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PRESS / JACK SWANSON IN THE NEWS
"Virtuso
agility"
“Count Almaviva, Jack Swanson, with his crystal-clear, lyrical tenor, transports us to the spheres that he so longingly extols as Almaviva in „ecco ridente" in the very first aria of the evening. The youthful radiance of his voice bears witness to the Count's impulsive love for Rosina and places his longing in the service of the true, the beautiful and the good. Full of virtuoso agility, he gradually builds up to the end of this cavatina, culminating in a virtuoso final allegro, which elsewhere would have been considered the highlight of the evening - „Oh, istante d'amore! Felice momento… Here too Jack Swanson is able to blow the audience's minds with his outstanding coloratura, as there is no sign of fatigue. In 'Ah il più lieto', the chorus shows once again his grandiose sound quality and Jack Swanson's voice flows with seemingly effortless elegance and ease through this parade ride to crown it with an almost magical high C and the words „non fugite, o lieti istanti della mia felicità ".
THE OPERA BLOG
"SOLAR &
YOUTHFUL TENOR"
Jack Swanson, a solar and youthful tenor, with a velocity that is never at fault, excels in a role made for him and in which he takes pleasure in evolving, from the suave “Ecco ridente” of the 1st act to the formidable but oh so intoxicating “Cessa di piu resistere” placed at the very end of the work.
CONCERT CLASSIC
"Glorious, Youthful"
Jack Swanson’s Count of Almaviva, Rossinian tenor voice - you can’t explain how it is, but just listen to two notes to understand it and it brings to mind the Rossinians of a recent, glorious past - effective stage presence in the youthful and irresistibly comic impulses that the Minnesota tenor offers to his character.
PIERACHILLE DOLFINI
"seductive
timbre"
“The tenors are perfectly distinct and characterized. Jack Swanson (Belfiore) has the seductive timbre, the elegance of the line and the fluidity of the vocalises.”
FORUM OPERA
"A true tour
de force"
“His performance in the demanding rondo finale, “Cessa di più resistere” (often cut because of its difficulty), is a standout. Swanson’s mastery of the coloratura, breath control, and secure high notes is impressive – a true tour de force.”
PLAYSTOSEE
"remarkable
refinement"
“Jack Swanson played the role of Count Almaviva with remarkable refinement and stage presence. The American tenor showed exceptional vocal mastery, exhibiting a clear and brilliant timbre that well underlined the romantic and passionate nature of his character..”
MTG LYRIC
"aspirational
force"
“He gets to sing “Sì, ritrovarla io giuro,” as rendered here with aspirational force throughout by Swanson, who nails the role’s central challenge of being both a quiet watcher and a man capable of the highest level of passionate love. He cements in the audience’s mind that Cenerentola will be just fine with this dude.”
CHICAGO TRIBUNE | Chris Jones
"Perect rossini tenor"
“Swanson has the perfect Rossini tenor voice: light, flexible, and capable of stratospheric high notes, which he unleashed with gusto particularly in his second-act aria “Si, ritrovarla io guiro”. He strikes a handsome figure, and his demeanor suggests a man capable of both strong leadership and passionate love. We certainly hope to hear more from Swanson at Lyric Opera.”
PARTERRE BOX | Henson Keys
"Vibrant, Stylish"
“Also making his Lyric debut was Jack Swanson as Ramiro, the royal who is masquerading as his valet to find a wife who is unfazed by his regal position. The young Minnesota native made a dashing prince and possesses the kind of vibrant high tenor well suited to the role. Rarely will one hear the Act I “meet” duet, rendered so stylishly by such a well-matched pair of singers. Swanson tackled the considerable challenges of Rossini’s stratospheric writing impressively…Swanson threw off his Act II showpiece aria with chorus (“Si, ritrovarla io giuro”) with energetic panache and multiple ringing high C’s.”
