Scroll down to read critical acclaim for…

Semele • 2023
Bayerische Staatsoper

“Brenda sympathetically traced a downward plunge from hesitation to ecstasy, then harried despair and hollowed catatonia.”
The New York Times

“Brenda Rae as Semele, ravishing in her energetic enthusiasm, throws herself into bloodcurdling coloratura with a vengeance.”
BR Klassik

“In Brenda Rae, Guth has an overwhelming soloist who portrayed the extremely demanding role without mercy and brilliantly mastered almost a dozen da-capo arias with the highest vocal brilliance, with touching variety in her sparkling coloraturas.”
Backtrack (German)

“Musically, each of the performers not only surpassed expectations but catapulted the evening to Olympian heights. As Semele, Brenda Rae, who rarely left the stage in this production, portrayed the princess’s descent into madness with compelling veracity. Rae’s vocal portrayal grew immensely as the opera progressed: her Act III aria “Myself I shall adore,” here staged as a true mad scene with unending, nearly impossible coloratura, was nothing short of sensational.”
Opera News

“Rae plays a pivotal role as Semele. Displaying her character’s emotional journey from apprehension, bliss, despair to emptiness, her performance lends greater depth to the oratorio.”
Fagen Wasanni

“Rae sings the trills and coloratura in the title role with great virtuosity as an expression of a bipolar personality whose narcissism leads to megalomania and ends in insanity.”
SWR

“Brenda Rae in the title role has the most to do with eleven arias, especially considering the extremely challenging direction by Guth. No charming virtuoso is at work here, but a soprano who understands baroque ornamentation as an existential alienation.”
Merkur

“It is worth highlighting the amazing acting skills of Rae’s dramatic role, who in turn excelled with extraordinary coloraturas.”
Danas

“Rae managed something admirably touching: the fabulous baroque ornamental song - long before all medical findings on ‘schizophrenia’, ‘borderline’ or ‘manic destruction’ - can demonstrate how harmonious vocal lines disintegrate into coloratura, virtuoso leaps in tone, almost ‘inhuman’ tone runs as an expression of a disintegrating ego dying in ‘madness’.”
Neue Musikzeitung

“In the title role, Rae fascinates on the coloratura tightrope, so that even listening to it takes your breath away and you can easily believe the increase in madness from her.”
Concerti

“An excellent ensemble of singers [including] Brenda Rae. In the title role she is challenged with eight arias, coloratura, heartbreaking screams and an extensive acting. She identifies with the role and the director's thoughts in a tangible way and truly slips into the two-faced role. Vocally, she is well-suited to the house. Her voice remains supple in the runs while also keeping the necessary nuances.”
Opera Online (German)

“Rae performed incredible vocal pyrotechnic exercises with unprecedented coloraturas that unleashed the audience's enthusiasm and frantic applause.”
Opera World (Spanish)

“In Claus Guth's reading, the protagonist appears as a manic-depressive, almost pathological figure on the verge of madness. Brenda Rae's great aria ‘Endless pleasure, endless love’ becomes an expression of an already desperate dissatisfaction accompanied by hysterical laughter.”
FAZ

“Rae is a convincing and solid actress, her dramatic investment, intense and fair, is what transfigures her interpretation in Act II and during ‘Myself I Shall Love.’”
Forum Opéra

“Brilliantly cast [including] Brenda Rae, who embellished the title role with witty coloratura hysteria.”
Bayerische Staatszeitung

“Rae proved to be up to the role in every sense, singing without a flicker of uncertainty and standing above a stage playing a very demanding role.”
Art e arti

“The protagonists undertake this journey from the present to the subconscious and back again, above all with grandiose vocal and precisely polished role portraits. As Semele, Rae pushes her seemingly endless high-wire coloratura into the category of madness arias.”
Die Deutsche Bühne 

“With her clear and virtuosic voice, Rae masters the musically demanding coloraturas of Semele with a certain ease. Her stage presence and interpretation of the role was remarkably good.”
IOCO (German)

“It is necessary to underline the benefits of the American soprano Brenda Rae, who demonstrated a singing maturity and stage performance only available to a singer at a point of optimum personal artistic maturity. Rae has an easy upper register with refined treble. All the construction of her character resulted in a chameleonic Semele, with vocal resources worthy of a baroque diva who controlled her instrument with conviction and a memorable musical result. There was the famous ‘Myself I share adore,’ located almost at the end of the opera, which she sang with technical confidence, with variations in the upper register and a high-class soprano demeanor worthy of admiration.”
Platea Magazine

Hamlet • 2023
OPÉRA NATIONAL DE PARIS

“Brenda Rae builds a carefree character, whose fall is all the more painful. Her pure timbre is well projected, with dynamism, and her vibrato is fine and calm, just as her trills are delicate.”
Olyrix

Lucia di lammermoor • 2023
opéra national de paris

"A very good actress, Brenda Rae renders a specific mental imbalance as soon as she appears on the stage, as required by the libretto, and her deliberate reading knows how to alternate solid vocalizations and skillful variations of color..."
Première Loge

"After June Anderson, who was THE reference, Brenda Rae takes up the torch. The American singer is a regular in the role, which she sings with conviction and a fine technical arsenal. Very comfortable on stage, she offers an endearing composition of the character."
ConcertClassic

"Brenda Rae portrays a fragile Lucia whose reason wavers from the start of the plot. The timbre is hushed, and the high notes are easily emitted. Very comfortable on the set, she performs the acrobatic staging without difficulty. Her Lucia largely convinced the public."
Forum Opera

"From ingenuity to panic, Brenda Rae has an emotional palette that makes her schizophrenic Lucia a very personal portrait.”
Altamusica

"Brenda Rae is a Lucia haunted by dementia from her vision near the “Regnava nel silenzio” fountain...In her bloodstained wedding dress, among the tangle of choirs, the story of the chaplain Raimondo, and the arrival of Edgardo, the American soprano arouses emotion."
Crescendo Magazine

“Brenda Rae was triumphantly applauded numerous times on opening night and rightly so. The American soprano is certainly not singing Lucia for the first time, but she gives the impression of having always sung it in this production, so comfortable is she in the different challenges of imposed balancing acts. Her vocalizations are as crystalline and sonorous on the swing located in the courtyard, as on the rocking bench in the garden or astride four meters high in the center of the plateau.”
Un Fauteuil pour L’Orchestre

"The voice has colors, the vocalization is sure, the phrasing of school. One would almost surrender in front of this fragile Lucia, desperately trying to be herself."
ConcertoNet

“Her vocality is truly part of a modern and virtuoso aesthetic, with enough flexibility, and refined expressions. Relying on clear, complex vocal colors with shadowy vibes, and suddenly powerful high-pitched variations, she portrays a lively character with wild instincts. In the first part, it is this search for theatrical expressiveness that is highlighted – her striking body language seems to translate all the emotions she experiences, as well as the vocal outbursts which have a spectacular effect.”
Fomalhaut Blog

“Brenda Rae is most confident in the mad scene, in which she delivers impeccable stakes, trills and vocals, receiving a long and resounding ovation. The American soprano also does not neglect her expressive acting, which, given the caliber of the instrument, allows her to become a defenseless and fragile girl, without renouncing her vocal technique. The tall and slender figure and the accurate acting complete the picture of a solid performance.”
Opera Click

“Brenda Rae, as Lucia, sang with a dark voice marked with sweet vibrato and astonishing projection in the upper register. There was little doubt she was a good Lucia after hearing the opening recitative and aria, “Ancor non giunse! Regnava nel silencio!” Rae sang an incredible hair-raising aria with her fraseo, her way of coloring the voice, and her ability to keep tension. But, in the consequent cabaletta, “Quando rapita in estasi,” showed her depurated coloratura technique with fast and clean scales, diminuedi, staccato notes, and two secure bright and sustained high Ds. Her voice is powerful enough to sound strong and determined during the duet with Edgardo, “Enrico o Raimondo.” Her vocal personification wasn’t a naïve, weak young girl, but a woman mistreated by all men around her, who finds in “madness” her only escape. Her voice was perfectly audible in the final concertante of Act one, and her last high D was thunderous and stable.

