"For Weill's offbeat song cycle, O'Connor could have channeled the streetwise spirit of Lotte Lenya, who originated the role of the twins who travel across the United States and fall prey to each of the legendary seven sins. But O'Connor made the two Annas a fascinating pair by summoning up a lot of theatricality for an unstaged performance. With each new city and sin, O'Connor's characters revealed another part of their personalities, pouty at her departure, then displaying a hope-laced world weariness in Memphis, a wide-eyed innocence in Los Angeles, and a dark desperation in Boston. The mezzo's supple voice made the transformations as fascinating to hear as to see."
- Rob Hubbard, Pioneer Press, May 2010
"Every so often, a singular singer comes along who can handle traditional opera but is better suited to art song, contemporary music and unconventional works of whatever kind. One such artist is mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor, who has the potential to be one of the great singers of our time... With singing that managed to be at once seductive and haunting, O'Connor was equal to this smoldering music in every way. She possesses an amazing, dark-hued lower register but can agilely soar into her upper range as needed. (Peter Lieberson's Neruda Songs) "
- Kyle MacmIllan, The Denver Post, January 2010
"Last but not least, was mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor in the role of Lorca. I must admit in my short life span I have not heard such a beautiful contralto tone. It has a sublime quality and luscious velvet color, rarely heard in such a low register. "
- Antoine François López, Music in Cincinnati, July 2009
"O'Connor invested the songs with a luster, sensitivity and grace of her own... The first artist to take up the 'Neruda Songs' since Hunt Lieberson's death, she sang them from memory."
- John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune , June 2008
"Kelley O'Connor was Lieberson's own choice as his wife's successor in the work, and she brought a careful intelligence and Iberian flavor to the five settings of the Spanish writer's love poems"
- Andrew Patner, Chicago Tribune , June 2008
"The standout, though, was mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor, whose Symphony debut was marked by dark, lustrous vocal tone and an arresting command of melodic phrase. Her few moments in the spotlight - particularly the opening of the "Sanctus" - left a listener wanting more."
- Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle , June 2008
"Upshaw was the big draw...but it was Kelley O'Connor's Lorca who gave us a thrill. A Russian bass wouldn't sniff at this mezzo-soprano's lower range, and the poet's passion and allure shone from her features."
- Geoff Brown, The London Times, April 2008
"Many a mezzo-soprano initially draws public attention by donning a man’s trousers on the operatic stage. For Kelley O’Connor, portraying the Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca in Osvaldo Golijov’s bracing ‘Ainadamar’ kick-started what promises to be a major career. Her smoky sound and riveting stage presence made an indelible impact. … Ms. O’Connor’s bright smile finally found its way into her voice during a bouncy ‘Fêtes galantes,’ one of four delectable songs by Reynaldo Hahn. She invested his ‘Infidélité’ with an anguish made more gripping by aching understatement and stillness. In four songs from Hugo Wolf’s ‘Spanisches Liederbuch,’ Ms. O’Connor was by turns flirty, tender and acidic."
- Steve Smith, The New York Times, January 2008
"Kelley O'Connor has become a star through her portrayals of Lorca, a fully believable characterization despite the obvious gender thing. She can dive way below the contralto range with no loss of focus, all the while delivering a vital characterization that injects a much-needed humanity into the role. Her return as a ghostly presence in the profound final moments was exquisitely handled."
- Marc Shulgold, Rocky Mountain News, July 2007
"She has an unexpectedly deep, entrancing voice, tinged with a sense of timelessness and exoticism."
- Kyle MacMillan, The Denver Post, July 2007
"Mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor sang the ‘Lamentation’ [from Bernstein’s ‘Jeremiah’ Symphony] with haunting duskiness and piercing intensity…"
- Donald Rosenberg, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 2007
"We were prepared to be thrilled by soprano Dawn Upshaw during the Ravinia Festival's presentation June 14 of Osvaldo Golijov's opera ‘Ainadamar’ or ‘Fountain of Tears,’ which told the story of the execution of Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca by Spanish fascists in the 1930s. And we were. The big surprise, however, in the finely-honed performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus led by Robert Spano, was mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor, who bounded on the stage in the trouser role of Lorca and held us spellbound. She exuded energy and verve, becoming the embodiment of the reckless young poet. The California native, with her strong, mellow voice, created the role in the world premiere at Tanglewood and later performed it with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in performances conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya at Walt Disney Hall. In addition to appearing at Ravinia, she sang the role at the Ojai Festival in California, known for its embrace of new music. Her voice is on the premiere recording by Deutsche Grammophon. Very impressive for a mezzo only in her late 20s. Let's hope that Ravinia has her back very soon."
- Dorothy Andries, The Evanston Review , December 2006
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