“... the music just pours out of her.”
    — The Orange County Register

 

“One does not just listen to Nicole Cabell with pleasure; she is also a joy to behold.”
    — Berliner Morgenpost

Photo © Marc Ginot / Opéra National de Montpellier

As Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore, Opéra National de Montpellier, November 2006

  more photos

“... a golden, creamy, evenly gauged voice from top to bottom; the music just pours out of her.”
    — The Orange County
       Register

“Cabell is now one of the most exciting lyric sopranos to grace the world’s concert halls.”
     — Chicago Magazine

“When Cabell opened that great smiling mouth, what we heard was liquid gold ... she was spellbinding ...”
    — The Times

“... the kind of star quality, and best of all the vocal resources, that bodes well for a long and successful international career.”
    — Chicago Daily Herald

“... a bright, expressive voice, as well as strong acting skills.”
    — Baltimore Sun

“Her sound was delicate and agile, her phrasing intelligent and secure, and her stage manner touching.”
    — Bloomberg

“One does not just listen to Nicole Cabell with pleasure; she is also a joy to behold.”
    — Berliner Morgenpost

Press acclaim for Nicole Cabell

2009

 As the Soprano Solo in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Chicago Symphony:

“Nicole Cabell, the radiant soprano soloist in the final movement, described the delights of paradise with an apt sense of childlike wonderment.”
    — John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, December 5, 2009

 As Juliette in Romeo et Juliette with the New Orleans Opera:

“Soprano Nicole Cabell, making her New Orleans debut, was the lovely and idiomatic Juliette. A fine actress, Cabell was completely believable as the young girl of Verona. Vocally, the role held no terrors for the soprano who tossed off a light and sparkling ‘Je veux vivre’ and a dramatically thrilling ‘Amour, ranime mon courage.’ Cabell’s captivating soft grained vocal quality blended well with that of Groves and their duets were among the evening's many vocal pleasures.”
    — George Dansker, Opera News, March 2010

“Making her New Orleans debut, soprano Cabell is a lovely Juliette with a rich, warm voice. She won over the audience from the outset, handling Juliette’s famous waltz aria, with all its technical challenges, with a fearless bravado. In her expansive coloratura runs, there is a clarion, bell-like tone, but one that also is darker and velvety smooth, adding a depth and power that signals even greater roles for her future. Cabell is no soubrette simply spreading her wings with this role.”
    — Ted Mahne, Times-Picayune, November 21, 2009

 As the Soprano Solo in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Singapore Symphony:

“The vocal soloists were also excellent. Blame Mahler for scoring so little for the soprano, for Nicole Cabell’s diamond-like voice emerged from and shone through the choral firmament laser-like, one of many moments to die for.”
    — Tou Liang Chang, Straits Times, September 21, 2009

 As the Soprano Solo in Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with the Edinburgh Festival:

“Nicole Cabell’s warm soprano soared gloriously above Steal Away.”
    — Sarah Irwin Jones, The Times, September 2, 2009

 In a Venetian Night Concert with the Grant Park Music Festival:

“The program shone the spotlight on two compelling young singers -- tenor Russell Thomas and soprano Nicole Cabell, an alumna of Lyric's training program who is forging a stellar international career for herself. They took center stage with the Grant Park Orchestra led by Spanish conductor Juanjo Mena in a rousing concert of arias from Gounod's ‘Faust'’ and ‘Romeo et Juliette,’ Donizetti's ‘The Elixir of Love,'’ Puccini's ‘La Bohème'’ and Verdi's ‘La Traviata.’
    “Chicago opera lovers knew Cabell was a talent to watch from her earliest days at Lyric's training program, where she was in residence from 2002 to 2005. She has returned to Lyric in starring roles since then, and Saturday's concert offered a preview of what audiences will be hearing when she takes the Civic Opera House stage in January for five performances as Adina in ‘Elixir of Love.’
    “Cabell's soprano has a rich luster, and her seamless phrasing brings unusual depth and elegance to the characters she portrays. In the duet ‘Una parola, O Adina,'’ from ‘Elixir,’ she had no trouble fending off Nemorino's unwelcome attention with gusts of high-flying, ornamented melody. But this Adina was not merely a flighty flirt. The dark undercurrent in Cabell's singing conveyed a thoughtfulness that made the capricious young woman endearingly human. In the duet ‘Va! Je t'ai pardonné’ from Gounod's ‘Romeo et Juliette,’ her sumptuous tone conveyed all the passion and terror of young love.”
    — Wynne Delacoma, Chicago Sun-Times, July 27, 2009

