“Soprano Ambur Braid as Marie showed why she is now in such demand internationally as an interpreter of early 20^th-century German repertoire. Braid is such a magnetic performer and we can only hope she will return to Toronto soon given her success here, following a searing Salome in 2023.”

“Ambur Braid gave a typically committed performance as Marie with power to burn, but also sang with delicacy.”

“At his side, Ambur Braid gives Marie an impressive vocal presence, playing on the opposition between the character’s extroverted nature and Wozzeck’s introverted dimension, making light of the difficulties of the score.”

“Above all, the former ensemble member Ambur Braid turns her Rachel into a modern-day woman of flesh and blood, who also knows how to defend herself violently against Léopold’s infidelity and lies and in the end goes to death in flames full of conviction” –

“In the title role, Ambur Braid returns to Frankfurt and inspires with a luminous soprano, which can increase to great drama, and clear trebles that enhance the purity of the role. She movingly, without compromise, portrays the ordeal of the title character.”

“Ambur Braid literally glows through the emotional world of the foster daughter Rachel, the eponymous Jewess, with her youthful, dramatic soprano”

“Ambur Braid, Frankfurt’s Salome, is one of the most expressive singer actresses far and wide, her soprano is also highly expressive, and she never loses her finesse”

“Ambur Braid has probably found the role of her life in Salome. She can colour her bright voice in an almost childishly naïve way; but she also has astonishing reserves of strength which allow her to literally flood the auditorium in sound, as in her final ecstatic monologue”

“Her soprano becomes more dramatic, and the way she lets herself be carried away on the giant wave of Strauss’s music is risky, but authentic. From the first to the last scene… the evening is hers.”

“Ambur Braid’s Dyer’s Wife voices the terrible humour and vindictiveness of the character to which she gives an entire tragic dimension.”

“Ambur Braid (The Dyers’ Wife) presents very humane character, combining vocal prowess and a charismatic presence.”

“Ambur Braid’s Dyer’s Wife is more lyrical than dramatic, [..] with an eroticism embodying a femininity both fully realised but anxious.”

“[…] as the character of Chawa, Ambur Braid stands out above all for her vigorous vocal performance.”

“Angèle, […] is the fabulous Ambur Braid — who makes it clear from the first minute that she has a great vocal range, which immediately causes a glamorous exaltation.”

“Ambur Braid gives an extraordinary performance in the title role. She limns the arc of her harrowing journey in fine dramatic and vocal form.”

“Ambur Braid was Eva, her dark soprano possessing the necessary amplitude and stamina for Schreker’s effusions.”

“The cast is dominated by Canadian dramatic soprano Ambur Braid, who magnifies the role of Stephana with astonishing ease. The generosity of her voice is only matched by her obvious dramatic conviction”

“At the centre of it all is Ambur Braid, who as Stephana is vocally full bodied. Dramatically the Canadian is also physically powerful…Braid lets her soprano burst forth in highly dramatic climes of pleasure; where passion burns like a wild beacon”

“THE voice of the evening is Ambur Braid! A great dramatic soprano, this Canadian singer has powerful lower notes and a dazzling high, spicy timbre with a beautifully cultivated legato, and balanced projection throughout the range. Her Eva will remain in memory for a long time.”

“The Canadian soprano Ambur Braid as Eva is a revelation. Her big, beautiful and clear voice characterising this self-confident young woman”

“The fact that Norma becomes an event depends not least on the casting of the title role…Now [Braid] devoted herself to the extremely demanding role of Norma — with outstanding success! Braid becomes the driving force of the production and was able to assimilate this role completely convincingly, but not without weaving in her own variety. With an enigmatic stage presence, her portrayal is extremely physical and so the action advances to a tour de force. Sometimes in deep despair, sometimes on the verge of a nervous breakdown — her character drawing is passionate without looking exaggerated. And vocally, she didn’t lose any of her persuasiveness. With subtle vibrato and dramatic voice colouring, she surprises with delicate nuances and delicate piani that dissolve into coloratura. With this agile, versatile voice, she gave Norma a special charisma.”

“Madame Lidonie, the new prioress, which Ambur Braid performs excellently between impulsiveness and restraint with a dramatically large voice”

“Braid has an old school quality to her voice, with tremolo that creeps into its lower and middle registers, giving her a slight vulnerability that compliments the bullish determination of her acting. In her upper range, Braid can blast. On climactic notes, she sends a wall of sound into the auditorium; the orchestral din trails behind.”

“The fabulous Canadian soprano Ambur Braid, who displays a range of vocal expression from seductive groan to husky sigh which gives her Salome a physical presence and youthful agility that one would always wish for but seldom find.”

“Vocally, a pure pleasure, especially because against the role cliché Ambur Braid can make her voice shine without any sharpness even in ecstasy.”

“Ambur Braid as Salome, a vocal and dramatic force.”

“Salome is Ambur Braid and she completely immerses herself in the role. She has a radiant, youthful, lyrical soprano voice, which she uses very musically. ”

“She was also spot on in her appearance disguised as the Sibyl, launching some stratospheric spikes that she made sound logical and right, as well as later, in a Straussian trio with Hadrian and Antinous. I don’t think she’s ever sounded better — purer and more effortless of tone, more generous in colour and warmth.”

“Braid vaults through the score like an Olympian, her high notes accurate and thrilling, her emotion palpable.”

“From dizzying heights in multiple-octave leaps to deep down in the limits of the mezzo-soprano register – there is an enormous vocal range required. Not many singers are able to perform this role with such sovereignty as Ambur Braid did on her role debut in the Frankfurt Opera.”

“The Canadian coloratura soprano Ambur Braid savored in the extremely risky part of Elisabetta with her extreme vocal range and abrupt changes in position as fearless as it was vocally powerful.”

“A powerful Soprano, Ms. Braid, when in despair, allowed her gleaming sound to turn acidic and steely.”

“Ambur Braid as a champagne-colored coloratura in pleated blouse is a class unto herself when she sings the queen, a mixture of Zerbinetta, Kundry and Lady Macbeth.”

“Her effortless freedom and suppleness while singing through impossibly high and intricate passages, combined with a campy, sinister interpretation of the role, was glorious.”

“Her two big arias were sung as close to perfectly as one could hope. […] I could listen to Ambur sing me the phone book, if I’m being completely honest.“

“As Dalinda, Ambur Braid delivers the most nuanced and moving performance. […] Then she sings, and she pours every ounce of Dalinda’s yearning, innocence, and devotion into every note she sang.”

“As she demonstrated in last season’s The Magic Flute, she can deliver the trifecta of crystalline high notes, blissfully graceful vocal cadenzas and deep emotional intensity that Mozart liked all his leading sopranos to possess.”

“Ambur Braid was our Vitellia, communicating malice with intense acting and a steely, tight vibrato. She cross-pollinated coloratura with verismo in Act 1”