 2018

“Sensationell: Erin Morley . . . Das Rollendebüt Morleys geriet überhaupt zu einem Sensationserfolg, denn vom Konversationston der ersten Werkhälfte fand sie zu einer perfekt ziselierten Umsetzung aller, auch der vertracktesten Koloraturaufgaben im Opernteil. Das Rondo kann man kaum je dermaßen präzis und punktgenau intoniert hören, ein Feuerwerk an virtuosem Ziergesang.”

“An ihrer Seite sang Erin Morley zum ersten Mal an diesem Haus die Zerbinetta – auch sie beeindruckend, spielerisch in den Koloraturen, mitreißend bei den Spitzentönen, bezaubernd und amüsant in ihrer Darstellung.”

(“At her side, Erin Morley sang Zerbinetta for the first time at this house – also impressive, playful in the coloratura, captivating with the top notes, enchanting and amusing in her performance.”)

— Kurier, November 2017

“Etwas mehr Fahrt nahm der Opern-Teil des Werks auf, angeführt von der famosen Erin Morley, die eine facettenreiche Zerbinetta gab und deren Koloraturgestaltung bewundernswert lyrisch geriet.”

(“The opera part of the work picked up a bit more movement, led by the famous Erin Morley, who gave us a multifaceted Zerbinetta and whose coloratura shaping was admirably lyrical.”)

— Wiener Zeitung, November 2017

“Petite, charming, and commanding in both presence and vocal dexterity, Erin Morley’s creamy-toned and crisply-articulated Zerbinetta is the perfect foil to this cast’s majestic Ariadne. A delightful reading and prodigious role debut in the house.”

— The Opera Critic, November 2017

“Hinreissend Erin Morley: Sie debütierte als zauberhafte Zerbinetta, ein kapriziöses Persönchen voll Charme, Pfiff und Witz, das durch die kluge, elegante Inszenierung Sven-Eric Bechtolfs turtelt. Mit funkelnden Koloraturen und einer hinreissend gesungenen “Grossmächtigen Prinzessin”. Ein weiteres Versprechen!”

(“Adorable Erin Morley: She made her debut as a magical Zerbinetta, a capricious character full of charm, flair, and wit, who plays with the smart, elegant staging of Sven-Eric Bechtolf. With sparkling coloratura and a ravishingly sung “Grossmächtige Prinzessin”. Another artist of promise!”)

— Kronen Zeitung, November 2017

“Erin Morley singing Olympia’s famous doll aria “Les oiseaux dans la charmille” was an example of MET opera at its best. Morley knocked off the first stanza, rippling through the coloratura effortlessly. Olympia may be a machine, but Morley is not. Her voice was tenderly human, without any bracing or metallic quality. Her singing was precise yet musical, never mechanical.

“Olympia powers down in the middle of her presentation. The servant Cochenille (Christophe Mortagne) rushes in and winds her up; then things got crazy. Morley’s ornamented coloratura was so delicious in variety and astounding in execution that the crowd whooped and gasped (this writer politely double-fist pumped in his chair). The MET audience buzzed as miraculous gymnastic feats gently tumbled from the soprano’s throat.

“And the comedy: Morley’s Olympia scrolled from modest to coquettish to aggressive to sweet. Impossible to control, she made an ass of her chauvinist creator. Combining dramatic ingenuity and unmatched vocal prowess, Morley enlivened the MET audience who showered her with continuous applause.”

— Schmopera, October 2017

“Erin Morley repeated her dazzling Olympia, amazingly acted (she keeps falling down backwards) and sung, right up to A flats above high C, as if the E flats would not do.”

— BachTrack, October 2017

“Morley, so heavenly as a Sophie with some spine in last season’s Der Rosenkavalier, revealed unsuspectedly hilarious comic chops as Olympia. I don’t remember hearing her coloratura showpiece performed with such care and nuance, its two verses neatly differentiated. In the first, Morley exuded a lovely piquant charm followed by an increasingly wacky repeat decorated with unusual and inventive ornamentation.”

— Parterre Box, October 2017

“Erin Morley, a soprano from Utah who sang the same role in the revival two years ago, is stunning as Olympia, the wind-up robot doll, and provides the night’s biggest vocal fireworks in her “Les oiseaux dans la charmille.”

— Huffington Post, October 2017

“Erin Morley sang with impressive coloratura and gorgeous high notes the famous Doll’s aria “Les oiseaux dans la charmille”, acting it differently in every performance, giving Olympia certain humane qualities within her robotic movements. Every note had a purpose, an intention and she did very pristine staccati. This was not an ordinary machine and Morley’s charming presence on stage brought out that special “je-ne-sai-quoi” that made Hoffmann fell in love with this doll. Her voice isn’t thin or squeaky as other Olympias, so that made her music much more vibrant and colorful. Habemus Olympia indeed!”

— Opera Click, October 2017

“Erin Morley sung the high-flying part of Olympia with prodigious technique, soaring to stratospheric notes in her Act I aria.”

— Super Conductor, October 2017

“Almost stealing the show was Erin Morley, an American soprano, who sang the role of Olympia, the mechanical doll. Her aria—“Les oiseaux dans la charmille”—was a tour de force. She demonstrated stupendous facility. Every note was in tune, including the shortest ones. (This is rare.) Her high notes, miles above the staff, were exemplary. Her musicality in the aria was almost as impressive as the technical control. And she did all of it while dancing that awkward mechanical dance.”

— The New Criterion, October 2017

— New York Classical Review, October 2017

“Erin Morley poised herself between silky sensuality and the stratosphere as Olympia, the robot he falls for. (Between her and Kathryn Lewek as the Queen of the Night in “The Magic Flute,” it was a golden week for notes way, way above the musical staff.)”

— The New York Times, October 2017

“Dazzling.”

— The New Yorker, October 2017

— Opera Wire, October 2017

“My favourite was Erin Morley’s sparkling Zerbinetta, technically as accomplished as any I have heard, but with added charm. Her Sophie at the Met recently had not prepared me for the way she effortlessly dominated the ensemble at Glyndebourne.”

— The Sunday Times, July 2017

“Angela Brower, in her first aria as the Composer, perfectly catches the evanescent beauty of the music’s shifting tones and moods, and casts her own spell over the Prologue. Erin Morley’s effervescent yet vulnerable Zerbinetta does the same for the Opera . . .”

— The Independent, July 2017

“Erin Morley’s Zerbinetta delivers her stratospheric coloratura impressively.”

— Evening Standard, June 2017

“Erin Morley’s frivolous, flirtatious Zerbinetta injects some vitality amid the misery and morbidity. When teasing the Composer, Morley apes his lyricism with tenderness, and her soprano sparkles through the roulades of her virtuoso showpiece.”

