Il Trovatore, 2005

"When you are fortunate enough to live on the magical island of Manhattan you tend to think it isn't worth the effort to travel over a bridge or through a tunnel to see a local opera company perform in a neighboring state . . . However if we don't sometimes take forays . . . we will miss the occasional discovery that those of us who love this art passionately find so thrilling. Tonight it happened . . . in Jersey City." -- OperaNotes.com

The Marriage of Figaro, 2002

"Figaro updated cleverly . . . a more sincere and likable version of this beloved comedy than one might expect, and that was in large part due to the quality of the singers . . ." -- Star-Ledger.

The Ballad of Baby Doe, 2001

"State Repertory Opera scores with ambitious production [of The Ballad of Baby Doe ]"  "Baritone Frederick Frey gave one of his finest performances as Tabor" -- Star-Ledger, April 30, 2001

"From the chorus to the second-line prinicpals . . . there was nothing but excellence."  ". . . soprano Hanli Stapela was superior to performances I've heard on recordings . . ." -- Classical New Jersey, May 2001

Faust, 2000

"Strong voices lift the return of Gounod's 'Faust'." In the title role, tenor Jingma Fan's "singing was one of the high points of the performance . . . the temptation at times was to rename the opera "Mephistopheles" . . . bass Lawrence Long gave that kind of performance in the role- with all the savoir-fare that a member of the infernal aristocracy ought to have . . . as Marguerite . . . Tamara Tsoutsouris was a most pleasing presence." -- Star-Ledger

Carmen, 1998

"With all those famous tunes for Carmen to sing, she'd better be fantastic. And State Repertory Opera's choice [Lori Brown Mirabal] . . . lived up to that imperative. James Sadewhite's . . . reputation as a singer's conductor was enhanced as he allowed expressive flexibility without giving in to every self-indulgent singer's whim. The pit never overpowered the stage. Spectacular was the choice to engage two first-rate flamenco-style dancers to give . . . a level of visual and rhythmic excitement which topped anything I had ever seen before. Scenes cracked with energy . . . SRO has such a reputation for the unusual and imaginative." -- Classical New Jersey on Carmen, 1998.

Thaïs

"A dazzling production . . . packing all the visual and emotional wallop anyone could hope for." -- Star-Ledger on Thaïs, 1997.

The Magic Flute

"State Repertory Opera presented a striking production of Mozart's The Magic Flute . . . This was a production with a vision from beginning to end." -- Star-Ledger on The Magic Flute, 1996.

The Bartered Bride

"Bedrich Smetana's comic opera The Bartered Bride is so rarely done that simply putting it on stage in any form is worth praise for State Repertory Opera. That the prduction was a delight was a bonus." -- Star-Ledger on The Bartered Bride, 1995.