“Cabell and Thomas prove a charismatic operatic duo at Grant Park
    “Saturday’s audience also was especially eager to hear one of the evening’s two soloists, soprano Nicole Cabell. A Chicago favorite since her days in Lyric Opera’s training program from 2002 to 2005, Cabell won the prestigious BCC Singer of the World Competition in Cardiff, Wales, in 2005 and her career has soared. Chicagoans caught their first glimpses of Cabell as a shrewdly wide-eyed Barbarina in Lyric’s 2003 production of The Marriage of Figaro and her comically commanding Rooster in Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen’ in 2004. More recently she has returned to Lyric in leading roles: Musetta in 2007, Leila in The Pearl Fishers in 2008 and, next season, Adina in The Elixir of Love.
    “Cabell’s lustrous soprano is strong and supple, with a hint of dark shadow in its depths. She is a sophisticated performer in the very best sense, finding just the right balance of passion and impeccable phrasing. A tall, slim beauty with an expressive face, she was equally convincing as the wily Adina, headstrong Rosina, shy Mimi and teen-aged Juliette.
    “Her evening got off to a distracting start, when a brief, noisy rain shower descended during the Jewel Song from Gounod’s Faust. She managed to keep her cool, however, swirling through Marguerite’s delighted flights while the audience scrambled for umbrellas.
    “As the cool-headed Rosina, Cabell brought irresistible charm to Una voce poco fa from The Barber of Seville. Nonchalantly navigating Rossini’s perilous climbs and precipitous drops, she was the very image of a self-possessed woman who knows exactly what she wants and is well on the way to getting it.
    “Fine as Cabell and Thomas were in their solo arias, their duets were even more engaging. Thomas is a large man, but he brought a touching youthfulness to his moments on stage with Cabell. Seeming to hang on her every word and gesture, he was intimately responsive, a young man longing to remain beside his beloved.
    “The romantic interplay was sweeter though no less intense in the arias and duet for Mimi and Rodolfo from Act I of La boheme. Cabell was a thoughtful Mimi. Her description of life as a young seamstress in a Parisian garret carried a sense of weight and wisdom. Thomas sent the audience into a frenzy with his ringing, open-throated top notes in Che gelida manina.
    “This was sumptuous singing, and Mena drew equally full-bodied playing from the Grant Park Orchestra.”
    — Wynne Delacoma, Chicago Classical Review, July 26, 2009

 As Clara in Porgy and Bess at the Hollywood Bowl:

“A concert performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic of ‘Porgy and Bess’ began at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday night as the opera always does, with ‘Summertime.’ Nicole Cabell sang the lullaby with full voice and fine emotion.”
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, July 20, 2009

 In a Concert of American Crossover Music at the Rheingau Festival:

