| Gwendolyn Jones - Selected Reviews | bio and resume |
As Carmen with Nevada Opera |
| "Mezzo-soprano Gwendolyn Jones is Nevada Opera's sizzingly provocative Carmen. Miss Jone's sound is especially interesting. The timbre of her voice posseses an intensity that can snarl or purr, and she does both without a moment's notice. Seemingly at odds with this raw-edged quality is her penchant for musical refinement and the deliberate psychological build she applied to Carmen's persona. She begins her Carmen suggestively. By Act II, when Don Jose hears the bugle calling him to duty, he - and we - see a side of her only hinted at in her fight at the cigarette factory. It's at this moment when Don Jose suggests he must leave that Miss Jones's Carmen really catches fire. No one, it seems, leaves Carmencita behind. By Act III, she's all icy indifference. Then finally, when she loses all patience with Don Jose, she employs a voice of raw power. Here's a diva who knows what she's doing." |
| - Jack Neal's Music Reviews, 5/4/02 |
"In order for the show to work, the character Carmen must be convincingly sexy, and also appealingly vulnerable - it's a tough role to play, and Nevada Opera's Gwendolyn Jones plays it near to perfection. Jone's Carmen is sultry - she struts, she dances, she beguiles, and her mezzo voice is alternately seductive and sweet....By the final act, I almost believed that men would die for her. |
As Alma March in "Little Women" at Houston Grand Opera |
| "Gwendolyn Jones is a heartfelt Alma March." |
| - Opera News, 12/2001 |
As Adalgisa in Des Moines Metro's "Norma" |
| "As Norma's confidante, Adalgisa, Gwendolyn Jones provided the most satisfactory, fully rounded portrayal of the production. Jones managed the wide vocal range of the part superbly, her nut-brown lower range rich and full. The mezzo was most effective dramatically, ardent and believably anguished in her long Act I scene with Pollione." |
| - Opera News, 11/2000 |
"Gwendolyn Jones, as Adalgisa, is a real find, a powerful, deep mezzo. But for those familiar with the des Moines Opera, she is a known quantity. Like many of the singers, she has performed a variety of roles over the years." |
| - Minneapolis Star Tribune |
"Mezzo soprano Gwendolyn Jones, well known to central Iowa audiences from her many excellent past performances here, gives us her finest performance yet as the naive and vulnerable Adalgisa. Jones' tremendous acting ability is matched by her sensitive singing, capable of negotiating Bellini's vocal flourishes with ease and the appropriate nuance of each situation." |
| -Des Moines Register, 6/2000 |
As Amneris with Opera Colorado's "Aida" |
| "Through the years, I've come to expect an Amneris
not chosen for looks. Thus, I was hardly prepared for
the gorgeous woman that Gwendolyn Jones is in this role.
Her consummate beauty, which extends to the voice as well,
brings a new perspective to this opera; Jones' Amneris would
give any Aida tough competition in the battle for the heart of Radames.
Amneris, after all, is the figure in this work who undergoes the greatest
development of character, and Jones makes the most of every nuance."
"If this Aida has a scene-stealer, it is the Amneris of Gwendolyn Jones. Her mezzo was rich and full, her characterization intelligently conceived - notably in the brutal Judgment Scene, where, all alone, she agonized over the tragic chain of events unfolding offstage." |
As The Composer In "Ariadne Auf Naxos" With New Orleans Opera |
| "This is a strongly cast 'Ariadne' in which two roles stand out most notably. Mezzo soprano Gwendolyn Jones, who last appeared here as a luscious venus in 'Tannhauser', dons trousers to create a dramatically compelling Composer, singing with rich vibrancy and ripe tone, while maintaining the sense of frustrated youth." |
| - The Times-Picayune, 3/24/01 |
As Berta in Des Moines Metro's "Barber of Seville" |
"...and mezzo soprano Gwendolyn Jones' haunting rendition of the maid Bertha's aria in Act III makes this small role memorable." |
| - The Des Moines Register, 6/20/99 |
"Just when you think you've heard them all, the spooky housemaid, Berta, in the form of super-mezzo Gwendolyn Jones, blurts out her 'Old Maid' despair with never a moment's peace. This highly distinguished artist has favored us with brilliant past roles." |
| - The Chronicle |
As Orfeo in "Orfeo ed Euridice" with Virginia Opera |
| "As Orfeo, Gwendolyn Jones seemed some inspired combination of Goethe's young Werther and an unusually poetic english rock star. She sang in a supple, expressive, medium-size mezzo soprano voice, without any of the throb or heaviness we sometimes associate with this range." |
| - Tim Page Washington Post, 2/9/99 |
"Mezzo-soprano Gwendolyn Jones (Orfeo) sang with rich, superbly controlled voice and great emotional depth." |
| - Joseph Mclellan, Washington Post, 2/17/99 |
"Gwendolyn Jones was wonderfully effective in the trouser role of Orfeo. Her mezzo-soprano is quite lovely and rounded and quite capable of meeting the roles of virtuouso demands. Both dramatically and vocally she provided elegance and class." |
| - William Berg, Virginia Gazette |
"Gwedolyn Jones as Orfeo brought out the simple power of Gluck's music. Jones, who was onstage much of the evening, has a flexible mezzo-soprano voice that captured the longing Orfeo feels for the lost love. Another aspect of this opera that audiences might find difficult is seeing Jones in the role of the Principal male. She carried off her 'Trouser Role' with a mixture of vocal power and sensitivity." |
| - David Nicholson, Daily Press, 1/24/99 |
"Jones portrays Orfeo with poignant conviction and clarity of voice. Most of the weight of the opera falls on her shoulders and Jones excels. |
| - Vice Brown, PortFolio |
As The Witch in "Hansel and Gretel" with New York City Opera |
| "Mezzo-soprano Gwendolyn Jones leapt into the role as Sondheim's Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett rolled into one, hauling Cori Ellison's singing translation, which until then had largely been in service to the story, well into the spotlight. Ellison herself seemed to borrow a thing or two from 'Sweeney,' with food metaphors freely mixing wonderful rhymes and gruesome puns in equal proportion to create a disturbingly hilarious portrait, which Jones consumed with relish." |
| - Ken Smith, Star-Ledger, 10/22/98 |
"Gwendolyn Jones made off with the show, as witches will, delighting in her marzipan music and honeycomb lyrics ('You've got a new job,' the witch informs Gretel, 'You're shish kebob') and twirling hungrily around the stage like a cross between Mrs. Sweeney Todd and Kitty Carlisle Hart." |
| - Justin Davidson, Newsday, 10/20/98 |
"...Gwendolyn Jones as a grandly commanding witch gave a lively and commited performance." |
| - Shirley Fleming, New York Post, 10/98 |
As Carmen |
| "Bonanome had a cast of gifted, attractive singers to work with. As Carmen, mezzo soprano Gwendolyn Jones was, to this viewer, close to ideal. She was a beautiful seductress who worked her wiles on the hapless Jose in a believable way, without the overwrought theatrics that some singers bring to the role. Vocally, she was splendid. Her voice is not a big one, but it is warm and ear-caressing and she used it with intelligence. Her singing of her big arias, the Habanera and the Seguidilla, earned well-deserved ovations." |
| - Donald Delany, The Times, 10/31/96 |
"As for the singing, both Jones and Riberi were in excellent voice. Jones, in particular, invested her numerous arias with a dark and sultry quality I found especially appealing." |
| - Ken Keuffell, The Star-Ledger, 10/96 |