— Opera Today, June 2017

“Erin Morley is an enchantingly frivolous Zerbinetta. She is the perfect foil with an engaging razor-sharp coloratura which is still capable of projecting genuine emotion through all her antics, or when being treated during the Opera for her sexual hysteria with drugs or being put in a straightjacket.”

— Seen and Heard International, June 2017

“Erin Morley [plays] Zerbinetta not as a nemesis but the yang to Ariadne’s yin: it takes real courage to sing her set-piece as a mad scene out of Bellini, and not just for laughs.”

— The Arts Desk, June 2017

“Erin Morley made light of Zerbinetta’s vocal fireworks and there was a real sense of ensemble with her troupe.”

— BachTrack, June 2017

“The sweet-voiced soprano Erin Morley makes an utterly charming Sophie. The miraculous love-at-first-sight duet when Octavian, on behalf of the baron, presents a silver rose to Sophie as a token of her engagement was sung with shimmering sound and impressively focused tone by Ms. Morley and Ms. Garanča.”

— The New York Times, April 2017

“Erin Morley flavored her gossamer-toned Sophie with an interesting dash of petulance.”

— Opera News, July 2017

“Meeting [Garanča] head-on was Erin Morley as Octavian’s beloved Sophie, played for once not as a ditzy airhead but as a willful debutante, a worthy sparring partner for the witty young knight . . She darted and floated through the gossamer music with nonchalant virtuosity.”

— Observer, April 2017

“Erin Morley was impetuous and spunky as Sophie.”

— Washington Post, April 2017

“Erin Morley soars sweetly as the chronically sweet Sophie. She is credibly and creditably wooed by the impetuous mock-macho Octavian, beautifully and dutifully performed by Elīna Garanča.”

— Financial Times, April 2017

“It was revealed that soprano Erin Morley had a baby just prior to rehearsals for this Rosenkavalier and as Sophie she was an utter delight. I don’t know any history of the singers of Sophie becoming the Marschallin in future years, but given the passage of time I can imagine this happening to Erin Morley.”

— Seen and Heard International, April 2017

“Erin Morley’s Sophie was lovely in all ways; it takes, really, just complete control of the notes and dynamics and appealing looks to succeed in the part, and Ms Morley had them.”

— BachTrack, April 2017

“Erin Morley’s bel canto past shows in her clear, tempered soprano, her breath control, and in the ease with which she unfurls Sophie’s long, soaring lines. She and Graham blended meltingly in Act II’s Presentation of the Rose and the closing of Act III.”

— Bach Track, October 2016

“The ravishing voice of soprano Erin Morley graced the role of Sophie, whose high and ethereal top notes from the very outset achieved what we all want to hear. She is also a fine actor, throwing herself into her many confrontations with the overly amorous Ochs with a passion befitting a young woman resisting the loutish behavior of her lecherous arranged-marriage suitor.”

— The Boston Musical Intelligencer, September 2016

“Erin Morley’s Sophie was a streetwise soubrette, her glimmering coloratura melding euphorically with Graham’s in the young lovers’ many duets. She delivered the libretto’s most dated lines — ‘I must have a husband before I can be anything’ — with a knowing wink in her voice.”

— Boston Globe, September 2016

“Le rôle-titre d’abord, tenu pour la première fois par Erin Morley se retrouve psychologiquement broyé par la connivence des hommes qui l’entourent. La violence qu’elle subit est avant tout morale, constituée de chantages, de mensonges et de manipulations . . . Son interprétation est toute en sensibilité, en délicatesse et en intensité. Ce dernier point est notamment illustré par sa confrontation avec Enrico à l’acte II. Sa colère froide et son désespoir sont rendus avec force et conviction. Le sourire démoniaque affiché durant la scène de la folie est glaçant. Le geste sophistiqué et la voix claire, elle vocalise avec agilité et parvient à atteindre des suraigus parfaitement maîtrisés.”

(“The title role, undertaken for the first time by Erin Morley, finds Lucia psychologically crushed by the conniving men around her. The violence she suffers is primarily moral, consisting of blackmail, lies and manipulations… [Ms. Morley’s] interpretation is full of sensitivity, delicacy and intensity. This last point is illustrated in particular by her confrontation with Enrico in Act 2. Her cold anger and despair are rendered with strength and conviction. The demonic smile she displays during the mad scene is chilling. With sophisticated gesture and a clear voice, she vocalizes with agility and manages to achieve perfectly mastered high notes.”)

— Olyrix, June 2016

“Formée à l’école américaine de la Juilliard School of Music de New York, Erin Morley est incontestablement dotée d’un bagage technique accompli. La sûreté du suraigu, remarquablement projeté et généreusement dispensé, la précision des vocalises, le perlé des trilles lui assurent notamment une scène de la folie d’un modelé et d’une perfection admirables.”

(“Trained at the American school of the Juilliard School of Music in New York, Erin Morley is unquestionably gifted with an accomplished technical background. Security in her high range, remarkably projected and generously bestowed, the accuracy of vocalizations, including her pearly trills, assure her a mad scene of admirable formation and perfection.”)

— ResMusica, June 2016

“Elle relève le défi de ce belcanto exigeant grâce à des talents indéniables : aux côtés d’une véritable présence scénique, elle fait entendre des aigus et des vocalises tout à fait propres et une agilità bien maîtrisée.”

(“[Erin Morley] takes on the challenge of this demanding belcanto with undeniable talent: alongside a real stage presence, she is heard in her high range and the coloratura is quite clean with well-mastered agility.”

— BachTrack, June 2016

“Dotée d’une voix de cristal au timbre pur, souple et ductile et conduisant sa ligne de chant avec virtuosité et délicatesse, Erin Morley parvient à incarner la vocalité de Lucia, acrobatique et colorée comme la voulait Donizetti . . . la soprano américaine sait être émouvante et ardente dans « Regnava nel silenzio » ainsi que dans son duo d’amour avec Edgardo ; puis combative et têtue avec ses proches . . . Enfin, dans une scène de folie magnifiquement théâtralisée par un effet théâtre dans le théâtre très réussi, elle se montre infiniment bouleversante dès « Il dolce suono » et dans tout ce qui suit, en particulier le merveilleux passage avec l’harmonica de verre qui suspend le temps (Sascha Reckert est ovationné aux saluts).”

(“Endowed with a crystal pure tone, flexible and ductile and leading her vocal line with virtuosity and delicacy, Erin Morley manages to embody the vocality of Lucia, acrobatic and colorful as Donizetti wanted . . . The American soprano knows how to be moving and ardent in “Regnava nel Silenzio” and in her love duet with Edgardo; then combative and stubborn with her family . . . Finally, in a mad scene beautifully dramatized by a very successful ‘theater within a theater’ effect, she is infinitely shattering from “Il dolce suono” and all that follows, especially the marvelous passage with glass harmonica which suspends time (Sascha Reckert was given an ovation at the curtain calls).”)