As it should be, the highlight of her performance was the “mad scene.” It showed her vocal qualities, a strong middle register, and ability to color the voice by adapting it to the several sudden changes of emotions of the character. Strong and projected high notes, like the high C, “Oh! Gioija che si sente,” and a showcase of vocal pyrotechnics: staccato high notes, fast scales, pianissimo high register, and clean trills. She performed the traditional cadenza and coronated it and the cabaletta, “Spargi d’amaro pianto,” with two bright and secure high E-flats. But, her incarnation of the psychotic young girl, who just murdered her husband and was constantly hallucinating, was memorable. Not only could the soprano go through different emotions with truth and projection, but she also maintained the “character state” throughout the scene. And this is something that very few sopranos manage to do. Her “mad scene” was really hair-raising.”
Opera Wire

Barkouf • 2022
Opernhaus Zürich

“The three female roles made for absolute highlights. Brenda Rae as Maïma was simply splendid. A seasoned Queen of the Night and Zerbinetta, Rae is a powerful, agile and charming coloratura soprano who visibly enjoyed the acting.”
Seen and Heard International

“The two lovers are luxuriously cast: Brenda Rae as Maïma sings with razor-sharp coloratura, making her a bit the forerunner of the singing doll Olympia…”
Online Merker

“Brenda Rae in particular brilliantly uses the lead role of the dog-interpreter Maïma, peppered with coloratura, and makes her a forerunner of the singing doll Olimpia in Hoffmann.”
Neue Zürcher Zeitung

“Brenda Rae shines as Maïma with coloratura and trills and, above all, knows where to scale her voice back.”
Die Deutsche Bühne

“Brenda Rae embodies this witty, playful Maïma in Zurich. On the evening of the premiere, she moved with agile lightness and dance-like verve, despite the most difficult coloratura.”
SeniorWeb

“The singers were more than up to their task. Brenda Rae as Maïma exuded charm and wit with her coloratura and scored particularly well with the sensitive, melancholic melismas.”
Oper Aktuell

“Among the women, first and foremost is the soprano Brenda Rea as the flower seller and dog owner Maïma. This role contains difficult coloraturas, but also requires very fine tones. Her voice allows her to let all facets shine.”
Opern Magazin

“In Maïma, Brenda Rae dazzles above all with her sense of nuance and her sumptuous pianissimi.”
ConcertoNet

“As Saëb, Mingjje Lei brought along a confidently guided lyrical tenor that harmonized well with the bell-like coloratura soprano of star singer Brenda Rae, who, as the dog owner Maïma, brought a real firework of virtuoso designed decorations into her interpretation and let a lot of comic talent flow into her role design.”
Opera Gazet

Die Zauberflöte • 2022
Salzburger Festspiele

“Our pleasure is even greater when singers also seem to take their own pleasure, as is the case tonight. In this production, several performers set the stage on fire, with the high level of their vocal performances as well as with their stage presence. Thus it was with the well-honed soprano of Brenda Rae as the threatening Queen of the Night.”
Anaclase

“The American Brenda Rae is a dramatically penetrating and strong-willed Queen of the Night, vocally flawless and resonant, especially in the upper notes of the two famous arias.”
Connessi all'Opera

“Brenda Rae gives the Queen of the Night the grandeur of ice-cold brilliance.”
Süddeutsche Zeitung

Hamlet • 2022
The metropolitan Opera

“Dean and Jocelyn give us an Ophelia more forthright and forceful than fragile flower, but that unseen choral haze from the pit hovers around the poised, subtle soprano Brenda Rae from the beginning, a premonition of insanity. When she testifies in front of Claudius and Gertrude about Hamlet’s odd behavior, we don’t just hear the bronzed resonance of a temple bowl; we somehow feel ourselves inside its claustrophobic metallic emptiness, too. Ophelia’s mad scene, with Rae in mud-soiled underwear, matted hair and a men’s tailcoat, pounding on her chest as she sings to make the notes tremble, is eerie without overstatement.”
The New York Times

“Rae’s Ophelia, a vision of loveliness and innocence in pale peach flounces, was unhinged from the beginning and it was but a slight descent into total madness and suicide. With her mesmerizing stage presence and crystal-clear voice, Rae, covered in dirt, dressed in tatters and clutching a clump of willow branches, galvanized the audience’s attention in Ophelia’s extended mad scene.”
New York Classical Review

“There was dynamic, characterful energy from the opening moments… Rae’s madness soliloquy is powerful; she shapes the phrases and dynamics so one feels the brittleness in her psyche.”
Financial Times

“We peer at this panorama through Hamlet’s jaundiced lens, but it’s Ophelia who leads the way to psychosis, hooting and snarling through her mad scene in Brenda Rae’s fierce but calculated interpretation.”
Vulture

“Some of today’s most interesting voices…the American soprano Brenda Rae interpreted Ophelia outstandingly. She offered a captivating mad scene, a luxurious counterpoint to the Lucia’s bloody scene…”
Opera World

“Soprano Brenda Rae's Ophelia is spectacular. She isn't the wilting rose that we've come to expect from Hamlet's love, and when it comes to her mad scene, coated in mud and filled with distress, she is an eerie presence that is unforgettable. This is, of course, partly from the creators but certainly calls on some inner resources of her own.”
Broadway World

“This Hamlet, like Ambroise Thomas’s version, casts Ophelia as a high coloratura soprano. Brenda Rae seized upon her mad scene with relish…”
Opera News

“As Ophelia, soprano Brenda Rae delivered nicely in her mad aria, but was especially moving in the earlier scenes. The wrenching vulnerability of her line to Hamlet, “You made me believe you did [love me]”, is one of the most indelible moments of the opera.”
Bachtrack

“As Ophelia, Brenda Rae registers remarkable negotiation of tough intervals and a haunting repeated utterance of “Never, never, never.” The revealing costume and flouting of terpsichorean skills demanded of Ophelia in this scene were brought off quite effectively…”
Classical Voice North America

“There are other standout performances: Brenda Rae delivers an unsettlingly raw Ophelia, who seems in danger from the beginning, and gets considerably worse off from there.”
Theater Mania

“Soprano Brenda Rae was an endearing Ophelia so fragile that the brutal, clangorous world surrounding her made her doom unavoidable. Her superb mad scene which opened the second act, a wild contemporary spin on the celebrated coloratura showpiece from Ambroise Thomas’s 1868 Hamlet, introduced a pronounced shift in Dean’s score.”
New York Observer

“Not for the faint of heart, the angular vocal lines are delivered with assurance, requiring immense technical skill, of course, but more to the point immense emotional intensity (if not sacrifice). Brenda Rae’s stratospheric coloratura finesses the roller-coast ride of Ophelia’s hysteria (frighteningly reflected in the vocal line) and her character’s mad scene will hereafter give Lucia di Lammermore’s a run for its money.”
Musical America

“In Ophelia’s mad scene, Brenda Rae, smeared with mud and wearing only a man’s tailcoat and underwear, exploded with rage and sexuality.”
Wall Street Journal

“As Ophelia, Brenda Rae displayed tremendous vocal technique and stage presence. Ophelia is portrayed as a shy girl who gets bullied by her father. She gets a subtle musical motif in which she repeats “Never, never, never…” that emphasizes this restrained and timid nature. But the top of the second half is all hers with a ferocious mad scene that Rae brought all her artistic talents to. Enter the stage in a muddied frenzy, she stalked about the stage, leering at Gertrude, flirting with Laertes, and in one intense moment, literally beating her chest as she blasted her chest voice into the auditorium (without missing a note). Moments later, she was running around the stage, while singing some extreme and secure high notes, before jumping into Claudius’ arms. And in the final moments of the scene, she imbued soft legato lines, while lying on the floor. This was right in line with her similarly virtuosic display in “Agrippina” a few seasons ago.”
OperaWire

Ariadne auf naxos • 2022
The metropolitan opera

“Rae performs with charming vivacity, and the part — a kind of Straussian Ado Annie — is congenial for her…”
The New York Times

“Rae’s voice is ravishingly beautiful, especially in the uppermost notes of her range. Her Zerbinetta wasn’t so much a coquette as a savvy, lusty woman of the world with pluck and heart. Her showpiece aria, “Großmächtige Prinzessin … So war es mit Pagliazzo,” was dispatched with astonishing ease.”
New York Classical Review

“Brenda Rae was what you want in a Zerbinetta: free, flexible, and fun.”
New Criterion

“The coquettish Rae gets plenty of close-ups, which show her total involvement in the role, her great comic timing, and how her character is someone who expresses thoughts and feelings almost as complex as the Composer or Ariadne. Zerbinetta’s high-lying coloratura holds no fears for Rae and she manages her marathon aria – rising to high E – with consummate ease and great vivacity.”
Seen and Heard International

“Brenda Rae handily dealt with the coloratura challenges of Zerbinetta’s music…[and] her vivaciousness.”
Musical America

“Brenda Rae plays a dashing Zerbinetta, boldly assuming the most perilous vocalizations, and offering a stage performance loaded with humor, humanity and empathy, especially in her duets with the composer and Ariadne.”
ResMusica

“Brenda Rae was in fine form in this display of musical fireworks. It's one of Rae's signatures and you could clearly hear and see it.
Place de l’Opera

