The Trial at Rouen, Dello Joio
"Stephen Powell sings Cauchon with a superb, wide-ranging baritone that has an almost insolently free upper register and exceptional dynamic range; he points and relishes the text with utter clarity."
-David Shengold, Opera Magazine
La Favorite – Caramoor Festival
“Vocally, the evening was dominated by Stephen Powell as Alphonse — the richest and most fully drawn character, who is a clear model for Ernani’s regal Carlo. Powell exuded authority while using his fine sense of line and genuinely beautiful baritone to dispense Donizettian elegance, including a trill, true pitch and nuanced dynamics.”
— David Shengold, Opera News
Va. Opera's 'Sweeney Todd' rides on operatic voices, despite miking
Virginia Opera's 'Sweeney Todd' rides on operatic voices, despite miking “The baritone who played the title role [is] Stephen Powell. Much is written about opera singers and acting, and whether they can or can’t act, and whether, if they can do it, they can really sing: Powell is one of the rare birds who truly, and excellently, does both. His voice is powerful and dark; his spoken delivery was less stilted than I’ve heard from some Broadway actors in the role. And I’ve never seen Todd done better.”
— Anne Midgette, Washington Post
Play your hunch
"Well, one note out of Stephen Powell‘s (Rigoletto) mouth, and you quickly understood why Crutchfield scheduled this performance. Powell was absolutely amazing—this is the Rigoletto voice we all hear in our heads as the 'ideal' Rigoletto, but never actually encounter in live performance. Powell’s baritone was rich, booming, powerful from top to bottom. He had no problems with the extreme demands of the role—he could interpolate all the traditional high notes (at the end of 'Pari siamo,' 'Si vendetta,' and the final 'Maledzione') but his lower register had a rich, organ-like resonance. "He could make his voice do anything—he could turn it into a nasty snarl when he was at court, or he could sound tender and heartbroken. He could even trill. He was wonderfully expressive, and really gave us a completely towering, three dimensional portrayal. Bravo to Stephen Powell for proving that yes, there are still baritones who can really sing Rigoletto."
— Parterre Box
San Diego Opera's 'Pagliacci' Stands On Its Own
“In his first ever appearance in the role of Tonio, [Stephen Powell] captured the audience’s attention with his vocal beauty and brilliance from the opening note of the difficult Prologue - a tour-de-force for any baritone - to his final, ‘La Commedia è finita!’ His highly nuanced rendering of the tormented hunchback vividly presented the dark, conflicted character’s desires for love and revenge.”
— Erica Miner, Broadway World
Virginia Opera production of Verdi's 'Falstaff' is great fun
“Baritone Stephen Powell had an interesting take on Sir John Falstaff as he morphed his character from a snooty, dismissive actor into the very person of Sir John himself, demonstrating his genuinely sophisticated acting chops. Vocally, Mr. Powell has a dominant, authoritative instrument but capably works falsetto and humorous tics into his routine as well. He is quite simply a marvelous, fully realized Falstaff, which is, after all, what this opera needs: a vain buffoon who’s bigger, fatter, and more outrageous than life. With a Falstaff like Mr. Powell, everything else in the production pretty much falls into place.”
— Terry Ponick, Washington Times
'Rigoletto' at The Lyric Opera
“Powell is a versatile emotionally expressive baritone that plays an exceptional Rigoletto. His physical approach to the character’s deformity allows the audience to easily empathize with him, even sympathize with him, longing for his life to be better. Powell’s ability to quick change from venting bile and harsh anger in ‘Cortigiani! Vil razza dannata!’ to a humbled and desperate man pleading for mercy in ‘Miei signore… perdono, pietate…’ is astonishing. His vocal prowess brings forth a storm of emotions that rivals the storm brewing in Act III and his character’s overall stage presence is beyond impressive. A stunning performance given; the title character receiving all the justice due of such an iconic and richly complex creation.”
— Amanda Gunther, DC Metro Theater Arts
'Carmina Burana' gets new lease in performance by Cleveland Orchestra, Chorus and guests (review)
“Stephen Powell proved the complete musical package. Not only did the baritone provoke laughter as the drunken, noise-emitting Abbot of Cockaigne. Between several arias, he also demonstrated a strikingly broad vocal range, from a resonant low register to a truly beautiful falsetto.”
— Zachary Lewis, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Walton, Belshazzar's Feast
"Impeccable intonation, magnificent dynamic shading, near-perfect ensemble and, above all, crystal clear diction drove the forces onwards and upwards, ever inspired by the imposing presence of American baritone Stephen Powell (left), who delivered his words with magisterial complacency, revelling in menace yet maintaining a dramatically statuesque poise, a creeping right hand the only visual concession to that terrifying moment when the dismembered hand appears to scrawl its graffiti of doom on the wall. His every single syllable cut through the texture like a blade, and while I have to confess that his voice is new to me, I have no hesitation in placing Powell up among the very best I have ever heard in the role."
— Marc Rochester, Singapore Straits Times
SF Symphony review: Stephen Powell rocks 'Messiah'
"Powell brought a full complement of vocal gifts to his assignment: a weighty but agile sound, splendid diction, expressive ardor and technical precision in even the most challenging passagework. This was a performance of rare vitality and beauty."
— Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
Spectacular 'Rigoletto' ends Sommerfest
"In the demanding title role, baritone Stephen Powell was nothing short of phenomenal; it's hard to imagine a more complex, more integrated portrayal. Powell's is a voice of stunning potency and immediacy, and he used it brilliantly to capture the successive waves of rage and tenderness that engulf his character (a hunchbacked, acid-tongued court jester who is also a fatally overprotective father). He appeared to hold nothing back, yet had power in reserve for his final, anguished cries."
— Larry Fuchsberg, Minneapolis Star Tribune
California Dreaming
“Remember City Opera’s 2003 ‘pregnant Lucia’ staging, in which only Stephen Powell’s Enrico did the music full justice? Happened again here, due to his combination of oakish resonance, flexibility, and fine diction.”
— David Shengold, Gay City News
Tosca – Minnesota Opera
“Stephen Powell’s vivid Scarpia would have been career-making if his career hadn’t already been made. More than an archetypal villain, this police chief (robed, perplexingly, as an ecclesiastical figure at the close of Act I) was a force of nature, predatory and indefatigable. At moments his singing seemed almost too beautiful: one wanted harder edges and more gravel in the voice. Yet this was a portrayal to savor, delicious in its evocation of unbridled evil.”
— Larry Fuchsberg, Opera News
Macbeth - Michigan Opera Theatre
"A veteran of meatier, more playful roles such as Falstaff, baritone Stephen Powell contended here with the undifferentiated gloom of the role of Macbeth. Powell’s undeniably powerful voice seethed with potential until his astonishing Act IV andante, when the gleaming beauty and sumptuous musicality of his rich baritone was finally given resplendent display."
— Jennifer Goltz, Opera News
Dello Joio Revealed
"When Stephen Powell, baritone, took the stage, robed in crimson as a prince of the Church, he almost stopped the show with his commanding evocation of Joan’s nemesis, Pierre Cauchon. His vocal range and tone were totally up to the challenges that his role required. He created a palpable, believable and impactful stage presence. Bravo!"
— John Ehrlich, Classical Scene
This 'La traviata' makes news
“The best chemistry happens between Violetta and Alfredo’s father, sung by baritone Stephen Powell. Powell was born to sing this role. He looks it, he acts it, and he brings a lovely humanity to it. The last part comes by way of a voice that is not only deeply resonant, but also full of overtones.”
— Peter Dobrin, Philadelphia Inquirer