Getting Warmer . . .: Soprano Saves the Day..."Lucia di Lammermoor" and Jessica Swink's sensitively sung mad scene from the same opera was a crowd-pleaser... Click here for the full story
Ronni Reich,
The Washington Post
September 24, 2008
Opera International's "Operatic Vocal Gala"...the prize was the most outstanding dramatic presentation by coloratura soprano Jessica Swink who eased throughout her glorious scale runs in pure liquid form. She wowed the audience with her "Sempre libera" and her skill in this role qualifies her for the major opera companies in the world. She also performed beautifully in the duet in Act II. Bob Anthony AllArtsReview4U Opera International's focus at the Music Center at Strathmore...Swink's strong, ringing voice excelling in a highly emotional "Non sapete." Later Swink offered a mostly brilliant "Sempre libera" from Act I...
Mark Estren,
The Washington Post
August 7, 2007
"Jessica Swink, in the lyric soprano role of Pamina, ran off with the honors. Swink, a Washington native, is showing signs of turning into the capital city's greatest gift to opera since Denyce Graves. Her portrayal of Sister Blanche was one of the best things about Opera International's production of Poulenc's "Dialogues of the Carmelites" last summer, and she recently took the tiny role of Essy Baker in Scott Wheeler's "Democracy" and made it into something memorable. Her voice is fresh, firm and sweet; she is a deft, funny actress and her presence brightens the stage."
Tim Page,
The Washington Post
April 18, 2005
Winner of the Young Soloists' Competition: "Dvorak's "Song of the Moon" and Samuel Barber's "Knoxville: Summer of 1915".luscious outpouring, brimming over with feeling.Swink has a sweet warm voice.with none of the bleached, fluffy sterility that sometimes afflicts coloratura sopranos. Her high notes were secure and strong; yet her true glory is her middle range, which is imbued with a creamy richness that is distinctive and memorable."Knoxville" received an expertly accomplished rendition, somehow conveying a passing but genuine nostalgia for a world we never knew."
Tim Page,
The Washington Post
May 22, 2003
In Gounod's "Messe Solonnelle:": "Jessica Swink's gem-like soprano soared gorgeously over the orchestra."
Daniel Ginsberg,
The Washington Post
July 23, 2005
"Saint-Saen's "The Nightingale and the Rose," for coloratura soprano and solo organ, is a spectacularly silly composition - whoops, runs, trill and ersatz Orientalism - but it made a hsplendid showpiece for a promising young artist, 17-year-old Jessica Swink, who possesses an unusually haunting and distinctive timbre and negotiates scalar passages with an evenness that is downright startling."
Tim Page,
The Washington Post
December 20, 1995
