Critical Acclaim

Grand Théâtre de Genève – Alice in Wonderland

The remarkable Rachele Gilmore has a perfectly tapered, exquisite voice.

Bertrand Tappolet, Gauchebdo.ch, June 17, 2010

The coloatura of Rachele Gilmore does not get into the shrill, and she maintains the rounded, shapely phrasing of Alice fresh, often with a melancholy smile.

Didier van Moere, Concertone.net, June 2010

Rachele Gimore, the American coloratura soprano, who has clear diction and a voice that is like a jet spray, running as high as nearby Lake Geneva, made us believe in the 12 year-old Alice and her at times malicious behavior.

Caroline Alexander, Webthea.com, June 14, 2010

Boston Lyric Opera – Ariadne auf Naxos

As Zerbinetta, soprano Rachele Gilmore, in sunglasses and Gibson Girl bloomers, displayed more talent and charm than any one person should be allowed to possess. In her hands, "Grossmächtige Prinzessin" (Most gracious Princess) was not merely an astonishing pyrotechnical display (although it certainly was that) but a joyous expression of Zerbinetta's character, the bushels of notes and baskets of embellishments an overflowing abundance in keeping with her view of life and love.

Kalen Ratzlaff, Opera News, June 2010

Coloratura Rachele Gilmore, a former graduate student at BU, trills her way into the stratosphere and proves a deft and adorable comedienne.

                                    Lloyd Schwartz, The Boston Phoenix, March 16, 2010

Gilmore is the whole package - a clever actress with a top-notch voice and a winning manner.

Keith Powers, The Boston Herald, March 13, 2010

Gilmore’s performance as Zerbinetta was near impeccable  . . . Gilmore also resisted the temptation to make Zerbinetta too much of a stock character, and this made her ultimate pragmatic truths resonate over her follies and antics. This is what makes Ariadne work as a whole.

Rebecca Marchand, The Boston Musical Intelligencer, March 13, 2010

Rachele Gilmore was a winning Zerbinetta, with all the coquettish charm this role demands and also the secure technique and theatrical flair to make the role’s big coloratura number feel organically connected to her character rather than like a stretch of disconnected virtuoso preening.

Jeremy Eichler, The Boston Globe, March 15, 2010

Knoxville Opera - Lucia di Lammermoor

Rachele Gilmore, in Knoxville Opera’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor, thrilled a cheering, applauding audience in what was the most solidly accomplished KOC production in recent history. Gilmore has what sopranos dream of: clear-as-a-bell, seemingly effortless high notes, and vocal flexibility with power throughout her range. Her size and voice seemed perfect for her fragile and haunted Lucia. Her fragile psyche was evident in her first-scene aria, ‘Regnava nel silenzio’, and also in ‘Quando, repito in estasi,’ in which the character of the flute, harp, and Gilmore’s articulation define the precarious dramatic divide opening before her.

In the famous ‘Mad Scene’ in the third act, Gilmore’s Lucia was the image of tragedy, alternating between a pale, dying flower and a menacing fiend. As the tension built and the impact of the tragedy upon the wedding guests edged higher, Gilmore’s vocal madness rippled like waves in a bloody pool. And, those infamous high notes cut through it all like the bloody dagger in her hand.

In the end, though, this was Rachele Gilmore’s evening - her first Lucia, but obviously not her last, given the tumultuous ovations she received here. Such a performance success has a bittersweet element, though. She and KOC have now set our bar of expectations for the future impossibly high.

Alan Sherrod, Metro Pulse, February 15, 2010

Gilmore’s Lucia simply radiates from the stage . . . It's Gilmore's voice that one can simply not get out of one's head. She was superb.

If she keeps singing like this, no one will be forgetting her.

Harold Duckett, The Knoxville News, February 14, 2010

The Metrpolitan Opera – Les contes d’Hoffmann

On December 23rd, Rachele Gilmore made a Met debut, adding ornaments that took ‘The Doll Song’ up to an A-flat in alt – the highest note I have ever heard sung live.