— Forum Opera, June 2016

(“An important role debut for American soprano Erin Morley, and an essential step in the career of a soprano, is that first experience with Lucia. A challenge tackled brilliantly . . . We were quickly swept away by the deeply personal interpretation this singer offers. From the first sentence, one is moved by the precision of the words and accents, even by the variety of colors which this voice, though light, can afford. And we are surprised throughout the evening to be cut to the heart, here by a genuine accent, there by a pianissimo full of contained grief, as well as the many details that form an ownership of this music. The mad scene in this respect houses a great moment: adamantine, suspended, punctuated by silences fully inhabited, the crystalline sonorities created by this musician, finding their perfect echo in that of the surreal glass harmonica, a truly indispensable tool to this atmosphere.”)

— Classique News, June 2016

“At Nancy’s jewel of an opera house, the Opéra national de Lorraine staged Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, giving us an opportunity to hear American soprano Erin Morley in a bel canto role – this rising star has generally concentrated on Strauss and Mozart lyric roles of late. She looked fragile, acted affectingly and sang exquisitely, her voice possessing a silvery sheen and superb coloratura facility, including wonderfully accurate trills.”

— Opera Now (UK), September 2016

“Erin Morley constitue une Sophie idéale. Ses aigus accompagnent son allemand impeccable, tandis que son jeu d’actrice est jubilatoire. Touchée par la grâce, un point rebelle, sa Sophie est de caractère. Une jeune femme libre. Le final de l’acte III est sublime et l’on sent dans l’auditoire la parfaite alchimie qui s’émulsionne entre la fosse et le timbre symbiotique de ses trois belles interprètes.”

(“Erin Morley is an ideal Sophie. Her high notes accompany her impeccable German, while her acting is exhilarating. Her Sophie is touched by grace, a bit rebellious. A young, free woman. The finale of Act 3 is sublime, and we feel in the audience the perfect alchemy that emulsifies between the pit and the symbiotic sound of these 3 beautiful performers.”)

— Olyrix, May 2016

“Erin Morley est une Sophie von Faninal non moins réussie (son duo à l’acte II avec Octavian, “Wo war ich schon einmal …”, émeut au plus profond du cœur).”

(“Erin Morley is no less successful as Sophie von Faninal (her Act 2 duet with Octavian, “Wo war ich schon einmal …”, stirs deep in the heart).”)

— La Revue du Spectacle, May 2016

“Soprano Erin Morley as the young Sophie, who captivates Octavian as he presents the silver rose to her on behalf of Baron Ochs, has the requisite purity of tone and youthful demeanor to carry off her part with aplomb.”

— Paris Update, May 2016

“Erin Morley est en revanche une remarquable Sophie, tant par la voix que par le physique (oh la jolie robe de poupée au 2e acte !). Sa voix s’accorde parfaitement avec celle de D. Sindram et nous vaut un très beau duo final.”

(“Erin Morley is a remarkable Sophie, as much vocally as physically (oh the pretty doll’s gown in the second act!). Her voice blended perfectly with that of Daniela Sindram and we had a really beautiful final duet.”)

— Vissi D’Arte, May 2016

“Too rarely does a moment arrive during an opera or a concert when a great piece of music meets an inspired artist: time stands still and you experience Nirvana. Sunday afternoon at Carnegie Hall two remarkable slices of soprano-heaven were served up, first by Carolyn Sampson and then by Erin Morley, during the second act of Handel’s Orlando . . .

While Sampson is a Handel veteran, Angelica was American soprano Morley’s first Handel role. As the Queen of Cathay whose rejection of Orlando sends him into an emotional tailspin, she was regal and elegant with just a hint of fearful vulnerability. She and Sampson share an attractive fast vibrato and might have easily switched roles, but Sampson wisely emphasized Dorinda’s girlish befuddlement while Morley took a bemused quasi-maternal interest in the bewildered shepherdess during that beguiling trio that concludes the first act.

A half-hour after Sampson’s silvery “Se mi rivolgo al prato,” it was Morley’s turn to bewitch and move us. Her sparkling “Non potrà” was mightily impressive but “Verdi piante” which immediately followed was radiant, spun out on seemingly endless breath. As much as Orlando is an opera of madness, it is about an idealized pastoral world which that madness threatens. Medoro and Angelica must flee their “Eden” and Handel gives each a moving farewell: Medoro has “Verdi allori” which resembles Ruggiero’s more famous “Verdi prati” in Alcina; both are simple and restrained.

“Verdi piante,” Angelica’s wistful benediction, is both more complex and touching and Morley, like the marvelous Lynne Dawson whom I heard perform it in 1989 at the former Avery Fisher Hall, made it the indelible musical highlight of the afternoon. When Metastasio wrote his Orlando libretto in 1720 for Porpora, he called it L’Angelica and after those golden Morley moments, one wanted to rename Handel’s work that too.

I was reminded of the first time I heard Morley—in 2007 at Juilliard Opera in Mozart’s La Finta Giardinera as an entrancing Sandrina. Happily that portrayal has been recently captured on a fine video from Lille, but why haven’t we yet heard her Pamina or Ilia? While Morley maintains a diverse repertoire with lots of Rosenkavalier Sophies upcoming in Paris, Boston and the Met and her first Lucia di Lammermoor due in June in Nancy, this angelic Angelica suggested again that 18th century music suits her sweetly sumptuous coloratura soprano admirably. Let’s hope Iphis in Jephtha or perhaps a Semele or even a Cleopatra figure in her future.”

— Parterre Box, March 2016

“Morley and Cooke proved an excellent pair. Though in the same range, the tint of Morley’s voice is darker than Sampson’s, and there was a clear musical differentiation between girl and woman. Cooke’s marvelous, rich sound colors her as a contralto, and was utterly convincing in the trouser role. As part of the glorious singing in Act II, their series of recitatives and arias from “Da queste amiche piante” through “Verdi piante” was beyond compelling. The experience was so ravishing that one felt the singing went on for far longer than it did, the mind hoping it would never stop.”

— New York Classical Review, March 2016

“Erin Morley’s soprano boasted brightness and velvet, her intuitive phrasing bringing sensuality and fire to Angelica, Orlando’s quarry.”

— Wall Street Journal, March 2016

“The soprano Erin Morley brought impressive coloratura technique and a sumptuous sound to her vibrant performance as Angelica.”

