Praise for Allyson as Sister Helen Prejean in the Opéra
de Montréal production of Dean Man Walking:
"The singing was magnificent tonight.
Sister Prejean (McHardy) had an immense amount of singing
throughout the night, and her expressive and demonstrative
voice never showed signs of wear. She acted marvelously as
well - not an easy task when portraying an Elvis-loving nun
with a sharp, dry wit." (Bachtrack, 11 March 2013)
"Étienne Dupuis and Allyson McHardy,
he as the condemned and she as the nun, dominate the opera
with an extraordinary force, each bringing to his/her character
a supple voice that faithfully reproduces the nuances of the
text." (La Presse, 11 March 2013)
"Étienne Dupuis and Allyson McHardy were
a phenomenal pair as death row De Rocher and Sister Helen,
who starts out as his pen pal and ends up his spiritual lover.
" (Montreal Gazette, 11 March 2013)
"...a visceral performance" (Le
Devoir, 11 March 2013)
"Allyson McHardy portrays a Sister Helen
of infinite and equal compassion towards both the criminal
and the parents of his victims. Her rich mezzo timbre well
suits the role and she shows great endurance throughout the
opera." (L'Avant-Scène Opéra, 9 March 2013)
As Allyson prepared
her debut in Dead Man Walking, she had a chance to speak
with the real Sister Helen Prejean. See the conversation here:
February
2013
Allyson speaks with Joseph So about her upcoming role debut
as Sister Helen Prejean in Dean Man Walking at the Opéra
de Montréal
Allyson speaks (and sings!) for TSN's feature
on the appeal of music from Carmen in the sport of figure
skating. The video was presented during the channel's coverage
of the Canadian Figure Skating Championships. Tessa Virtue
and Scott Moir captured their fifth national ice dance title
with their highly popular free dance program set to music
from Carmen.
Many thanks to Pacific
Opera Victoria and the Victoria
Symphony for their permission to use video footage from
their production of Carmen featuring Allyson in February 2012.
"The most moving performance? Allyson
McHardy's total involvement in 'D'amour, l'ardente flamme',
an excerpt from Berlioz's The Damnation of Faust, that
succeeded, in complete simplicity, to reveal the visceral
depth of Marguerite's emotion. " (Le Soleil, 7 December
2012)
At the Opéra de Montréal's annual Gala:
"Allyson McHardy brings an artistic sense
to her beautiful mezzo voice that evokes Janet Baker."
(La Presse, 2 December 2012)
"Allyson McHardy combined intense tone
and lyrical line in Ombra mai fu from Handel's Xerxes."
(Montreal Gazette, 3 December 2012)
November
2012
The first reviews are out! Read below what the critics are
saying about Allyson's Cornelia in Giulio Cesare with
MOT:
"As Cornelia, the Roman widow
of murdered Pompeo, Allyson McHardy has a major mezzo voice
with great color and warmth." (Encore Michigan, 11 November
2012)
"As the mother-son pair Cornelia
and Sesto, Allyson McHardy and Emily Fons both sang expressively."
(Detroit Free Press, 11 November 2012)
Allyson is currently
in Detroit preparing for the opening of Giulio Cesare
at Michigan Opera Theater -- stay tuned for reviews!
October
2012
Ever wonder what Rossini's famous aria "Una voce poco
fa" from Il barbiere di Siviglia sounds like with
a little Bluegrass mixed in? Hear Allyson bring it to the
5th Annual Global
Cabaret Festival as part of their Night at the
Popera on October 13 & 14.
August
2012
Listen
to Radio-Canada's Espace Musique on Wednesday August 15th at
8pm for a broadcast of Allyson's performance of Handel arias
and the Pergolesi Stabat Mater from the 2012 Lamèque
International Baroque Music Festival.
May
2012
Find out what the critics are saying
about Allyson's Juno/Ino!
"...mezzo Allyson McHardy
is all creamy, dark magic as Jupiter's jealous wife, Juno
(and Ino, Semele's sister)." (Toronto Star, 10 May 2012)
"...mezzo-soprano Allyson
McHardy['s] gutsy singing took full measure of the goddess's
wrath." (Globe and Mail, 10 May 2012)
"With her powerful, dark
mezzo-soprano, Allyson McHardy clearly distinguished her two
roles of the rash, girlish Ino from the imperious Juno, wife
of Jupiter, who plots a gruesome but appropriate revenge on
the hapless Semele. She sang her rage aria “Hence, Iris, hence
away” to tremendous effect." (Stage Door, 10 May 2012)
"McHardy defines her
imperious Juno and offended Ino, both driven by jealousy,
with believable emotion and theatrical detail." (Now
Magazine, 17 May 2012)
"In the dual role of
Ino/Juno, Allyson McHardy sings with conviction with creamy
low notes and plenty of vigour." (Charlebois Post, 10
May 2012)
May
9
Allyson
opens tonight as Juno and Ino in the Canadian Opera Company's
Semele
March
10
Allyson Hosts CBC Radio 2's This is
My Music, March 10, 2012
Join Allyson on Saturday,
March 10th 10:00 a.m. (11:00 AT, 11:30 NT) as she hosts CBC
Radio 2's celebrated show This is My Music. Find out what
kind of music Allyson likes to listen to along with stories
and anecdotes about her life and career.