“The gala concert took place on a high-tech stage at the Cuvéehof, in front of a sold-out audience seated in tightly-spaced rows. The MC Herbert Feuerstein introduced his American star Nicole Cabell, along with the musicians of the German State Philharmonic of Rhineland-Palatinate and their Finnish conductor Ari Rasilainen. Nicole Cabell, as Feuerstein quotes the New York Times, possesses a voice ‘of liquid gold’. She can enthrall audiences at London’s Royal Opera House Covent Garden as well as at the Opéra de Montpellier. For many of her listeners at the Festival, her singing literally got under their skin. Feuerstein believes that the young California-born beauty is on her way to taking the international music scene by storm. The proof is that in 2005 she won in Cardiff the ‘Singer of the World’ award followed by the ‘Echo Klassik’ in Germany. She sings with commitment and much feeling the song ‘I Got Rhythm’, from the early Gershwin musical ‘Girl Crazy’. The concert takes it title from this catchy tune.
    “In the happy and relaxed atmosphere of such an incredibly beautiful summer night, these medleys from musicals from the first half of the 20^th century work wonders: Cole Porter songs like ‘So in Love” from ‘Kiss Me Kate’, Gershwin’s ubiquitous ‘Summertime’ or Bernstein’s ‘I Feel Pretty’ from ‘West Side Story’ truly melt all hearts.”
    — Ingeborg Toth, Wiesbadener Kurier, July 7, 2009

 As the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Cincinnati Opera:

“Cabell made an elegant Countess, in her role and company debut. She effortlessly projected an aura of resignation with occasional bursts of fire, displaying a voice of richness and enormous beauty. Her deeply felt “Dove sono” was a showstopping moment, in which she conveyed her suffering and hope with believable emotion, performing alone onstage amid glowing lighting.”
    — Janelle Gelfand, Cincinnati Enquirer, June 12, 2009

“The Almavivas were the opera’s stars. Nicole Cabell sang the Countess with much vocal richness, delicately delineating the long lines of her two arias.”
    — Charles H. Parsons, Opera, November 2009

“Stars of the show were Nicole Cabell's Countess and Teddy Tahu Rhodes's Count. Cabell's sensuous, dark soprano voice flowed with ease, delicately delineating the long lines of her two arias while projecting a gently restrained radiant personality weighed down with sorrow.”
    — Charles H. Parsons, Opera News, September 2009

“The Count and Countess, soprano Nicole Cabell and baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes, made an imposing couple. Cabell possessed the evening’s most beautiful voice, showcased most affectingly in the Countess’ grieving ‘Porgi amor’ (act two) and ‘Dove sono’ (act three).”
    — Mary Ellyn Hutton, Music in Cincinnati, June 12, 2009

 In an Opera Arias Concert at the Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen:

“The new diva gave it her all
“The American diva Nicole Cabell lived up to her reputation as the singing sensation of tomorrow.
    “Her neck was covered with sparkling jewelry and her hemline was dangerously high - and yet she managed to keep the audience focused on her singing throughout her debut concert. Prior to her arrival, there had been great speculation over her unusually beautiful singing and her charm, and she brought a really brilliant program to the Tivoli Concert Hall.
    “Immediately captivating
    “Cabell showed from the first note that she was gifted with an easily recognizable voice, which was soon on fire. There is a very thin dark coloring over her clear, rich voice - a sound that possesses both mystery and sweetness at the same time and that could be diminished to a thread or expanded to fill the huge hall. She began with Mozart’s Donna Elvira and ended with German romanticism, and offered everything in-between, with richness and personality.
    “Complex personality
    “Cabell's great potential is rooted both in the original beauty of her voice and in her complex personality as an artist. Her attractive appearance, made of African-American and Asian roots, was the perfect mirror of her musical versatility, with which she moved with multicultural or perhaps cosmopolitan elegance through classic Viennese, German, French and Spanish romantic music - and yet with great passion and precision she could make time stand still in a jazzy rendition of 'Summertime' from Gershwin's 'Porgy and Bess' as an encore. And her interpretation of Micaela’s 'Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante' from Bizet's 'Carmen' was nothing short of perfect.
    “Singer of the World
    “Her young career has already had some high points :her victory at the 2005 BBC Singer of the World Competition or the release in 2007 of her solo CD 'Soprano' with Decca, or when last year she made her debut at The Met in New York and when finally she appeared with Rolando Villazón and Anna Netrebko in the film version of 'La Bohème'. This success is probably due to two important factors (which give her a great advantage) and they were fully on display at Saturday's concert: her versatility and her acting talent. She first appeared on stage as a true lyric soprano, and showed in the first part of the concert that, in excerpts from 'Don Giovanni' and 'The Marriage of Figaro', she and Mozart are a match made in heaven.
    “Drama and great force
    “Her approach to melody is clear and easy to grasp and she has a clear understanding of all the details. But Cabell showed a series of other qualities at the same time such as her sense of drama, her great strength and a beautiful, sparkling coloratura as Massenet’s Manon in the great opening aria 'Je suis encore toute etourdie'. It made it difficult to anticipate what the future might have in store for her. In 10 years, when she is 40, will she be at the Komische Oper in Berlin for some Mozart or will she sing Wagner at Bayreuth? The odds seem to favor the former, but one can wonder.
    “A varied gallery of characters
    “Cabell’s second very important quality is her excellent sense of drama. Instead of just using alternately her eyes and arms, she conveyed the nature of the arias with a precise personality through many small touches. Even though these operas were reduced to an overture and a few arias, we still got convincing depictions of such different fates as Donna Elvira’s and Zerlina’s. Or Susanna, for that matter, with her bittersweet smile and the Countess’ dramatic singing. A true spectrum of Mozart’s characters in only 45 minutes.”
    — Henrik Friis, Ibyen, May 10, 2009

