Reviews
Il Trovatore
"Mezzo Patrice Houston sang Azucena, the gypsy. Houston is a wonderful singer?with a voice like soft butter tinged with honey and an astounding legato line..." --Berkeley Daily Planet (July 17, 2008)
Verdi Requiem
Mezzo-soprano Patrice Houston sang with beautiful attention to the words, and blended nicely with Lattimore in the Recordare. As she finished declaiming the passage about the Book of Judgment (Liber scriptus), she searched the auditorium with her eyes, brilliantly turning the last, repeated words into a question. She was solid throughout and reached a high point in the Lux aeterna movement. -- Michael Zweibach --San Francisco Classical Voice (January 25, 2008)
Our Town - Julia Gibbs
As George?s parents, Kirk Eichelberger and Patrice Houston matched each other?s intensity with powerful voices. Their duets were masterpieces of singing from beautiful, strong voices capturing the love that the characters express for each other.
Paul Sinasohn --San Francisco Bay Times (August 16, 2007)
Il Trovatore - Azucena
Vocally, Patrice Houston certainly had the power and the stage presence to carry her pivotal role. With a resonant, full-bodied tone combined with pitch clarity and dynamic control, she is a singer ready to take the next step up the career ladder. Her best moment: the climax of her narrative in the camp scene ? "Il figlio mio avea bruciato" (I had burned my own son). It was terrifying. --San Francisco Classical Voice ( September 16, 2006)
Il Trovatore - Azucena
"Perhaps most surprising was the work of accomplished mezzo-soprano Patrice Houston. The way she inhabited and possessed her character, the devious gypsy, Azucena, was uncanny, as was her knife-twist of vengefulness as the final curtain fell." By T.L. Ponick --The Washington Times (July 18, 2006)
Il Trovatore - Azucena
"Patrice Houston had a full "smoky" sound with her mezzo but amazing clarity with her top notes and was, no doubt, the best singing actress on the stage." --allartsreview4u.com (July 17, 2006)
Un Ballo in Maschera - Ulrica
"Patrice Houston was a perfect powerhouse of an Ulrica, filling that role amply with a glorious
contralto one doesn?t hear often these days." --Opera-L (July 10, 2005)
Un Ballo In Maschera - Ulrica
There in no question that this gypsy fortune teller deserved to be taken seriously. The voice was stunning, with solid lows and free, glorious highs. --Opera News - Jason Victor Serinus (July 12, 2005)
Un Ballo in Maschera - Ulrica
"Houston sang with large, lustrous tone and hair-raising intensity. She's a fine actor as well" --Contra Costa Times (July, 2005)
Un Ballo in Maschera - Ulrica
"a dramatically powerful mezzo" --Berkeley Daily Planet (July 2005)
Un Ballo in Maschera - Ulrica
"mezzo Patrice Houston was an earth-mother of a seer" --San Francisco Classical Voice (July 2005)
Un Ballo in Maschera - Ulrica
Patrice Houston easily commanded the stage as Ulrica, singing with round tone and hitting the contralto low notes authoritatively. --San Francisco Classical Voice (March 20, 2005)
Il Tabarro - Frugola
Patrice Houston rates special mention for her brightly comic portrayal of Frugola, the wife of one of the longshoremen. Only a singer with an excellent ear for pitch can make it through the chromatics of Frugola?s aria; Houston sang it well, while staying in character. --San Francisco Classical Voice (February 1, 2005)
La Traviata - Flora
Patrice Houston's Flora was a lively party girl with a bawdy streak and lusty energy. Her voice added further to the brassy, fun-loving image. --Metro (April 15, 2000)
"Mezzo Patrice Houston sang Azucena, the gypsy. Houston is a wonderful singer?with a voice like soft butter tinged with honey and an astounding legato line..." --Berkeley Daily Planet (July 17, 2008)
Verdi Requiem
Mezzo-soprano Patrice Houston sang with beautiful attention to the words, and blended nicely with Lattimore in the Recordare. As she finished declaiming the passage about the Book of Judgment (Liber scriptus), she searched the auditorium with her eyes, brilliantly turning the last, repeated words into a question. She was solid throughout and reached a high point in the Lux aeterna movement. -- Michael Zweibach --San Francisco Classical Voice (January 25, 2008)
Our Town - Julia Gibbs
As George?s parents, Kirk Eichelberger and Patrice Houston matched each other?s intensity with powerful voices. Their duets were masterpieces of singing from beautiful, strong voices capturing the love that the characters express for each other.
Paul Sinasohn --San Francisco Bay Times (August 16, 2007)
Il Trovatore - Azucena
Vocally, Patrice Houston certainly had the power and the stage presence to carry her pivotal role. With a resonant, full-bodied tone combined with pitch clarity and dynamic control, she is a singer ready to take the next step up the career ladder. Her best moment: the climax of her narrative in the camp scene ? "Il figlio mio avea bruciato" (I had burned my own son). It was terrifying. --San Francisco Classical Voice ( September 16, 2006)
Il Trovatore - Azucena
"Perhaps most surprising was the work of accomplished mezzo-soprano Patrice Houston. The way she inhabited and possessed her character, the devious gypsy, Azucena, was uncanny, as was her knife-twist of vengefulness as the final curtain fell." By T.L. Ponick --The Washington Times (July 18, 2006)
Il Trovatore - Azucena
"Patrice Houston had a full "smoky" sound with her mezzo but amazing clarity with her top notes and was, no doubt, the best singing actress on the stage." --allartsreview4u.com (July 17, 2006)
Un Ballo in Maschera - Ulrica
"Patrice Houston was a perfect powerhouse of an Ulrica, filling that role amply with a glorious
contralto one doesn?t hear often these days." --Opera-L (July 10, 2005)
Un Ballo In Maschera - Ulrica
There in no question that this gypsy fortune teller deserved to be taken seriously. The voice was stunning, with solid lows and free, glorious highs. --Opera News - Jason Victor Serinus (July 12, 2005)
Un Ballo in Maschera - Ulrica
"Houston sang with large, lustrous tone and hair-raising intensity. She's a fine actor as well" --Contra Costa Times (July, 2005)
Un Ballo in Maschera - Ulrica
"a dramatically powerful mezzo" --Berkeley Daily Planet (July 2005)
Un Ballo in Maschera - Ulrica
"mezzo Patrice Houston was an earth-mother of a seer" --San Francisco Classical Voice (July 2005)
Un Ballo in Maschera - Ulrica
Patrice Houston easily commanded the stage as Ulrica, singing with round tone and hitting the contralto low notes authoritatively. --San Francisco Classical Voice (March 20, 2005)
Il Tabarro - Frugola
Patrice Houston rates special mention for her brightly comic portrayal of Frugola, the wife of one of the longshoremen. Only a singer with an excellent ear for pitch can make it through the chromatics of Frugola?s aria; Houston sang it well, while staying in character. --San Francisco Classical Voice (February 1, 2005)
La Traviata - Flora
Patrice Houston's Flora was a lively party girl with a bawdy streak and lusty energy. Her voice added further to the brassy, fun-loving image. --Metro (April 15, 2000)