— New York Times, March 2016

“Morley’s soprano shone, gliding mellifluously through Handel’s graceful phrases in the numerous slow-tempo arias; the honeyed beauty of her opening solo, ‘Ritornava al suo bel viso’ (which is surprisingly truncated by arrival of Medoro, whereupon it slips into recitative) foreshadowed the silky loveliness of ‘Verdi piante’ in Act 2, the da capo of which was thrillingly soft. Morley’s phrasing was unwaveringly immaculate . . .”

— Opera Today, March 2016

“Erin Morley was a captivating princess Angelica, her elegantly schooled and perfectly tuned lyric soprano melting exquisitely in the air.”

— The Telegraph, March 2016

“Etwas von zu erahnendem Silber konnte man bei der Fiakermilli von Erin Morley entdecken, die ihre halsbrecherischen Koloraturen mit Verve in den Ballsaal schmetterte.”

(“Some of the silver we hoped for was found in the Fiakermilli of Erin Morley, who belted the daredevil coloratura with verve in the ballroom.”)

— Der Neue Merker, January 2016

“Erin Morley is Sylvie, tripping delicately through the coloratura with which Gounod adorns the central role.”

— The Guardian, November 2015

“Erin Morley manages the coloratura allotted to the suave Sylvie with glittering aplomb.”

— Sinfini Music, December 2015

“The vibrant air ‘Je veux interroger ce jeune homme et connaître’ introduces Sylvie, and in singing it soprano Erin Morley proclaims, ‘Alright, I am here: laissez les bons temps rouler!’ As she has been an admired Olympia in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann at the MET, the security of her top C♯s and D♯s is not unexpected, but the elation that she conveys in singing the sopracuti is remarkable. Morley has also been a Rhinemaiden in Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung and an aptly high-flying Waldvogel in Siegfried at the MET, so hers is not a standard-issue leggiero voice without a firm core. In her performance of the air, her energy is matched by imagination . . . Sylvie’s romance ‘Que de rêves charmants emportés sans retour!’ is sung by Morley with boundless enthusiasm tempered by an intuitive grasp of the contours of Gounod’s melodies. Splendid as her top notes are, the resonant middle octave of the soprano’s voice is particularly advantageous, and the thoughtfulness with which she uses text as the springboard that propels her characterization of Sylvie is inspiriting . . . Like the dove sailing into the heavens, Morley ascends to the heights to which Sylvie’s coloratura transports her with imperturbable elegance and the sound of a smile in the voice that listeners cannot help replicating on their faces, just as Gounod, Barbier, and Carré surely intended.”

— Voix des Arts, November 2015

“L’américaine Erin Morley est une Sylvie relativement corsée, diseuse subtile, très à l’aise dans les vocalises et dans les suraigus.”

(“The American Erin Morley Sylvie is a relatively full-bodied, subtle reciter, very much at ease in the vocalises and in the high register.”)

— Forum Opera, November 2015

“The brightest vocal star of the evening is soprano Erin Morley, whose lithe coloratura and sparkling light touch on high notes was matched by her alluring stage presence as Zerbinetta. In this respect, she is aided alternately by some of the most beautiful and fun music that Strauss put to page, but that is vocal icing on the icing – Ms. Morley would be enticing regardless.”

— Twin Cities Arts, September 2015

“Erin Morley brought great comic energy and buoyancy to Zerbinetta, while demonstrating an effortless and exquisite coloratura during her showpiece aria.”

— Star Tribune, September 2015

“Soprano Erin Morley steals the show . . . Morley has a bright, vibrant coloratura — she must be an awesome Olympia in ‘Tales of Hoffmann’ — and brings a depth to the role, with gesture and glance, that suggests much more is going on inside Zerbinetta than meets the eye. As she famously says, ‘A moment is nothing, a glance is everything.'”

— Post Bulletin, Oct 2015

“Erin Morley’s shimmering rendering of the brief Mater Gloriosa passage was a highlight.”

— Wall Street Journal, August 2015

“The soprano Erin Morley joined the orchestra for two concert arias, “Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!” and “No, che non sei capace,” that showed off the silken clarity of her voice and the needlepoint precision of her coloratura. The first of the two arias is essentially a duet with a solo oboe, here played with deep expression by the orchestra’s principal oboist, Randal Ellis. Ms. Morley produced a wonderfully floating pianissimo sound in this monologue of a woman condemned to weep in silence as the object of her affections is promised to another. Even her most exposed high notes had a quality of contained stillness.”

— The New York Times, July 2015

“Resplendent in red, Morley opened the second half with two arias commissioned from Mozart by his sister-in-law Aloysia Lange for her performance of Pasquale Anfossi’s Il curioso discreto in 1783. Slowly swaying to the music, Morley gave an almost remorseful reading of “Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio,” a song of a woman rejecting the advances of a suitor because she is already engaged, almost anchored by the weight of the emotion in the aria. “No, che non sei capace” found the same character responding to charges of adultery, and Morley deftly delivered the extreme arpeggios with a restrained anger.”

— New York Classical Review, July 2015

“Luxuriously, Langrée showcased a second stellar soloist, the stratospheric soprano Erin Morley. She enriched a pair of super-daunting concert arias with limpid tone, deceptively easy fioriture and fierce theatricality.”

— Financial Times, July 2015

“Ein ideales Liebespaar: “Octavian Rofrano” Elina Garanca und “Sophie” Erin Morley … Schon lange hat man an der Staatsoper im“Rosenkavalier” kein so ideales Sängerensemble erlebt, bei dem Stimmqualitäten, Timbres, kunstvoll gesetzte Ausdrucksmomente, delikates Spiel und nicht zuletzt das attraktive Aussehen der Damen so eindrucksvoll zusammenstimmten … Und Erin Morley: Sie ist eine bezaubernd frische Sophie voll Wärme und Glanz im Sopran und mit köstlichem Spiel. Wunderbar die Innigkeit des Terzetts im 3. Akt.”

(“An ideal couple,“Octavian Rofrano” Elina Garanca and “Sophie” Erin Morley … It has been long since we have experience at the State Opera in“Der Rosenkavalier” such a perfect ensemble of singers, by their vocal qualities, timbres, artfully placed moments of expression, delicate acting, and not least the attractive appearance of the ladies, so impressively combined … And Erin Morley: She is a charming fresh Sophie full of warmth and shimmer in her soprano, with delicious acting. The intimacy of the trio in Act 3 was wonderful.”)

— Kronen Zeitung, April 2015

“Dass sich Octavian in die für Wien neue Sophie von Erin Morley verschaut, wundert nicht weiter. Sie ist ein auch optisch entzückendes Neureichentöchterl, das seinen silbrig schwirrenden Sopran goldrichtig einzusetzan weiß.”