“The World’s Sweetest Singer
    “The American Soprano sings everything from European coloratura to Afro-American music – and she can flirt with the whole Tivoli Concert Hall, too!
    “Four years ago, this 31-year old American won the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. Today she gets to travel all over the world. After her Tivoli Concert Hall debut, we understand why.
    “What a voice! It is glorious in itself. A classical European soprano voice. A voice that fills the hall. But her voice, if I may add, is also very different from her natural radiance. And once together they create the energy for the whole evening: with your eyes closed you hear the most classical of sounds – with your eyes open, you see the most exotic beauty.
    “She also has no trouble varying the atmosphere. She sings in Italian, French and Spanish.
    “Take for instance her facial expressions… The woodwinds behind her need only play in a minor key for her to express melancholy. It is dramatic. The evening truly becomes a partnership.
    “The second half starts. The dress is the same. But her voice is not. We prepare ourselves for French Romantic music.
    “The scene from ‘Manon’ is perhaps the evening’s highlight. It is impossible to forget the way she handles the difficult coloratura… It is fantastic! Especially as she does not make a display of it; she does it with such good taste – the ornaments actually become part of the music.
    “If this seems too sweet, the encores set a new tone. First, with ‘Summertime’ from ‘Porgy and Bess’, an opera about African-Americans in the South. And following that, Richard Strauss’ ‘Cäcilie’, filled with expression and musicianship.
    “These encores turned the evening from a successful concert to the highest art form.
    “She received a standing ovation and, full of gratitude, she smiled back. The American soprano was the sweetest imaginable company – a most welcome guest. And her two-hour long seduction was never too much. We will need to entice her to come back…”
    — Søren Schauser, Tidende Berlingske, May 10, 2009

 In an Opera Arias and Duets Concert at Smetana Hall in Prague:

