Soprano soloist in Carmina Burana with Brussels Philharmonic:
“Audrey Luna makes her clear voice a figure of refinement completing the distribution, tipping into the streaming ethereal. The coloratura notes are offered generously, yet tangy and pearly. Holding the breath in an elevating, elegant and solemn line, soft in a lullaby, nothing seems difficult to her.”
— Olyrix, Par Soline Heurtebise, June 2024
As Madame Mao in Nixon in China with Teatro Real:
“Audrey Luna, Mrs. Mao (Chiang), displays vocals, the agility of a light soprano, but with dramatic abilities, a true vocal prodigy who does not back down as an actress.”
— Scherzo, Santiago Martín Bermúdez, April 2023
“Charismatic and domineering with a tone worthy of a 20th-century Queen of the Night was soprano Audrey Luna as Madame Mao, the leader’s fourth wife”
— La Vanguardia, Jordi Maddaleno, April 2023
“As for the main cast, only at times does someone stand out above an outstanding choral level; for example, those fearsome high notes of Audrey Luna as Mao’s wife…”
— Beckmesser, April 2023
“Finally, the extraordinary performance of the entire vocal cast (what Audrey Luna does in the role of Mrs. Mao is admirable)”
— Cultura, Joaquín Jesús Sánchez, April 2023
“The American Audrey Luna…was able to defend both the spectacular piece with which the second act concludes, and the cantabile passage of the third act, as well as showing good acting qualities.”
— Codalario, Raúl Chamorro Mena, April 2023
“Of great vocal difficulty is the role of Mao’s wife, Chian-Ching. Adams wrote some sharp notes for her that only a singer seasoned with these roles is capable of giving. The American Audrey Luna lived up to what was required…”
— Platea Magazine, Javier del Olivo, April 2023
As Ariel in The Tempest with Teatro alla Scala:
“The musical aspect was also valuable…Absolutely in part to the cast, which also included some interpreters of the video recording made in New York in 2012, on which Audrey Luna’s Ariel stood out, impeccable in her impervious agility and charismatic interpreter on the scene.”
— Davide Cornacchione, teatro.it, November 2022“The American coloratura soprano Audrey Luna takes on the role of the spirit of the air, Ariel. Her pointed and light voice, naturally and easily emits high notes, high notes and lightning-fast trills, trills and pyrotechnic and penetrating vocalizations like pins, projected to the limit of the soprano vocal texture.”
— Stefano Balbiani, Connessi all’Opera, November 2022
“A separate discussion must be made for the voice of the spirit Ariel (the coloratura soprano Audrey Luna) for whom Adès wrote a score of impressive difficulty. In the first minute of Ariel’s stage, she delivers a flurry of high Gs, a dizzying deconstruction of the Queen of the Night arias from The Magic Flute.”
— Daniele Cassandro, L’Essenziale, November 2022
“Ariel, whose voice climbs up to stratospheric heights, finds his exceptional interpreter in Audrey Luna.”
— Giuseppina Manin, Corriere, November 2022
“Ariel, with the help of the choreography, the acrobats and especially her ‘alter ego’ Geneviève Bérubé, is a phenomenal creation and Audrey Luna’s voice is perfect for the part.”
As Gilda in Rigoletto with Opera Hong Kong:
“American soprano Audrey Luna brought convincing youth and innocence to Gilda, even succeeding in making her final sacrifice believable (no mean feat) and produced some gorgeous singing, including a dazzling coloratura display at the end of Caro nome, which brought the house down.”
— Natasha Rogai, South China Morning Post, October 2019
As Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte with Komische Oper Berlin:
“…the Queen of the Night (the brilliant soprano Audrey Luna, renowned for her effortless stratospheric high notes), who sings from a platform high up on the wall, is portrayed as a terrifying “spider-like creature with tentacles that can ensnare anyone.”
— Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, July 2019
As Gepopo in Le Grand Macabre at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg:
“Breathtaking the animalistic coloratura of the secret politician Audrey Luna…”
— Lutz Lesle, Welt, May 2019“The performance of Audrey Luna is not only striking and special, as she occasionally wears a kind of crown in the form of an extremely long-legged spider on her head as she sings the murderous coloratura, No, it’s because these coloraturas seem to spill out of her easily, yet they do not stop her from being ravishingly funny.”
— Das Opernmagazin, May 2019“…an intelligence chief (great: Audrey Luna), trilling in highest soprano tones, produced meaningless syllabic puzzles….”
— Joachim Mischke, Hamburger Abendblatt, May 2019“The head of the secret police, Audrey Luna breathtakingly sings her encrypted messages…”
— Daniel Kaiser, NDR, May 2019“Audrey Luna not only wears antennas like an alien, but shines with stratospheric tones and superior presence.”
— Ralf Döring, Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, May 2019
As Hermione in Orest by Manfred Trojahn at The Wiener Staatsoper:
“…while the luminous, stratospheric voice of Audrey Luna is ideally suited to the role of her daughter, Hermione…”
— Rebecca Schmidt, Financial Times, April 2019“Audrey Luna sang the Hermione. She is considered a specialist for modern operas (“The Tempest” 2015 here in Vienna), with her crystal clear soprano and also immaculate with the murderous top tones.”
— Johannes Marksteiner, Online Merker, April 2019“But Hermione is the only figure of light. Trojahn demands from her actually insurmountable heights, which Audrey Luna delivers impressively.”
— Stefan Musil, Tiroler Tageszeitung, April 2019“Audrey Luna, as Hermione, is the only one who sees the reality and therefore has to sing extreme passages, which she excellently mastered.
— Michael Wruss, Nachrichten, April 2019“Audrey Luna was the girlishly innocent Hermione with stratospheric highs (far beyond the high C)”
— Karl Masek, Online Merker, April 2019“Audrey Luna transforms as Hermione like a copy of Alice in Wonderland through the war….Luna’s high soprano is intense and swings effortlessly to any height.”
— Susanne Zobl, News Kultur-Kritiken, April 2019“Luna stood out….with a risky madness scene that opened.”
— Georg Leyrer, Kurier, April 2019“…Audrey Luna with crystal-clear coloratura soprano.”
— Oliver Schneider, Dreh Punkt Kultur, April 2019
Recital at Portland State University:
“….Luna was an exemplar of the finest traits to be found in such an undertaking: highest level of programming, great level of contrast in every feature of vocal delivery, delicious selections of poetry from three languages, French, German and English….excellence in artistic presentation, vocal line propelled by well-grounded breath management, variety of articulation, vocal declamation…”
Soprano soloist in Carmina Burana with The Cleveland Orchestra:
“Soprano Audrey Luna is perhaps best known for singing stratospheric soprano roles in Thomas Adès’s operas The Tempest and The Exterminating Angel. Her ability to move instantly from the bottom of her range to the top while maintaining sweetness of sound served her well here. Her movements In trutina mentis dubia and Dulcissime were close to perfect.”
— Timothy Robson, Backtrack, August 2018“On her Cleveland Orchestra debut, [Audrey Luna] was flat-out magnificent (and perfectly audible), wielding a glorious high range and lacing her solos with rare, poignant doses of warmth and vulnerability.”