“Brenda Rae lacks neither brilliance nor stamina. She portrays a warm and sensitive Zerbinetta with sparkling high notes and impeccable trills, with which she is not stingy. Her great aria "Grossmächtige Prinzessin" is not reduced to a simple demonstration of virtuosity, but is imbued with tenderness and empathy for Ariadne.”
Forum Opéra

“Zerbinetta gets her own 12-minute showpiece and Brenda Rae, petite and energetic, sang the bejeezus out of it – long lines of coloratura, exclamatory singing, upward scales, high Cs, Ds and E flats right in the middle... Small but stunning, and the effect was marvelous.”
Bachtrack

Rae impressed during her demanding harangue to the unimpressed Ariadne by imbuing it with womanly warmth and tenderness rather than with the usual soubrette-shtick. She adeptly negotiated the fanciful florid curlicues and sparkling high notes and trills…”
Recently Heard

“Rae sang with delightful musicality and dramatic intent. Uncontested in agility, she excelled with trills.”
Opera World

“The vivacious singer-dancer-comedienne Zerbinetta was sung by coloratura soprano Brenda Rae. Physically resembling Jennifer Garner and acting with easygoing vivacity … Rae combined sly earthiness with sunny good nature. The soprano confidently worked her way through the circuitous intricacies of “Grossmächtige Prinzessin” with a warm tone and secure technique… Her well-executed passagework and high notes scored a big ovation from the audience.”
Parterre Box

Die Schweigsame Frau • 2022
Bayerische Staatsoper

“Brenda Rae shone in the title role as Aminta, not as "taciturn" as one might think, of course. With her glowing coloratura soprano and sensitive shaping, she deftly oscillated between deep sensitivity and absolutely bizarre coquetry.”
Das Opernmagazin

“Brenda Rae masterfully balanced her roles of Aminta and Timida, able to portray both convincingly and as her own – always with the perfect degree of annoying over-excitement or charming shyness. Her unique coloratura soprano sounded radiant and weightless as ever and her voice danced effortlessly between dizzyingly high notes and delicate silky pianissimi.”
Bachtrack

Partenope • 2022
Teatro Real Madrid

“A clear, powerful voice, a real actress, Brenda Rae takes on the role of Partenope with style…”
ConcertoNet

“Sensual and casual, Brenda Rae expresses herself with a velvety voice and a delicate control of the 'yarns’. She’s an extremely incisive actor; the way she moves on the stage highlights all the facets of the character. She delivers her closing aria with freshness, gracefulness, and a hint of showgirl.”
Giornale della Musica

“The bravura aria shows off the coloratura of soprano Brenda Rae, who is always splendid on stage, with a velvety voice.”
Opera World

“In the first cast, the role of Partenope was sung by Brenda Rae, a light soprano with an appealing voice and a fine stage presence. She shines in the upper part of the tessitura and has no problems with the coloratura.”
Seen and Heard International

“Partenope becomes a 1920s diva, a role which fits Brenda Rae well. Rae’s voice stood out immediately, light and reaching the high notes with dimension…”
Bachtrack

“Brenda Rae has a slender figure and tremendous ease that allows her to take on the many choreographed passages of the production with breathtaking brilliance. Like many artists from across the Atlantic, she is a show-woman. But above all, Brenda Rae is a singer, with a round, heady tone that is perfectly practiced in the art of baroque vocalizations. In the role’s many arias, her instrument never seems to struggle, whether it is the virtuoso "Voglio amare insin ch'io moro" which she interprets in the manner of a cabaret number, dressed in an elegant tuxedo, or the arietta "Qual farfaletta" in which she dialogues with the violin with a remarkably strict tempo. At the end of the last act, Rae sings "Si, scherza, si" alone on stage, curtain closed before she rises for the drama's conclusion: isolated in the spotlight, like a jewel in its setting, her voice unfolds all its delicacy and shows how sensitive the singer is to nuance and expressiveness.”
Première Loge

“An impudent and powerful "Parténope”…a cast in which the soprano shone. The reigning Parthenope was portrayed by soprano Brenda Rae, already an expert in this role. The character portrayal was inspired by Nancy Cunard, a sophisticated, charismatic and intelligent woman who was known for her social activism and photographed by Man Ray.”
Heraldo

“Brenda Rae (Parthenope) has a voluminous, well-projected voice, a brilliant ability to embellish, and an engaging stage presence.”
Scherzo

“A very modern idea emerges, highlighted by the soprano Brenda Rae: the empowered woman.”
Europa Press

“Brenda Rae’s charisma, along with her blue eyes, long legs, and snowy skin, contribute to reconstructing Cunard's seductive power, to the point of exciting the curiosity of the goddess Coco Chanel… The aria with which she closes her performance of the first act is an example of refined eroticism, a 'petite mort' that takes 'Parthenope' to a voluptuous extreme and is inseparable from the enormous inspiration of the score.”
El Confidencial

“The big star of the night, Brenda Rae as Parthenope, stands out as truly exquisite. Her interpretation of this flirtatious queen who keeps her lovers on edge is remarkable. Rae is accompanied by a very tight characterization directed by Alden, with her very stylized figure and her exotic touch. She is also a tall singer, with a voice that gains body as the night goes by… excellent and highly applauded. Well-attacked high notes, agility executed with ease and color, a harmonic and very beautiful middle range, and a high voice that maintains the good quality of the rest of the voice.”
El Español

The Magic Flute • 2021
Royal Opera house

“Brenda Rae is a tremendous Queen of the Night, with her formidable and alluring presence complemented by the most delicate coloratura in ‘Der Hölle Rache’ as if it stands as an eye at the centre of the storm.”
Opera Online

“American coloratura Brenda Rae made an auspicious house debut as the Queen of the Night – secure and firm in ‘O zittre nicht’, and rightly bringing the house down with her spitfire coloratura in ‘Der Hölle Rache’.”
musicOMH

“Brenda Rae’s astonishingly accurate, far from entirely unsympathetic Queen of the Night impressed…”
Seen and Heard International

“Brenda Rae menaces vividly as the Queen of the Night…”
The Sunday Times

“Rae, as Queen of the Night, delivered her second act aria with terrifyingly appropriate rage…”
Express

“ With a hotline to wrath and vengeance, Brenda Rae’s Queen of the Night was excellent in her first aria and then swept all before in her in a stupendous ‘Der Hölle Rache’.”
Classical Source

“Brenda Rae’s helium-level coloratura for her Queen of the Night soared high and free in Act 2 and gave a scintillating account of “Der Hölle Rache”.”
Bachtrack

“The Queen of the Night pursues her revenge through minor keys and coloratura virtuosity. Brenda Rae steps into Covent Garden in this role, taking no prisoners and leaving no cracks in her vengeful armor. Her staccato arpeggios explode like broken diamonds, in the second aria even better than the first…”
Olyrix

Ariadne auf naxos • 2021
edinburgh international festival

“Zerbinetta was sung with panache by Brenda Rae, who took on the challenge of Strauss’s vocal trapeze with the same easy insouciance and comic charm as Edita Gruberová at her zenith, but with greater allure: Rae heated up the whole stage.”
Opera Magazine

“Strauss’s opera centres on the trio of female leads… it was Rae’s coquettish, radiant Zerbinetta whose aria stole the show.”
The Guardian

“Brenda Rae is a superficially flippant Zerbinetta, hiding her feelings beneath a stylish veneer. Touching as her Act 1 ‘moment’ with the Composer is, she really shows her class in her Act 2 coloratura aria ‘Grosssmächtige Prinzessin’ where she conveys so much using only voice, gesture and facial expression. Together with her dancing boys, she effectively undercuts Ariadne’s tragedy queen tendencies.”
The Opera Critic

“As Zerbinetta, Brenda Rae blossomed in her signature coloratura aria “Großmächtige Prinzessin”, her vocal pyrotechnics earning deserved applause.”
Bachtrack

“Brenda Rae was the standout singer in this Ariadne as a flirtatious, charismatic Zerbinetta with a good sense of comedy and a complete command of coloratura. Rae had no trouble reaching her aria’s stratospheric (and sustained) Es and Fs.”
Seen and Heard International

“Just as memorable, however, was American Brenda Rae, making her Scottish debut in the tricky role of Zerbinetta and absolutely nailing it in a show-stopping scarlet halter-neck dress, although her coloratura would have won the day in a sweat-shirt and tracky bottoms.”
Herald Scotland

“Featuring a brilliant cast and exceptional all-round performances from… Brenda Rae as Zerbinetta. The eminent style and flirtatious body language of Brenda Rae bring Zerbinetta to life. She is a force to be reckoned with during the opera section, where she executes her coloratura aria with apparent ease, leaving the audience chuckling with joy and jubilant in its applause.”
The Arts Desk

