Press
Press Quotes
Program pure delight
“The real surprise of the evening was the success of the three Shakespeare settings sung by Victoria’s own Cathy Berberian, soprano, Catherine Lewis. I was not, I hasten to add, surprised at the level of the performance: Lewis is one of those people who could sing a shopping list and spellbind her audience and Dunn’s accompaniments were as sensitive as one could wish for.”
– Times Colonist
Meet thy makers concert goes over with a bang
“Catherine Lewis beat all performers for the evening’s “ most parts of the body simultaneously engaged in music-making” award for her work Attune which found her with both hands, both feet and her voice in use at one and the same time, as she pedaled a static bicycle to provide power to the bellows driving Moore’s drone machine, turned the handle of a hurdy-gurdy (again built by Moore), beat a drum and sang the text. An ingenious and humorous work performed with panache and flair.”
– Times Colonist
“The crystal clarity of Lewis’ diction, no matter what the language, would probably turn most linguist green with envy. Her superb vocal interpretation, combined with her emotive artistry, of Kurt Weill’s Surabaya Johnny was a rare treat. But the highlight was definitely the Chinese Love Lyrics.”
– Vancouver Sun
Unbearable lightness of singing
“…. With poise and seeming effortlessness, Lewis’ notes seemed to last forever. Claude Debussy’s Quatres Chansons de Jeunesse was and exploration of the mystical. In all four songs there was an ethereal quality that shimmered and glided. Lewis used these pieces to display her talent to place a note so that it appeared from thin air and grew until it rang. Lewis’ was a versatile performance. It was hardly surprising that Lewis was returned for two encores. To quote Vivier, Lewis’ voice is an all consuming light.”
– The Ring
“And the soloist, soprano Catherine Lewis, was virtually faultless. Seldom is a singer’s performance as effortless as Ms. Lewis’. In six short songs, she displayed a wonderful technique as well as sensitivity and style. Judy Garland herself could take a Lesson from the meticulous phrasing in Over The Rainbow. Every word in her opera selections – Lahar’s Vilya and Oscar Straus’ My Hero – was audible and understandable, a performance practice almost unheard of in operetta.”
– Kelowna Star
It was the Benjamin Britten’s Cabaret Songs that demonstrated the range of her voice, her nerve, and her ability to dominate a stage; it was a tour de force.”
– Oslo News
Catherine Lewis spellbinding in Gershwin’s Summertime
“Catherine Lewis is as much at home in this music as in the avant-garde, she sang a half a dozen songs with the orchestra of which the highlight was her absolutely spellbinding performance of Gershwin’s Summertime.”
– Times Colonist
You’ve nothing to fear from her music
– Times Colonist
It’s Better Second Time Round
– Times Colonist
About Solomon by Handel “predictably, I was completely persuaded by the dramatic tension that Lewis brought to her duel role of Queen of Sheba and Second Harlot. Several years ago I heard Ms. Lewis in a recital of renaissance music with lute accompaniment. The quality of her voice with its ornamental precision and passionate involvement touched me and
I vowed not to miss an opportunity to hear her again. Her performance in Solomon reinforced my previous impressions and added as confident depth of musical colour.”
– Monday Magazine
Audience loves pop concert
“She immediately demonstrated her mastery of legato as she sang the long soaring melody in Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise. Her vivacity theatrical talents became apparent during her charming rendition of Vilya. and Oscar Straus’ My Hero – was audible and understandable, a performance practice almost unheard of in operetta”
– Kelowna Star
“Lewis is an appealing singer whose interpretive ability and rich, well controlled voice produce songs of great beauty. Her performance Sunday was followed by two well-earned curtain calls.”
– Penticton Herald
Milestone Creation
“Lewis’s bright personality matches a voice that is clear, almost crystalline, with a gleaming edge in its highest octave. It is finely focused and has the flexibility demanded by a baroque vocal line.”
– Monday Magazine