— Zachary Lewis, The Plain Dealer, August 2018
As Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte with Festival d’opéra de Québec:
“Imperial, the soprano Audrey Luna interprets the Queen of the Night quite spectacularly during the famous air “Der Hölle Rache, kocht in meinem Herzen”, with high and complex vocal pirouettes. It seems that time stops when the one who sung the highest note in the history of the Metropolitan Opera in New York shares her voice.”
— Yves Leclerc, Le Journal de Québec, August 2018“Audrey Luna is a terrifying Queen of the Night…The famous air Der Hölle Rache, rigorously executed…gave us chills…”
— Josianne Desloges, Le Soleil, August 2018“Audrey Luna surprised me with her first recitative. She embodied a vulnerable and human Queen of the Night. In the second act, she delivered a great and terrifying Der hölle Rache.”
— Samuel Croteau, Ludwig van Montréal, August 2018
As The Controller in Flight by Jonathan Dove with Des Moines Metro Opera:
“Audrey Luna was a commanding presence as the Controller, who oversees and reports events. Ms. Luna has a crystal clear, pliant soprano that has to be among the purist and most finely spun in the business. From the stratospheric top notes to a gleaming middle voice to a secure bottom range, this prodigiously gifted singer imbued every phrase with ravishing vocalizing. Her fine sense of legato caressed the numerous melismatic passages in the role, but when it came time for spitfire commentary, she hurled out bolts of sound penetrating well into the wild blue yonder.”
— James Sohre, Opera Today, July 2018“Audrey’s Luna’s upper extension suited the Controller’s freaky vocal line perfectly.”
— Mark Thomas Ketterson, Opera News, July 2018“The Controller, sung by Audrey Luna, rules the stratosphere. Luna, who is renowned for her high notes and interpretations of challenging modern opera roles, performs this demanding music with an enviable ease. I was impressed by how impeccable her diction was at the top of her range. Luna portrayed the Controller with superiority and snark.”
— Meghan Klinkenborg, Schmopera, July, 2018
As Norina in Don Pasquale with Fort Worth Opera:
“There has been much anticipation to hear soprano Audrey Luna in her first assay of the role of Norina. She recently made history by singing the highest written note ever sung at the Metropolitan Opera. No matter how high your expectations are, she exceeds them all. She has a rich soprano that can easily leave coloratura roles and is probably headed to the lyric repertoire. But tosses off all of the florid coloratura passages with ease and also pops out some full-throated stratospheric high notes in a non-showoffy way. She offers the only serious moment when she impulsively slaps Pasquale, knocking him to the ground with his glasses missing. For a moment, her super-bitch façade crumbles and she lets the real Norina out with real regret.
— Gregory Sullivan Isaacs, Theater Jones, May 2018
“Audrey Luna’s finely focused soprano endowed Norina with vocal virtuosity and expressive suavity.”
— Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, April 2018“Soprano Audrey Luna, meanwhile, blazed and bounded through the role of Norina…Luna first appears in a bubble bath (with cameras rolling), delivering the trills, high notes, and other vocal acrobatics of “So anch’io la virtù magica” with impressive skill and ease, all the while performing a reverse strip tease that would have done Gypsy Rose Lee proud.”
— Wayne Lee Gay, Texas Classical Review, April 2018
“But the opera’s best arias almost invariably are given to the lone woman in the central quartet, and Audrey Luna sings each with a clear, powerful soprano and an ideal combination of charm, and later unpleasantness and snarky as she drops the pretense of docility, and drops the initial charm that Don Pasquale once saw. “So anch’io la virtu magica” — delivered during what appears to be a bubble bath commercial — is a delight.”
— John Garcia, The Column, May 2018
Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with Maui Chamber Orchestra:
“The coloratura soprano Audrey Luna, a vision in strapless ivory and gold, offered a luminous reading of Barber’s prose lullaby…Here was professionalism of quite another caliber…Maui audiences got an unusual and more intimate perspective on Luna’s art. Luna gave the innocent, rocking phrases a lovely transparency, but her finest moment came at the close in high-lying pianissimo lines hinting at heartache to come.
— Matthew Gurewitsch, Beyond Criticism, March 2018
As Marie in La Fille du Regiment with Hawaii Opera Theater:
“Now that Audrey Luna’s high A’s in Thomas Adès’s The Exterminating Angel have set a record for the highest note ever sung at the Metropolitan Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre’s Daughter of the Regiment affords the welcome opportunity to celebrate the soprano’s genius as a full-service singing actress…..Effervescent as the mascot of the troops (“Chacun le sait, chacun le dit”) or dejected at parting (“Il faut partir”), she sustained an air of childlike candor even in lacy flights of coloratura, punctuated with sparkling trills. Throughout her range, Luna’s timbre was round and golden, clear up to a high G natural. And she projected with ease at every dynamic, most remarkably in the first-act finale, floating pianissimi that gleamed like starlight over the mezzo forte of the full ensemble.
— Matthew Gurewitsch, Opera News, May 2018“Luna presented a vivacious Marie – lighthearted, carefree and unconstrained by vocal norms. She appears in almost every scene, impressing with everything from tender ballads to stratospheric displays. Audrey Luna is a lyric coloratura soprano, a voice that is light and agile but most of all very, very high while still powerful enough to carry to the back of an opera hall. In fact, Luna made headlines in November by singing the highest note ever sung at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, so prepare to be wowed.”
— Ruth Bingham, Honolulu Star Advertiser, February 2018
As Leticia in The Exterminating Angel with The Metropolitan Opera:
“The coloratura soprano Audrey Luna, whose stratospheric upper range was put to use by Mr. Adès in his previous opera “The Tempest” (presented at the Met in 2012) excels as Leticia, an opera singer who had starred in the performance the guests have attended: The dinner party is in her honor. But as hours and days go by, and everyone becomes increasingly confused and degraded, Leticia unravels, dispatching accusations in vocal bursts that reach screechy highs, yet somehow sound angelic.”
— Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, October 2017“Audrey Luna, now a regular in Adès operas, blazed high above the staff as the opera diva Leticia Maynar.”
— Eric C. Simpson, New York Classical Review, October 2017“The temperamental and exceptional nature of the opera singer, Leticia, whom the others call “The Valkyrie,” is expressed through an excruciatingly high tessitura and jagged vocal line; it is hard to imagine anyone other than the remarkable Audrey Luna, for whom it was written, being able to sing it.
— Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal, November 2017“Audrey Luna sings the role of the diva Leticia, her high-altitude flights spinning off into the atmosphere…”
— Justin Davidson, Vulture, October 2017“Audrey Luna tackles the soprano Leticia….everything she “says” sits way up near or above the top of the staff, so that her solo utterances have a whiff of having ingested helium, and she frequently tops the skillfully wrought ensembles. To call Luna’s virtuosity remarkable is an understatement; Adès scarcely could have crafted the part without her services.”
— David Shengold, Classical Voice America, October 2017“There is soprano Audrey Luna as the prima donna, whose stratospheric high notes are…an expression of her star power.”
— Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, March 2018“The part of Leticia, the opera diva, was sung by Audrey Luna, whose supernatural coloratura is a wonderful freak of nature. Luna rarely descends below a high C, and rises shockingly to the A natural above that.”
— Joshua Rosenblum, ZealNYC, November 2017
Soprano soloist in Requiem by Ligeti with Seattle Symphony:
“…soprano Audrey Luna astounding weirdly colored stratospheric screams of horror… It is hard to imagine two finer soloists in this music.
— Jason Victor Serinus, Classical Voice, June 2017“….soprano Audrey Luna…heroically accomplish the vocal cliff-diving of Ligeti’s absurdly spaces intervals. Luna’s ozone-cool, dizzying high notes added a fascinating new colour to his canvas….
— Thomas May, Bachtrack, June 2017
As Leticia in The Exterminating Angel with Royal Opera – Covent Garden:
“Audrey Luna sings at dog-whistle pitch in a deliciously catty portrayal of Leticia, the opera singer who may unknowingly hold the key to the whole mystery. What is that key? Buñuel wasn’t saying. Adès isn’t either, but it might be music itself.”
— Erica Jeal, The Guardian, April 2017“The production (Adès conducting) boasts an array of top-flight singers….with virtuoso American soprano Audrey Luna glittering up in her other-worldly stratosphere.”
— Cara Chanteau, Independent, April 2017“Audrey Luna as the diva Leticia rises to a fiendishly difficult coloratura aria in the third act.”
— Clare Colvin, Express, April 2017“….Audrey Luna tops them, literally and figuratively, as Leticia Maynar – the opera singer whose performance in Lucia di Lammermoor ostensibly prompts the original gathering. Luna’s stratospheric peels are as ‘unreal’ as the ondes martenot’s eerie howl and perhaps it is no coincidence that Leticia, the so-called ‘Valkyrie’, who does not share the aristocratic pretensions of the other diners, is aligned with the otherness of the exterminating angel; for it is Leticia who first recognises their entrapment and it is she, at the close, who, with her strange quasi-medieval chanson, enables their ‘release’.”
— Claire Seymour, Opera Today, April 2017“Audrey Luna’s hilariously stratospheric coloratura makes Mozart’s Queen of Night sound like child’s play.”
— Barry Millington, Evening Standard, April 2017“Only the coloratura soprano Audrey Luna as the “opera singer” Leticia showed no signs of strain. She sang Ariel in Adès’s The Tempest and makes this stratospheric singing sound effortless, tiny high notes exploding like puffs of glitter.”
— Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian, April 2017“Audrey Luna’s extraordinary facility in her top register helps make opera singer Leticia extraordinarily memorable.”
— George Hall, The Stage, April 2017“The stratospheric acrobatics of Leticia Maynar’s part (more than ably taken by American soprano Audrey Luna, a part she created in the Salzburg premiere last year) seem to reflect Adès predilection for instrumental extremes.”
— Colin Clarke, Seen and Heard, April 2017“There’s some above-the-stave virtuosity from Audrey Luna as a high-flying, high-lying opera singer. In places she sounds uncannily like the Ondes Martenot.”
— Mark Valencia, What’s On Stage, April 2017“Audrey Luna’s high notes were ridiculously super-human.”
— Melinda Atkins, Spears, April 2017
As Gepopo in Le Grand Macabre with the Berlin Philharmonic:
“The soprano Audrey Luna, in the double role of Venus and Gepopo is so skillful as she dies in the hospital bed, she dies her fulminant death in soprano heights that you can hardly trust your own ears. How does she do so, and so casually, with such hidden irony, how does she keep her soprano at such a height?”
— Christiane Tewinkel, Der Tagesspiegel, February 2017“Audrey Luna sings Gepopo unbelievably articulate with crazy coloratura, which flows into the stammering of madness.”
— Martin Schrahn, Westfälische Rundschau, February 2017“Brilliantly equipped is Audrey Luna as the secret police chief Gepopo, whose coloratura at such dizzy heights was like an acrobat.”
— Wolfgang Schreiber, Süddeutsche Zeitung, February 2017“The ensemble is exemplary, beautiful and multifaceted, first and foremost Audrey Luna in the double roles of Venus and secret service boss Gepopo with her heights at the edge of the responsibility.”
— Edda Breski, WA Kultur, February 2017
As Madame Mao in Nixon in China with Houston Grand Opera:
“Audrey Luna, substituting for an ailing Tracy Dahl as Madame Mao, stepped up to give a searing, virtuoso performance of Ch’ing’s “I am the wife of Mao Tse-tung.”
— Gregory Barnett, Opera News, February 2017“A late replacement for an indisposed Tracy Dahl in the role of Jiang Qing (Madame Mao), Audrey Luna radiated menace and set off soprano fireworks.”
— Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, February 2017
As Gepopo in Le Grand Macabre with the London Symphony Orchestra:
“….Audrey Luna’s outstanding coloratura-yodelling Chief of Police.”
— Richard Morrison, The Times, January 2017“Audrey Luna’s crazed Gepopo soared easily into Ligeti’s musical stratosphere.”
— Alexandra Coghlan, The Independent, January 2017“Sellars….transformed the exotic-bird Chief of Police into a dying radiation victim; the brilliant coloratura Audrey Luna goes to the edge with the horror.”
— David Nice, The Arts Desk, January 2017
Sirens Cycle with The Calder Quartet by Peter Eötvös:
“At the center is Audrey Luna with her fantastic coloratura opera that translates lyrics by James Joyce, Homer and Franz Kafka: Siren Songs, which are filled with great joy.”
— Ralf Döring, Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, October 2016
As Leticia in The Exterminating Angel with the Salzburg Festival:
“The most heroic performance was delivered by the coloratura soprano Audrey Luna, as Leticia. Her gleaming, yearning tone in the climactic aria provided a short-lived epiphany before darkness closed in again.”
— Alex Ross, New Yorker, August 2016“The most distinct voice is Audrey Luna’s superhuman Leticia”
— Neil Fisher, The Times, August 2016“Audrey Luna as Leticia, who sang her fiendish high coloratura dazzlingly”
— Fionna Maddocks, Guardian, August 2016“Leticia, a famous prima donna fresh from the ‘Lucia’ performance, was here the high-coloratura soprano Audrey Luna. Mr Adès takes Ms. Luna to stratospheric vocal lines…Ms. Luna’s uncanny agility captures Leticia’s larger-than-life quality.”
— Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, August, 2016“At the other end of the vocal spectrum is the diva Leticia (soprano Audrey Luna, who sang the virtuosic role of Ariel in Adès’ The Tempest). Luna remains technically unflappable through the wildest of lyric acrobatics, and Adès seems to consciously elevate her above the situation musically and psychologically.”
— Classical Voice America, August, 2016“The singers were more than fine; stand outs included Audrey Luna (Leticia) with her extremely high coloratura soprano.”
— Frankfurter Rundschau, August 2016“The magnificent Audrey Luna as Leticia.”
— Christian Wildhagen, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, August 2016“Audrey Luna is the stratospheric diva.”
— Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, August 2016“Audrey Luna bravely undertook another Adès role (the first was Ariel in The Tempest) lying in the vocal stratosphere.”