“At this point, Brenda Rae’s coquettish Zerbinetta is mere preparation for her stirring coloratura in the ensuing Opera, and a role that is the sunniest of complements to the Wagnerian-scaled Ariadne of Dorothea Röschmann.”
The Scotsman

“This Ariadne had a proper Festival feel, with a cast list that was sheer class all the way down. Best of all, Brenda Rae as Zerbinetta: handling her soprano like a sparkler, and etching superheated, multicoloured spirals of sound on the evening air.”
The Spectator

“Brenda Rae sings Zerbinetta with glittering voice and sparkling coloratura, leavened with a twinkling touch of humour…”
The Sunday Times

I Puritani • 2020
Washington Concert Opera

“Brenda Rae’s soprano sparkled in the bel canto fireworks. High notes soared effortlessly up to a stellar high D at the end of the Act I showpiece, “Son vergin vezzosa,” and agile passages sounded with clarity. In “Qui la voce sua soave,” the Act II mad scene, she deployed an amazing messa di voce, with the decrescendo expertly controlled. She added incandescent rocket runs in the cabaletta “Vien, diletto, è in ciel la luna,” which concluded on a sparkling high E-flat.”
Washington Classical Review

“It was nice to hear the very gifted Rae… trills and copious fioritura to beat the band and some very agreeable tone colour. Rae fairly went to town with the concluding ‘Ah! sento, o mio bel angelo’.”
Opera Magazine

“Brenda Rae sings beautifully and emotes well as the romantic heroine Elvira, especially in her performance of “Son vergin vezzosa.””
MD Theatre Guide

Don Giovanni • 2020
Teatro Real Madrid

“Brenda Rae was terrific as Donna Anna: a balance between the absurd demands of an impossible passion for Don Giovanni and the bitter truth of the character. From the violent scene at the start to her aria “Non mi dir”, Rae created a character with total consistency.”
ConcertoNet

“More than remarkable was the American Brenda Rae as Donna Anna, including a very well drawn Non mi dir.”
Scherzo

“Brenda Rae is a light lyric soprano with a quality technique who handles her instrument intelligently.”
OperaClick

“The vocal capabilities of Brenda Rae, an exquisite Donna Anna, were deservedly applauded.”
El Confidencial

“Rae’s Donna Anna…is of unquestionably quality.”
La Razón

I Puritani • 2020
Oper Frankfurt

"Bel canto is a completely natural way of singing for Rae. She copes with the difficult coloratura with ease… A great singer and actress."
Das Opernmagazin

“Everything was in the most beautiful proportions [including] the finely agile voice of Brenda Rae…” 
Frankfurter Rundschau

"Above all, Brenda Rae delighted the audience [with] a focused, brilliant interpretation. The soprano enchanted with wonderfully intimate bends of her great vocal instrument, as well as with colorful and securely placed top notes of downright stunning beauty. As bright as silver,  the voice shone effortlessly and precisely above the ensembles and gave the part wonderfully internalized, sweeping Bellini cantilenas."
Online Merker

Agrippina • 2020
Metropolitan Opera

“A trio of devil-may-care female leads outdid one another in actorly extravagance. Brenda Rae brought down the house when her character, the fast-learning ingénue Poppea, drunkenly tried to hide behind a flower arrangement at a bar. Lindsey and Rae…crafted indelible portrayals.”
The New Yorker

“Rae’s bright, light soprano was an apt vocal contrast to the mezzos. Her “Vaghe perle” transformed the satirical tone of Act I into warmth. Taken together, the three women nearly dominated the production. Their characters have the most air time, but beyond that their singing was sumptuous all evening.”
New York Classical Review

“Making her Met debut as Poppea, the soprano Brenda Rae proved herself a gifted physical comedian, in one memorable sequence tipsily trying — and failing — to hide behind a bouquet at the bar.”
The New York Times

"Poppea is sung by Brenda Rae, who has a voice like liquid silk..."
The Psychologist

"Brenda Rae, who makes her long overdue Met debut in this production, sang a light and airy Poppea..."
ConcertoNet

"Brenda Rae’s Poppea veered from being a superficial Sloane Ranger to Agrippina-in-training to following the emotions of her heart.  She demonstrated amazing vocal dexterity in her duet with the harpsichord and was impressive at the top of the vocal register."
Seen and Heard International

"Wherever she can - and there are such passages - Brenda Rae (in her Met debut) takes over as Poppea. She is a first-rate comedian, an ace..."
Online Merker

“Rae’s Poppea slumps, drawls, and pops her head up to sing with touching vulnerability and firm command over her voice.”
Vulture

“Brenda Rae is a fine Poppea doing an excellent drunk in a bar scene…”
Edinburgh Music Review

“DiDonato had the entire audience singing her tune. Right there with her was Brenda Rae’s Poppea, in her Met Opera debut. Rae delivered with sweet and poised sound. It was beautiful singing and furthered this idea of her as a jewel. In her aria “Se giunge un dì spetato”…Rae spun an endless series of fiery coloratura, each one more intense than the last. She fired away with forte sound on the second stanza [of “Tuo ben è il trono’s”] which started on E natural. Then she really took control of the audience’s attention in the first scenes of the opera’s second half. All the while, her singing blossomed, the soprano really coming into her own as not only a tremendously gifted singer, but a potent actress all the same. Of all the personages in the opera, her Poppea had the most visible and tangible character arc, providing the work with a strong moral center.”
OperaWire

“The cast, all accomplished and convincing actors, met the opera’s virtuosic vocal demands with varying degrees of success. Brenda Rae…scintillated in the highest soprano passages.”
Wall Street Journal

“In her Met debut, Brenda Rae [is] excelling in high-lying passages.”
Financial Times

“The soprano Brenda Rae debuted with Poppea in the Met. The happiness she felt for the occasion translated to the character, who appeared on the stage with a special light. The best parts of her performance were her careful line of singing, the quality of the recitative, and the intention in the accents. All this allowed her to make this Poppea credible, as the character that evolves the most throughout the opera.”
Opera World

“Poppea was played by Brenda Rae as a silly sex-kitten in her eagerly anticipated Met debut. She dispatched Poppea’s hundreds of sixteenth-notes with enviable agility… Rae inevitably brought down the house…”
Parterre Box

“Brenda Rae made her Met debut as Poppea, a sex kitten in this opera as in Monteverdi’s, but one whose feelings reach different extremes in different arias. Rae sings a reflective aria on the misery of love to the bored bartender; she is visibly three sheets to the wind, and the repetition, precise and flawlessly intoned, fits her intoxicated state. Her lovely soprano and delicate technique are perfectly at the service of her portrayal.”
GBOpera Magazine

L’elisir d’amore • 2019
Teatro Real Madrid

"The agility in her voice is exceptional, so necessary in this work, and also has a beautiful timbre."
El Imparcial

“The soprano Brenda Rae shone with an impeccable execution of Adina.”
Europa Press

“Brenda Rae’s Adina is not innocent, but uninhibited and fun, thanks to her body language, and the problems that constant movement can create do not overshadow her.”
Analytiks

"Brenda Rae is a technically flawless and strong Adina."
El Español

“Brenda Rae gives life to a seamless, daring, and endearing Adina – a difficult balance – right from her first act recitative and cabaletta.”
Shangay

“Brenda Rae is a light soprano of remarkable ability and poise. She has made a career with the role of Zerbinetta and it is easy to understand why.”
La Razón

"The American Brenda Rae is also making her debut at the Royal Theater. After being precise in the first act, which can be considered an introduction to the characters and the plot, she surpassed herself in her arias of the second act, in which the comic gives way to the romanticism."
Periodistas

"Soprano Brenda Rae gave a fine performance as Adina. Her voice opens up remarkably in the upper part [and] she was especially good in her Act II aria with Nemorino, ‘Prendi, per me sei libero’."
Seen and Heard International

“Rae is a soprano with a very clean voice that grows in coloraturas and has, like many American singers, substantial power. Her Adina is convincing and spirited.”
El Asombrario

“Brenda Rae showed off a beautiful timbre and well-constructed phrasing.”
Ópera Actual

“The first cast Adina was Brenda Rae, whose clear timbre and vibrato is that of a light-lyric soprano with a certain body. Her singing was easy with breath to spare and she was well-set in the coloratura.”
Scherzo

“The first cast is headed by the American Brenda Rae, a light-lyric soprano who exhibits coquetry and has an attractive presence. She performs favorably vocally while handling the coloratura.”
Opera World

“Brenda Rae was excellent as Adina, with a magnificent vocal projection and beautifully phrased singing.”
Parnaso de las Artes