“In her concert, soprano Nicole Cabell appeared for the first time at Prague’s Smetana Hall. Her debut confirmed her unquestionable talent and potential. A mix of Mozart, Rossini and French arias showed a cross section of the 30-year old California native’s repertoire. Nicole Cabell also sang ‘Les Filles de Cadix’, a famous song by Léo Delibes, and a fiery zarzuela aria from ‘La Marchenera’, both with Spanish colorings.
    “Although physically, we would imagine this attractive brunette to be performing the roles of ‘femmes fatales’, her voice and gestures seem to be more along the lines of the gentle Susanna, the soulful Bess or the lyrical Manon; as a matter of fact, in this role from Massenet’s opera she seemed to truly be herself.
    “She managed to toss off the technically difficult coloratura of Rosina’s ‘Una voce poco fa’. Her high notes sounded delicious and her legato flowed as smoothly as honey. She also had no problem dominating the orchestra.
    “A nearly sold-out Smetana Hall rewarded the singer with long applause; yet, standing ovations came only after her aria from ‘Rusalka’. Nicole Cabell sang this aria as her second encore, after a duet from Gershwin’s ‘Porgy and Bess’. It was a risk well worth taking. Her pronunciation, which we Czechs are so touchy about, was near perfect. And the sincere simplicity of this dark-hued Rusalka was disarming.”
    — Dita Kopačova Hradecka, Lidove Noviny, May 4, 2009

“Magical Voice of Cabell
    “At Wednesday’s gala concert, the audience heard the art of an up-and-coming American opera star, soprano Nicole Cabell.
    “The Prague Symphony Orchestra and the conductor Ivan Repušič accompanied this tall African-American artist. Her guest of the evening was Slovak baritone Aleš Jenis. The first half was full of arias from Mozart’s ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’ and Rossini’s ‘Barber of Seville’ and with her beautiful voice the versatile American proved that casting her in the recent film version of ‘La Bohème” was the right decision. Her virtuosity was also manifest in the famous ‘Una voce poco fa’ from ‘Barber’.
    “The second half was even better. We heard arias from Berlioz, Massenet, Gounod and Delibes; i.e. French repertoire. Standing ovations came after two arias from ‘Porgy and Bess’ and the ‘Song to the Moon’ from ‘Rusalka’ which Cabell interpreted with impressive Czech diction, her magical voice and much emotion.”
    — Pravo, May 2, 2009

 As Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore at the Metropolitan Opera:

“… I would rather hear young American artists in their prime like Cabell and Pittas, with fresh, piquant lyric voices and ingratiating presence, than international luminaries like Gheorghiu and Villazón in less than top form. Special kudos go to Cabell, as the educated and independent landowner, for her warm ‘Prendi; per me sei libero’.”
    — Bruce-Michael Gelbert, Qonstage.com, April 20, 2009

“The sunny singing and felicitous acting however was the highlight of this jolly event, especially in the case of Nicole Cabell, the last minute substitute for Angela Gheorghiu in the role of Adina. Gheorghiu’s shoes are two very formidable objects to fill, but Cabell proved herself one of the happiest surprises of the season. Besides having an exceptionally beautiful voice, Cabell shares many other virtues with her ailing colleague: Her acting is graceful, her phrasing flawless, and her ability to appear both vulnerable and absolutely dauntless is quite winning. Most of all, she shares with Gheorghiu a transparency which allows one to look behind the characteristic sweetness and good humor of Adina and her music, and find a mysterious, vulnerable and absolutely authentic human heart positioned in its depths.”
    — Raymond Beegle, Classical Voice, April 15, 2009

“Following Angela Gheorghiu, the youthful Nicole Cabell, whom we had discovered as Adina in Montpellier in 2006, was simply delightful and perfectly cast in this repertoire.”
    — François Lesueur, Concertclassic.com, April 16, 2009

 In the “Honor! The Voice” Recital at Carnegie Hall, March 2009:

“Ms. Cabell was sparkling and seductive in Liszt’s ‘Lorelei’ and Strauss’s ‘Cäcilie’. […] Ms. Cabell, Ms. Brown and Mr. Owens were stylish and appealing in numbers from ‘Porgy and Bess.’ Ms. Blackwell and Ms. Cabell waged playful battle with high notes in ‘This Little Light of Mine’.”
    — Steve Smith, The New York Times, March 24, 2009

 In Recital at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, March 2009:

“Thrilling soprano Cabell makes a true diva's debut
    “There's a special thrill in hearing a great young artist in a live performance for the first time. That was certainly the case for the solo debut of 31-year-old American soprano Nicole Cabell and her piano accompanist, Spencer Myer, 29, at Roy Thomson Hall yesterday.
    “In a program of art songs that began with Franz Liszt before weaving an interesting path through accessible Spanish, Argentinean and American music, the two collaborators quickly worked their magic.
    “What began as a disappointingly small house full of politely curious visitors quickly turned into the kind of love-in usually reserved for the world's great divas.
    “There are literally hundreds of very good singers in the world, but very few have that extra little something, a kind of musical fairy dust that distinguishes them from a crowd.
    “Cabell, still fairly fresh from a 2005 win at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, is clearly one of those elect. She has a huge voice that is all thick, clotted cream down low and all ringing goosebumps up high. She has a natural musicality that caresses pleasing shapes out of musical phrases, a warm presence – and she is easy on the eyes.
    “Dressed up in gowns by Yorkville designer Rosemarie Umetsu – sultry black-and-burgundy in the first half, striking black-and-white in the second – Cabell already looks the part of the great diva.
    “Besides the sheer glory of her multi-hued vocal chords, Cabell showed a lot of versatility. Four songs by Liszt, including his famous setting of Die Lorelei, showed elegant restraint. In five Classical Spanish Songs by Fernando Obradors, the soprano added colour in both sound and expression. The dynamics were further turned up in four songs by Argentine composer Carlos Guastavino.
    “Cabell's diction was crisp and clear throughout, further highlighting the fun of Leonard Bernstein's I Hate Music cycle. The singer also picked seven songs from Genius Child by American Ricky Ian Gordon, which showed off even more dramatic flair.
    “After that, it was easy to bring the house down with the traditional spirituals, as well as a set of encores that included the Song to the Moon from Antonín Dvorák's opera Rusalka. Myer was an elegant, discreet and remarkably fluid accompanist in a wide range of styles.
    “It's safe to say that everyone present yesterday can't wait for a return engagement.”
    — John Terauds, Toronto Star, March 9, 2009

“The American soprano Nicole Cabell is a glamorous 31-year-old with an important voice: gleaming, focused and of a lovely timbre throughout its range; an instrument to be cherished.”
    — Ken Winters, The Globe and Mail, March 10, 2009

 In Recital at Hertz Hall in Berkeley, March 2009:

“All-American Songstress
    “The American song repertoire is often an afterthought for recital singers, but soprano Nicole Cabell made it the centerpiece of her program Sunday afternoon at Hertz Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. It was a wise choice, one that showed the young artist’s voice to advantage.
    “Presented by Cal Performances, Cabell sang American songs by Leonard Bernstein and Ricky Ian Gordon and a selection of American spirituals, as well as works by Franz Liszt, Fernando Obradors, and Carlos Guastavino, and, as encores, music by Giacomo Puccini and Richard Strauss. Pianist Spencer Myer was the accompanist.
    “Advance word had expectations running high for Cabell, a rising star in the opera world whose debut recording, Soprano, was released in 2007. The California-born artist, who comes from a family of law enforcers (her grandfather was the first African-American police chief in Los Angeles), won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 2005 and has been on a clear trajectory ever since. She seems to be everywhere these days — making her Metropolitan Opera debut as Pamina in The Magic Flute, expanding her repertoire with roles including Adina in L’Elisir d’amore (at the Met) and Leila in Les Pecheurs de perles (at Chicago Lyric Opera, her home company.) She appears on recordings of La Bohème (as Musetta) and Porgy and Bess (Clara).
    “Cabell boasts a secure, flexible soprano instrument, one she deploys with laser-beam accuracy. The sound is warm and full in the lower and middle registers, crystalline at the top. Her lithe figure and poised stage presence are assets, too; making her entrance in a flattering flounced silk gown in a lovely shade of indigo, Cabell looked beautiful, classy, and appropriate.
    “Cabell returned for Bernstein’s five-song cycle, I Hate Music. The settings —”My Name Is Barbara,” “Jupiter Has Seven Moons,” “I Hate Music,” “A Big Indian and a Little Indian,” and “I’m a Person Too” — are witty and wordy, and she struck the right note of glib charm in each.
    “Seven songs from Gordon’s Genius Child marked the afternoon’s high point. Written for soprano Harolyn Blackwell on texts by the great African-American poet Langston Hughes, they are lilting, pensive, poignant, and exuberant, and Cabell, with excellent support from Myer, sang them with ease and fluidity.
    “That ease extended to the spirituals — Oh, What a Beautiful City; My Lord, What a Morning; and Ride On, King Jesus — that closed the second half. Cabell’s voice bloomed in these moving, quintessentially American works.
    “Cabell gave two lustrous encores: O Mio Babbino Caro from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, and Cacelie by Richard Strauss.
    — Georgia Rowe, San Francisco Classical Voice, March 3, 2009

