Julianne Baird's Reviews

JULIANNE BAIRD: CRITICAL ACCLAIM

"...First things first, Baird has a phenomenal voice. Limpid and supple, it jumps and swings both high and low with the greatest of ease. On timppingly difficult delicate passages, her pronunciations and pitch were crystal clear..." Pittsburgh-Post Gazette (April 15, 2002)

"Baird is one of the most endearing of early music singers and was delightful all evening--including her silent reactions to the dramas."Pittsburgh Tribune (April 15, 2002)

"Baird remains a well-nigh peerless performer in this repertory. Her voice is most powerful on top, and she had the vocal agility to toss off florid runs, tricky leaps and brilliant, high-lying phrases with pinpoint accuracy an rock-solid rhythmic exactness. And whether singing or listening, she seemed to be enjoying herself." Cleveland Plain Dealer (October 8, 2001)

". . . rightly celebrated for her pure and spiraling soprano. She needn't be confined to the 17^th and 18^th centuries, however, her gift is large enough and colorful enough for almost any repertoire. Her diction, too, is eloquent." The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Baird's voice was excellent throughout but particularly effective in the Italian numbers, which often had elaborate, high-pitched ornaments that suited perfectly her light, agile, superbly accurate voice."
The Washington Post

Ms. Baird floats tones on a column of air with a purity and dead-center intonation that are astonishing." The Pittsburgh Press

"More than her European counterparts-in fact, more than any other soprano-Miss Baird makes an impressive case for authenticity in Baroque music by simply singing so beautifully. Her instrument is focused and supported impeccably enough to give illusion of weight and size . . ." The Washington Times

"artistry of a high order." The New York Times

"shining purity of tone and seamless serenity." Miami Herald

"Baird found an array of emotion . . . showing her virtuosity in the details of phrase, intonation and characterization." The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Julianne Baird, darling of the early music movement brought characteristic charm and unique voice-a full but light instrument, evenly produced throughout its range." The Philadelphia Inquirer

Julianne Baird . . . brought mastery of style and intense stage presence to her role." Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Julianne Baird is a treasurable artist." The New York Times

"artistry never fails to disarm." Plain Dealer

"Ms Baird communicated deeper, more mystical meanings and showed her familiar gift for subtle, glinting ornamentation."

Ms. Baird's command of timbral nuance gave her readings a dramatic flair." The New York Times

"If Spring sunlight could be translated into sound, it would probably be a lot like Julianne Baird. The soprano's voice has a natural, unforced but moderate warmth that makes the listener pull closer. . . And it gives a distinctive incandescence to everything she sings." Opera News

"one of the most extraordinary voices in the service of early music that this generation has produced . . . a natural musicianship which engenders singing of extreme expressive beauty." Washington Star

"Julianne Baird is a vocal phenomenon. . . a rare and wondrous voice guided by an extraordinary musical intelligence." Fanfare

Julianne Baird has an exquisite voice, which she uses with the intelligence of a scholar. . . the best voice on any living musicologist."
The Washington Post

"The breathtaking pure, lovely Julianne Baird, would be enough reason for listening to Handel's rarely performed Berenice." **** (four stars)
CD Review

"Baird's extraordinary technique and musicianship find expression in a voice . . . ideal for this period of music" High Performance Review

"At times, the taste she [Joan Sutherland] shows in performing ornaments approaches Baird's." Opera News

One of the simplest ways to avoid missing any vocal riches is to follow Julianne Baird around. Her fleet, silvery soprano will be heard with the early-music group Philomel singing the Vivaldi motet . . Come Christmastime he'll sing Handel's Messiah' with the Philadelphia Orchestra." The Philadelphia Inquirer

Baird, one of the country's finest baroque singers, performed Daphne's first aria, a gentle plea for love's freedom with superb expression and agility" Oregonian

"The American soprano has a fluid instrument of considerable range and impressive flexibility. . . Her ability to dispatch complicated passagework in an articulate and accurate fashion is excellent. One hears all the notes, which is very admirable indeed. Also her sense of ornamentation is exuberant but discreet and serves the music at hand."
Seattle Post Intelligencer

"Julianne Baird as Rosmene gives what is surely one of the three or four finest accounts of a Handel operatic role yet on record."
The New York Times

"It is no surprise that it is Julianne Baird who delights us with the best moments of the CD. In Cantata 51 with trumpet, she is literally radiant, and performs the difficult passages with brilliance even while demonstrating a burning expressivity in the contemplative passages."
Diapason (Paris)

"Baird offers a keenly intelligent reading, most imaginative in Irrlicht and Einsamkeit." Opera News

"highest scores" to Julianne Baird, who "convinced with clear and firm arias." Leipziger Volkszeitung

"if you want Handel's Messiah "straight," you could hardly do better in New York than to catch Gerre Hancock's performance (St. Thomas Choir,) vocal soloists, including the marvelous Julianne Baird."
The New York Times

"Julianne Baird's use of portamento and dynamic shadings brought delicacy . . . rich in expressive details. London Independent

"Baird, probably the single best-informed baroque-music soprano before the public today" The Philadelphia Inquirer

"in that respect, [interpretive skills of Baroque Music] Ms. Baird remains the model." The New York Times

"a singer of internationally proven ability in the Baroque field [whose] singing is as lovely as ever, her voice as true, sweet and expressive, her vocal control and support phenomenal." Seattle Times

" . . . one of the most recorded and distinguished sopranos of the early music movement." and her performance of "The Joy of English Song as ". . . artistry of a high order. . . " The New York Times

Julianne Baird is Distinguished Professor of Music
at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey.

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Last updated July 12, 2007