“A star is needed for the title role and ENO has found one in Deepa Johnny. She has an attractive voice with impressive coloratura, moves naturally and won all hearts.”

“Deepa Johnny seemed to breathe coloratura, producing cascades of notes with her light, luminous mezzo as if nothing could be easier.”

“Deepa Johnny is a top-tier Dorabella who steals the spotlight from Fiordiligi. The Canadian mezzo-soprano shows a striking ability tonight to sing and act in an exceptionally modern way. Deepa Johnny portrays a Dorabella who is tormented and shaken in her convictions. This depth clearly comes through in her vocal interpretation, particularly in the aria ​“Smanie implacabili,” which she delivers masterfully, with no technical errors or lapses in taste.”

“Rosina, portrayed by Deepa Johnny, masters the coloratura and vocal feats demanded by Rossini’s score. Una Voce poco fa is dazzling in its virtuosity, and Johnny achieves the remarkable feat of delivering an almost nonchalant interpretation while playing the young ingénue recounting her passions. The singer was met with resounding applause.”

“Vocally and dramatically, the star is mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny in the title-role. From her first entrance and in every note of the Habanera, she is determined to maintain her dignity. She is sultry when necessary, and her seduction of Don José is fully convincing. But there is an ethical refusal of the hyper-sexualised interpretation of Carmen in Johnny’s performance that, paradoxically, makes her an even more alluring and sympathetic figure.”

“Deepa Johnny, the Omani mezzo-soprano, embodies Penelope with a dignity that suggests Ulysses is in her very soul. Her long, bittersweet notes convey a restrained fury, both in her straight-tone singing and narration. Occasionally, she steps away from her regal demeanor, her queenly, statue-like presence, to share a few intimate confessions from the edge of her lips. She weaves her singing like a loom, alternating between velvet and coarse fabric, using lingering vowels that leave traces like venom.”

“Mezzo Deepa Johnny appears as the very incarnation of Penelope, draped in an elegant bronze costume. She is as comfortable in this role as she was in her Carmen which brought her to attention not long ago. Her presence on stage gives off an aura that her warm, coppery voice asserts with ease. From her first scene, she fascinates the audience with the aria: ​“I am a mortal thing” which she sings detached and worried. Each of her appearances on stage creates a presence comparable to that of the famous tragedienne Irène Papas. Her final duet with Ulysses finally sees her lay down her arms and devote herself completely to the return of happiness, in heady melismas.”

“Deepa Johnny’s stage presence is admirable; the overflowing sensuality, the wide vocal range with an easy top and well-rounded bottom, as well as her rich timbre”

“Deepa Johnny is Carmen. The Canadian artist has an ease on stage … the warm colour of her voice is ideally suited to the role and her French diction is worthy of any native-French Carmen …. in the séguedille, Deepa Johnny reveals a meticulous line, perfectly held high notes and scrupulously controlled breath”

“Deepa Johnny’s tone is velvet when she’s singing [..]. The vocal line is generous and dense, soft with a small natural vibrato, […] while the breath flows from the bottom of the lungs to the top of the larynx, legato and supported.”

“Mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny was a mesmerizing figure as the sex-addled teenager Cherubino, matching her buoyant singing with a stage demeanor that spoke eloquently of hormonal confusion.”

“Deepa Johnny excelled in her role debut as the page Cherubino both in the ease of delivery of her delicate instrument and in her complete transformation for the trouser role. She had a great comic timing as well, and the audience loved her cross-dressing antics!”

“Mezzo Deepa Johnny makes the arc of Carmen’s story her energy, her lovers and her final death at the hands of Don Jose a compelling tale.”