 In Recital at Memorial Hall in Cincinnati, March 2009:

“Soprano Cabell dazzles audience
    “When Nicole Cabell unleashed her dazzling flights of coloratura in Rossini’s most celebrated aria from “The Barber of Seville” on Wednesday night in Memorial Hall, the audience understandably went wild.
    “Here was a stunning young singer, on the verge of superstardom, who offered “Una voce poco fa” in a performance that was both intelligent and fresh. Her concert portrayal had just the right amount of unexaggerated humor and fun, while her elaborate vocal trills, runs and leaps sparkled effortlessly.
    “The aria was the showstopper in Cabell’s program, mostly consisting of art songs and spirituals performed with an excellent pianist, Spencer Myer. The recital, presented by Cincinnati Opera in Memorial Hall, was the first stop in the soprano’s first cross-country tour. It offered a taste of what opera lovers will see when Cabell, a graduate of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s young artist program, makes her role debut as the Countess in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.”
    “But it was only a taste. If there were one criticism -- the only one -- it would be that there was just one opera aria on her program. It left some of the nearly 300 opera fans wanting more, even though she delivered a second aria – a luscious “O mio babbino caro” from Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” – for her encore.
    “Cabell, a native of Southern California, has a magnetic stage presence. She opened with three songs of love and longing by Franz Liszt, unveiling a voice of arresting richness, refinement and beautiful line. Although she seemed to be a bit restrained at first, her phrasing was thoughtful and she communicated the mood of each song – two sung in German, one in French. The lullaby-like “Oh! Quand je dors” (Oh, while I sleep) to texts by Victor Hugo, was beautifully felt. Five Songs by Catalan composer Fernando Obradors were a stark contrast. In these, you could almost feel the heat of Barcelona, home of the composer, whose lifetime had a similar span to Maurice Ravel’s, and whose music is just as evocative. Singing in Catalan, Cabell performed them with flair and a range of vocal color. “To Love” was both seductive and humorous. Others, such as “My only Laureola,” were rapturous, phrased with subtlety and imagination. The finale, “Chiquitita la novia” (A tiny bride) began with a wordless, improvisatory vocal cadenza, sung against trills in the piano. Myer was a superb partner in this fragrant music. Cabell opened her second half with Leonard Bernstein’s witty song cycle, “I Hate Music,” followed by Seven Songs from Ricky Ian Gordon’s “Genius Child.” Gordon, who has composed music for divas such as Renee Fleming and Audra MacDonald, set the texts of Langston Hughes for his “Genius Child.” They were melodious and inventive, and the singer traveled through their varied moods with sensitivity and sumptuous vocal color. In each song, such as “Troubled Woman,” “My People,” and “Joy,” Cabell drew the listener in, projecting a radiant and elegant presence. Myer seamlessly created atmosphere and color in this effortless collaboration. Some of Cabell’s exotic appeal may be partly because of her heritage, which includes African-American, Korean and European ancestry. She finished with a trio of spirituals, which were soaring and deeply felt.”
    — Janelle Gelfand, Cincinnati Enquirer, February 26, 2009