CHICAGO CLASSICAL REVIEW | Lawrence A. Johnson
"EXCELLENT DICTION"
“Swanson sang with humor (where appropriate) and power in all his solos. His showpiece 'No unhallowed desire' was an emotional highpoint in the evening. He filled the huge space with his bright tone and excellent diction. This was particularly evident in his part 2 solo 'Sound an Alarm' which was a trio with the silvery sound of the trumpets and war-like timpani. It was a spine-tingling, electrifying moment I would love to have heard as an immediate encore!“
BROADWAY WORLD | DECEMBER 2023
"BRIGHT, AGILE"
“Nevertheless, Jack Swanson as Judas Maccabeus sliced through the mire with his bright, agile tenor and well-supported top notes. He dispatched with the coloratura of “Sound An Alarm” with verve and was every bit the conquering hero of the evening.”
PARTERRE BOX | DECEMBER 2023
"RINGING PANACHE"
"Swanson’s altogether winning performance signals the arrival of a hugely promising new contender in the Rossini tenor sweepstakes. His bright tone, evenly sustained throughout this range, his polished sense of style, his fluency in fast music were all coupled with a youthful engaging presence. Swanson made a rousing showstopper of the prince’s big aria, sung with ringing panache."
OPERA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2024
"sTRATOSPHERIC HIGH NOTES"
"Swanson has the perfect Rossini tenor voice: light, flexible, and capable of stratospheric high notes, which he unleashed with gusto particularly in his second-act aria “Si, ritrovarla io guiro”. He strikes a handsome figure, and his demeanor suggests a man capable of both strong leadership and passionate love. We certainly hope to hear more from Swanson at Lyric Opera of Chicago."
PARTERRE BOX | JANUARY 2024
"ASPIRATIONAL FORCE"
"He gets to sing “Sì, ritrovarla io giuro,” as rendered here with aspirational force throughout by Swanson, who nails the role’s central challenge of being both a quiet watcher and a man capable of the highest level of passionate love. He cements in the audience’s mind that Cenerentola will be just fine with this dude."
CHICAGO TRIBUNE | JANUARY 2024
"VOCAL FIREWORKS"
"Prince Ramiro, tenor Jack Swanson, was a delight. Swanson gripped the audience with his vocal fireworks and command of dynamic details, exemplified by his delivery of “Si ritrovarla io giuro,” Ramiro’s well-known Act II aria, in which Swanson’s supple phrasing, rich tone and facile high notes demonstrated why he is sought after for Rossini’s most difficult roles."
OPERA NEWS | JULY 2023
"AWE-INSPIRING."
“Tenor Tonio brings down the house with his phenomenal aria “Ah! mes amis…” Each note is fully supported and filled with emotion and his awe-inspiring nine high Cs left the audience begging for more, a wish which was promptly fulfilled in the second act. This is Swanson’s Utah debut and I hope to see him grace our stages again very soon!”
FRONT ROW REVIEWERS | JANUARY 2023
"Technical agility"
“Her charming Prince was Jack Swanson who presented a classic handsome prince-in-disguise, and like his Cinderella, had the full arsenal of bel canto necessities – rapid fire technical agility, easily produced high notes, a genuine and all too rarely heard these days, head voice that had a brightness and clarity which helped define his character. Si, ritrovarla io guiro, his bravura aria with chorus, was easily one of many highlights of the night."
PARTS ONLINE | JULY 2023
"ROSSINI ROYALTY."
"Jack Swanson was the Count Almaviva, in a consummate performance revealing Swanson’s attractive, technically proficient vocal skill. Swanson’s superb performance deserves inclusion in the first of what I call the contemporary “Rossini royalty."
OPERA WARHORSES | AUGUST 2022
"ASTOUNDING AGILITY."
"Young tenor Jack Swanson made a dashing, charming Almaviva. His dulcet tone and clear high notes crowned by astounding agility in the role’s many florid passages."
CLASSICAL REVIEW | AUGUST 2022
"eNORMOUSLY FUN."
