Soloist in WHEN THERE ARE NINE / THE WORK AT HAND

Cabrillo Festival

“Arguably the most sublime work ever from the prolific vocal pen of San Franciscan Jake Heggie is “Work at Hand,” a beguiling 22-minute feast for mezzo-soprano and orchestra. A sonic sculpture with dazzling beauty, as sung ineffably by the ethereal mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton. Once again, a Cabrillo concert is no mere event—it’s an experience.”
–Paul Hertelendy, ArtsSF

“Yet another first was the West Coast premiere of Jake Heggie’s The Work at Hand (2015) on a poem by Laura Morefield. The author wrote the poem as her way of preparing for an early death from cancer. Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton delivered a moving and emotional performance of this lyrical and gentle music...an excellent orchestral cushion to express the emotional content of the poem.”
–Roger Emanuels, Performing Arts Monterey Bay

“When There Are Nine, a 45-minute orchestral song cycle with chorus, presents a surge of principled outrage — by turns lyrical and ferocious, resolute and tender — against the inequities of the American legal and political system. It’s part biography, part anthem and entirely compelling. Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, for whom the piece was written, gave a splendid performance, at once personable and probing, and the members of the virtuoso vocal octet Roomful of Teeth deployed their gifts to the fullest.”
–Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle