“...could blow your hair back with her electrifying high notes...”
Mimi in La bohème at Minnesota Opera
Star Tribune
“Whittington’s vocals are so rich and full that she has no problem filling the theater with her glorious voice”
Mimi in La bohème at Minnesota Opera
Broadway World
“...one of the most moving performances I have seen to date...”
Marie Antoinette in The Ghosts of Versailles at Wolf Trap Opera
DC Theater Arts
“...the very embodiment of singing refinement and power.”
cvnc.org
“… Whittington gave a smart and inspiring performance… Whittington’s trust and use of her technical skill were impressive. She was fully engaged with her voice while simultaneously displaying the range of Violetta’s emotions with ease. She is quite a multi-tasker… glittering high notes to shine through in “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici.”… Whittington showed off the incredible range of colors in her voice. Her lower sultry range and Olympia-like high notes melted together and was stunning.”
Violetta in La traviata (2023)
Opera Wire
“the excellence of the three sopranos cemented my suspicion that this was the deepest Opera Carolina cast I've seen… Most revelatory was Melinda Whittington as Donna Anna, a role I've often found annoying in her chaste righteousness. Whittington amped up the feeling of this grieving rape victim while tamping down her outraged fervor.”
Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Opera Carolina (2022)
– cvnc.org
“Melinda Whittington was a poignant, tragic Rusalka who enchanted the audience and brought them into her world with her moon song “Mesiku na nebi hlubokem.”
Title role in Rusalka (2016)
– Opera Today
"... the quality and depth of Whittington's vocals took me aback. Not only did this soprano navigate the "Sempre libera" coloratura beautifully – and with seeming ease – as the duet climaxed, she was keenly alive to the weight of the moment ... Because she has weighed Violetta's choice so intelligently in Act 1, the tensions in Whittington's wavering carried over into the two acts and three scenes that followed, making them less of a letdown that can often lie in wait after Verdi's brilliant, exhilarating beginning."
Violetta in La traviata (2023)
cvnc.org
“Parks blended beautifully with soprano Melinda Whittington’s Ada, the Charleston belle-turned-farmer who waited faithfully for Inman’s return. Her voice was delicate in reveries of the past and soaring in passionate love duets.”
Ada in Cold Mountain with NC Opera (2017)
Raleigh News and Observer
“Utah Opera's two Donnas, Anna (Melinda Whittington) and Elvira (Caitlin Lynch), deliver performances of emotional resonance along with their powerhouse vocals.”
Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Utah Opera (2017)
Salt Lake Tribune
“North Carolina based soprano Melinda Whittington gave the titular Arabella a stately charisma, her voice ringing with warmth and ardor.”
title role in Arabella with Pittsburgh Festival Opera (2018)
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
“The Corporal's childhood sweetheart, Micaëla was sung by Melinda Whittington. Her rich, warm soprano stole the show in the gorgeous third-act aria, “Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante.”
Micaela in Carmen at Greensboro Opera (2017)
cvnc.org
Her “pure, even voice glowed in the great aria 'O mio babbini caro.’ ”
Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi at Opera Carolina (2014)
cvnc.org
“Whittington sang ‘Qual fiamma avea nel guardo’ with abandon, imparting the wonderment that surges from the music… resolving her rousing ‘Stridono lassù’ with a radiant top A♯. In the subsequent duet with Silvio, the soprano’s performance manifested warmth and femininity. Her voicing of ‘Non mi tentar! Vuoi tu perder la mia vita?’ throbbed with anxiety. Whittington metamorphosed her Nedda into a comical Colombina without jeopardizing the caliber of her vocalism. The commedia dell’arte feigning shattered by Canio’s rage, this Nedda was visibly affected by her husband’s despair: she may never have loved him, but she seemed to at least regret hurting him. Crowning Nedda’s final defiance with a brilliant top B, Whittington depicted the character’s death with startling realism… Whittington both sang and acted intelligently and poignantly.”
Nedda in Pagliacci with NC Opera (2020)
Voix des Artes
“Melinda Whittington was especially marvelous in handling Marguerite’s rapturous jail scene music.”
Marguerite in Faust at AVA (2015)
Philadelphia Inquirer
“As Fiordiligi [in “Cosi fan tutte”], Melinda Whittington was an utter treat, whether dressed up like Jackie Kennedy or down like a flower child. She could sing the appliqués off anyone’s faded jeans and wowed the audience time and time again. Fiordiligi is given abundant vocal opportunities to shine in both acts, and she capitalized on every one. Her voice had beauty, power, range, and never faltered.”
Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte at Academy of Vocal Arts (2013)
bachtrack