(“That Octavian looks at the new-to-Vienna Sophie Erin Morley is no surprise. She is a visually delightful nouveau-riche daughter, who knows how to use her whirring, silvery soprano spot on.”)

— Die Presse, April 2015

“Als dessen Tochter Sophie mischt Erin Morley eine perfekte Jungmädchenidealisierung stimmlich und darstellerisch mit funkelnd herzhaftern Aufbegehren.”

(“As his daughter Sophie, Erin Morley mixed a perfect idealization of a young girl with sparkling hearty rebellion, vocally and dramatically.”)

— Der Standard, April 2015

“Über Erin Morleys Debüt als Sophie lässt sich nur das Beste sagen.”

(“One can only say the best about Erin Morley’s debut as Sophie.”)

— News.at, April 2015

“Erin Morley, a house favorite, sang the role of Olympia with absolute security, and apparently absolute confidence. Morley didn’t use much vocal color in communicating, but although her song appeared more like that of an automaton than sometimes, her actions appeared so far less. And this choice—Morley’s own, I suspect, since I don’t remember it from previous iterations—was one I found intriguing and satisfactorily unsettling. An Olympia whose actions parody flirtation is not only a more comprehensible object of desire for Hoffmann, but a more trenchant commentary on the society which sits amused by the spectacle.”

— Opera Obsession, March 2015

“As the wind-up robotic doll Olympia, Hoffmann’s ideal woman No. 1, young coloratura soprano Erin Morley approached the role with a great sense of humor and comic timing along with devastatingly accurate top notes as she sang ‘Hoffmann’s’ most memorable party piece, ‘Les oiseaux dans la charmille’.”

— Communities Digital News, February 2015

“As the frigid doll Olympia, Erin Morley was inhuman in more ways than one. Her physicality as the doll was spot on, but what really sold her performance of this artificial creation was her voice soaring to Olympian heights … She was fearlesss as she consistently climbed higher and higher into the soprano register, reaching heights that few before and few after will be able to tackle with such ease. Each roulade was delivered with crispness and uncanny facility. It was absolute perfection.”

— Latin Post, February 2015

“The soprano Erin Morley was a remarkable Olympia, bringing rounded tone, dynamic variety and dramatic flair—showing both humor and pathos—to a literally robotic role often cast solely for facility with stratospheric high notes.”

— The New York Times, January 2015

“In the hands of a true coloratura, the “Doll Song” can become an operatic mini-event of its own, with elaborate ornamentation shooting up into the stratosphere (leading some sourpuss conductors to insist the aria be performed exactly as printed). Erin Morley is such a soprano, and Yves Abel is apparently the sort of conductor inclined to say ‘Go to town!’ Morley’s performance was one of those wonderful occasions marked by what seems like a constant giggle from the audience, evoked as much at the sheer, joyous absurdity of the vocal gymnastics as at the comedy of the dramatic scenario. In the second verse she climbed the ladder at every turn, barely missing a rung—her coloratura rippled, and each note that she snatched off the ceiling landed like a flashbulb. All this while maintaining a candied tone and affecting the nightmarish pink cutesiness of Sher’s conception.”

— New York Classical Review, January 2015

“The wacky Olympia of Erin Morley is a lesson in acting, both vocally and physically, and her spotless coloratura, up to a perfectly placed squeak of an A flat above high C, delighted the audience.”

— Bachtrack, January 2015

“Erin Morley turns in a small tour de force as Olympia with the doll’s song ‘Les oiseaux dans la charmille,’ her robotic gesturing and collapsing to the floor perfectly timed to the tempo.”

— Huffington Post, January 2015

“Erin Morley contributes a sassy-saucy coloratura caricature as Olympia.”

— Financial Times, January 2015

“Die amerikanische Sopranistin Erin Morley feierte ihr Österreich-Debüt und bewies nicht nur angesichts der unerwarteten “Soloeinlage” Nervenstärke. Vor allern singt sie die Gilda mit blühend schöner Koloraturstimme, deren Timbre bis in die höchsten Koloraturhöhen wohlgerundet und ohne jede Schärfe bleibt. Die Todesszene phrasiert sie berührend zart und mit innigem Ausdruck.”

“(American soprano Erin Morley celebrated her Austrian debut and proved herself, not only because of her unexpected “solo insert” and nerves of steel. Above all, she sings Gilda with a blooming, beautiful coloratura voice whose timbre rounds up to the highest coloratura heights and remains without sharpness. The death scene she phrased tenderly and touchingly, and with heartfelt expression.”)

— Die Presse, December 2014

“[Gilda] is beautifully portrayed — impetuous and sensitive — by Erin Morley, who sings the role with poise, emotion and temperament (‘Caro nome’ is a poignant triumph for her).”

— Classical Source, December 2014

“…die Sopranistin genas rechtzeitig und bot bei ihrem Hausdebüt eine makellose, liebens-und erinnernswerte Gilda. Federleicht in den Koloraturen, mit zart-gleißendem Timbre und wundervollen Decrescendi schilderte die US-Amerikanerin das Schicksal dieser Tochter eines Helikopter-Vaters, die sich als gelernte Katholikin zum Schluss für ihren Verlführer aufopfert: Brava.”

(“[Erin Morley] offered at her house debut a flawless, likable and memorable Gilda. Light as a feather in the coloratura, with delicately glistening timbre and wonderful decrescendo, the American portrayed the fate of this daughter of a helicopter father who sacrifices herself like a learned Catholic at the end for her seducer: Brava.”)

— Der Standard, December 2014

“Deren Unschuld treibt im makellosen Sopran von Erin Morley wunderbar helle Blüten.”

(“[Gilda’s] innocence produces a wonderfully bright bloom in the flawless soprano of Erin Morley.”)

— Wiener Zeitung, December 2014

“Adellina Vocedoro-Gambalunghi, sung by Erin Morley, arguably won the competition with her hysterical coloratura; she was all the more moving when she subsequently reappeared as the Nightingale, raptly singing the most ethereal of melodies.”

— Opera News, November 2014

“Erin Morley was an exquisite Nightingale.”

— Wall Street Journal, August 2014

“The star of the evening in both the Impresario and Le Rossignol was coloratura soprano Erin Morley. She made us laugh at Adellina Vocedoro-Gambalunghi and brought tears to our eyes as the once banished nightingale that returned to sing because the emperor longed for her presence. In both operas, her singing was pure silver as her voice rose to rarely heard heights.”

— Opera Today, August 2014

“Coloratura soprano Erin Morley was outstanding in the title role, with laser-like intonation on the bird’s staccato descending lines and many chromatic detours, even when she was suspended in the air on a sort of flying platform.”