— George Loomis, Musical America, August 2016“A Valkyrie-like final aria, egged on by an orchestra turned primal and Brucknerian, sung by the amazing Audrey Luna.”
— Igor Toronyi-Lalic, Spectator, August, 2016“Adès gives Audrey Luna more of the insane stratospheric writing of Ariel in The Tempest – Luna sang the role at the Met – and lets her lead the final Chaconne to a tentative freedom.”
— David Nice, Arts Desk, August, 2016“Audrey Luna particularly impressed in the role of the opera diva.”
— Opernnetz, August 2016“The most outstanding vocal performance, dealing with stratospheric range and extremely fast, radically jagged intervals, came from Audrey Luna as Leticia.”
— Oe24, August 2016
As Ariel in The Tempest with Wiener Staatsoper:
“Audrey Luna’s cocksure Ariel is undaunted by the staging and vocal demands, emitting freakish whistle register tones to create a surreally-asexual airborne spirit…one who transpired to become the evening’s darling.”
— The Opera Critic, June 2015“Audrey Luna overcomes dizzying stratospheric coloratura cascades with phenomenal bravery and acrobatic movement with ease”
— Ernst Naredi-Rainer, Kleine Zeitung, June 2015“Audrey Luna trills in the highest soprano stratosphere as Ariel, she fills her performance with stunning attack as well as lyrical phrasing”
— Wilhelm Sinkovicz, Die Presse, June 2015“Audrey Luna as Ariel is the star of the evening; cutting a fine figure with stylized gestures and delicately eccentric contours, she masters the incredibly high vocal writing masterfully.”
— Jubisa Tosic, Der Standard, June 2015“Audrey Luna was the only artist in this performance who had already sung in the productions in Quebec and New York and undoubtedly has the most demanding role in the work. Her coloratura sounds out of this world…the entire audience was enchanted by her physical and vocal acrobatics.”
— Sophia Felbermair, ORF, June 2015“Ariel is sung by the fantastic Audrey Luna who is endlessly praised by the audience. She switches wonderfully between rogue-like, monstrous ferocity to delicate sentience”
— C. F Pichler, Stol.it, June 2015
As Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with The Metropolitan Opera:
“The brilliant coloratura soprano Audrey Luna is sensational as Olympia, deftly dispatching passagework and tossing off jet-propulsion high notes”
— Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, March 2015“Audrey Luna was an extraordinary Olympia, all pink satin and pink hair and stratospheric high notes with silvery technical mastery. Was that an A-flat above high F – or several of them – in the second stanza of Les oiseaux dans la charmille?”
— David Browning, Bachtrack, March 2015“Audrey Luna, an American soprano, sang Olympia, the mechanical doll. Her voice sounds very good up high, and I mean way up high. You’ve heard of a high A? That is, the note a couple steps below high C? Luna sang the A above that A – and sang it splendidly. The note was in tune, sustained, and rather otherworldly.”
— Jay Nordlinger, The New Criterion, March 2015“The soprano Audrey Luna admirably tosses off the run of high notes in Les oiseaux dans la charmille as the wind-up doll Olympia.”
—Wilborn Hampton, Huffington Post Arts & Culture, March 2015
As Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with Den Norske Opera:
“Luna’s performance of the Doll Song “Les oiseaux dans la charmille” was nothing short of breathtaking. She showed astounding control of her high register, interpolating several high A’s and B flats, and hit just the right balance between dominatrix and blow up doll this production dictates.”
— Aksel Tollåli, Bachtrack, October 2014“Furthermore, an extraordinary and shocking Olympia, overwhelmingly sung and interpreted by Audrey Luna, who makes her role debut here in Oslo. As if the composer didn’t make the role demanding enough, Luna made the role even more difficult with her highly virtuosic execution and with a large and highly secure voice”
— Henning Høholt, Kulturkompasset, October 2014
Soloist in Opera Maui’s inaugural benefit concert:
“Opera Maui’s inaugural benefit concert was a triumphant success….In particular, the Grammy Award-winning soprano, Audrey Luna is a phenomenon. Luna’s Glitter and Be Gay, from “Candide”, and Caro Nome from “Rigoletto” may be the finest vocal performance ever witnessed at the MACC….When Opera Maui’s founder, Jim Price speaks of a future full-scale opera in the near future, I can only hope it will star Luna. Should she return to Maui, run, don’t walk to witness this soprano’s stunning coloratura in its absolute prime.”
— Michael Pulliam, The Maui News, July 2014“Audrey Luna is an exceptional talent. Her voice is not only powerful, but she has absolute control of it. Even when she reaches the stratospheric, coloratura range, she is able to gently and quietly touch the note, like a butterfly landing on a dandelion ready to seed without disturbing it…. Ms. Luna’s performance brought the house to its feet. Her power, control, beauty, and expressiveness make her a real force to be reckoned with.”
— Paul James-Brown, Huffington Post, July 2014
As Madame Mao in Nixon in China with Wide Open Opera in Dublin, Ireland:
“Vocally, the evening’s star turns to the fearless coloratura of the US soprano Audrey Luna as a feisty Jiang Qing; and, for sheer character, the trio of Mao’s secretaries.”
— Michael Dervan, Irish Times, May 2014“In terms of visceral impact, Audrey Luna’s Chiang Ch’ing (Madame Mao) is the vocal performance of the evening. She negotiates Adams’ at times cruelly vaulting intervals with insouciance, pings her high notes fearlessly, and generally creates an appropriately unsettling impression of barely trammelled sadism and psychosis.”
— Terry Blain, Bachtrack, May 2014“Audrey Luna’s coloratura as Madame Mao Chiang Ch’ing, has piercing accuracy as she waves aloft Mao’s Red Book of ideologies.”
— Pat O’Kelly, Irish Independent, May 2014
As Fiakermilli in Arabella with The Metropolitan Opera:
“Audrey Luna stood out…..as the coquettish Fiakermilli. The coloratura soprano dazzled a few years ago when she inaugurated the role of Ariel in the Met premiere of The Tempest…..Luna still impressed with her easy effervescence.”
— Eric C. Simpson, New York Classical Review, April 2014“Audrey Luna threw off the coloratura of the Fiakermilli with coquettish bravura.”
— David Salazar, Latinos Post, April 2014“Audrey Luna was charming as the flirtatious Fiakermilli, who crowns Arabella as the queen of the ball in Act II.”
— Barry Bassis, Epoch Times, April 2014
Opera Gala concert with The Williamsburg Symphonia:
“Assuredly, Luna offered first class singing illustrative of her 2013 Grammy for the Met’s Live in HD recording of Thomas Ades’s, The Tempest. Her crystalline soprano was stunning in quality and delivery, notably in her stratospheric rendering of Caro nome from Rigoletto. Breathtaking and pitch perfect coloratura”
— John Shulson, The Virginia Gazette, March 2014
As Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos with Virginia Opera:
“The other standout was Audrey Luna as Zerbinetta; the coloratura was impressive… and she truly made a meal of her role.”
— Robert Battey, Washington Post, February 2014“Singing with equally fine effect, soprano Audrey Luna made the most of the comical Zerbinetta without neglecting her serious moments. Her long solo scene, which kept her almost as busy physically as vocally, was a triumph”
— Lee Teply, Virginian-Pilot, February 2014“As Ariadne’s low-class musical nemesis, Zerbinetta, puckish soprano Audrey Luna, attired as a post-punk princess, takes a decidedly low-art approach to the whole mess and, as leader of her troupe, decides to rescue the doomed maiden from her inevitable tragic death in spite of the script. Ms. Luna plays the low-art meme to the hilt, supporting it with a rich, plummy voice that underlies her authority.”
— Terry Ponick, Communities Digital News, February 2014“Zerbinetta (soprano Audrey Luna) was the leader of the spiky-haired and tattooed comedy troupe. The performances were well-paced, physical, funny and finely sung.”
— Gene Harris, Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 2014
As Ariel in the DVD of The Tempest by Thomas Adés with The Metropolitan Opera:
“The soprano part of Ariel, brilliantly sung by Audrey Luna at the Met, is a coloratura tightrope walk so daunting it makes Mozart’s Queen of the Night aria seem like child’s play.”
— Vivien Schweitzer, The New York Times, January 2014
As Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at Pittsburgh Opera:
“Audrey Luna’s Queen of the Night had the expected agility for the role, along with a sound that gained in strength and fullness the higher she sang. The staccato high C’s of her iconic vengeance aria generated excitement, and all four high F’s were right on the mark.”
— Robert Croan, Opera News, November 2013
As Ariel in Scenes from The Tempest by Thomas Adés with the San Francisco Symphony:
“Any consideration of ‘The Tempest’ begins with Adès’ treatment of the role of Ariel – not necessarily because it’s central to the opera but because the premise is so brazen. Adès casts Shakespeare’s airy sprite for a soprano singing at stratospheric heights – this is a role that makes the Queen of the Night sound positively baritonal by contrast. It’s a daring challenge for both the composer and the singer, who between them have to turn long sequences of potential squeaks and shrieks into music of unearthly beauty. And not least among the delights of Thursday’s concert was the joint success on that point by Adès and soprano Audrey Luna, in a splendid Symphony debut. … Even more striking is the setting of ‘Full fathom five’ (‘Five fathoms deep’ in Oakes’ version), which is surely the most purely lyrical music ever composed for a soprano singing well above the staff. Luna’s performance was a tour de force of precision and grace.”
— Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, October 2013
As Lakmé in Lakmé at L’Opéra de Montréal:
“Audrey Luna delivers full and complete satisfaction, not only on the stratospheric plane – indisputable since her performance as Ariel in Thomas Adès’s The Tempest in Quebec and at the Met – but especially in the vocal line, with sensuous inflections…. Audrey Luna has put flesh on this production.”
— Christophe Huss, Le Devoir, September 2013“Rising Star Audrey Luna, who starred in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Ades’ ‘The Tempest’ and who performed the Queen of the Night in the Santa Fe Opera’s 2010 production of Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’ proved to be a sensation in the title role. As required of a great Lakme, she showed mastery of the coloratura fireworks of the Air des Clochettes (Bell Song), and, for this role that is largely comprised of sustained legato singing, she sang expressively and affectingly, displaying both power and pianissimo.”
— Opera Warhorses, September 2013“Vocally, the star of the evening was the young American coloratura soprano Audrey Luna, who was making her company debut. Equal to every technical demand made of her, she possesses impressive vocal agility and extension, a silvery timbre and considerable power (especially at the top of her voice), … is physically alluring and performs with intriguing musicality (most notably her innovative and winning phrasing in the famous ‘Flower duet’ …). Though the celebrated ‘Bell Song’ was well delivered, Luna’s best singing came in the third-act ‘Berceuse’ and the aria ‘Tu m’as donné.”
— Richard Turp, BachTrack, September 2013“[A spectacular performance] from Audrey Luna in the title role. This American hyper-coloratura, noted for her acrobatics in dog-whistle territory as Ariel in Thomas Adès’s The Tempest, sang the Bell Song not only with thorough security but a sweet, beguiling tone. She was also a good actress.”
— Arthur Kaptainis, Montreal Gazette, September 2013
As soprano soloist in Carmina Burana at National Philharmonic:
“Audrey Luna brought innocence and flute-like clarity to the amorous sighs of the soprano solos in ‘The Court of Love.’”
— Charles T. Downey, Washington Post, June 2013
As Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos at Fort Worth Opera Festival:
“Best of all, Audrey Luna turned Zerbinetta into a full-blooded character with soubrette allure, athleticism and worldly wisdom. Luna executed her difficult vocal turns effortlessly. Her vocal fireworks proved the perfect fizzy antidote to the Romantic lushness of Ariadne’s swooning love music.”
— Willard Spiegelman, Opera News, May 2013“As Zerbinetta, leader of the circus group, young Audrey Luna delivered the night’s showstopper, a coloratura free-for-all directed at Ariadne, who spent much of the time lying on the ground sobbing. In the aria that begins with ‘Great high and mighty princess,’ an effort to revive the goddess’ spirits, Luna used every vocal trick in the book, sailing into the stratosphere with runs, skips, trills, a note that sounded like a high F, you name it. The audience erupted in a roar when she finished and kept it up for some time.”
— Leonard Eureka, Fort Worth Weekly, May 2013“For this production, the company introduced soprano Audrey Luna to the local audience in the show-stopping role of Zerbinetta, in which Luna bounded through vocal acrobatics while convincingly portraying an empty-headed, egotistical entertainer who turns out to be wiser than anyone else.”
— Wayne Lee Gay, D Magazine, May 2013“Luna provides much of the fireworks for the second act, and deftly navigates the role. Zerbinetta is written in the bel canto tradition, and Luna has no problems impressing all with her clear, controlled tone that is equally as stunning in the lower register as it is up in the coloratura range.”
— John Norine Jr., TheaterJones, May 2013“Audrey Luna’s spunky Zerbinetta flits fetchingly around the stage and flutters easily through her vocal fireworks.”
— Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, May 2013
As Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at Utah Opera:
“Audrey Luna sang perhaps the opera’s best-known tune, the Queen of the Night’s vengeance aria, to terrifying effect, popping out a series of high F’s like sonic daggers.”
— Catherine Reese Newton, Salt Lake Tribune, February 2013“Audrey Luna, singing the Queen of the Night, had no trouble establishing her character’s bluster, popping out ‘Der Hölle Rache’s high Fs with laser precision.”
— Robert Coleman, Opera News, February 2013
As Ariel in The Tempest by Thomas Adés with The Metropolitan Opera:
“The role of the spirit Ariel is written for a coloratura soprano singing in a stratospheric range, here the physically and vocally agile Audrey Luna….with her radiant voice flitting about in super-high fidgety bursts….Mr. Adès’s Ariel is a dazzling creation, and Ms. Luna conquers the role.”
— Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, October 2012“Audrey Luna’s Ariel is the star of the show, especially as the score demands regular singing in an octave higher than any I’ve heard”
— Andrew Losowsky, The Huffington Post, October 2012“Ariel seems to inhabit a space of pure music. Luna, clad in a skintight hooded catsuit, not only sang each note with eerie precision but delivered them in precarious poses that showed off her dancer’s flexibility. In the high register, her voice sounded like latex: high-gloss, flexible, and thoroughly alienating.”
— Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, TheClassicalReview.com, October 2012“Lithe and fearless, Audrey Luna made the impossible flights of Ariel seem like coloratura bagatelles.”
— Martin Bernheimer, Financial Times, October 2012“…Act I is all about Prospero…..and the magical creatures he controls: Ariel (the astonishing Audrey Luna), whose stratospherically high tessitura places her firmly in the spirit world… Ariel, trembling and twitching like a hummingbird (Ms. Luna’s physical agility matched her vocal acrobatic skills), torments the courtiers from her perch on a lighting bridge and, in her Act III harpy guise, shrieks imprecations from a chandelier… Ariel’s high, eerie wordless notes seem to be coming from the air around us in the real opera house. Is she art or nature?”
— Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal, October 2012“Audrey Luna steals the show as Ariel. Looking like one of Lepage’s Cirque du Soleil dancers in a sparkling catsuit and cap, she raises the bar for opera singers’ stage movement skills — not to mention vocal range. She sounds at ease living above high C. Adès.…gives her a transporting sustained aria that shows off a pristine sound and impressive control. As she scales the vocal stratosphere, she also scales the curtain, swings from a chandelier while disguised as a harpy and writhes like a spider around the catwalk.”
— Ronnie Reich, The Star-Ledger, October 2012“Luna is absolutely brilliant as Ariel, and her prowess as a coloratura soprano is simply dazzling….Luna was clear and crisp in her delivery.”
— Jordane Delahaye, The Gleaner, November 2012“The vocal standout of the evening is soprano Audrey Luna as Ariel, whose entire role is written in such a stratospheric range that one might assume only dogs could hear it. Not only does Luna nail every note, she presents such a quivery, highly stylized physical characterization that she seems, appropriately, not of this earth.”
— Eric Myers, Variety.com, October 2012“Audrey Luna blew the audience away not only with her astounding vocal range, but with her agility and precision within it. Luna sang the stratospherically high passages of the impish spirit, Ariel, with impeccably clean intonation and diction. Adès’s music alone is enough to put Ariel on a supernatural level, but Luna brought an outstanding physicality to her character. She floated and swam weightlessly across the stage and her contorted body language in conjunction with her shimmering, skeletal costume made Ariel positively out of this world.”
— Melanie O’Neil, The Examiner, November 2012“Audrey Luna has the most difficult role in the entire work as Ariel..…and one would probably find it a miracle that any soprano could get half of those notes to sound..…Luna achieves that and much more in what may ultimately have been the most impressive vocal performance of the night. Not once did she sound uncomfortable or screechy on those upper notes; her voice had a glorious ring to it that added a mystical and sublime nature to the evening. It is also essential to point out that Luna spent a great deal of time on stage hanging or being carried around while she sang some of those blistering high notes and she never faltered once. Her passage “Full Fathoms Five” is one of the more remarkable passages in the score and coupled with Luna’s gentle voice became one of the highlights of the night. I would also be remiss to not mention Luna’s characterization of Ariel with wild unsteady movements that took away all semblance of human nature and really turned her into a supernatural being.”
— David Salazar, Latinos Post, November 2012“Ariel is an almost unbelievably high role for coloratura soprano, and Audrey Luna’s stratospheric performance met its demands perfectly.”
— Paul Kilbey, Bachtrack, November 2012“The stratospheric soprano role of Ariel sounds like nothing else in opera, with vocal lines that feel buffeted by changeable island winds – and amazingly sung by Audrey Luna.”
— David Patrick Stearns, WQXR, Operavore, October 2012“Among Ades’ melodic innovations is the jaggedly demanding lines he has written for the angry, energetic sprite Ariel (Audrey Luna, who at one point runs through something like 17 high Es and works her lithe body as if caught in a Bob Fosse routine). Moreover, Ariel’s arias are so airy they seem to be operating in a previously unexplored stratosphere. Luckily, Luna soars there…”
— David Finkle, Theatermania, October 2012“Oregon soprano Audrey Luna commands as Prospero’s airy, sometimes scary, fairy Ariel – for a couple of reasons. Thanks to Kym Barret’s glittery getup, she looks like a cross between a Sin City Tinkerbell and Gollum from “Lord of the Rings.” In addition, Adès punishing score pitches her notes up to space-jumper territory….This is an exotic, unforgettable Ariel.”
— Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News, October 2012“Adès’s most magical creation is Ariel, who levitates both in body and voice….Get the casting wrong and you’re in for a long night of shrill squeaks, but Audrey Luna surfs on clouds, and in the final scene, her offstage voice blends with the orchestra’s eerie whistle, making it clear that while human order is restored, the isle remains a perpetually enchanted place.”
— Justin Davidson, New York Magazine, October 2012“Ariel deserves a particular mention: exquisitely rendered by soprano Audrey Luna into a sometimes threateningly sinister caged bird, she scales all heights of set and scenery, including the curtains, with an ethereal lightness that is unmatched in plainer productions.”
— Sarah Richardson, The Yorker, November 2012“Audrey Luna diligently handles Ariel’s stratospheric wails, closing the opera with an otherworldly echo…”
— Zachary Woolfe, The New York Observer October 2012
As Ariel in The Tempest by Thomas Adés with Festival Opéra de Québec:
“The real star of this show is however Audrey Luna. She plays the role of Ariel, the spirit under the power of Prospero. This young soprano sings a partition of great technical difficulty – little melody and a lot of high notes – in acrobatic positions of all kinds. She finds herself perched on a chandelier, a scaffold or a suspended ring, head up, head down. Anyway, she delivers a performance combining singing, dancing, acrobatics and traction: a rare combination among opera singers. Congratulations to this talented young performer!”
— Sophie Roy, Quebec Info Musique, July 2012“Added to Lepage’s imaginative direction was a first-rate cast, led by Lune (Ariel), who displayed phenomenal vocal as well as gymnastic agility. Audrey Luna as Ariel was quite amazing. Aside from her extraordinary acrobatic feats, she aced the stratospheric…high vocal line.”
— Karyl Charna-Lynn, Opera Now, September 2012“…her high pitched voice that reaches notes I’ve never heard in my life! It is sublime….people jumped out of their seat to cheer this ensemble of singers, dancers, musicians, acrobats, but especially the masterly and prodigious performance of coloratura soprano Audrey Luna.”
— Shirley Christmas, Info-culture.biz, July 2012“Soprano Audrey Luna is impressive, delivering a very physical Ariel, who performs stunts while singing.”
— Eric Moreault, Le Soleil, July 2012“Audrey Luna as Ariel proved a stunning acrobat in all senses.”
— Arthur Kaptainis, Montreal Gazette July 2012
As Soprano soloist in Martyrdom of St. Sebastien by Debussy with the National Philharmonic:
“Ms. Luna’s sweet, much lighter, more ethereal voice added just the right otherworldly, almost childlike ambience to St. Sebastian’s ‘heavenly’ vocal moments.”
