Messiah (2011, Trinity Wall Street, NYC)
- “The excitement built to “Rejoice greatly,” sung with steely sparkle and almost impossibly fast, clean runs by soprano Melanie Russell.”
-Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal
The Cunning Man (2010, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY)
- Melanie Russell … conveyed her character’s improbable degree of feminine innocence both charmingly and affectingly … Ms. Russell took the palm for vocal charm and flexibility.”
-Elizabeth LeGuin
Opera Omnia’s The Coronation of Poppea (2008, Le Poisson Rouge, NYC):
- “Melanie Russell’s creamy soprano and engaging stage presence impressed in the roles of Virtue and Damigella.”
–Mark Ringer, ClassicsToday.com
Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate with Charlotte Chamber Music (2009, Charlotte, NC):
- “…The reduced orchestral forces balanced deliciously with Russell’s honeyed voice. Obviously at the dawn of a bright career, Russell’s firm control of coloratura passages was swiftly manifested in the title aria, along with her felicitous ability to trill. When the music slowed for the “Tu virginum corona,” high notes were tender and creamy; low passages … were pleasingly smooth. Russell’s breath control seemed as effortless here as in the “Exsultate,” with artful phrasing … there was no indecisiveness to Russell’s attack in the concluding “Allelu[i]a.” If anything, her confidence seemed to grow in the face of its challenges. Pure joy radiated from Russell’s coloratura, and she crowned her bravura with a final high note that was exultant and triumphant. It was an exhilarating hour.”
-Perry Tannenbaum, Classical Voice of North Carolina
Santa Fe Desert Chorale’s 2009 Summer Season:
- “James MacMillan’s “Christus Vinc[i]t” featured gorgeous solos by soprano Melanie Russell.”
–Sarah Bryan Miller, MusicalAmerica.com