“But Aida is the title and Aida is the star. Soprano Rowley did not disappoint. Here we have a musician with a luminous vocal instrument, a versatile and sensitive stage presence, wonderful timing (when Aida is startled, we are startled), a magical lyricism, and first-rate acting skills. We are lost and helpless with her in her devotion, her dreams, and her despair.”
Broadway World
“Jennifer Rowley sang the title role on opening night. Rowley is a true singer-actor, especially gifted in embodying the frailty and emotional vulnerability of the captive slave girl Aida. Her beautiful soprano was both elegant and full of pathos, and her control while singing softly was especially effective, while her physical freedom and full-bodied gestural expressiveness made for a most memorable performance.”
DC Theatre Arts
“In the titular role, soprano Jennifer Rowley sang an emotionally sensitive Aïda…Rowley deployed luxurious vibrato as she wavered between love for Radamès and duty to her country in “Ritorna vincitor.” Her strongest performance came during Act III’s Nile Scene, which showed her in greater command of the range of her shimmering instrument. Her duet with bass-baritone Shenyang’s Amonasro was a highlight of the evening.”
ParterreBox
“Jennifer Rowley made a solid company debut in the title role. The American soprano had a number of triumphs at the Metropolitan Opera and elsewhere toward the end of the last decade. Her voice still has a vivid soft side, heard especially in the “Numi, pietà” section of “Ritorna vincitor.”
Washington Classical Review
Photo: Scott Suchman