— Terry Ponick, Washington Times, May 2012“Soprano Audrey Luna was a celestial presence, floating the high notes of the Virgin Mary’s aria in the second part and as the soul of Saint Sebastian singing from heaven.”
— Charles T. Downey, Washington Post, May 2012
As Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at Teatro Dell’Opera di Roma:
“Audrey Luna [Queen of the Night], who sang in the performance I attended, would have shocked the pants off the composer with her dazzling accuracy of rhythm and intonation. Such secure virtuosity in the face of outrageous difficulty is rare indeed. Like other Americans, Audrey Luna has a faultless technique, but also a thrilling dramatic involvement in her delivery of the role.”
— Jack Buckley, Seen and Heard International, April 2012
Sound Bites: Audrey Luna:
“Few Queens of the Night have resumés dotted with works by George Crumb, György Kurtág
and Chen Yi. Next season, Luna will sing Ariel in The Tempest when it comes to the Met.”
— Brian Kellow, Opera News, April 2012
As Madame Mao in Nixon in China with Lyric Opera of Kansas City:
“But soprano Audrey Luna as the feisty, true believer Madame Mao was most remarkable; she nearly embodied the Cultural Revolution.”
— William Carl Ferleman, PopMatters, March 2012“Luna channeled bat-shit-crazy mania and authoritarian zealotry as she stalked across the stage watching her disturbing ballet-opera, ‘The Red Detachment of Women.’ Her introductory aria, ‘Iam the wife of Mao Tse-Tung,’ is a coloratura’s demonic showboat. Wailing away in the extremeupper registers and extolling the virtues of the Cultural Revolution, Luna’s pitch-perfect andperfectly manic performance ended with her triumphantly standing atop a pile of executed Chinese.”
— Lee Hartman, KC Metropolis, March 2012“But this show really belongs to the ladies…. Audrey Luna brings her crystalline soprano to the searing role of Madame Mao – a merciless revolutionary who makes your blood run cold.”
— Robert Trussell, Kansas City Star, March 2012
As Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at Lyric Opera of Chicago:
“The entrance of the Queen of the Night and her first bravura aria provided Ms. Luna with opportunities to show her vocal facility [‘O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn’ (‘O do not tremble, my dear son!’)]. Luna’s dramatic high notes on ‘Ach helft!’ [‘Oh help!’] were especially effective, these being followed by practiced runs in the famous coloratura passages.”
— Salvatore Calomino, Opera Today, January 2012
As Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at Cincinnati Opera:
“Audrey Luna strode through the Queen’s sky-rocketing music with ease.”
— Charles H. Parsons, Opera News, November 2011“A strong cast, many making debuts, added to the success. Audrey Luna…brought down the house in her Cincinnati debut as Queen of the Night. She brilliantly attacked the coloratura fireworks of her Act I aria. She was an imposing presence, holding a knife to Pamina’s throat and impressively nailing the pyrotechnics – including high ‘f’s – in her Revenge Aria.”
— Janelle Gelfand, Cincinnati Enquirer, July 2011
As Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at Spoleto Festival USA’s:
“The other big standout was American soprano Audrey Luna as the Queen of the Night, delivering her big aria with note-perfect, high-flying intensity.
— William Furtwangler, Charleston Today, May 2011
“As the ‘star-blazing’ Queen of the Night, to borrow a character’s description of the story’s fount of meanness, Audrey Luna was a vocal fireball. She hurled out high notes that hit home like the dagger she once threw to the stage – which stabbed so hard that it remained standing on its point.”
— Steven Brown, Charlotte Observer, May 2011
As Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Opera Memphis:
“Soprano Audrey Luna dazzled as Rosina. Her precise, coloratura articulation enhanced her character’s allure: a strong-willed woman disguised as a demure beauty.”
—Christopher Blank, Go Memphis, April 2011
As Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor at Opera Naples:
“They (Opera Naples) also bet Audrey Luna’s debut in the role would be a memorable interpretation, and Luna even surpassed its expectations. She turned Lucia from a mournfully tragic character to a spunky, yet loosely wound, mistress of the castle and sang its famous mad scene — and all the others — in amazingly supple runs and sparkling voice. Luna, who has used her stratospheric abilities frequently in the famous “Queen of the Night” character from “Magic Flute,” performed her new role as if she owned it. Now she does.”
—Harriet Howard Heithaus, Naples News, January 2011
As Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos at Tanglewood Opera Festival:
“… Audrey Luna, in that soubrette role, very nearly did steal the evening. Her vocal athleticism was of a very different sort … nimble and daringly acrobatic. She delivered some of her most altitudinous and treacherous coloratura lying flat on her back.”
— James R. Oestreich, New York Times, August 2010
“As Zerbinetta, Audrey Luna bounces around the stage like a beach ball and sings her long aria with amazing ease.”
— David Perkins, Boston Globe, August 2010
“Luna made a simply delectable Zerbinetta, and one (miracle of miracles!) absolutely at home both onstage and in the coloratura excesses of the character’s display aria. How she could sing with such accuracy while cavorting about to such witty point made the role more than just a series of high notes and roulades.”
— Patrick J. Smith, Musical America, August 2010
“Audrey Luna delivered this coloratura role – one of the most difficult in the literature – with extraordinary panache and a breathtaking technique. Ms. Luna, a petite and attractive performer, captures all of what Zerbinetta is: a woman of the moment, a lover and user of men; her vocal acrobatics in every way persuade us that, in Strauss’s erotic imagination, Zerbinetta must be a sexual acrobat as well. Ms. Luna tackled the pyrotechnic ‘Großmächtige Prinzessin’ with sexy ease and vocal precision. It was a delight to bear witness, one might say, to this Luna as a dazzling vocal meteor shower.”
— Seth Lachterman, Berkshire Review for the Arts, August 2010
“As the comic actress Zerbinetta, the lithe and luscious Audrey Luna, was both magnificent on the ears as well as easy on the eyes. In a saucy, sexy costume featuring two piece beach ware…Luna slithered about the stage….Luna delivered her highest notes while flat on her back. The aria was followed by thunderous applause and bravos.
It was a truly stunning performance and a cameo of what audiences may anticipate this season when Luna makes her debut with the Metropolitan Opera. Luna will be a major artist to follow for years to come. She has it all, looks, personality, that magnificent voice, and a dash of theatrical cayenne. Wow.”
— Charles Giuliano, Berkshire Fine Arts, August 2010
“To Zerbinetta (Audrey Luna), however, fell the most challenging role. She distinguished herself equally with vocal virtuosity, physicality, and comic acting….This was a spectacular tour de force. If you hadn’t been there, you’d not have believed it!”
— Eli Newberger, Boston Musical Intelligencer, August 2010
As Gilda in Rigoletto at San Antonio Opera:
“Soprano Audrey Luna, as Rigoletto’s daughter, Gilda, delivered the best singing. Luna hit all her high notes in her big aria, ‘Caro nome,’ which launches the opera’s doomed love affair.”
— David Hendricks, San Antonio Express-News, June 2010
As Venus in Le Grand Macabre at New York Philharmonic/Gilbert:
“Even an understudy, Audrey Luna, made a strong impression singing Venus …”
— Elizabeth Barnette, Classical Source, May 2010
As Gretel in Hansel & Gretel at Syracuse Opera:
“In the title roles, Audrey Luna makes a charming, vocally fine Gretel.”