Recital • 2019
Vocal Arts DC • Kennedy Center

“A captivating program that spanned three centuries. Known for long phrases with boundless colors, emotions and dynamics, Rae’s coloratura soared effortlessly with a glittery vibrato, especially in the Richard Strauss and Fanny Mendelssohn pieces. But it was Rae’s subdued moments, where her voice shimmered so softly that one could hear the auditorium’s faintest rustle, that commanded attention throughout the concert. Rae and accompanist Ware excelled in five Franz Liszt songs full of drama. In “Six Elizabethan Songs,” by the late American composer Dominick Argento, Rae made the Shakespearean language sound fresh and relevant, from the bereft, foreboding quality of “Sleep” and the reflective specter of “Dirge” to the staccato joy of a lad in love in “Diaphenia.” Rae and Ware brought their talents to bear in the world premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s “Five Songs on Poems of Jean Starr Untermeyer,” Op. 135. The 20-minute work fit the duo like a glove. Together, they rendered the meandering lines and triplets of the opening “Lake Song” as a diaphanous mist over water. In “New Tributes,” both jived in the syncopated rhythms. Finally, Ware rippled his way across the keyboard in the Ravelean “Forget-Me-Nots,” as Rae’s voice ascended above the watery landscape.”
Washington Post

“Selections by Fanny Mendelssohn and Franz Liszt completed the first half of the program, providing Rae with the opportunity to demonstrate the remarkable dramatic power, musicality, and vocal clarity she wields so effortlessly…followed by the world premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s Five Songs, a work written expressly for Rae… A masterful blend of music and poetry that by turns conjure ancient echoes of heartbreak, moments of sweet melancholy, and nature’s expansive, timeless beauty. “
MD Theatre Guide

A stellar debut…a delightfully varied program revealed both an effortless vocal technique and a sure musical sense. Rae opened the set instead with “Die Nacht,” which demanded a soft, silken thread of sound. She answered this challenge with floating pianissimo high notes and a seamless tone. In “Befreit,” Rae’s voice opened, flower-like, on the ecstatic refrains of “O Glück!” With the final song, “Frühlingsgedränge,” Rae rounded out this knockout set in a gorgeous spirit of quiet rapture. Ware’s technique also sparkled in a more effective set of Liszt songs, as in the repeated-note patterns of “Comment, disaient-ils.” Rae again deployed more of the diaphanous side of her voice in “Es muss ein Wunderbares sein” and the lovely “Bist du.” Rae luxuriated in the subtle turns of “Oh! quand je dors,” especially the surprise final phrase, which evaporated in sensuous quietness. Two more contemporary American sets on the second half rounded out this portrait in music. Rae’s English diction is impeccable, a quality proved when the supertitle machine went dark during one of the songs. The ultimate triumph came with the world premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s brilliant Five Songs on Poems by Jean Starr Untermeyer. Composed specifically for Rae to poems selected by Rae from Untermeyer’s oeuvre, the songs fit her voice like a glove; the pianissimo high notes glimmered above the meandering, oscillating harmony… Although many facets of Rae’s voice shone in this recital, it was Zerbinetta that won out in the single encore, the fluttery showpiece of Richard Strauss’s “Amor.” Executed to perfection, it was a thunderbolt...”
Washington Classical Review

Semele • 2019
The English Concert

“Brenda Rae’s Semele does not impose herself as a diva. She discreetly integrates her breaths into the musicality of her singing, and takes advantage of the concert version to tap into the expressive colors of the piano recital. The thoughtful interconnection of phrases, the variance of timbres and complete breath control in the ornaments are undoubtable: this soprano has mastered her technique.”
Opera Online

“The new Semele in concert also offers a sense of theatrics, thanks to Brenda Rae. She distinguished herself with measured, restricted movement... Her clear tone delivers a perfect piano in the a cappella section of the sleep scene, before reaching the peak of its success during the aria "Myself I shall adore" with brave vocal choices (some improvised!) And a high note sung with full voice.”
Olyrix

“She made ​‘Myself I shall adore’ a captivatingly glamorous showpiece, sprinkling it with just the right amount of diva self-parody.”
Opera Magazine

“In the role of Semele, Brenda Rae was exceptional. Dressed in blue for the first act, in red for the second and third acts as part of a performance in concert version, she first brought an exceptional technique, especially in the two famous tunes of the Act III, "Myself I shall adore if I persist in gazing" (scene 3) and the air of bravery "No, no! I'll take no less "(scene 4), where she wins against Jupiter, regardless of the consequences that will lead to death. But above all, Brenda Rae knows, as the true actress she is, to vary her game according to the character's state of mind and to adapt to the circumstances that face it…”
ConcertoNet

“Handel gives Semele (the soprano Brenda Rae) a pair of arias: a tender, lyrical plea to Jupiter to inform her of what to do; and the bravura “The Morning Lark,” in which her ecstatic desires are expressed in streams of twittering, coloratura runs. Ms. Rae brought plush radiance to the confessional aria and brilliant, agile singing to the showpiece.”
The New York Times

“Vainglorious, infuriating and alluring, Brenda Rae's Semele hit the spot. In Act 1, Semele is all gloom and pouting. In her second aria she sings that the sound of the morning lark merely adds to her distress; the aria contains a series of dozens of lark-like trills, and Ms Rae sang them each perfectly, but with a darkened color. When finally ensconced in Jupiter’s realm, the trills and runs and staccati in “Endless pleasure, endless love” were of a brighter hue. Throughout, her remarkably accurate fioriture and embellishments amazed while remaining at the service of the situation, and in the ravishing “O sleep why does thou leave me", with Joseph Crouch’s stunning cello backing, we heard some of the most gorgeous, sustained, long-breathed pianissimo singing presented this year. “Myself I shall adore”, a paean to her own beauty, was delivered with the most startling combination of wonder and arrogance as she toyed with a jewel-encrusted mirror.”
Bachtrack

Ariodante • 2019
Lyric Opera of Chicago

“Soprano Brenda Rae, in her sparkling Lyric debut as Ginevra, the king’s daughter whom Ariodante adores [was] well past focusing on technical considerations. It wasn’t the notes these three projected, but rather the reckless and searing emotions that made this nearly 300-year-old story seem potent still.”
Classical Voice North America 

“His object of desire and nemesis, Ginevra, was equally strong in Brenda Rae’s portrayal. Rae’s abundant energy, both physically and vocally, undergird Ginevra’s genuine optimism, subsequent despair and eventual self-determination. Davies and Rae’s performances were platinum quality in every sense.”
Bachtrack

“As the horribly wronged Ginevra, soprano Brenda Rae acted with an immersion worthy of her stellar vocal display. Ginevra goes from giddy girl on the verge of marriage to utterly distraught and madly confused by the charges brought against her – and by the instant categorical rejection she meets even from her father. In Ginevra’s reeling response to her wretched predicament, Rae was the complete singing actress.”
Chicago on The Aisle

“Rae, who moves with grace and confidence, and sings with great warmth, beautifully blended voices in the lush first act arias that suggest their love and promise of faithfulness, with Rae also bringing a lovely freshness to the celebration of her impending wedding.”
WTTW

“In her Lyric Opera debut as Ginevra, soprano Brenda Rae lit up the stage with her big, bright soprano voice, handling with ease both the high-flying vocal acrobatics and the dark emotions this role demands.”
Chicago Sun-Times

“Thrillingly sung by Brenda Rae’s gorgeous-toned Ginevra.”
Stage and Cinema

“Ginevra, winningly portrayed by Brenda Rae, takes her fate into her own hands in a silent reinterpretation of the ending.”
New City Stage

“From the outset, soprano Rae created a Ginevra of luscious timbre and ample vocal heft, her top register radiant in “Orrida, a gl’occhi miei,” her virtuosity unmistakable in “Volate, amori.”
Chicago Tribune

“The brightly alluring Brenda Rae was alive to the varied emotions within Ginevra’s music, from the giddy enchantment of ‘Vezzi, lusinghe, e brio’ to the heart-stopping poignancy of ‘Il mio crudel martoro’.”
Opera Magazine

I Puritani • 2018
Oper Frankfurt

“Brenda Rae draws an Elvira of great dramatic significance. Always precise in the high register and in her agility, each aria is a genuine pleasure, starting with the happy accents of the cabaletta "Son vergin vezzosa". The soprano, making her debut in the role, combines vocal brilliance with acting that accurately reflects the trauma of a frightened and wounded soul.”
Teatri Online

“Brenda Rae was convincing in the title role as empathetic and delicate, but still a woman who succumbed to her neurosis. Vocally she dominated both the tenderest pianissimi and dizzying coloratura and sang as an Elvira in a vocal excess which would seem to be unparalleled.”
Bachtrack

“Out of the house ensemble and moving into a world career, soprano Brenda Rae debuted in every way as a beautiful and dream-lost Elvira.”
Neue Musikzeitung