Fred Cohn, Opera News, March 2010

The young American Rachele Gilmore flew up to solid and beautiful high G's and one A-flat (that's four-and-a-half notes above high C.) Such notes had never been heard at the Met in this part. I was lucky to see and hear her.

Steve Cohen, The Opera Critic, December 2009

Opera New Jersey - Die Entführung aus dem Serail

Moments of electricity burst forth when one of the female leads (Jennifer Rowley as Konstanze and Rachele Gilmore as Blonde) planted her feet and declared victory over a welter of notes…Gilmore's Blonde, also well sung, was a model of inhabiting a generic character type, which comes down to projecting as much inner charm as possible.

David Patrick Stearns, The Philadelphia Inquirer

• Opera New Jersey - Die Fledermaus

• The first character to effectively claim the stage was soprano Rachele Gilmore, singing the role of Adele, housemaid and the lucky character to sing the show-stopper “Laughing Song” in Act II. Ms. Gilmore sang with effervescence and high energy, with solid vocal color.

  Town Topics - Princeton, NJ

• Indianapolis Opera - Les contes d'Hoffmann

• The doll, Olympia, is a sure-fire success for any soprano who has the notes. Rachele Gilmore has them, along with a charming personality. The audience adored her.

  Opera News

• On Friday, the highlight of the opera happened in Act 1, namely Rachele Gilmore's excellent company debut as Olympia. Her "Doll Song," or "Les oiseaux dans la charmille," was clear and staccato. It also offered some of the most disarmingly relaxed high-register coloratura work I have ever heard. Despite the dramatic limitations of a doll, she managed to pull off a little slapstick.

  The Indianapolis Star

• She [Olympia] was sung by an IO newcomer, Rachele Gilmore, a startling find indeed, for she possesses the purest coloratura voice I've ever heard grace the Clowes Memorial stage. Skipping effortlessly into the highest reaches of the vocal compass as she moved about in jerky fashion, she became the evening's enchantment.

• NUVO: Indianapolis' Alternative Voice

• Toledo Opera - Gala Concert

• Only in the debut of coloratura soprano Rachele Gilmore, singing Zerbinetta's playful aria from the 1911 opera, Ariadne auf Naxos, was there no issue between orchestra and soloist.

  And a wonderful debut it was. Gilmore's agile titanium voice - light but very, very strong, smooth and clear — shone in a delightful performance that married fine singing with excellent acting.

  The Toledo Blade

• It is natural to admire the virtuosity of the opera singers; it is more challenging, at least for me, to give in to the foreign language and cadence of the vocals. That changed when Rachele Gilmore took the stage.

  An Opera news release described Gilmore as a young singer “with a silvery timbre and dynamic stage presence,” and while I do not have the knowledge to confirm the former description, I can heartily attest to the latter. When she sang, Gilmore embodied the same sensual expression and arousing effort I saw in the orchestra musicians. It's a passionate, tactile and stimulating presence not that far removed from the steamy moves of the average pop chanteuse, but opera tempts the libido and the intellect, and that's a far more powerful combination.

  The Toledo Free Press

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• George London Foundation - Competition Finals

• No matter how rich the talent, hearing 22 singers without a break can be daunting and just a tad soporific. But when number 19 came out as the glittering ball of electricity that is soprano Rachele Gilmore, it was time to sit up and take notice. Blowing through “Da tempeste il legno infranto” from Handel's Giulio Cesare with stunning diction and elasticity of ornamentation, Ms. Gilmore made a strong case for best performance of the day.

  The New York Sun

• Belvedere Competition Semi-Finals

• High points were Rachele Gilmore (USA) Sophie Rosenkavalier, silver high notes and excellent diction.

  Der Neuer Marker-Austrian Classical Music Online Periodical