— Joan Vadeboncoeur, Post Standard, April 2010
George London Competition:
“There was Audrey Luna, who has power and a blazing coloratura facility that most lyric sopranos can only dream of.”
— Brian Kellow, Opera News, June 2009
As Cunegonde in Candide at Toledo Opera:
“His sweetheart, Cunegonde, was sung ably by Audrey Luna, whose ‘Glitter and Be Gay’ was the tour de force the composer intended it to be, including an optional high F …”
— Alan Montgomery, Opera News“But the evening belonged to Audrey Luna, a coloratura whose bell-like voice, confident delivery, and masterful acting was superb. Most delicious was her signature aria, “Glitter and Be Gay,” with its high Ebs – plus a high F that Ms. Luna tossed out as if it were one of the fake jewels she dripped. More, please, of Ms. Luna, who has the makings of an American Natalie Dessay.”
— Sally Vallongo, Toledo Blade, May 2009
As The Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at El Paso Opera:
“Luna unleashed her florid soprano to negotiate the fiendish aria, requiring the voice to reach the highest register in vocal repertoire. She pulled off the bouncing ball notes with an astonishing agility”
— Betty Ligon, El Paso Inc., March 2009
As Blonde in The Abduction of the Seralio at Hawai’i Opera Theatre:
“Especially pure and clear was soprano Audrey Luna, whose phrasing and breathing made every line a true Mozartian experience. She was a perfect Blonde, not only for her remarkable vocal range (from A flat to a high E) and excellent coloratura, but also for her spirited performance and her natural easiness on stage. We saw her last year in the role of Juliette and I surely hope to see her performing again in Honolulu.”
— Valeria Wenderoth, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, February 2009
As soprano soloist in Carmina Burana at National Philharmonic:
“Soprano Audrey Luna soared into the stratosphere at lightning speed for florid melodic cantillation — part of Orff’s Middle Eastern touches of exoticism.”
— Cecelia Porter, Washington Post, November 2008
As The Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at Opera Ontario:
“Soprano Audrey Luna was a glamorously wicked Queen of the Night. She sang her two famous arias impressively…”
— Ken Winters, The Globe and Mail, November 2008“The unlikable Queen is more than adequately performed by soprano Audrey Elizabeth Luna. Her voice has a bell-like clarity with nary a syllable slurred.”
— Danny Gaisin, Ontario Arts Review, November 2008
As Juliette in Romeo et Juliette at Hawai’i Opera Theatre:
“Right away we also hear the incredible voice of soprano Luna. As soon as Juliette gets on stage she sings a difficult coloratura aria, and nothing seems to stop her. Her grace and determination, combined with terrific vocal skills make her the perfect Juliette. Her voice was radiant. [She and Roméo] work together in ideal harmony in four duets. Vocally, their textures, color and strength match without flaw. On stage, their chemistry is one of a kind. Especially moving is their fourth-act duet….“
— Valeria Wenderoth, Hawai’i Star Bulletin, March 2008“…Juliet, sung by Audrey Luna, a lithe powerhouse of a lyric soprano…her Act IV aria was dynamite.”
— Ruth O. Bingham, The Honolulu Advertiser, March 2008
As The Controller in Flight at Pittsburgh Opera:
“Audrey Luna soars brilliantly in the stratospheric tessitura the composer writes for the Controller, who enjoys being apart from the messiness of the passenger world.”
— Mark Kanny, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 2008“…the Controller, strongly voiced by Audrey Luna, a … coloratura with sensational high notes…”
— Robert Croan, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 2008
As Cunegonde in a tribute concert to Enzio Pinza with Samuel Ramey:
“Audrey Luna’s “Glitter and be gay” from Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” was stupendous; her command of high tessitura was a tool for perfect characterization — and some wildly wonderful interpolations. At one point, she sank to her knees, embracing the conductor’s left leg and pulling a chain of pearls from his pocket. Just right for a character who easily endures the diamond rings and other baubles.”
— Mark Kanny, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, April 2007
As The Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at Pittsburgh Opera:
“Of course, the biggest pyrotechnics go to the Queen of the Night, Audrey Luna, who does an outstanding job. She handled all those dipping and dashing high notes with maturity and heart-melting glory. Without question, Luna is one to watch, one can only guess what the future holds for such a talented ingénue.”
— Steven Singer, Pittsburgh City Paper, March 2007
“Soprano Audrey Luna was a last-minute substitution as the Queen of the Night. She lent a more than usually human quality to the role and sang the difficult Act II aria with energy.”
— Opera News, March 2007
“Soprano Audrey Luna did a fine job with the difficult Queen of the Night role. She delivered the famous and complicated Act II aria with a rush of energy and a gorgeous vocal quality.”
— Andrew Druckenbrod, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 2007
As Erisbe in Ormindo at Pittsburgh Opera:
“Erisbe needs to be a charismatic presence and Audrey Luna brought plenty of dramatic flair to her singing and stage presence.”
— Mark Kanny, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, February 2007
Altamura/Caruso Vocal Competition:
“Luna sang “The Bell Song” from Lakmé by Leo Delibes with transcendent vocal beauty and that wonderful vocal reserve suggesting vocally much more by not pushing the voice. She created excitement and poetry combined with fabulous technique that one has not heard in Lakmé since the great days of Lily Pons”
— John Paul Keeler, Registered Star, August 2006
Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition:
“Luna was a crowd pleaser with a voice that often seemed to float above her“
— Byron Beck, The Seattle Times, February 2006
As Dalinda in Ariodante:
“Soprano Audrey Luna as Dalinda was the evening’s vocal standout, with her pealing high notes and nimble coloratura.”
— Mary Ellyn Hutton, The Cincinnati Post, February 2005“Luna wonderfully portrayed Dalinda’s characterization as the accomplice, while projecting a voice capable of soaring powerfully into the stratosphere”
— Janelle Gelfand, The Cincinnati Enquirer, February 2005
As soprano soloist in Solemn Vespers of the Confessor by Mozart:
“Luna was especially impressive in the “Laudate Dominum,” which as a solo is too often given a chaste and emotionally dry treatment. Luna’s rich yet silvery-clear soprano curved up and unfurled not just as a prayer of praise to deity but also as a confirmation that some things on Earth (Mozart’s music above all) do shine as brightly as anything in heaven.”
— Mary Ellyn Hutton, The Cincinnati Post, January 2005
As Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande:
“Audrey Luna’s Mélisande grew from a frightened, soaking wet creature to an anguished and, finally, detached young woman. Luna’s scene as she tossed her ring into the well was one of great charm and beauty, and she sang with purity and youthful expression.”
— Janelle Gelfand, The Cincinnati Enquirer, May 2005
As Amor in Orfeo ed Euridice at Portland Opera Music Festival:
“Amor who arranges a deux ex machina happy ending, sounded radiant as performed by Audrey Luna. Luna brought a mature presence to the role, ranging from amiable to authoritative.”
— David Stabler, The Oregonian, July 2004