Reviews of Allyson's debut as Carmen
with Pacific Opera
"Mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy
is singing the title role for the first time here. Her Carmen
is proud and defiant, languidly sensual but also quick to
ignite, though fundamentally decent, and there is both smoke
and fire in her voice." (Times Colonist, 18 February 2012)
"In her role debut as Carmen,
mezzo Allyson McHardy displayed a gorgeous tone." (Monday
Magazine, 22 February 2012)
"Allyson McHardy plays a lovely
Carmen. She's quite petite but she's a real spitfire. And
she really comes on and takes control." (CBC On The Island,
22 February 2012)
Allyson is in Victoria getting ready
for Carmen with Pacific Opera - Check out the following interviews:
Victoria
Times Colonist
- Allyson speaks with Amy Smart about
her path and what type of music she prefers to listen to
Allyson's recording of Caldara’s
La Conversione di Clodoveo with Le Nouvel Opéra (ATMA)
is up for Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance
at the 2012 JUNO Awards.
The awards will be handed
out at ceremonies in Ottawa on March 31st and April 1st. For
more information on the JUNO Awards visit their website: junoawards.ca
January
2012
Allyson captivates in Toronto as Dejanira
Handel's Hercules with Tafelmusik!
"...particular kudos
go to Toronto mezzo Allyson McHardy, who dazzled as Dejanira.
McHardy's voice is pure, fragrant, dark buckwheat honey -
just the ticket for a particularly demanding role. Paired
with dramatically riveting and technically impeccable renditions
of Handel's bravura arias for a character walking the tightrope
between sanity and madness, this mezzo captivated from the
moment she sang her first note." (Toronto Star, 19 January
2012)
"The Toronto mezzo-soprano
Allyson McHardy was clearly the prima donna as Dejanira: warm,
intense and a subject of real interest despite the conventional
outpouring of passions." (National Post, 20 January 2012)
"Top vocal honours went
to mezzo Allyson McHardy as Dejanira. Hers is a genuine low
mezzo bordering on a lyric contralto, with a timbre that brings
to mind the excellent contralto Nathalie Stutzmann, but McHardy
has a stronger, more solid upper extension, a rare attribute
for a low voice. Dejanira has the most music to sing, and
McHardy dispatched everything with technical ease, intensity
and expression. Particularly memorable was her Act 3 Scene
3 aria with its bravura passages - McHardy's performance here
was a tour de force." (La Scena Musicale, 21 January
2012)
"Hercules may be the
title character, but the show really centres on Dejanira.
McHardy's voice has only grown darker, stronger and more lustrous
over time. ...she gave a gorgeous account of "Begone, my fears,
fly hence, away" and made the mad scene "Where shall I fly?
Where hide this guilty head?" so thrilling that the audience,
trained not to applaud after every number, broke that rule
thunderously to acclaim her." (Stage Door, 21 January
2012)
Those who can't make it to
Paris to catch Allyson in her acclaimed role as Arcabonne
in Amadis de Gaule's have a chance to hear it on Saturday,
January 21st starting at 7:30pm (local time in Paris) on the
France
Musique website.
Check out this video
clip from France TV about the production currently running
at the Opéra Comique. The first reviews are in:
"Also reason to celebrate,
Allyson McHardy, who doubles as the wicked fairy Morgane,
an impressive force in both sadness and in anger..."
(La Croix, 2 January 2012)
"Allyson McHardy's fiery
Arcabonne delivers the goods." (Financial Times, 5 January
2012)
"It is certainly a coup
for mezzo Allyson McHardy who takes the honour among the cast
members - generous, raging, tormented, regal as the Queen
of the Underworld captive of her own passion." (Webthéa,
4 January 2012)
"‘Vocally young, the
cast is dominated by the attractive mezzo Allyson McHardy….
" (Le Monde, 6 January 2012)
"Bravo certainly to Allyson
McHardy, imperious Arcabonne, she carries the intrigue and
the opera." (Concert Classic, 3 January 2012)
"The women are definitely
at a higher level: ……and especially Allyson McHardy as the
evil Arcabonne. " (L'Oeil et l'Oreille, 2 January 2012)
"Enchanted, the public
at the first performances in Versailles gave an extremely
enthusiastic, almost triumphal, response to the women soloists,
Hélène Guilmette and Allyson McHardy..." (Le Nouvel Observateur,
1 January 2012)
December
2011
A magnificent debut as Arcabonne in
JC Bach's rarely staged opera Amadis de Gaule at the Château
de Versailles
"…the excellent Allyson McHardy
in the role of Arcabonne. From the liveliest fury to the very
intense sentiments of love, Allyson McHardy perfectly incarnates
this ambiguous character…she reveals with great accuracy the
complexity of a character that the music of Johann Christian
Bach has perfectly designed." (ConcertoNet, 12 December 2011)
"One also finds the essential
quality of the opera in the very beautiful voice of Allyson
Mcardy, who perfectly incarnates the role of the enchantress
drunk with anger and demanding vengeance. The warmth of her
timbre is magnificent. It vibrates and we want more." (La
Tribune, 11 December 2011)