"The star of the show was Jack Swanson, whose ebullient tenor and imaginative vocal ornamentation made Almaviva enormously fun."
WALL STREET JOURNAL | AUGUST 2022
"UNWAVERING AGILITY."
"Jack Swanson is an acclaimed Almaviva. He is tasteful in “Ecco ridente,” and nothing short of spectacular in the excruciating “Cessa di più resistere,” a typical bravura aria where Swanson shows unwavering agility, easily reached high notes, in the appropriate Rossinian style."
CONCERTONET | JULY 2022
"BRILLIANT."
"The American tenor Jack Swanson unveils a Ferrando with expressive mimicry and a completely convinced stage play. His highs are brilliant with delicate decrescendi, piano nuances, carefully vibrated."
OLYRIX | APRIL 2022
"ANGELIC."
“After having played Tamino at the Opéra national de Lorraine, Jack Swanson returns to the Grand Est region for an angelic Ferrando, beaded with light. It is the serenity of the phrase that characterizes it, just like the saving virtue and the nourishing plenitude.”
OPÉRA ONLINE | APRIL 2022
"extremely seductive."
"The young Jack Swanson is an extremely seductive Fiorville, with a very sure technique, whose timbre is sometimes reminiscent of that of his illustrious predecessor and compatriot Rockwell Blake."
PREMIÈRE LOGE | AUGUST 2021
"captivating timbre."
"Minnesota tenor Jack Swanson, also an absolute rookie at the ROF, offers a well-balanced interpretation of the amorous Florville, anything but bloodless, expressively incisive and vocally supported by a captivating and homogeneous timbre."
LE SALONMUSICAL | AUGUST 2021
"IMMENSELY CONFIDENT."
"Jack Swanson’s immensely confident Count with endless top notes thrown off with casual ease."
THE STAGE | MAY-JULY 2021
"pinging highs."
"Swanson did not hold back on the top notes and delivered some pinging highs while enthusiastically stripped down to his unmentionables. With his confident stage presence and voice so well suited to this repertoire, Swanson is one to watch."
BACHTRACK | MAY-JULY 2021
"rapid-fire runs."
American Tenor Jack Swanson shows why he is gaining reputation as a Rossini specialist, easily mixing his head voice and chest voice to produce rapid-fire runs and endless brilliant top notes.
CULTURE WHISPERER | MAY-JULY 2021
"ENDLESS EASE."
“During his encore of Rossini’s La danza, it was this endless ease with which his voice picks up speed, nothing wasteful, always hitting the mark, that put the audience in a jubilant mood…Swanson was confident, agile and charming”
FRANKFURTER RUNDSCHAU | OCTOBER 2020
"REMARKABLE VOICE."
“Jack Swanson has a remarkable voice. Spacious and silver in the chest, this tenor, despite his youth, has already played the great roles of the Italian bel canto and can bring subject matter onto the stage effortlessly with a sympathetic gesture…This singer has a great future ahead because of his technical precision, his sheer endless breath and penetrating timbre.”
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG | OCTOBER 2020
"HEROIC TONE."
“Jack Swanson was everything I’ve ever wanted in a Mozartian tenor in the role of Belmonte. His heroic tone was ideal for the pining lover on a rescue mission, and his coloratura was smooth as silk. Mozart’s music can be notoriously tricky for tenors, but Swanson’s voice was made for this role. He also brought just the right touch of humor to Belmonte, a character that can sometimes come across as a bit boring. His physical comedy was at its best when paired up with Pedrillo, and his love duets with Konstanze showcased all the tenderness and passion that the audience desired.”
SCHMOPERA | FEBRUARY 2020
"VOCAL RICHNESS."
"Jack Swanson displays a barytoning tenor, which increases in color, shine and support, but also smoothly in inflections of phrasing. To remember that this distinguished singer was last year a Candide (de Bernstein) noticed in Marseille and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is an eloquent proof of his vocal richness, of character."
