Handel Choir of Baltimore’s “standing-room-only” performance of Semele
“The ensemble honored its namesake by digging into Semele, one of the composer’s most beautiful creations … O’Neal kept things moving, in keeping with historical performance practice, but she let the music breathe…. [The chorus] produced a ripe, smoothly balanced sound … there was admirable discipline in the singing, as well as expressive fire. Contrapuntal passages were nimbly executed, even at a bracing clip.
“… soprano Clara Rottsolk, … soared in the title role. She used her bright, clear tone with great finesse. … Rottsolk and plush-voiced mezzo Kristen Dubenion-Smith, as Ino, blended gorgeously … [and tenor] Aaron Sheehan’s elegant embellishments in “Where’er you walk” were beautifully judged.
“The Handel Period Instrument Orchestra, supplemented by members of Peabody’s Baltimore Baroque Band, proved to be a star of the performance in its own right… the fearless strings didn’t just take fast passages with panache, but with wonderful color.”
– Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun Clef Notes, April 25, 2012
“An elegant Messiah from Handel Choir of Baltimore”
“… the ensemble is flexible and responsive, producing a warm, cohesive sound … O’Neal paced the score in rather courtly fashion … The performance exuded an air of elegance and intimacy, a feeling aided by the subtle timbre of the fine period instrument orchestra. The orchestra’s gentle phrasing of the “Pifa” was an especially telling moment.”
– Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun Clef Notes, December 12, 2011
“A memorable performance of Mozart’s Requiem from Handel Choir of Baltimore”
“… O’Neal drew a smooth response from the choristers, whose voices blended warmly with the accompanying period instrument ensemble … everything lined up persuasively. The conductor’s overall sense of momentum helped to maintain tension and a strong sense of the music’s deep-set drama …
“The chorus produced hefty waves of well-focused tone, while always articulating cleanly. The solo quartet again made vibrant contributions… [a]nd the orchestra sealed the deal with the kind of playing that could win over period instrument skeptics—good intonation, abundant color in tone and phrasing…
“In the end, the music sounded bracingly fresh and quite moving. Can’t ask for much more than that.”
– Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun Clef Notes, May 17, 2011
Chandos Singers’ performance of Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas in collaboration with American Opera Theater and Peabody Conservatory Opera
“The Chandos Singers of the Handel Choir of Baltimore fulfilled its role handsomely; the blend, articulation and phrasing were all quite polished… O’Neal shaped the score beautifully and drew nuanced playing from the period instrument ensemble. The remarkable eloquence of Purcell’s score could be savored at nearly every turn …”
– Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun Clef Notes, February 7, 2011
Chandos Singers’ collaboration with American Opera Theater in Handel’s Jephtha
“This is a powerful, often provocative presentation of an extraordinary work… The chorus produced a smooth blend and shaped lines with care … Adding immeasurably to the performance was the sensitive work by the Ignoti Dei Orchestra of period instruments…. And presiding over the score with her usual fluency and grace was Handel Choir artistic director Melinda O’Neal.”
– Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun Clef Notes, May 1, 2010
Handel Choir’s Messiah at Church of the Redeemer
“O’Neal’s introduction of a fine period instrument orchestra into the annual Messiah presentations (and other programs) continues to pay off. There was a combination of transparency and warmth in the orchestra’s sound on this occasion, providing a dynamic foundation for the vocalists.
“Given the presence of that period band, you might expect O’Neal to take consistently zippy tempos, but the conductor was almost leisurely much of the time, as if determined to prove that historical authenticity in baroque performance need not mean breathlessness. Her spacious shaping of the music proved highly effective.
“Another plus was the stylish, well-matched solo vocal quartet — smooth-toned soprano Katharine Dain; countertenor Ian Howell, whose remarkably ripe sound and powerfully communicative approach hit the spot; tenor Steven Brennfleck, who offered equal portions of elegant and dramatic phrasing; and bass Craig Phillips, who produced vibrant sparks.”
– Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun Clef Notes, December 14, 2009
Handel Choir’s O Eternal Fire concert
“… There was a telling sign early on of how much O’Neal has done for the group — the firm, colorful way individual voices started off the contrapuntal flurry of the Alleluia in Handel’s Coronation Anthem, “The King shall rejoice.” That was the kind of detail that would not have been so beautifully realized in the pre–O’Neal days that I experienced. Two Bach cantatas received dynamic performances from the choristers, who were backed stylishly by a period instrument orchestra. … It was a thoughtfully constructed, entertaining program delivered with an informed sense of historic style.
– Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun Clef Notes, November 10, 2008
Top fifteen classical music concerts of the Baltimore/Washington 2006-2007 season
“…the Handel Choir of Baltimore, Pro Musica Rara, Peabody Renaissance Ensemble and Baltimore Baroque Band collaborat[ed] on a vivid, vital performance of Handel’s Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, elegantly conducted by Melinda O’Neal.”
– Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun, June 19, 2007
Handel Choir of Baltimore’s performance of Haydn’s Die Schöpfung (The Creation)
“The turnout—and the performance level—reaffirmed the strides the ensemble has been making in recent years. … Melinda O’Neal… shaped Haydn’s wonderfully descriptive music with an ear for drama and flow. Her choristers were attentive to subtleties of articulation, phrasing and balance. The orchestra of period instruments … played with vibrant color. The guest soloists brought vocal refinement and eloquence of line to their assignments.” –
– Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun, May 1, 2007
Handel Choir of Baltimore’s “Bach and Handel” concert:
“Melinda O’Neal, in her debut as artistic director and conductor … drew appealing intimacy and clarity from these forces … This was historically informed, but never dry, music-making. O’Neal’s sensitive, assured approach yielded its own rewards, and, above all, served notice that the Handel Choir is in very good hands.”
– Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun, December 21, 2004
Monadnock Music Festival (NH) performance of Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice
“The 12-member chorus, prepared by Melinda O’Neal, was divine. Singing stylishly and with a superb balance both internally and in relation to the [solo] singers, they were one of the evening’s highlights.”
– Richard Binder, Nashua Telegraph, 1996
New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Verdi’s Requiem
“The chorus master Melinda O’Neal had trained them to sing everything musically—there was none of the fancy murmuring and false theatrics that disfigure so many performances of this genuinely dramatic music. Everything they did was clean and honest.”
– Richard Dyer, Boston Globe, 1986