
Mezzo Soprano
Carolyn Sproulе
"whose star is deservedly on the rise"
- Opera News
Represented by
"whose star is deservedly on the rise"
- Opera News
Represented by
Dmitry Matvienko, Conductor
Krzysztof Warlikowski, Stage Director
Johannes Debus, Conductor
Atom Egoyan, Stage Director
Johannes Debus, Conductor
Atom Egoyan, Stage Director
Johannes Debus, Conductor
Atom Egoyan, Stage Director
Carmen Houston Grand Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria, Page Salome with Festival d'Aix-en-Provence and Canadian Opera Company, Dritte Dame Die Zauberflöte with Metropolitan Opera, Varvara Kat'a Kabanova and Prostitute From the House of the Dead Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, title part in Carmen Highlights Concert with Reno Philharmonic Association, Stéphano Roméo et Juliette Savonlinna Festival.
The title role of Carmen at Pacific Opera Victoria, Houston Grand Opera*, Opera Hong Kong and Savonlinna Festival*, Dorabella Così fan Tutte at Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera, alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah at the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Olga Eugene Onegin Opéra de Montréal, participation in The Magic Flute and Roberto Devereux Metropolitan Opera, Erika Vanessa Wexford Festival, Maddalena Rigoletto Canadian Opera Company, Olga Eugene Onegin Vancouver, Montreal, and Michigan Opera Theater, Emilia Otello at the Canadian Opera Company. [* - cancelled]
Ms. Sproule is a graduate of The Juilliard School (BM 2010), and Rice University (MM 2012). She furthered her training in the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Merola Opera Program, Wolf Trap Opera (Filene Young Artist), Aspen Opera Theater, and at The Banff Centre. She is a winner of a 2019 George London award, the Marcello Giordani memorial prize in the 2019 Premiere Opera Foundation Competition, as well as a recipient of career grants from the Jacqueline Desmarais foundation, HGO studio, Wolf Trap Opera, and Merola.
Deh! Proteggimi o Dio...
Bellini
Deh! Proteggimi o Dio...
Bellini
Carmen
Bizet
Carmen
Bizet
Olga's Aria
Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin
Olga's Aria
Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin
mezzo-soprano Carolyn Sproule brought the title role an earthy, full-throated voice that exuded Carmen’s rebelliousness and free spirit. Right from her opening “Habanera,” this Carmen’s lusty tones showed that she was a larger-than-life figure. Especially in the “Habanera” and “Seguidilla,” Sproule complemented the lustiness with a lightness that brought out Carmen’s flirtatious, mercurial side. When Sproule’s voice reached out to give a gentle caress to whichever man caught Carmen’s eye, the allure registered instantly.
Starring as Carmen is Carolyn Sproule, an attention magnet from the moment she appears onstage [...] Basking in the attention, Carmen slinks around the stage, teasing both townsfolk and the Spanish soldiers who have gathered in Seville’s town square. At certain moments Sproule seems to be almost purring, her supple mezzo-soprano luxuriating over the libretto and a come-hither twinkle in her eye. Jaded and tart-tongued, she rolls her eyes at past lovers and delights in driving men mad with desire. Still, Sproule is able to find hidden depths that prevent the character from feeling too much like a cartoon. The sudden vulnerability during Act Three’s fortune-telling scene, when Carmen is confronted by one of the few forces she can’t control — death — opens up a different side of her without sanding away any edginess.
The best of the opera was mezzo-soprano Carolyn Sproule as Erika. Both vocally and theatrically she gave a flawless performance. Her voice is attractive, and she sings with great expressiveness. Ms. Sproule definitely has a career ahead of her.
There was much to enjoy from all five soloists, but it was mezzo-soprano Carolyn Sproule as Erika who stole the show. Possessing a mellifluous voice, Sproule transported us to a higher realm with her wisps of pianissimo hovering in the air while her tortured exclamations of Act II, as she learns that Anatol is engaged to Vanessa, cut us to the quick. It was her characterization that was so impressive. Sproule delved into the very soul of Erika, showing a convincing transition between the dreamy idealism of the start to the insightful, if thwarted, sexual realism as the opera progresses
Carolyn Sproule, a Canadian mezzo-soprano who has done most of her training and performing in the US made her COC debut as Maddalena, sister of the nefarious assassin-for-hire, Sparafucile. She served notice with her sizeable, rich tone and striking presence.
Mezzo-soprano Carolyn Sproule was breathtaking as Olga. Her voice lush and dark, and phenomenally powerful, even at her lowest range. As one of the few non-Russian principals, one would think she’d be at a disadvantage, but her diction was so flawless, that a native Russian speaker in attendance was amazed that it wasn’t her first language. I hope this role becomes a staple in her repertoire.