— The Classical Review, August 2014

“But clearly, the star turn in this program’s second half belonged to Soprano Erin Morley. In the most silvery and sweetest of tones, she delivered Stravinsky’s ravishing music with a dreamy elegance that added a palpable magic to the story whenever she appeared. Her performance was memorably, intensely affecting and remained as a presence long after the opera had concluded.”

— Communities Digital News, August 2014

“Erin Morley sings the rival soprano with enormous aplomb … Morley sings the Nightingale peerlessly … This SFO production … succeeds entirely in one vital element. The voice of the Nightingale. Erin Morley in a could-be Paul Poiret gown. The real thing.”

— Santa Fe Reporter, July 2014

“Erin Morley, whose calculating demeanor at the audition would have won her the role of the Nightingale even if her voice had not (but, boy, did it ever) … Morley gave a top-flight performance of international stature, her voice elegantly tracing the terrors of Mozart’s high-flying coloratura (in the role Impresario traditionalists know as Mademoiselle Silberklang) and imbuing the Nightingale’s appearances with nuanced delicacy and poignant tenderness.”

— Santa Fe New Mexican, July 2014

“‘Le Rossignol’ — in English ‘The Nightingale’ — is a somber delight, powered by soprano Erin Morley, who sings the part of the feathered creature who enchants, and teaches life lessons to, a long-ago Chinese emperor. Her soprano is sweet, and not at all bird-like. It resonates with human depth and emotional clarity and exploits with richness all of Stravinsky’s sharp and dissonant moments.”

— Denver Post, July 2014

“La Konstanze, Erin Morley, a tout ce qu’il faut, agilités, suraigu et même trille pour ses airs terrifiants de virtuosité.”

(“The Konstanze, Erin Morley, has everything that is required: agility, extreme top range and even a trill for the terrifying virtuosity of her arias.”)

— L’oeil et L’oreille par André Tubeuf, October 2014

“Le timbre magnifique de Belmonte (alias Bernard Richter) qui ne fait que se farriner du “Konstanze! Konstanze! dich wieder zu sehen” au bouleversant “Ich baue ganz auf deine Stärke”, ainsi que la maestria de Erin Morley (alias Konstanze) dès “Ach ich liebte, war so glücklich” et royale avant le tombé de rideau de l’entrancte (“Marten aller Arten”) permettent vraiment aux personnages de nous faire vibrer. Si la tension monte et culmine avec l’incroyable quatuor “Ach Belmonte! Ach, mein Leben”, c’est bien le duo “Welch ein Geschick !” entre Richter et Morley qui crée le moment de grâce.”

(“The beautiful tone of Belmonte (Bernard Richter), which only gets more refined from “Konstanze! Konstanze! dich wieder zu sehen”, to the deeply moving “Ich baue ganz auf deine Stärke,” as well as the mastery of Erin Morley (Konstanze) in “Ach Ich liebte, war so glücklich” and the royal fall of the curtain before the intermission (“Marten aller Arten”) really allow the characters to make us vibrate. If the tension rises and culminates with the incredible quartet “Ach, Belmonte! Ach, mein Leben”, it is indeed the duo “Welch ein Geshick!”, with Richter and Morley, which creates the moment of grace.”

— Toute la Culture, October 2014

“La Constance d’Erin Morley maîtrise ses redoutables vocalises et darde des aigus lumineux.”

(“Erin Morley’s Konstanze masters the formidable coloratura and flashes a luminous top range.”)

— La Croix, October 2014

“Erin Morley’s Konstanze turns on the magic with her heavenly top register in “Marten aller Arten”.”

— Financial Times, October 2014

“Die lyrischen Qualitäten von Erin Morleys Sopran ermöglichen eine menschliche Durchdringung des tönenden Charakterbilds, dem die halsbrecherischen Koloratureffekte nur als eines von vielen Ausdrucksmitteln dienen. Sie sind nicht, wie bei vielen Interprettinnen dieser Partie, der Hauptzweck. Deshalb überzeugt Morley nicht nur in der — als “Finale !” fungierenden — “Marternarie”, sondern bereits in der heiklen Auftrittsarie, die sie als vielgestaltiges Charakterporträt anlegt.”

“(The lyrical qualiities of Erin Morley’s soprano give a human side to the vocal interpretation; they offer the breakneck coloratura effects only as one of many means of expression. They are not, as with many interpreters of this role, the main purpose. Thus Morley is convincing not only in the “torture aria” — which acts as the Act I finale — but from the very beginning in the delicate opening aria, which she turns into a multifaceted portrait of her character.”

— Die Presse, October 2014

“Eine wirkliche Gilda-Sensation an seiner Seite bietet Erin Morley. Hörbar von Strauss und Wagner kommend, brilliert die zarte Amerikanerin durch spielerisch geführte, nuancierte Höhe, die ihr bald eine Lucia einbringen könnte. Darstellerisch überzeugt ihre unsichere, aufblühende Mädcheninterpretation, die durch die Untreue des Duca sichtbar zerbrochen wird. Hoffentlich kehrt Morley als Waldvogel oder Sophie an die Staatsoper zurück.”

(“At his side Erin Morley offers a genuine Gilda sensation. With an obvious background in Strauss and Wagner, this delicate American singer shines with her deeply nuanced and easily executed high tones which could soon bring her an engagement as a Lucia. She impresses with her convincing portrayal of an unsure, blossoming maiden who is visibly broken by the Duca’s adultery. Hopefully Morley with soon return to the Staatsoper as Waldvogel or Sophie.”)

— OpernNetz.de, May 2014

“So waren es also vor allem Franco Vassallo und Erin Morley, die den Abend retteten … [Vassallos] Timbre harmonierte außerdem wunderbar mit dem hellen, sicher geführten, durchdringenden, aber nie scharfen Sopran von Erin Morley, die Rigolettos Tochter Gilda gab. Ihr Schluss-Duett berührte.”

(“In the end Franco Vassallo and Erin Morley were the ones to save the evening … Vassallo’s timbre also harmonizes wonderfully with the crystal clear, securely executed, penetrating but never shrill soprano of Erin Morley, who performed the role of Rigoletto’s daughter gilda. Their final duet was very moving.”)

— LiveKritik.de, May 2014

“Erin Morley, enfin, qu’on a depuis revue en Konstanze à Paris, est une jardinière enchanteresse, à la ligne impeccable, aussi convaincante dans la comédie que dans les scènes plus graves, et qui sera sans doute dans un an une Sophie de rève dans la reprise du Rosenkavalier à Bastille.”

