Mezzo-Soprano
City of London Festival: Kathryn Rudge and James Baillieu
City of London Festival Recital – 29th June 2012 – St Bartholomew the Great
“A very special early evening song recital at St Bartholomew-the Great by Kathryn Rudge, who combined a natural rapport and a rich expressive mezzo, at home in French and German, with welcome choices of Britten Folk Songs (a possibly under-rated oeuvre?) and favourites with oldies like Roses of Picardy to finish”.
‘Musical Pointers 29th June 2012’
Noah Stewart and Kathryn Rudge perform at Union Chapel, London. Photo courtesy of Yannick Lalardy and Miguel Matteo.
NOAH STEWART TOUR – ADRIAN BOULT HALL, BIRMINGHAM
“Kathryn Rudge, just a year out of college and already making a mark on the opera stage, was described as a ‘special guest.’ This talented, unaffected mezzo-soprano delivered Carmen’s Seguidilla in sparkling fashion, and in ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ showed all the required power for a big finish. Two duets with Stewart were also impressively poised.”
David Hart, Birmingham Post, 1st June 2012
Brighton Festival Recital, Brighton Dome
“Everyone is raving about this delightful mezzo-soprano who’s taking the English opera houses by storm at the moment. The passion in her voice is incredible, she has pure clarity of diction and a real elegant tone to her singing that allows the words to charm as much as the music. She has, quite simply, a great voice. She was charming, disarming and really rather good indeed. Although apparently nervous, her gentle personality shone through this difficult music and allowed her to showcase the voice that’s been astonishing audiences. She’s also funny, which dissolved her aura of Diva in a comfortable directness that the audience loved.”
Eric Page, GScene Magazine, 25th May 2012
YCAT WIGMORE HALL RECITAL 2012
KATHRYN RUDGE WITH PIANIST JAMES BAILLIEU
“It doesn’t take long (five notes maybe) to hear why people are excited. Her mezzo-soprano voice already has tremendous reserves of power, impeccable intonation, the capacity for a gloriously sustained legato and, most interesting of all, a distinctive vocal quality. The timbre has white-hot intensity that extends undiminished through all of two octaves”.
*** Richard Morrison, The Times 5th April 2012
“PERFECT PITCH” BIRKENHEAD SCHOOL
ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, CONUCTOR – VASILY PETRENKO
“The soloist – the young, fast–rising mezzo soprano from Liverpool, Kathryn Rudge – filled the night air with her beautiful, rich, clear voice.
She sang favourite arias such as Softly awakes my heart from Saint-Saens‘ Samson and Delilah, Vilja from Lehar‘s The Merry Widow and songs from the musicals - I dreamed a dream from Les Misérables and Richard Rodgers‘ With a song in my heart. Everyone rose to cheer and sing along to the encore Rule Britannia.
A real last night of the Proms‘ moment to end a wonderful 150th Anniversary Finale. ”
Birkenhead School, June 2011
CHESTER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Vaughan Williams’ Five Tudor Portraits – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Conductor John Wilson
“Mezzo soprano Kathryn Rudge, a rich voice which has considerable character, was well placed in the rather drunken opening ballad”
Liverpool Daily Post, Glyn Mon Hughes, 19th June, 2011
Royal Northern College of Music Gold Medal Weekend - July 2010
“Kathryn Rudge has a string of College and other awards to her name. I was also greatly impressed by her singing, overall presentation as well as the diversity of programme at the college Gold Award Weekend earlier this year when she was the representative of the school of vocal studies.”
Seen and Heard Opera Review Robert J Farr.
ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC CHAMBER FESTIVAL 2009
“Mahler’s ‘Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen’ was sung by the RNCM postgraduate mezzo-soprano Kathryn Rudge, with a student chamber ensemble. I was absolutely bowled over by the performance of these very moving songs, particularly by Kathryn Rudge, whose singing was as composed, polished and musically commanding as one could wish to hear.”
RNCM Live Web, January 2009
NEW YEAR’S EVE GRAND FINALE, ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, CONDUCTOR CARL DAVIS, CBE (Hon), LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL
“Kathryn Rudge, who portrayed Britannia at the 2008 opening ceremony, has a meaty, mature tone which belies her 22 years. Arias from Saint-Seans and Bizet in the first half were followed after the interval by a belting trio of Gracie Fields’ favourites….and a full bodied Rule Britannia which prompted a rash of flags to appear across the auditorium.”
Catherine Jones, Liverpool Echo, January 2009.
LIVERPOOL THE MUSICAL, ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, CONDUCTOR VASILY PETRENKO, CAPITAL OF CULTURE OPENING CEREMONY 2008, LIVERPOOL ECHO ARENA.
“As Vasily Petrenko waved his baton… a medley of “Rule Britannia”, “Amazing Grace”, Jerusalem” and “Land of Hope and Glory” accompanied by a barrage of images, the most vivid being a Terry Gilliam-style animation of Queen Victoria gulping ships while the mezzo-soprano Kathryn Rudge, dressed as Britannia, sang with gusto”
Pierre Perrone, The Independent, January, 2008.