Recent Press
Tutti in Machera- Wexford Festival Opera 2008
"All credit to Agler, then, for creating a European platform for American coloratura soprano Sarah Coburn. Judging by her sparkling decorative runs, perfect trills and the way she caressed the lines with her full, even timbre, she deserves an international career - and has the stage temperament for it."
Financial Times
"Wexford's leading ladies -- soprano Sarah Coburn and mezzo Laura Vlasak Nolen as Vittoria and Doretea respectively -- are superbly matched in contention while making light of Pedrotti's taxing coloraturas."
Irish Independent
"Sarah Coburn's Vittoria, a prima donna, infused every last flourish, every gloriously gripped high note with irrepressible spirit.
Irish Times
"Sarah Coburn delivers a star turn as prima donna Vittoria, with high notes a-flying."
The Stage (UK)
I Capuleti e i Montecchi- Glimmerglass Opera 2008
"You need a voice of particular radiance for such spare music to come alive; Glimmerglass had such a singer in Sarah Coburn, who emerged from the company's Young American Artists Program several years ago. To the requisite loveliness of tone Coburn added ample breath control, pinpoint accuracy in coloratura passages, and innately musical phrasing."
New Yorker
"Sarah Coburn, a much more experienced artist, looked just as young and dewy as Giulietta and sang with a glowing, soaring soprano. Coburn's soprano is dazzlingly focused with accurate intervals and spot-on high attacks giving musical pleasure at every turn. She also is a natural and sympathetic actress with a delicate but intense stage presence."
Gay City News
"Sarah Coburn had the right bell-like precision for Giulietta; she and her Romeo, Sandra Picques Eddy made elegant work of the beautiful Act I love duet."
Wall Street Jounal
"Coburn represents a new generation of superb American coloratura sopranos, a wonderful singer/actor with the hardness of diamonds cocooned in a bed of velvet in her voice."
Toronto Globe and Mail
"... the music is vintage Bellini -- long, sinuous melodies that wind around the heart -- and what is most important in any performance is having the singers who can do bel canto any sort of justice. This was the case here as Sandra Piques Eddy (Romeo) and Sarah Coburn (Giulietta) amply demonstrated, weaving their spells through the opera to the inevitable Tomb Scene, where they obliterated sets, costumes (modern again) and cast to illumine the stage with voice, voice, voice."
Musical America
"The emphasis is rightly on the ravishing singing, with none better than house favorite soprano Sarah Coburn, and this is surely her best appearance yet. Her Giulietta unfolds like a rose in bloom, only to be crushed and trampled by the evening's end."
Albany Times Union
"Coburn continues to astonish: Entering in a simple wedding dress (which she disdainfully discarded in the course of a gorgeously performed 'Eccomi in lieta vesta' begun pianissimo), she mournfully called out to Romeo in her second aria ('Oh! quante volte, oh quante!') with a fine command of dynamics and a seamless, markedly slow coloratura exhibiting stunning breath control. Her adagio plea for forgiveness ('Deh! padre mio . . . Ah! non poss'io partire') from her unyielding father was slow and dramatically touching."
Ithaca Journal
"Based generally on Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet,' the two-act opera was a showpiece for mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy in the pants role of Romeo and soprano Sarah Coburn as Giulietta. Both are powerhouse singers with big voices who navigated the long, arduous but lyrically beautiful lines of the several arias with strength, conviction, strong phrasing and passion."
Schenectady Daily Gazette
Lucie de Lammermoor- Cincinnati Opera 2008
"Coburn, who appeared in this production in its Glimmerglass debut, gave a musically brilliant performance, scattering vocal diamonds. Her superb mad scene was capped by a sonically staggering sustained high F."
Opera News
“Once every decade or two, a voice comes along that is so breathtaking, so thrilling for its sheer beauty and power, you feel lucky to witness it. That was the case when soprano Sarah Coburn took the stage in the title role of Cincinnati Opera's "Lucie de Lammermoor," which opened Thursday in Music Hall. Donizetti's bel canto opera, more familiar in its Italian version, "Lucia di Lammermoor," has been a vehicle for some of the world's greatest singers, including Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills and Maria Callas. Whether the role will launch Coburn into the firmament of those operatic greats is unknown. Given her performance on Thursday, it could. Scintillating high notes, agile coloratura, superb acting and a gripping "Mad Scene" would have been enough. But then came that high "F" above high "C" - possibly the highest note ever sung in Music Hall. Her execution of it was not only brilliant but also fearless. Coburn's first aria was not her familiar "Regnava nel silenzio" but "Que n'avons-nous des ailes" ("If only we had wings," from Donizetti's "Rosmonda d'Inghilterra"). Her sound was crystalline as she sang the mournful little cavatina with beautiful inflection, precision and control, and then twirled irresistibly as petals fell from the sky. Her emotional range was impressive, too, confronting her brother defiantly while tossing off trills and runs like so many bolts of fireworks. Her "Mad Scene" was a stunning high-wire act as she stumbled, hallucinated and tossed red petals. Her cadenza, with flutist Randall Bowman, will be remembered as one of Music Hall's great musical moments.”
Cincinnati Enquirer
The First Emperor- Metropolitan Opera 2008
"Coburn has a delicate lightness, childlike innocence, and vaulting purity of tone on high that made the spoiled, willful Princess Yueyang more appealing than she ought to be."
Gay City News
"Paul Groves, a vocally and dramatically powerful Gao Jianli, sang the musician's music with a suppleness that served the role's emotional range, a quality that Sarah Coburn matched in her portrayal of Yueyang."
New York Times
"Coburn, who had sung the final two performances of the original run, was affecting as Yeuyang and managed its difficult vocal leaps well."
Associated Press
Tamerlano- Washington National Opera 2008
"As Asteria, soprano Sarah Coburn offered a beautifully formed tone and powerful expressivity, as well as a vivid characterization. Bardon and Coburn produced one of the evening's musical high points when their voices blended in seamless, sublime fashion for their Act 3 lament.”
Baltimore Sun
"Sarah Coburn's bright, penetrating soprano made a lively and intense Asteria."
Wall Street Journal
"Coburn's Asteria, for her part, had a Carmen-like presence paired with a soprano that was light but intense enough to qualify her as her father's daughter; the duet between Asteria and Andronico in the third act was so lovely it stopped time."
Washington Post
"Miss Coburn was extraordinary as Asteria, Bajazet's conflicted daughter, whose heroic plot against Tamerlano is thwarted by her father's blindness in defending his honor. With a sweet lyric voice that is nonetheless capable of great power, she continues to win admirers with her expanding skills and emotional range."
Washington Times
"The luminous soprano Sarah Coburn is a superbly expressive Asteria."
Financial Times (UK)
Lakme- Tulsa Opera 2008
“Coburn, who is making her Tulsa Opera debut in the title role, is captivating throughout. The "Bell Song" is also an opportunity for some pure coloratura fireworks -- gymnastic leaps along the scale, high notes that can sound almost unearthly. Coburn's handling of these challenges was wonderfully assured, every note precise and sparkling.”
Tulsa World
I Puritani - Washington Concert Opera 2007
“For a few magical hours Sunday at Lisner Auditorium, soprano Sarah Coburn and tenor Lawrence Brownlee seemed to be the world’s best opera singers. As Elvira and Arturo, their sweet and radiant voices climbed to stratospheric heights and sped effortlessly through hairpin turns...In “Qui la voce,” Coburn’s coloratura technique was flawless, each note hit squarely, never ruffling Bellini’s flowing line.”
The Washington Post
“Elvira is a spectacular role for a young soprano, and Sarah Coburn made the most of it Sunday night. Though slight of build, she can turbocharge her sweetly lyrical instrument to near-Wagnerian dimensions. Her phrasing and diction were picture-perfect in this exquisite performance, particularly in her second mad scene, which is loaded with complex vocal figures and trills, none of which daunted her in the least.”
The Washington Times
“He had a sensational co-star Sunday night in Sarah Coburn, as the intermittently unbalanced Elvira. In vocal terms, the soprano proved to be a remarkably pure Puritan, her tone clear, smooth and effortless. Coburn, who would also be a very welcome presence on one of our local stages, apparently never met a coloratura hurdle she couldn’t surmount. Her technique was so comfortably controlled that, even at its highest and loudest, her voice never lost its essential beauty. Coburn’s interpretive instincts were no less impressive. The affecting way she molded phrases, especially in the Act 2 mad scene, brought various layers of the character to the fore.”
The Baltimore Sun
L’anima del filosofo- Glimmerglass Opera 2007
“Eurydice was sung by the already-risen star Sarah Coburn, who dazzled Glimmerglass audiences two seasons ago as the French Lucie (de Lammermoor) and who has grown in stature since then. The voice retains its brightness, staggering accuracy in rapid divisions and brilliance at the top, but added to those qualities is a new gentleness of expression and warmth; indeed, the accompanied recitative right before Eurydice expires was delivered in a stunning half-voice, with a finely spun legato and great expressiveness. The role of Genio, Eurydice’s spiritual guide, gets the showpiece aria, and here Ms. Coburn sang that role too (as did Maria Callas in 1951; Joan Sutherland in the late ‘50s, and Cecilia Bartoli in the ten-year-old recording of the work) and her virtuosity and coloratura brought down the house.”
Classics Today
“..but the real star was the soprano Sarah Coburn, who dazzled in Haydn's demanding arias.”
Financial Times
“Sensational coloratura soprano Sarah Coburn whips through both Euridice's and Genio's tortuous vocal decoration with precision placement, mercury speed, and a gorgeous liquid gold tone, gilded by a thrilling top and bottom register.”
The Globe and Mail
Linda di Chamounix- Caramoor Music Festival 2007
“Sarah Coburn turned in a glittering, tireless performance in the title role. Her “O luce di quest anima” was met with a roaring ovation, and she gamely obliged with an encore, despite the rigors ahead of her. She tossed off Donizetti’s roulades and high notes with ringing tone and enviable ease, displaying delicate pianissimos and a silvery trill.”
Opera News
“The central attraction in this quasi-concert performance was Sarah Coburn, an incipient diva who sounds as pretty as she looks. As Linda she explored the stratosphere with astonishing nonchalance, respected dynamic distinctions and decorated the line with reasonable point. She ventured “O luce di quest’anima” in the original key (D-flat), and even granted an encore.”
Financial Times
Anna Karenina-Florida Grand Opera and Opera Theater of St. Louis 2007
“Sarah Coburn made a delectable Kitty, her glinting soprano and winsome demeanor projecting innocent exuberance without resorting to cuteness.”
Opera News
“Soprano Sarah Coburn as Kitty and tenor Brandon Jovanovich as Kostya have a real connection, and they sing beautifully.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Lucia di Lammermoor - Utah Opera 2007
“The cast is strong all around, but soprano Sarah Coburn, in the title role, has the flashiest music. She sang it with a clear, sparkling tone and unerring focus on Saturday. Her spectacular delivery of the famous "mad scene," sung by a blood-spattered Lucia after she fatally stabs the man her brother has coerced her to marry, earned protracted applause and shouts of "brava."”
The Salt Lake Tribune
“Soprano Sarah Coburn, making her Utah Opera debut, is an exquisite Lucia. She sings her demanding role with a naturalness that puts her near the top of her profession. Her voice is light enough to bring the expressiveness needed to her part while powerful enough to convey the intense emotions. And as an actor, she brings a convincing reality to the role. Lucia sings one of the most celebrated mad scenes in opera, and Coburn brings credibility to it. At Saturday's opening night performance, she brought depth and feeling to the scene. In particular, the extended cadenza with flute obbligato (played by Utah Symphony principal Erich Graf) was exquisite.”
Deseret News
Les Contes d'Hoffmann - Cincinnati Opera 2006
"Coburn sky-rocketed through the written intricacies of Olympia's music, adding some crowd-pleasing elaboration of her own"
Opera News
"When Sarah Coburn as Olympia the doll let loose with her coloratura fireworks in Act I of "Tales of Hoffmann" Thursday night in Music Hall, the crowd understandably went wild...As the mechanical doll, Coburn's voice was as scintillating as her costume; her crystal-clear coloratura brought down the house."
The Cincinnati Enquirer
"Sarah Coburn, last week's stellar Oscar in "A Masked Ball," was given a long, loud and well-deserved ovation for her performance as Olympia, the doll Hoffmann believes to be human. Her doll song sparkled with crystal vocal clarity and bubbled over with personality."
The Cincinnati Post
"There were many outstanding performances in this production, but perhaps most notable was Coburn, who brought the house to a full minute of applause mid-act following her astonishing delivery of Olympia's extraordinarily demanding aria."
Cincinnati City Beat
Un Ballo in Maschera - Cincinnati Opera 2006
"Sarah Coburn's Oscar - crystalline of voice, with technique to spare - stole the show,"
Opera News
"As Oscar, the king’s page, Sarah Coburn is a rising star of the kind one feels lucky to witness. From her first act “Volta la terrea,” she was a scene-stealer who tossed off her vocal fireworks fearlessly and with clear, silvery high notes."
The Cincinnati Enquirer
"The most outstanding overall performance, though, was delivered by Sarah Coburn in the pants role of Oscar, the king's page. In addition to effortless, beautiful singing, she brightened the set with ebullient personality at each appearance."
The Cincinnati Post
Tancredi - Washington Concert Opera 2006
"The evening's big surprise came from the young soprano Sarah Coburn, in the role of Amenaide, who sang with purity, power and pinpoint accuracy in terrifically challenging music... She more than held her own in this elite company.. "
The Washington Post
"As Tancredi's love interest, the very-much-put-upon Amenaide, willowy soprano Sarah Coburn demonstrated an instrument of surprising range and depth. Her coloratura ornamentation was impressive, and she attacked each note cleanly."
The Washington Times
"Soprano Sarah Coburn was a runaway show-stealer as Amenaide, with flawless melismatic singing and seemingly endless strength in her high notes, not to mention an attractive stage presence."
Dcist
Mozart's C-minor Mass -- Seattle Symphony 2006
"Of the singers, all good, it was Coburn who took the spotlight, not only with the most to sing, but by the beauty of her voice, and fine musicianship. Only last week she finished her role as the pert maid in Seattle Opera's "Die Fledermaus," and she took over the Mozart at fairly short notice...Her voice is even throughout, the timbre creamy and with depth, sweet and easy-sounding. Her singing was sublime."
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"Here was fine singing indeed, not only in the "Idomeneo" selections but also in the C Minor Mass — especially from the high-flying soprano of Coburn. Heard in the past weeks as Adele in Seattle Opera's "Die Fledermaus," Coburn stepped into these Symphony performances recently... Some voices possess a genuine radiance, and Coburn is one of those fortunate singers. Her voice, bright and flexible and expressive, was displayed to great advantage in the Mass, where her florid, difficult solos had huge interval leaps."
Seattle Times
"Ms. Coburn emerged as the star of an evening that was a delight in every way...it is to the first soprano that some of the loveliest moments in this unfinished yet consummate masterpiece, most notably the Incarnatus est and Laudamus te arias, are entrusted, and they were sung on this occasion with a glowing beauty and purity of tone, a clarity of line and diction, and a boldly passionate expressive commitment that proclaimed the arrival on the scene of a truly outstanding Mozart singer."
Seen and Heard International
Die Fledermaus -- Seattle Opera 2006
"The evening's real musical laurels were won and charmingly worn by Sarah Coburn, who sang Adele with poise and panache...her Act III audition aria stopped the show. Coburn's highly polished voice shone throughout its range; she carried off the coloratura with an ease that obviously gave her (and her audience) great pleasure."
Opera News
Sarah Coburn's polished Adele was a delight from start to finish."
Seattle Times
"The most striking performance was given by Sarah Coburn as Adele, the Eisensteins' chambermaid. Her soprano is effortless, combining strength with playfulness in a way that perfectly complements her character's willful temperament."
Queen Anne News
"Young soprano Sarah Coburn had a field day as Adele, the little maid with big ambitions in life. Coburn is slight, but her voice is huge and agile, and she has high notes to spare."
Everett Herald
"To be sure, there were some very enchanting moments. Sarah Coburn, as Adele, sang beautifully throughout the whole production. Her second act aria was particularly bewitching."
Seattlest
Un Ballo in Maschera – Opera Company of Philadelphia, 2005
“Sarah Coburn is as fine an Oscar as I’ve ever seen. She is credible as a young man and her voice is well-rounded while not skimping at all on the coloratura pyrotechnics.”
Opera Critic (New Zealand)
“As the court’s page Oscar, coloratura soprano Sarah Coburn went beyond the usual playful chirpiness with a flinty edge that reflected life in a court where daggers are perpetually drawn.”
Philadelphia Inquirer
Lucie de Lammermoor, Glimmerglass Opera 2005
"...she turns out to have qualities that have made legends out of so many of her predecessors, from Adelina Patti to Maria Callas: stage charisma, a thrilling upper register and, crucially, a fearlessness about abandoning herself to opera’s most abandoned heroine...this is a palpably exciting voice... Ms. Coburn is a budding prima donna of exceptional promise."
The New York Observer
“…Sarah Coburn was a remarkable Lucie. A beautiful young woman, Coburn acted naturally and tossed off Donizetti’s difficult roulades and high notes with ease – there were none of those “will-she-or-won’t-she-make-it” moments that can plague some singers in this role: Coburn’s voice and technique are spotless and her Mad Scene dazzled.”
Classics Today
“Sarah Coburn played Lucie as a normal, if put-upon, young woman rather than the intensely neurotic version popular in many recent productions. The show was all about the famous mad scene, which she accomplished with vocal panache.”
Wall Street Journal
“Bravos and bravas are common at Cooperstown’s Glimmerglass Opera. But wild cheering is not. Yet, Sunday afternoon, cheers rang through the Alice Busch Theater for Sarah Coburn’s dazzling performance in the title role of ‘Lucie de Lammermoor.’ Donizetti’s tale of the doomed Lucie was revised by its composer into a French version, which elevates it into the realm of bel canto. Coburn was equal to the task, making even the highest notes clear and ringing, with no hint of shrillness. The legendary mad scene was delivered as an acting, as well as vocal, tour de force, in which her expressive hands conveyed the emotions down to her fingertips, with red flower petals trickling through those digits as her descent into insanity worsened…."
The Post-Standard
"here is a high dramatic soprano who moves more like a sylph than a sea-lion and who sings with elegant precision even in a ‘Mad’ scene…. Coburn’s Lucie was an ideally vulnerable, fragile figure, her characterization easy to appreciate since one did not have to waste time wondering if she would reach the high notes: she has them, and to spare, and they are voiced with clarity, sensitivity to language …and idiomatic assurance…. You could hardly ask for a more confident and committed performance.”
Seen and Heard International Opera Review
“Sarah Coburn, in the title role, is the great revelation of this production. At Glimmerglass, the summer festival is accompanied by a Young American Artists Program where the singers of tomorrow are discovered. She participated there in 2002, and the festival did not forget this already remarkable artist, of whom one constantly admires the suppleness of her coloratura voice, the subtlety in her portrayal of a perturbed psyche, her ease as an actress. She alone is worth the trip.”
Le Devoir
"In the title role of this first-ever presentation of a new critical edition of the score, soprano Sarah Coburn elicited more bravas than I have heard in more than two decades of Glimmerglass attendance - and deservedly so... Coburn commands the stage with her vocal mastery. Her ease with the exacting technical requirements of Donizetti's score was bested only by the consistency of her instrument: sounding forth evenly, clearly and sweetly throughout her entire range. And, considering that the French version actually raises the key of the famous "mad scene" by a full step, the vocal range called for is immense. Coburn conquered all challenges with apparent ease. "
Syracuse Post-Standard
"There is one splendid reason to see Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucie de Lammermoor" at Glimmerglass Opera this season, and her name is Sarah Coburn. A soprano with looks to match her vocal range and strength, Coburn takes on the diva role of Lucie in this love-crazed opera with a ferocity that belies her frail appearance. From her mid-first act entrance to her lengthy, awesome mad scene in the second, Coburn's dazzling portrayal featured a compellingly morphing voice that matched the rousing and capricious Donizetti rhythms, delicately merged with the composer's flavorful flute fantasies, and soared with stunning delight. Her dramatics were sensitive; her stage presence eclipsing."
Utica Observer-Dispatch
"Coburn was absolutely fearless and musically accurate. Her passage work in the substituted cavatina (“Que n'avons-nous des ailles”) in Act 1 was exquisite, filled with flawlessly performed trills, fine musicianship, amazing breath control, and high runs...Her duet with Edgar (“Ah! que Dieu seul vous dénoue”) and its subsequent cabaletta exhibited a perfect blend of voices and fine timing, as did her superbly sung duet (“Pleurant son absence”) with her brother. Both parts of the famous mad scene were spectacular and draining. Entering from a platform which appeared noiselessly from one side of John Conklin's simple but extremely effective unit set, Coburn, her spotless white nightgown unblemished by the usual gore, instead bore an armful of red rose petals which she scattered after she descended into the wedding reception. Her phrasing, control of dynamics and pitch, which demonstrated a fine middle voice as well as repeated forays into Cs and Fs, were remarkable, as was an astonishing trill duet with a solo flute. Her final “Je vais quitter la terre” was beautifully sung and acted."
The Ithaca Journal
"It wouldn't be a bel canto opera without beautiful singing, and in this regard Sarah Coburn, in the title role, was astounding. Expressive and multicolored - and nimble in all of the florid passage work - her voice not only carried the drama of Donizetti's music, it embodied the drama. And then there was the high register. Coburn came well equipped with high Ds, E flats, even Es, and yes, she finished off her mad scene with a sustained high F."
The Ithaca Times
Un Ballo in Maschera, Florida Grand Opera 2005
"In many ways, Un Ballo belongs to the woman who plays the adolescent boy Oscar. It's her/his panache -- and innocent betrayal -- that carries the piece. In that role, Sarah Coburn was enchanting. Not only did she deliver the coloratura passages with grace, but, in a Victor Victoria turn, she moved with convincing boyishness. Some Oscars sashay, which gives the role a certain twist, but Coburn played it straight and male."
The Miami Herald
"Sarah Coburn proved a delightful and vivacious presence as Oscar, her clear bright-toned soprano soaring over the ensemble."
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
La Resurrezione, Chicago Opera Theater 2005
"Sarah Coburn won the evening's vocal laurels as Angelo, her sunny lyric-coloratura voice sparkling throughout the melismatic writing and casting a welcome luminescence through the grayness around her."
Opera News
"The pure, poised soprano of Sarah Coburn traces the Angel's stratospheric vocal writing with radiance and agility. The spiritual duel between her seraphic character and bass Derrick Parker's blustering, menacing Lucifer (giving the Devil his due in a horned red mask) enlivens an often static stage."
Chicago Tribune
"Singing the angel, soprano Sarah Coburn was a messenger from God not to be messed with. Small, intensely blond with a ringing, secure soprano, she faced down Satan without fear, nailing him with coloratura flights and a stabbing finger that could have cut flesh. Even in the rehearsal, with wings attached to her sweater, she was formidable. At the actual performance, radiant in white and gold satin against the altar's folkloric back screen, she truly was a glimpse of heaven."
Chicago Sun-Times
Rigoletto, Indianapolis Opera 2004
"A superb complement to Noble's Rigoletto was the gloriously sung Gilda of Sarah Coburn. Petite of frame but large of voice, Coburn had no difficulty with the coloratura flights of Gilda's music and remained deeply involved in the tragic girl's emotions."
Opera News
"Before a packed house Friday night at Clowes Hall, Sarah Coburn turned in a marvelous performance as Gilda...though she is new to the role of Gilda, she certainly makes it her own. Coburn's sweet-toned, deliberately paced "Caro nome," Gilda's famous lovestruck aria in Act I, was simply exquisite. Her ensemble work was nearly as impressive, especially her impassioned second-act plea to Rigoletto."
The Indianapolis Star
L'elisir d'amore, Lyric Opera of Kansas City 2003
"...the Adina of Sarah Coburn, whose luscious, silvery soprano was one of the finest the Lyric ever brought here."
The Kansas City Star
(from "Favorite Moments of Classical Music and Dance in 2003")
"Vocally the evening belonged to Sarah Coburn, who played Nemorino's ditzy but ultimately loyal girlfriend, Adina. Her silvery-clear soprano and petite, impudent presence had all the flavor of the best ingenues....when she turned serious in Act 2 she was even more gripping."
The Kansas City Star
Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Wolf Trap Opera Company 2003
"...Sarah Coburn, a smart, spunky Rosina with exquisite coloratura ornaments in her singing."
The Washington Post
"But perhaps most impressive of all was soprano Sarah Coburn in the role of Rosina. Here's a young lady we'd really like to see and hear again. As she attacked and defeated Rossini's scandalously difficult vocal passages in Act I, her light, athletic voice conjured up images of a young gymnast performing a dance routine. She was particularly brilliant in her opening aria, "Una voce poco fa," which soars and swoops with occasional detours for fancy figures. She also proved to be a fine comic actress, bringing a saucily feminist touch to a role that is often played with more propriety and ladylike restraint. Above all, she was having fun. She is a talent to watch."
The Washington Times
La Finta Giardiniera, Florida Grand Opera 2003
"Coburn was blissfully sublime at the top of her voice in Violante/Sandrina's floating arias (reminiscent of the Countess's in Le Nozze di Figaro), and she was a good actress."
Opera News
"Sarah Coburn was radiant as Sandrina, the title character, with her voice both powerful and sweetly soaring."
The Miami Herald
"As Violante / Sandrina, Sarah Coburn built on her delightful turn as Norina in last season's Don Pasquale. The soprano's bright, clear singing was sensitive throughout, with a beautifully rendered Noi donne poverine, and Coburn made her gradual reconciliation with Belfiore a moving moment."
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Sarah Coburn...once again shows her ability to cast a spell. A comedienne with emotional depth, her voice has a pretty timbre and her articulation is surprisingly refined and expressive."
Miami Sun Post
Orfeo ed Euridice, Caramoor Opera 2002
"A saving grace of the first act was the winsome 'Amore,' sung by soprano Sarah Coburn. Her aria. "Gli sguardi trattieni" provided a buoyant, silver-voiced surprise, with coquettish little posturings that made a picture-perfect cupid."
The Journal News (Westchester)
Dialogues of the Carmelites, Glimmerglass Opera 2002
"exquisitely sung by Sarah Coburn"
The Wall Street Journal
"..soprano Sarah Coburn offered the evening’s most truly memorable vocalism, dispensing lovely lyric tone virtually ideal for Sister Constance’s music while firmly tracing this deceptively simple-seeming character’s interesting dramatic arc; with luck one will hear more of Sarah Coburn."
ClassicsToday.com
"Her Act I premonition that she and Blanche will be companions in death was voiced with pensive beauty."
The Ithaca Journal
"Constance, Blanche's fellow novice and tempermental opposite, was sung by soprano Sarah Coburn, who fully realized her assignment. Her voice is bright and crystalline, and she was able to invest this lighter character with a touching and involving humanity."
Syracuse Post-Standard
Don Pasquale, Florida Grand Opera 2002
"In the floridities of Pasquale's lively and treacherous arias, duets and ensembles, Coburn and her cohorts knew what to do, and mostly when and how to do it. There was no anemia in Coburn's slender coloratura, which threaded the mazes of Norina's music with suitable ease, touching her big first act cavatina with just enough fire to underscore the sparkle."
The Miami Herald
"Coburn's bright, youthful timbre and vibrant high notes provided the evening's best vocal moments. The singer showed assured bel canto style and remarkable flexibility in her coloratura runs, romping through the ensembles with wondrous agility and flair. Dramatically, the attractive soprano made an aptly vivacious Norina, playful and coquettish, with a light comic touch that avoided going over the top."
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"The strengths of the show remain Will Crutchfield's stylish and wholly sympathetic direction of Donizetti's witty score, and Coburn's delightful Norina. Coburn's high silvery soprano sounded even more agile and vivacious with more daring roulades, and her vixenish portrayal of the scheming Norina had even greater comic flair."
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Her pure lyric sound filled the house as she tossed off runs and scales and trills with the greatest of ease. What a discovery. This is a coloratura to watch. Luckily Coburn will return next season..."
Coral Gables Gazette