(“Erin Morley, who we last reviewed as Konstanze in Paris, is an enchanting ‘giardiniera,’ with an impeccable line, as convincing in the comedy as in the more serious scenes, and who will undoubtedly be a dream Sophie in the revival of Der Rosenkavalier at the Bastille next year.”)

— Forum Opera, May 2015

“Erin Morley incarne une Sandrina/Violante touchante et d’une noblesse raffinée, déployant sans effort une virtuosité brillante.”

(“Erin Morley embodies a Sandrina/Violante both touching and of refined nobility, effortlessly displaying brilliant virtuosity.”)

— La Montagne, Opéra Magazine, May 2014

“Sa marquise a les plus charmants attraits, ceux de la soprano américaine Erin Morley, si musicienne et légère à souhait dans sa cavatine en apesanteur Geme la tortorella : vivement sa Konstanze (L’Enlèvement au sérail), l’automne prochain, à l’Opéra de Paris!”

(“[The] Marquise has the most charming features, those of American soprano Erin Morley, who delights us with her musicianship and lightness of touch in her cavatina “Geme la tortorella” that seems to float mid-air: we cannot wait for her Konstanze (The Abduction from the Seraglio) next fall at the Paris Opera!”)

— Diapason Magazine, March 2014

“Merveille de chant pur, la Sandrina d’Erin Morley s’ouvre en corolle et s’irise dans un augu en état de grâce — de quoi se réjouir de retrouver la jeune soprano dès octobre prochain au Palais Garnier en Konstanze de l’Enlèvement au sérail, et même d’en être impatient.”

(“A miracle of pure singing, Erin Morley’s Sandrina looms and shimmers with her high range in a state of grace — this makes us look forward to seeing this young soprano again next October as Konstanze in “The Abduction from the Seraglio” at the Palais Garnier and even feel rather impatient about it.”)

— Altamusica.com, March 2014

“C’est une ” fausse jardinière ” mais un véritable rossignol. La jeune soprano Erin Morley, avec sa voix adorable, sa musicalité délicate et sa vivacité de comédienne, a survolé tel un oiseau la nouvelle production lilloise de La Finta Giardiniera de Mozart.”

(“She is a ‘false gardener’ but a true nightingale. The young soprano Erin Morley, with her sweet voice, her delicate musicality and the vivacity of actress, flew like a bird in the new Lille production of Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera.”)

— La Croix, March 2014

“La fraîcheur et la plénitude d’Erin Morley (Sandrina-Violante) le disputent à sa grande pureté d’émission et une maîtrise technique éblouissante, tour-à-tour drôle, espiègle, superficielle, émouvante. De l’émotion vraie de ” Geme la tortorella ” au pathétique de ” Crudeli, fermate ” et au désespoir de ” Ah ! Dal pianto “, tout est réussi avec brio.”

(“The freshness and fullness of Erin Morley’s Sandrina (Violante) vie with her great purity of sound and dazzling technical mastery; funny turn by turn, playful, superficial, moving. From the true emotion of ‘Geme la tortorella,’ to the pathos of ‘Crudeli, fermate,’ to the despair of ‘Ah, dal pianto,’ everything succeeded with flying colors.)

— ForumOpera.com, April 2013

“Soprano Erin Morley, the evening’s Sophie, had her biggest assignment to date from the company and she can view it as a major success. Her acting was assured, her top notes were free and her voice was big enough to fill the house. A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Morley was charming and moving last year in LES DIALOGUES DES CARMELITES. In the Met’s concert in Central Park last summer, she also proved to be a delightful and formidable performer, delivering a wonderful ‘Presentation of the Rose’ scene with mezzo Isabel Leonard. She brought all those qualities to this ROSENKAVALIER and she should have a long career at the house.”

— BroadwayWorld.com, November 2013

“…and the limpid, fluid soprano of Erin Morley, who stepped into the role of Sophie when Mojca Erdmann fell ill, with a thoroughly confident and rounded portrayal of the girl who is innocent but strong-willed and morally incorruptible.”

— The New York Times, November 2013

“…the talented American soprano Erin Morley admirably stepped in with youth and a natural innocence matched by a sweet voice that enlivened every scene in which she appeared.”

— New York Classical Review, November 2013

“It is hard to believe that Erin Morley only stepped into this role last week. She played Sophie with a keen edge, a young innocent who would tolerate no abuse from either Baron Ochs or the bed-hopping Octavian. She played the Act III part perfectly, with anger, caution and finally passion as she realized that her new bond with Octavian could possibly become permanent.”

— Super Conductor Classical and Opera Blog (Paul Pelkonen), November 2013

“Ms. Morley’s deliciously comical and vocally unassailable performance of Offenbach’s windup-doll aria was one of the highlights in the program that ranged from Mozart to Bernstein.”

— The New York Times, July 2013

“The evening’s knockout performance was delivered by Morley: ‘Les oiseaux dans la charmille’ — better known as the doll Olympia’s aria from LES CONTES D’HOFFMAN by Offenbach. In the evening’s only bit of staging, she was wheeled out on a dolly and set up to perform. And perform she did; the stratosphere held no fears for her. (Were those high E’s or G’s I heard?) She also made strong impressions in an excerpt (“Sulla tomba…”) from Donizetti’s LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR (With Costello) and in “Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren,” the Presentation of the Rose scene, from Strauss’s DER ROSENKAVALIER (with Leonard).”

— BroadwayWorld.com, July 2013

“Erin Morley was an ideal Soeur Constance, not just because of the dewiness of her leggiero soprano but because of the alertness of her musical response. The decisive attack that Morley brought to Constance’s many upward leaps suggested the quickened heartbeat of extreme youth.”

— Opera News, July 2013

“The whole cast is excellent, especially the sweet soprano Erin Morley as the chatterbox Sister Constance and the veteran mezzo-soprano Felicity Palmer as the old and ailing Prioress…”

— The New York Times (weekly listings), May 2013

“Her tone pearly and bright, her manner blithe yet shot through with underlying gravity, Erin Morley as sister Constance was the vocal star of Saturday’s Dialogues; her voice and Leonard’s blended and intertwined to exquisite effect in the prayers for the dead in the first scene of Act II.”

— The Classical Review, May 2013

“The lovely lyric soprano Erin Morley is wonderful in the role.”

— The New York Times, May 2013

“[Leonard’s] voice contrasted nicely with the light soprano of Erin Morley, who was captivating as Sister Constance, the cheerful country girl who comforts Blanche.”

— Wall Street Journal, May 2013

“Erin Morley stunned. She has a lovely, full voice, and can sustain marvelously. “In trutina mentis dubia” was wonderfully intimate. She stands still and focuses on her singing, which is not to say that she can’t act: There was doubt, desire, and anticipation in her facial expression. There was all of that and far more in her vocal expression … Her upper register is miraculously clear without piercing, and volume is very obviously not a problem for her. A four thousand-seat voice? Perhaps.”