OLYRIX | NOVEMBER 2019
"BRILLIANT."
“The most brilliant is the young American Jack Swanson, who masters the difficult role of Rodrigo as if she were a nursery rhyme. It's almost an injustice to sing like that and look so dazzling. The fact that he also gets the most out of this actually rather ungrateful role of the second lover is obvious, but still has to be mentioned again. He quite rightly collects the biggest applause for his aria in the second act.”
FESTSPIELE FORUM | SEPTEMBER 2019
"ideal bel canto voice."
“Rossini has equipped his rival Rodrigo musically equal. When the young American tenor, Jack Swanson, enters the stage for the first time in this game, one does not suspect that this inconspicuous college boy can easily take on the singer of the title role... Swanson stretches to a shape that leaves one’s mouth open. You can hear an ideal bel canto voice, smooth, perfectly focused, with an incomprehensible fluency and a silver timbre. It is hardly too high to compare him to the best in his field, such as Juan Diego Flórez, and to predict a brilliant international career.”
DER OPERNFREUND | SEPTEMBER 2019
"REAL QUALITY."
"Jack Swanson made a great splash in the role of Rodrigo and deservedly received sustained applause at the final curtain. A tenore di grazia with a pleasing upper register, and without the reedy sound which often sounds too thin and forced, Swanson showed real quality. His voice danced its way through the part, taking leaps in his stride, and making light of the role’s high tessitura, which was beautifully displayed in the cabaletta, 'Ah! come mai non senti,' He was also attentive to characterization, making use of his vocal versatility and strength."
OPERAWIRE | SEPTEMBER 2019
"biggest asset."
“The biggest asset of the venture is the young, downright shocking, young-looking American Jack Swanson as Rodrigo, who has an even more exhausting, overall higher-lying game than the title-hero.”
FRANKFURTER RUNDSCHAU | SEPTEMBER 2019
"ENCHANTING PIANI."
"In Sam Kaplan and Rose Maurrant finally, we discover two most promising American singers. Suave timbre, easy treble, enchanting piani, not to mention a young physique, Jack Swanson is nothing less than perfect in the role of the young lover."
RESMUSICA | MAY 2019
"BEST SINGLE NOTE."
“Taking the evening's purely vocal honors was tenor Jack Swanson, as Alfredo, who has won Rosalinda's heart by the sound of his voice... Swanson followed with a ringing sustained tenor high C — the evening's best single note.”
PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS | MARCH 2019
"STEADY & BOLD."
"When Nemorino (Jack Swanson), a keen and shy student, starts singing out his love to lecturer Adina, I get so excited that, like him, he does not notice that classmates make fun of him behind his back. Swanson has so steady and bold a voice that he could melt a stone."
SCENEKUNST | NOVEMBER 2018
"STRONG INSTRUMENT."
“Tenor Jack Swanson, who had a good deal of fun with his Mario Bros.-style accent as Alfredo, revealed a voice with potential to thrill in the right opera; he has a strong instrument as is, and it would be good to hear him in a lyric role.”
PALM BEACH ARTS PAPER | MARCH 2019
"CLEAR & LYRICAL."
“Among the initiated soloists it is Jack Swanson who carries much of the musical with his clear and lyrical tenor.”
AFTENPOSTEN | NOVEMBER 2018
"DIRECTE ET PUISSANTE."
"Du côté masculin de la distribution, le Candide de Jack Swanson impose sa présence scénique et sa ligne de chant parfaite, directe et puissante. L’autre composante nécessaire au fonctionnement d’un couple rayonnant."
DESTIMED | OCTOBER 2018
"TOUT EST RÉUNI."
"Candide est parfaitement assuré par le jeune ténor américain Jack Swanson. Physique, mimiques, diction, timbre, expression, émotion : tout est réuni. Les couleurs qu’il sait donner à ses mélopées, lancinantes, sont celles des grands espaces américains. Une lumière de crooner se lève depuis le socle de son baryton."
