2016 Richard Tucker Gala

Carnegie Hall

“From this, the program segued into Ms. Barton’s elegant account of “Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix” from Saint-Saëns’s “Samson et Dalila.” No sooner had you been seduced by this alluring music than the spell was shattered by a piece for dueling bel canto tenors... DiDonato and Ms. Barton brought sublime beauty to a tragic duet from Handel’s Giulio Cesare.”
–Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times

"Jamie Barton gets better and better each year. Her aria from Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah was so moving that many in the glamorous audience were brought to tears."
–Susan Hall, Berkshire Fine Arts

"The velvety tones of mezzo Jamie...Barton also had a fine night, showing again why her Tucker prize was no fluke. Her mellifluous mezzo in Dalila's "Mon coeur s'oeuvre a ta voix," from Saint-Saens' Samson et Dalila, made it clear that she's a force to be reckoned with, as it did again, in her Handel duet with the amazing Joyce DiDonato, "Son nata a lagrimar," from Giulio Cesare."
–Richard Sasanow, Broadway World Opera

"Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton made several memorable appearances, with a luxurious reading of the sensual “Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix” and, in duet with mezzo Joyce DiDonato, a sweetly plaintive performance of the Cornelia-Sesto duet from Giulio Cesare."
–James Jorden, New York Observer

“Barton, last year’s winner, returned with “Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix” from Samson et Dalila, demonstrating the caliber of artistry the award implies. She also appeared again with Joyce DiDonato, singing a sorrowful, hypnotic “Son nata a lagrimar” from Handel’s Giulio Cesare.”
–Patrick Clement James, Parterre Box