— The New Criterion, February 2013

“La otra protagonista fue la soprano norteamericana Erin Morley, en el papel de Gilda, la hija ultrajada de Rigoletto, con una voz llena de matices que se expresó con toda su amplitud en la poética aria de ‘Caro nome’.”

(“The other protagonist was the American soprano Erin Morley, in the role of Gilda, Rigoletto’s outraged daughter, with a voice full of nuances that were expressed in all their breadth in the poetic aria ‘Caro nome’.”)

— El Mundo, November 2012

“Erin Morley floats Roxana’s song with great vocal and physical allure.”

— Chicago Tribune, August 2012

“[Kwiecien’s] Roxana was handsomely sung by the soprano Erin Morley who brought silvery beauty to her aria.”

— Opera Today, August 2012

“The soprano Erin Morley, an endearing Roxana, sings with lovely, penetrating sound, capturing the wistful tenderness of the beautiful queen.”

— New York Times, July 2012

“But perhaps the biggest scene-stealer of the night was the bright, warm soprano of Erin Morley who sings Roxana, Roger’s queen. She pierces through all of the male voices and big orchestration but never with a bluent disservice to the whole. She’s as seductive as anything in this opera about giving oneself over to the sensual world.”

— Out West Arts, July 2012

“What made the evening stand out was the trio of soloists. Erin Morley bore the incandescence of a Disney princess circa the days of Snow White or Sleeping Beauty, imbuing the delicate ‘In trutina’ with a heartbreaking sense of desire and trepidation. Her subsequent ‘Dulcissime,’ a work with very little orchestral backup that allows the soprano to shine with dizzying coloratura and arpeggios, captured the sense of ignited passion.”

— Operavore, June 2012

“…She offered delicate phrasing, clear, comprehensible German and a lustrous soprano as bewitching as her iridescent violet gown. It’s an uncommonly pretty sound, particularly rich in the upper middle register — not necessarily what one would expect from a high-flying lyric coloratura. She continued with two songs by Rossini, “Mi lagnerò tacendo” and “La fioraja fiorentina.” The former revealed hints of a stage-worthy sense of Italianate drama. The latter showcased Morley’s delicious, skittering coloratura and a kittenish, playful demeanor…”

— Opera News, May 2012

“As Phaedo, Ms. Morley was particularly distinctive in the long monologue abou Socrates’ death; she sang with poise and silvery tone, the understated orchestral music and lilting vocal lines reflecting Socrates’ calm and dignity. Ms. Morley was also heard to fine effect in Webern’s Four Songs (Op. 12), which opened the program, sensitively accompanied by Ken Noda.”

— The New York Times, November 2010

“Morley, in particular, had the grueling final section all to herself, a monologue longer than the first two sections combined. Morley also began the afternoon, with the superb pianist Ken Noda, in Webern’s Four Songs for Voice and Piano. Her clarity and nuance, coupled with Noda’s alert keyboard work, turned these tiny gems into an unusual, crystalline appetizer for the Satie.”

— MusicWeb International, November 2010

“The bright-voiced soprano Erin Morley was a bewitching soloist in ‘Lulu’s Song’…”

— New York Times, May 2010

“Erin Morley began ‘Lulu’s Song’ with a deceptively light voice whose sudden shifts from innocence to haughtiness and back underscored one of the most prominent conflicts within Lulu’s character.”

— Classical Source, May 2010

“Erin Morley — as a girl praying in vocalise and Kovalyov’s potential fiancée — offered the loveliest sounds of this rewarding evening.”

— Opera News, June 2010

“Soprano Erin Morley spun out shimmering phrases as a cathedral soloist and Kovalyov’s fiancée.”

— New York Post, March 2010

“The standout was Erin Morley’s fresh-voiced, dazzlingly agile Marguerite de Valois, a lovely apparition in some of Mattie Ullrich’s best and most flamboyant costumes … She phrased her lines beautifully and tossed off high E flats and Fs like nobody’s business.”

— Opera News, November 2009

“In the relatively small but showy part of Queen Marguerite de Valois, the soprano Erin Morley was a fount of trills and perfectly-turned staccato runs going up to top Es and Fs. She clearly possesses a dramatic sense that, if all goes well, will lead her to the bel canto heroines.”

— Opera Magazine (UK), November 2009

“Queen Marguerite — a role sung by Joan Sutherland on a landmark 1969 recording, conducted by Richard Bonynge — was sung here by Erin Morley, a coloratura soprano who combined earthy sound and agile technique in a formidable performance.”

— New York Times, August 2009

“Soprano Erin Morley was a spectacular Marguerite (once a Joan Sutherland signature role), navigating the extreme coloratura and the mix of dignity and coquettishness with great flair.”

— Wall Street Journal, August 2009

“La Valentine vaillante d’Alexandra Deshorties, le piquant Urbain de Marie Lenormand et la rêveuse Marguerite de Valois d’Erin Morley sont parfaites, de langue, de style, de présence.”

(“The valiant Valentine of Deshorties, the spicy Urbain of Lenormand, and the dream-like Marguerite de Valois of Erin Morley were perfect, in language, in style, in presence.”)

— Le Monde (France), August 2009

“Erin Morley trilled and dithered like a born diva.”

— New York Post, August 2009

“…her Mozart, Rossini and Poulenc displayed (respectively) a mastery of legato, fluency and an extensive upper range, and (in this bright voice) a mellow beauty of gentle tone. The Rachmaninov songs which followed summed up all these gifts and skills together with an ability to hold the audience in rapt attention.”

— Opera Now (UK), November/December 2009

“I thought [Erin] was wonderful, with the kind of technique that can do pretty much anything, and a basic vocal quality that tends to the sobrettish, but with plenty of tonal flesh to warm things up. Indeed, she invited comparisons for me with the young Anna Netrebko, whom I first remember hearing here live in the mid 1990s singing Mussorgsky’s Nursery Suite, two of the funniest songs of which — ‘The Nanny’ and ‘The Beetle’ — Ms. Morley ventured as her opening items. I cannot judge the excellence or otherwise of her Russian, but I most certainly salute her unique inclusion of it, and regard her performance of Rachmaninov’s ‘Dream’ as one of the finest assumptions heard all night; that, and the exquisite simplicity with which she delivered Mozart’s coolly doleful ‘Abendempfindung’ involving a degree of control Kathleen Battle might have envied.”

— Opera Brittania, September 2009

“Ms. Morley was dazzling in ‘Oh Quante Volte’ from Bellini’s ‘Capuleti e i Montecchi.'”

— New York Times, August 2009