OLYRIX | OCTOBER 2018
"D'INFINIE DOUCEUR."
"Dans le rôle-titre, le jeune ténor étasunien Jack Swanson s’avère en mesure de traduire toute la poésie mélancolique du héros voltairien, de son timbre suave mais capable autant de puissance que d’infinie douceur."
OPERA ONLINE | OCTOBER 2018
"ELAN & ARTISTRY."
“Jack Swanson (Lindoro) can be added to the short list of top tier Rossini tenors. His brilliant, focused lyric instrument has a captivating color, and his effortless execution of endless racing melismas was jaw dropping in its elan and artistry. Mr. Swanson is enthralling not only for his assured, stylish vocalizing but also for his amiable, boyishly handsome stage presence. He brought the house down with his first aria, capturing our hearts, and then came back for the rest of us with a wonderfully detailed interpretation. Watch this talented young man’s star rise rapidly in coming months.”
OPERA TODAY | AUGUST 2018
"ROCK SOLID, SPITFIRE."
“Jack Swanson was a sweet, earnest Lindoro, sporting a light and lovely, high-flying tenor, rock solid in rhythm, spitfire in patter, and unfazed in the face of relentless coloratura. If I am not mistaken, that was a high C he interpolated into his aria “Ah come il cor di giubilo.” He is the real deal for a Rossini role such as this, and I don’t doubt that opera-lovers will be hearing more of him.”
SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN | JULY 2018
"CHARMING
​
& ENERGETIC."
“Portrayed by former Santa Fe Opera (SFO) apprentice Jack Swanson, Lindoro sings of Isabella in "Languir per una bella" ("Longing for a Beauty"). Swanson, who was an admirable Candide at Los Angeles Opera, showed an amazing ability to sing Rossini's coloratura runs while maintaining understandable diction. His character was a credible young gentlemen, charming and energetic. Musically, he sang with pastel tenor colors and never missed so much as a grace note.”
BROADWAY WORLD | AUGUST 2018
"SPECTACULAR BRAVADO."
“Tenor Jack Swanson took the stage with boisterous enthusiasm for “Ah! Mes amis” from Donizetti’s La fille du régiment, tossing off the infamous nine high Cs with spectacular bravado..... Swanson’s tenor impressed again in the heroic “Cujus animam,” soaring on the many A-flats before hitting a high D-flat in the closing cadenza.”
WASHINGTON CLASSICAL REVIEW | MAY 2018
"PERFECT FOR THE PART."
"...the beautiful music of the eponymous hero sounds best when sung by an accomplished lyric tenor. LA Opera has both for this thoroughly delightful show: winsome tenor Jack Swanson, who is perfect for the part, charming and guileless in appearance.”
OPERA WEST | FEBRUARY 2018
"STRONG SOLOS."
“But the focus of this delightful operatic romp sits on the able shoulders and lovely tenor of Jack Swanson in the titular role of Candide. Swanson brings the naivety and charm of a young, out-of-place, illegitimate raised by royalty, the Baron and Baroness of Westphalia. His strong solos include “It Must Be So,” “Candide’s Lament,” and “Nothing More Than This.”
BROADWAY WORLD | JANUARY 2018
"LUSCIOUSLY SWEET."
“Swanson possessed that elusive feature that many otherwise good tenors lack, those lusciously sweet, strong high notes.”
THE OPERA CRITIC | JANUARY 2018
"SOLID ACTING & STRONG SINGING."
"Jack Swanson’s Candide anchored the production through solid acting and strong singing..."
SEEN & HEARD INTERNATIONAL | FEBRUARY 2018
"knee-weakening."
“Tenor Jack Swanson proves himself a talent to watch as Almaviva, with a ringing upper register and a knee-weakening lyric sense.”
THE STAGE | OCTOBER 2017
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