Reviews
Opera Today
Mother Jeanne, Dialogues des Carmelites | San Francisco Opera, October, 2022
“Mezzo soprano Catherine Cook had an impressive moment in the brief cameo role of Mother Jeanne.”
New York Times
Berta, The Barber of Seville | San Francisco Opera, April 2021
“And Catherine Cook’s sympathetic housekeeper Berta has been a fixture of ‘Barber’ at the company since the 1990s. All four… emerged from San Francisco’s Adler Fellowship young artists program.”
San Francisco Chronicle
Mrs. Peachum, The Threepenny Opera | West Edge Opera, August 2019
“But the heroic star of the proceedings…was the magnificent mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook as Mrs. Peachum. Cook showed how to give Weill’s music its full due without sacrificing any of the script’s satiric bite, especially in account of “Ballad of Sexual Dependency” with a winning blend of swagger and tonal richness. Her comic pacing was impeccable…she delivered every line and every take with crisp exactitude. There’s nothing she can’t transform into pure delight.”
San Francisco Chronicle
Marcellina, The Marriage of Figaro | San Francisco Opera, October 2019
“The antagonists (calling them villains would go too far) were superbly embodied by Catherine Cook as Marcellina (her signature role, and one that gets better with each outing)…”
Theatrestorm
Marcellina, The Marriage of Figaro | San Francisco Opera, June 2015
“Best of all, though, is Catherine Cook’s hilarious Marcellina (a role in which she is justly celebrated). Her every movement, even a subtle nod of the head, is an occasion for laughter.”
Opera Today
Dolores Claiborne, Dolores Claiborne | San Francisco Opera, October 2013
“To say that Ms. Cook was a revelation is an understatement, since she stamped the part as her own, and experienced a triumph for her sensational performance… When her last piercing held note was finally cut off with percussive orchestra stings that recall the end of Salome, the audience leapt to their feet lustily cheering Catherine’s total success.
“Ms. Cook is possessed of a round mezzo tone of great beauty, admirable control and potent power in all ranges and at any volume. Best of all, she is also able to float a pianissimo with the best of them. There is so much exposed lyrical high singing required at key musical moments… the writing fit Ms. Cook like a glove and there was nothing she seemed not able to do to perfection.”
Photo Credit: Cory Weaver
Reviews
Opera Today
Mother Jeanne, Dialogues des Carmelites | San Francisco Opera, October, 2022
“Mezzo soprano Catherine Cook had an impressive moment in the brief cameo role of Mother Jeanne.”
New York Times
Berta, The Barber of Seville | San Francisco Opera, April 2021
“And Catherine Cook’s sympathetic housekeeper Berta has been a fixture of ‘Barber’ at the company since the 1990s. All four… emerged from San Francisco’s Adler Fellowship young artists program.”
San Francisco Chronicle
Mrs. Peachum, The Threepenny Opera | West Edge Opera, August 2019
“But the heroic star of the proceedings…was the magnificent mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook as Mrs. Peachum. Cook showed how to give Weill’s music its full due without sacrificing any of the script’s satiric bite, especially in account of “Ballad of Sexual Dependency” with a winning blend of swagger and tonal richness. Her comic pacing was impeccable…she delivered every line and every take with crisp exactitude. There’s nothing she can’t transform into pure delight.”
San Francisco Chronicle
Marcellina, The Marriage of Figaro | San Francisco Opera, October 2019
“The antagonists (calling them villains would go too far) were superbly embodied by Catherine Cook as Marcellina (her signature role, and one that gets better with each outing)…”
Theatrestorm
Marcellina, The Marriage of Figaro | San Francisco Opera, June 2015
“Best of all, though, is Catherine Cook’s hilarious Marcellina (a role in which she is justly celebrated). Her every movement, even a subtle nod of the head, is an occasion for laughter.”
Opera Today
Dolores Claiborne, Dolores Claiborne | San Francisco Opera, October 2013
“To say that Ms. Cook was a revelation is an understatement, since she stamped the part as her own, and experienced a triumph for her sensational performance… When her last piercing held note was finally cut off with percussive orchestra stings that recall the end of Salome, the audience leapt to their feet lustily cheering Catherine’s total success.
“Ms. Cook is possessed of a round mezzo tone of great beauty, admirable control and potent power in all ranges and at any volume. Best of all, she is also able to float a pianissimo with the best of them. There is so much exposed lyrical high singing required at key musical moments… the writing fit Ms. Cook like a glove and there was nothing she seemed not able to do to perfection.”