AGRIPPINA
Metropolitan Opera, New York, 2020
In moments of otherworldly softness [Kate Lindsey] is an indelible caricature as Nero. She practically oozes across the stage, at one point singing an aria verse in a side plank position that made my abs hurt just watching it.
New York Times
Lindsey was wonderful all night on stage, moving around with a teenage boy’s awkward obnoxiousness. Her voice sat right at the edge of late adolescence and made for one of the most effective trouser-role performances in recent memory.
New York Classical Review
What was stunning about Lindsey’s performance was how nuanced most of the singing was. While the opening “Con saggio” was animalistic in its aggressive phrasing, “Qual piacer” was the polar opposite. Sung mainly with the thinnest thread of straight tones, she wove a sublime legato throughout the aria. “Quando invita” featured a mix of these two arias, moving from a fiery and accented phrasing of the text to a sensual straight tone on longer notes. […] Then there was “Come nube che fugge dal vento,” a scene which Lindsey knocked out the park with increasingly manic physicality matched only by some rabid vocal feats of coloratura. This scene alone drew the longest ovation of the night and had the audience in stitches. This was Lindsey’s first performance at the Met in five years. It’s good to have her back.
Opera Wire
Lindsey is a gifted physical actor. Light, lean, and bendy enough to fold into a carry-on bag, she moves with the wild elegance of Buster Keaton. Her Nero is constantly doing pushups and leg lifts, slithering around the stage, slinking up and down stairs, and rubbing against other female cast members. Lindsey has a voice as agile as her limbs
Vulture
The Tales of Hoffmann
Los Angeles Opera, 2017
Kate Lindsey has sung The Muse/Nicklausse all over the world but last night she outdid herself. Not only was her character the voice of reason, she did an imitation of Olympia that had the audience laughing out loud. Lindsey is a subtle artist but there is deep thought behind her characterizations.
Maria Nockin, Opera Today
A new star couple has emerged at LA Opera... The hot couple Saturday night was Grigolo and mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey. Lindsey proved a flesh-and-blood guardian angel whose eloquence of expression elevated all around her and, thankfully, when elevation was needed the most. She also could be very funny, and again thankfully, only when needed.
Mark Swed, LA Times
A brilliant singer, a fine actress whose role hovers between tragedy and comedy, Lindsey elevates the entire production.
Marc Haefele, Off Ramp
Although her character was written as a sidekick to Hoffmann, Lindsey often took center stage, her convincing physicality as a man aided by her rich mezzo-soprano. She melded into the opening and epilogue tavern scenes filled with young men huddled around Hoffmann, her femininity completely and appropriately disguised.
Emily McCormick, Daily Bruin
Mezzo Kate Lindsey sang with rich tone and buttery legato, even while kicking her heels up and strumming a guitar throughout an aria. Her mocking impression of Olympia deservedly earned the evening’s biggest laugh.
Ilana Walder-Biesanz, Bachtrack
Dead Man Walking
Washington National Opera, 2017
It’s not the size of Lindsey’s voice that impresses me the most... It’s the way she colors every line emotionally and creates so many contours and nuances to her journey. It’s her boldness to follow down into the depths of being and find the sound that most matches what she wants to communicate…. She is fearless.
Susan Galbraith, DC Theatre Scene
Ms. Lindsey’s lead role requires her to be almost constantly on stage. Luckily, she has superior vocal control and pacing which propels her through this challenging role. Ms. Lindsey’s aria questioning her ability to face the mission God impels her to fulfil is mesmerizing – Lindsey sings with a purity of tone that is almost ethereal in effect.
David Friscic, DC Metro Theater Arts
Lindsey is a lovely Sister Helen, her mezzo-soprano voice and expressive movements balancing the hopefulness of youth with the exhaustion of a winless situation. She brims with authenticity and avoids being overly saccharine - important when portraying a nun who is real and imperfect.
Barbara Johnson, BroadwayWorld
Kate Lindsey sings with a sweet, rich beauty that only increases as the evening progresses and emotions grow… It is a long and intense role and Lindsey is utterly memorable.
Kate Wingfield, Metro Weekly
Lindsey brings a sharp emotionalism and faith into her singing; she navigates her solos like a surfer when the music threatens to become merely vocalized talk, playing the role with a sprite’s energy in both her voice and her body. Her voice always seeming to see a note ahead, filling in the spots.
Gary Tischler, The Georgetowner
Les Contes D'Hoffmann
Royal Opera House, 2016
"American mezzo Kate Lindsey comes close to stealing the show with her flawlessly sung, immaculately observed double role as Hoffmann’s young amanuensis Nicklausse and his protective Muse."
George Hall, The Stage
"Kate Lindsey is an outstanding Nicklausse, never better than when sending up Olympia with some clockwork trills of her own."
Richard Morrison, The Times
"No one, though, eclipsed Kate Lindsey as Nicklausse, Hoffmann's 80°-proof spiritual muse. The American mezzo's every appearance lifted this revival above the routine, and from the famous barcarolle to a stylish farewell her limpid tones had the warm glow of sugared absinthe. Santé."
Mark Valencia, What's On Stage
"Kate Lindsey is strong as Nicklausse, the voice of reason that Hoffmann all too rarely hears."
Tim Ashley, The Guardian