“First there is Brenda Rae as Elvira. With intense play and crystal-clear, breakneck coloratura she believably created the instability and inner turmoil of the young woman. Girlishly naive, she was playful at the beginning of the first act, when she expresses her joy in a cabaletta, and also her cabaletta "Son vergin vezzosa" in which she works with fresh ease and great agility in the runs.”
Online Musik Magazin

“Rae, a charming actress debuting as Elvira, delivers her part with technical brilliance, in which nothing gets cheated and everything sits like immaculately placed pearls.”
Frankfurter Rundschau

Recital • 2018
Wigmore Hall

“A group of Liszt songs gave the first sign of the riches that would fully blossom later, a sensuous and operatic intensity as Rae relaxed and communicated naturally; ‘Oh! quand je dors’ (Victor Hugo) was vocally and emotionally stunning and Jonathan Ware’s accompaniment immaculate. Debussy’s early songs were written for his lover Marie-Blanche Vasnier who possessed an exquisite instrument. Rae’s mobile and lyric coloratura was shown to its best advantage here especially in the exotic vocalise of ‘Rondel chinois’ and the sultry and witty ‘Coquetterie posthume’. The following Schubert selections comprised settings from the beginning and end of his career, interspersed with the timeless ‘Du bist die Ruh’. ‘Lied der Delphine’ was written for a theatrical presentation, an Eastern-style Romeo and Juliet, and emphasised Rae’s dramatic gifts to bring the evening to a magnificent climax. Strauss’s ‘Amor’, with its ringing trills and arpeggios, brought the house down as a playful and sexy encore.”
Classical Source

“My last visit of the year to Wigmore Hall also proved to be one of the best of 2018. American soprano Brenda Rae has been lauded for her superb performances in the lyric coloratura repertory, in the US and in Europe, and her interpretation of the title role in ENO’s 2016 production of Berg’s Lulu had the UK critics reaching for their superlatives. In this recital, her debut at Wigmore Hall, Rae showed that her flawless technique, thoughtful artistry, careful exploration of the text and beautifully silky and sumptuous vocal tone can serve nineteenth-century lieder and mélodie just as satisfyingly.”
Opera Today

Lucia di Lammermoor • 2018
Opera Philaedelphia

“Quivering with fear and rage in the title role, the soprano Brenda Rae acts and sounds girlish but somber, innocent but wounded.”
The New York Times 

“Brenda Rae doesn’t just inhabit the role, she sings it exquisitely as well.”
Musical America

“Brenda Rae was a standout in Pelly’s deliberately bleak production of “Lucia di Lammermoor,” which premiered at Opera Philadelphia’s O18 festival... Rae herself was incandescent, creating a three-dimensional character whose fluid coloratura mirrored the passionate meanderings of her mind.”
The Washington Post 

“Rae's voice burst forth in all of its technically accurate and theatrically adept glory, reminding you she is among the finest Lucias out there.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer 

“Vocally Rae’s Lucia traversed the same route, her voice growing in volume, depth and color as the tragedy unfolded. Rae’s emotionally shattering rendition of Lucia was enhanced by the otherworldly sounds of the glass harmonica (invented by Benjamin Franklin, who made Philadelphia his home) which Donizetti called for in several of the opera’s crucial scenes. The sounds that floated into the hall during the Mad Scene, both human and instrumental, were stunning. Rae embraced the risks in the role, magnified by Pelly’s staging, and triumphed.”
Seen and Heard International 

Candide • 2018
Santa Fe Opera

“Brenda Rae was as spirited, determined, and sexed-up a Cunegonde as you could ever wish to see. She sings brilliantly, with excellent diction, secure tone, and absolute assurance in all registers... It is above the staff that this soprano soars, and her flights of fancy in the form of effortless coloratura in a definitive “Glitter and Be Gay,” all the while performing comic physical moves, stopped the show with roars of approval. It is to her credit that Brenda always found a way to make the character likable, even as she is driven by self-serving motives.”
Opera Today

“Soprano Brenda Rae takes the coy Cunegonde through all her adventures with high notes, spirits and charm.”
Durango Herald

“Wisconsin soprano Brenda Rae proved an adept commedienne in Bernstein’s light-hearted composition. She was an ebullient Cunegonde, whose aria ‘Glitter and Be Ga contains the most famous music in Candide... Rae brilliantly performed the showstopper and was rewarded with a sustained ovation from the responsive Santa Fe audience.”
Opera Warhorses

“Brenda Rae, the sparkling Lucia of last summer, was a spectacular Cunegonde whose ‘Glitter and be Gay’ was a show-stopper. Not only can she sing coloratura with gusto, she can act, run, and dance while singing with great beauty.”
Broadway World

“Brenda Rae effectively personifies Cunegonde's transformation from sweet young thing to femme de plaisir, her soprano glittering gaily on top.”
Dallas Morning News

“Brenda Rae’s Cunegonde was a showstopper, with her ‘Glitter and be gay’ garnering much applause.”
Opera Magazine

Lucia di Lammermoor • 2017
Santa Fe Opera

“Brenda Rae has a lovely lyric voice that also has flexible coloratura plus unusually strong projection. Her Lucia is no wilting violet. She dominates the stage throughout the opera. With a combination of good looks, a lovely sound, and dazzling technique, Rae jumps to the top among all of today’s Lucias.”
DC Metro Theatre Arts

 “A stunning performance by soprano Brenda Rae in the title role. Rae, who made waves here with her sparkling high notes in the same composer’s Don Pasquale in 2014, had both dramatic and musical heft as the disturbed Lucia. In her Act I cavatina, ‘Regnava nel silenzio,’ Rae sang with a tender legato, caressing the phrases. She was capable of exploding with forceful volume, but the emphasis was on carefully controlled decrescendos and gossamer pianissimo tone. In the cabaletta that followed, Rae’s mastery of the complex figures and embellishments was extraordinary. What set the performance apart from merely being technically accomplished was Rae’s use of her vocal arsenal to reveal character. When she came down a staircase for the mad scene in Act II, in a white robe streaked with blood, the horror of the scene contrasted with the sweetness of Rae’s tone quality to disturbing effect. In the astounding aria, ‘Il dolce suono,’ Rae again favored soft dynamics, with more volatile outbursts matching her gestures of fits and starts.”
The Classical Review

“The moment Brenda Rae opened her mouth, it was clear that this production of Lucia di Lammermoor was going to be memorable. Rae’s voice was crystalline, with a lightness that was a perfect counterpoint to the darkness of the plot. Rae demonstrated madness that was touching, physicality that never went over-the-top, and as mentioned before, unforgettable beauty of tone and vocal tenderness.”
Culture Vulture

“Brenda Rae as Lucia is well worth the flight. Brenda Rae makes such a magnificent Lucia that the rest of the cast seemed very ordinary in comparison. She is the perfect coloratura soprano: crisp diction, strong trills and runs, clean onsets and crystal tone. She floated high notes and made them swell with flawless control.”
Bachtrack

“Brenda Rae proved that she has all the attributes required for the role. She is an attractive actor in a role that projects a young woman’s emotional turmoil from the opera’s earliest moments. Rae’s voice has the technical ability to sustain the lengthy Mad Scene’s emotional intensity and vocal demands...Rae was brilliantly successful in the long and intense role and was awarded with sustained applause after the Mad Scene and a vociferous standing ovation at opera’s end.”
Opera Warhorses 

“This production centers around Brenda Rae] first seen here in 2013 in the title role of La Traviata. Rae as Lucia gives a very strong first act ‘Regnava nel silenzio’, but it is her mad scene that makes this production. Amazingly, she both acts and sings this exceptionally difficult aria with a theatrical sense of insanity quite stunning in its depth of expression. Halfway through, she earned the applause that went on for a good half-minute.”
Albuquerque Journal

“At the head of the cast is soprano Brenda Rae. She displayed fine musical sensitivities, fluent technique and dramatic flair in her depiction of the hapless heroine forced by her brother to abandon the man she loves and marry the groom he has chosen — and sheds her sanity in the process…Rae is on stage a lot and works hard, but she doesn’t show it. Already in her opening scene, particularly in her cabaletta Quando rapito in estasi,’ her coloratura displayed a relaxed technical mastery that allowed her to bend the tempo without breaking it. The result was fluid while respecting the stylistic intentions of bel canto expression. In her Act 2 ‘Il pallor funesto’ (which expands into a duet with her brother), she unleashed textbook renditions of high-velocity scales ascending and descending, diatonic and chromatic, all finely calibrated; and then she brought definition to the dotted rhythms in her ensuing larghetto ‘Soffriva nel piano.’ The role requires serious stamina, but Rae remained vocally fresh for her heartbreaking interpretation of the famous Mad Scene, a 20-minute expanse of surpassing virtuosity in which, having killed her bridegroom, she raves lunatically in front of stunned onlookers. She held the audience rapt in the palm of her bloody hand. She maintained mostly quiet dynamics during the first part of the scene (“Il dolce suono”), which imparted an inward quality to her interpretation.”
Santa Fe New Mexican 