 As Pamina in The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera:

“And amid the kid-friendly hubbub was one decidedly adult treat: Nicole Cabell, a gifted soprano making her Met debut, brought a warm, elegant sound and a sparkling presence to Pamina.”
    — Steve Smith, The New York Times, December 23, 2008

“Pamina (Nicole Cabell), in her Met debut, sang with a lovely expressive voice with beautiful vocal color, particularly in her middle and lower registers. She conveyed all the dimensions of Pamina’s character and her music: innocence as she sang with Papageno; determination in the face of the power of Sarastro; abject despair when she mistook Tamino’s vow-inspired silence for an absence of love; and finally, the greatest evocation of love in all opera – the first eight measures of her duet with Tamino.”
    — Arlene Judith Klotzko, Concertonet.com, January 9, 2009

“Soprano Cabell shines in Mozart’s ‘Flute’
    “Since I was not present at Cabell’s Met debut on the previous Monday, her appearance on this occasion was of special interest. By the time she reached her principal aria “Ah, I feel it”, it was clear that we were in the presence of a real star. She has a voice of considerable beauty, impeccably schooled.”
    — Raoul Abdul, The New York Amsterdam News, January 1-7, 2009

“This year’s cast features several young standouts, including the up-and-coming soprano Nicole Cabell.”
    — The New Yorker, January 5, 2009

“As Pamina, soprano Nicole Cabell, making her Met debut, was a vibrant presence and made creamy, rich sounds when she sang.”
    — Joshua Rosenblum, Opera News, March 2009

 As Musetta in the Robert Dornhelm film of La Bohème:

“Soprano Nicole Cabell is glamorous and spirited as the flirtatious Musetta, the on-again, off-again sweetheart of Marcello.”
    — Mike Silverman, Associated Press, September 21, 2009

“Then in comes Nicole Cabell as Musetta with marvelously telegenic smiles. Her Act 3 confrontation with sometime-lover Marcello (Boaz Daniel) is anything but youthful sparring: They're serious.”
    — David Patrick Stearns, Philadelphia Inquirer, October 13, 2009

“This film version of ‘La Bohème’ also offers a real surprise: Nicole Cabell as Musetta. In the opera house she is a very proper soprano. But when the camera comes close, her luscious lips and slanted almond-colored eyes show a provocative sensuality, an aura of uninhibited voluptuousness, which in a fascinating way brings to mind Emile Zola’s ‘Nana’. Next to this kind of animal, Anna Netrebko never seemed so pure.”
    — Frederik Hansen, Der Tagesspiegel, October 24, 2008

“However, the Dream Couple isn’t the only convincing element here, but also Nicole Cabell in the role of Musetta. Whether as the man-devouring vamp or as the generous and devoted friend of Mimi, who practically gives her last shirt to her, the young soprano pulls all the stops and is indeed one of the discoveries of this movie.”
    — Kunstkinos.de

“Nicole Cabell’s Musetta brings some much-needed brio to proceedings.”
    — David Bellan, Oxford Times, December 17, 2008

“The American singer Nicole Cabell brings much frivolity and uninhibited vanity to the role of the seductress Musetta.”
    — Thorsten Funke, Critic.de, October 7, 2008

“… A particularly vivacious and alluring Musetta by African-American soprano Nicole Cabell.”
    — Philip French, The Observer, December 21, 2008

“Nicole Cabell (Musetta) is perfect as the great operatic 'tart with a heart'. As far as I'm concerned, it's a role which is made or broken on the ‘Waltz’, and I have rarely heard it sung better than here. She is also particularly moving when asking Marcello to sell her earrings to buy Mimi some medicine.”
    — Alan Titherington, Myreviewer.com, March 25, 2009

 More performance and recording reviews: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005.

Represented by Columbia Artists Management

Photo © Decca/Kasskara