“Brenda Rae, the Lucia, was an excellent choice to carry the burden of this interpretation. Her voice is without a blemish and maintains tonal purity throughout her range... In the cabaletta to ‘Regnava nel’ silenzio,’ Rae articulated Donizetti’s stratospheric heights with notable serenity. She is also a resourceful actress. In the fountain scene with Edgardo, Rae’s strained, pallid, Brontësque beauty suggested a young girl on the verge of self-discovery. Detail by sharply delineated detail, we watched her sink into madness and isolation, so that the murder of Arturo was no gratuitous piece of violence but an inevitable outcome. Rae delivered the mad scene with statuesque gestures and psychological nuance that gave immediacy to her acting and saved it from bathos.”
Opera News 

“Rae’s performance was vividly acted and insightfully sung in a firm, distinct voice. Her phrasing was enhanced by lovely dynamic contracts, and coloratura passages sparkled with scrupulous accuracy. She brought real pathos to the Mad Scene, which emerged as the production’s emotional high point.”
Musical America 

“At the head of the cast is soprano Brenda Rae. She displayed fine musical sensitivities, fluent technique and dramatic flair in her depiction… She held the audience rapt in the palm of her bloody hand.”
Santa Fe New Mexican

Rigoletto • 2017
Oper Frankfurt

“Brenda Rae was a stunning Gilda, her statuesque figure representing a mature and strong woman of her own will. Her voice had a slight vibrato on top but was secure and clear throughout with magnificent brilliance. Her coloratura passages were thrilling and beautiful, with solid technique. Extra ornamentations were generous but not excessive. She communicated Gilda’s emotional journey with exacting and physical acting.”
Bachtrack 

“The US soprano draws here all the stops of her art – strong, but also insistently quiet in height and elation.”
Op-Online 

“Brenda Rae as Gilda: in contrast to the strictly cool character, her soprano voice excels in variable degrees of warmth, illuminated in many colors, in quiet moments and in the minute coloratura.”
Frankfurter Rundschau 

“Brenda Rae in her role debut as Gilda does not need to shy away from comparison with the greats in her field.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine

“Brenda Rae thrilled in Hendrik Müller's Frankfurt revival of Verdi's "Rigoletto"... Soprano Brenda Rae is ideally cast here once again, from the girl with bewitchingly light coloratura…to the assertive young woman.”
Allgemeine Zeitung 

“Brenda Rae as Gilda donated a soft light, the only comfort in a dark leather-and-leather men's world that knows no morals and no values. Brenda Rae made her debut as Gilda with huge volumes in the difficult heights and filigreed sophistication in the three duets with her possessive father.”
Musik Heute 

“Brenda Rae sings Gilda's coloratura-rich role in a blissfully confident and angelic fashion, dramatically expressing Gilda’s evolution from rebellious girl to a determined young woman.”
Klassik.Com

“Equally exceptional is Brenda Rae, leading her Gilda from girlish chastity to glowing desire and the sobering perception that love can take a brutal toll. She savours the famous ​’Caro nome’ aria with all its virtuosic subtleness in every sense… How versatile, touching and fascinating this wonderful voice is.”
Frankfurter Neue Presse

Tancredi • 2017
Opera Philadelphia

“Brenda Rae is a soprano of the highest caliber, with such roles as the Queen of the Night and Lulu already under her belt. Her performance as the much put-upon Amenaide combined vocal and visual allure with stunning coloratura technique and notable dramatic intensity.”
Seen and Heard International

“This is a breakout role for soprano Brenda Rae and she cuts through the amped up emotional grit of the doomed daughter, bringing a much quieter intensity. Vocally Rae is inventive, powerful, and has lengthy solos that emotionally are all over the place.”
Huffington Post

“Brenda Rae as Amenaide scored a star-making impression, with an affecting lyric quality above and beyond her ability to sing cascades of coloratura roulades.”
The Opera Critic

“Soprano Brenda Rae -- a discovery for many -- became a constant source of vocal allure with the kind of dramatic instincts that turn a flashy cadenza into an intense character study.”
Philadelphia Inquirer

“Brenda Rae, making her company debut, made a very strong impression. She has a very high set light soprano of impressive agility and dead on intonation (recent roles include The Queen of the Night and Lulu). Her tone takes on a particular radiance in the upper fifth of her range. She sang her long prison scene with wonderful line, great feeling and a beautiful sound. Even better was her later prayer, spun out breathtakingly.”
Parterre Box

“A stellar performance by soprano Brenda Rae, in both her company and role debut as Amenaide, affirms her consummate mastery of Rossini’s elaborate ornamentations and her engaging acting skills, as she constantly astonishes with her pure mellifluous voice, flawless execution of extended passages of coloratura, and profound emotional commitment to the compelling role of an honorable woman who would sooner give up her own life than betray her true love. She is poignant and prayerful as she petitions God to protect her beloved in ‘Gran Dio! Deh! tu proteggi’ and in her hope that Tancredi will believe in her innocence after she is dead.”
DC Metro Theater Arts

“In her equally welcome company debut, Rae made a lovely, graceful stage figure, only occasionally directed into the kind of manic twirling Diana Damrau has trademarked. The Wisconsin-born, Juilliard-trained soprano is a star in Europe, and she showed us why in long, well-sculpted lines and thrillingly executed passagework; she also acted movingly.”
Opera News

“Her Amenaide, Brenda Rae, possessed a graceful stage presence and a lovely, limpid lyric soprano that she could swell to impressive size for the many dramatic moments. She sailed dazzlingly through the role’s fioritura, and her thrilling Act 2 cabaletta made one yearn to hear her in La sonnambula or I puritani.”
Opera Magazine

Lulu • 2016
English National Opera

“Brenda Rae in the title role is less of a rapacious flirt than conventionally played, but this is also her strength, enabling us to see the character as a flesh-and-blood woman; her singing of the part is a tour de force.”
The Evening Standard 

“For me, the one outstanding feature of the production was the American soprano Brenda Rae in the title role. The part is extraordinarily demanding but she seemed to cope with it effortlessly.”
Daily Express

“Brenda Rae, who so greatly impressed me in the Bavarian State Opera’s Schweigsame Frau – now there is an interesting Strauss-Berg comparison to consider – shone at least as brightly as Lulu. The canvas on which we more or less uneasily project our fantasies of Lulu was no more empty than the changing visual decoration of the set, but, amidst, or perhaps beneath, the despatch of the coloratura and the seduction of the more conventional melodic line, there was a fine balance struck between nihilism and defiant character.”
Seen and Heard International

“A considerable part of the success of achieving that must lie with the singer performing the role of Lulu, and Brenda Rae fulfilled the role marvellously. Aside from the technical challenges of the role, she brought an ideal tone and temperament that suited the intent of the production here. This Lulu as portrayed by Rae is neither lascivious nor hysterical, but essentially and necessarily human, as flawed and capable of misjudgment as anyone. If she is irresistible to men, it's clearly more of a projection of what the men impress on her than anything she initiates. She's more victim than vamp.”
OperaJournal

“Soprano Brenda Rae makes an extraordinary role and house debut as Lulu. It’s a feat simply to learn and sing the role, and Rae seemed to find ease in the quick turns from blazing coloratura to sustaining high, soaring lines. Her voice has a softness about it that seemed to bring out the subtle, muted danger in the title character; when she showed off more vocal extremes, we understood Lulu’s volatility and unpredictability. Rae seemed constantly comfortable onstage, in her stages of undress and tough musical demands; she made sense of Berg’s dense writing, as if Lulu’s music were simply the exaggerated, unnerving way that she speaks.”
Schmopera

“Brenda Rae made a rivetingly effective Lulu.”
Ronan Theatre Reviews

“Athletic and seductive, innocent and predatory, Rae captures the facets of the woman who exploits and is exploited by the men in her life.”
Express

“Brenda Rae’s Lulu, tirelessly busy and vocally spot-on, is the enigmatic centre of it all, very much the blank slate on which men can project their own fantasies, almost oblivious to her own allure.”
The Guardian

“Excellent Brenda Rae makes a suitably capricious femme fatale, surrounded by a very strong cast of those helplessly pulled into Lulu’s death-dealing orbit.”
The Independent

“Individual sung performances are generally strong, with Brenda Rae reaching all the high notes as Lulu while suggesting her character’s sexual magnetism, with its appeal to men and women alike.”
The Stage

“But Lulu lives and dies with its heroine, and in Brenda Rae ENO have a soprano capable not only of scaling the unnatural heights of Berg's vocal writing but also of projecting the fascination she must if this paper castle of illusion and beauty isn't to come tumbling down. Rae proves herself the consummate singing actress, sexual without being obvious, vulnerable without being weak, capable of carrying us with her in her precipitous rise and sudden fall.”
Broadway World

“Brenda Rae makes a sensational house debut in the title role, one of the most challenging in the repertoire. The American soprano husbands her resources early on, mindful of the extremes that lie ahead; yet she never undersings and her characterisation is dynamite. Fearless, probing and compelling, radiant of voice and beauty, she is the complete Lulu.”
What’s On Stage

“Her ascents to the vocal stratosphere made light of the role’s technical demands, and she is a natural creature of the stage: her every appearance lit up the theatre, and she rents the heart in the final scene, where she falls victim to Jack the Ripper.... unforgettable antiheroine.”
The Sunday Times 

“It’s well sung, too, especially by Brenda Rae, pellucid and light-timbred as Lulu.”
The Times

Ariadne auf Naxos • 2015
Staatsoper berlin

“Brenda Rae won the only applause of the night for Grossmächtige Prinzessin... The singer has an impeccable technique that allows her to go up and down the staff with great fluency.”
OperaClick

“Brenda Rae is gorgeous and confident – completely without stress and with attractive self-knowledge.”
Der Standard

"Zerbinetta is sung by Brenda Rae with graceful coloratura and beautiful lacy tones.”
Neue Bürcher Zeitung

“Brenda Rae as Zerbinetta has a perfect command of her coloratura.”
Der Tagesspiel

“Brenda Rae is a bewitchingly coloraturally secure Zerbinetta.”
Deutschlandfunk

“Rae lent her fresh, agile voice to Zerbinetta, arguably the opera’s most memorable vocal character. She sang the coquettish role with extravagant colors, an alluring texture and dazzling runs and trills.”
Opera News 

“Brenda Rae was fabulous as Zerbinetta, trilling and pirouetting in the highest reaches of the register with great agility: ‘Grossmächtige Prinzessin’ deservedly stopped the show.”
Opera Magazine

Théâtre des Champs-Elysées

“Irresistible, Brenda Rae interprets the role of Zerbinetta in a superlative way, adding to the vocal prowess an intense psychological penetration which is rewarded by colossal personal success.” Concert Classic

“Discovered at Garnier in the role of Anne Trulove of Stravinsky's Rake's Progress, Brenda Rae knows Zerbinetta well as she has already sung the role in Frankfurt. This delightful, eclectic artist (from Händel to Strauss to Donizetti), with her charming timbre and impeccable vocals, excited a delirious public who enthusiastically applauded her for several minutes after her grand aria "Großmächtige Prinzessin’.”
Anaclase

Die Schweigsame Frau • 2015
Munich Opera Festival

“The part calls for the silver purity of Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) or Danae (Die Liebe der Danae), which Rae undoubtedly possesses in abundance, as she does sufficient ardour for her duets with Henry.” Classical Source 

“I doubt that Brenda Rae’s Aminta could be bettered in any theatre today. Just as sure of note and line as the orchestra and with greater, contrasting warmth, especially at those wonderful revelations, through the disguise of Timidia, of the fundamental humanity of Aminta, this was a performance to savour.”
Opera Today

“Brenda Rae was a fantastic Aminta, vocally and dramatically stunning in her self-control. You always felt that a volcano was waiting to erupt right up to the final point of the wedding night and the final divorce scene.”
Bachtrack 

Semele • 2015
Seattle Opera

“It doesn’t hurt to have a cast that’s easy on the eyes as well as on the ear: the lovely and stratospheric soprano Brenda Rae is the opening-night Semele, the ill-fated mortal who falls in love with a god.”
Seattle Times 

“Soprano Brenda Rae took full advantage with her brilliant coloratura turns, particularly in the amusing “Myself I shall adore.” Her moving recognition of her fatal mistake was heartbreaking.”
Queen Anne and Magnolia News 

“Singing her first Semele, Brenda Rae was sensual in “O Sleep” and “With fond desiring,” dazzling in the coloratura of “Myself I shall adore” and long runs of “No, no, I’ll take no less,” and moving in her death scene.”
Opera News

“Brenda Rae triumphed vocally and theatrically in the title role, unafraid to push Semele’s hedonism to sensual extremes and yet still conveying vulnerability in her final, Elsa-like confrontation with her lover-god. She added giddily over-the-top – and pinpoint accurate – ornamentations to “Myself I shall adore” but also floated the most delicate trills and messa di voce notes in her lovely high range.”
Bachtrack

La Sonnambula • 2014
Oper Frankfurt

"Enchanting melodies and dreamlike sounds musically flattered the vocal sensation of the evening: Brenda Rae as the breathtaking sleepwalker. In her, Frankfurt Opera is guaranteed a bestseller... Brenda Rae is Amina, the enchantress who floats as a sleepwalking lover, a dreamlike dancer always a little more above the earth. Her Sonnambula breathes life into the figure and is at the same time something unreal, raptured. She celebrates the melodie lunghe with beguiling delicacy and is ,rightly, stormily celebrated."
Klassik

"Brenda Rae sings a very youthful – almost childlike –tender and therefore fragile Amina. Very finely, she chiseled out the contours of the highly virtuosic soprano part.”
Deutschlandfunk

"Brenda Rae’s sleepwalker stood out for the premiere with fantastically secure coloratura... Brenda Rae’s soprano rises to unimaginable pitch even while sleepwalking, with fireworks and coloratura as pure emotion, the salt in Bellini's opera hit soup.”
Op-Online

Don Pasquale • 2014
Santa Fe Opera

“Brenda Rae — so impressive as the tragic Violetta in Pelly’s Traviata revival last season — emerged as the production’s comic center. Few coloratura sopranos could act as imaginatively drunk onstage or set up such a wicked rapport with the audience; we had to root for Rae’s Norina in her assault upon the hapless Pasquale. Rae employed her formidable coloratura not just to display her voice but to create a volatile character who was viperish yet full of sex appeal.”
Opera News

“Vocally, she is superb – as she was last summer in the Verdi. All of Norina’s coloratura fireworks are tossed off with ease and she has an impressive trill. The voice is full and rich, which isn’t always the case in coloratura singers. Agree or not with the directorial decisions, Rae burns the stage vocally.”
Theater Jones

“Feisty soprano Brenda Rae breathed fire and gumption into her quirky interpretation of Norina…with a few comic moves reminiscent of Carol Burnett in her prime. The interplay between Ms. Rae’s Norina and Mr. Shore’s Pasquale is quite simply a comic sensation. Ms. Rae drives her point home with her substantial but well-controlled soprano instrument. In the context of this clever production, bigger-than-life is clearly what’s called for and Ms. Rae delivers every time.”
Communities Digital News

“The singer who held this performance together was Brenda Rae…a fascinating Norina. Her personality and musicality helped to keep this comedy on an even keel.”
Opera Today

Fantasio • 2013
Opera Rara

"The highest accolades, however, go to Brenda Rae as Elsbeth who stunned with a voice of glistening purity and with her beautiful execution of runs and trills.”
MusicOMH 

“Brenda Rae as the Princess fearlessly tackled the tricky coloratura Offenbach gives her and is a very appealing performer.”
Seen and Heard International 

“The best numbers and the outstanding performance, though, came from the American soprano Brenda Rae as the Princess. She first brought the evening to life with her Act 1 romance, and then won a resounding ovation for the coloratura trills and runs of her Act 2 aria – Offenbach also at his very best.”
Opera Magazine

“It was Brenda Rae as the Princess who sang everyone else off stage. This young American laughed, wept, danced and leapt through her music in a tireless, golden soprano.”
The Times

“Opera Rara fielded an excellent cast, with Brenda Rae a sparkling Elsbeth possessed of a good trill.”
The Telegraph

“The real vocal honours belonged to Brenda Rae's spectacularly sung Elsbeth.”
The Guardian

Giulio Cesare • 2012
Oper Frankfurt

“Brenda Rae, recently remembered as Maria Stuarda in the Alte Oper, thrilled and excelled in her great da capo arias, precise and light-footed coloratura, wonderful pianos as well as soulful and energetic play.”
Online Musik Magazin

“Brenda Rae, a vocally brilliant Cleopatra.”
Op-Onlin 

“The soprano singing Cleopatra, Brenda Rae, is a vocalist capable of unfurling all the facets of her seductive powers while always capably spinning her line.”
Frankfurter Rundschau

“Brenda Rae, an exceptional actress, was the star of the evening as a world-class Cleopatra: virtuosic and sensual, capable of both power and exquisite nuance in ‘Se pietà per me non senti’ and ‘Piangerò’.”
Opera Magazine