©Photo: Erika Dufour

Nicole Cabell

Soprano

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“Nicole Cabell is exquisite…her creamy soprano soaring in the sublime Prière”
(BBC Music Magazine, June 2017)

Universally acclaimed for her velvety timbre and finely nuanced interpretations, American soprano Nicole Cabell continues to demonstrate her incredible versatility in repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary on the opera and concert stages as well as on disc.

Cabell’s notable debuts have included her first staged Bess in James Robinson’s acclaimed production of Porgy and Bess for English National Opera, conducted by John Wilson; as Handel’s Alcina at Grand Théâtre de Genève, and as Flavia at Dutch National Opera in Cavalli’s Eliogabalo, both under Leonardo García Alarcón; alongside appearances in full lyric roles, such as Violetta (La traviata) at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and for her debut at Opéra national de Paris.

Recent appearances in the US have included Juliette (Roméo et Juliette) at Cincinnati Opera, Mimì (La bohème) at Pittsburgh Opera, Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) at Michigan Opera Theatre under Christopher Allen; a return to Minnesota Opera as Violetta (La traviata) and to San Francisco Opera in her role debut as Fiordiligi (Così Fan Tutte). In the 2022/23 season she sings Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro) for Pittsburgh Opera and returns to the role of Bess (Porgy and Bess) for North Carolina Opera.

On the concert platform last season, she joined the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle for performances of George Walker’s Lilacs in London and Standford, California and subsequently performed the piece as part of BBC Proms 2022 with Chineke! Orchestra alongside Beethoven Symphony No.9. In the US, she gave a solo recital with Cincinnati’s Matinee Musicale and concerts of Barber’s Knoxville, Summer of 1915 while in the current season she joins NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester in Hamburg as Clara in concert performances of Porgy and Bess; Seattle Symphony for Handel’s Messiah; and Atlanta Symphony for Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony.

Nicole Cabell was the winner of the 2005 BBC Singer of the World Competition. Her solo debut album, Soprano, was named ‘Editor’s Choice’ by Gramophone and received the 2007 Georg Solti Orphée d’Or from the French Académie du Disque Lyrique.

Nicole Cabell liederabend_nicole_cabell_&_simon_lepper_(barbara_aumueller)_01

Gallery

George Walker’s 'Lilacs' © LSO

Handel: Alcina - Ombre Pallide © Production of the Grand Théâtre de Genève - 2016

Puccini: La bohème (excerpt); Director Robert Dornhelm © Axiom Films

Gounod: Roméo et Juliette (excerpt) © Decca

Tippett: A Child of Our Time (excerpt) © Decca

Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi (excerpt) © Decca

‘Nicole Cabell ’s Bess […] emerges, surely intentionally, as the most ambivalent character. She’s the Carmen figure, elusive and tantalising, and Cabell floats some lovely pianissimo high notes in her solos.’

(Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times, October 2018)

“Some of the best singing came from velvet-voiced soprano Nicole Cabell, who was especially seductive in Obradors’ ‘Del cabello más sutil’”

(The Financial Times, February 2018)

“Nicole Cabell gave nobility and vocal richness to the role of Gemmira”

(Opera Magazine, February 2018)

“After her resounding success as Alcina here, the American soprano Nicole Cabell provides pure enchantment as the Countessa, and one can only revel in her elegance and admirable line. After a moving “Porgi amor”, she delivers “Dove sono” full of poignant nostalgia.”

(Opera Online, September 2017)

“Nicole Cabell brings her signature warm, amber-hued timbre to the Countess, demonstrating sincere melancholy in the arias and breathing life into the recitatives. Her miraculous intonation in “Porgi amor” retained a sublime moment, and “Dove sono” was moving and sung with true legato. The emotion was palpable, especially in the pianissimi.”

(Forum Opéra, September 2017)

“The true star of the evening was the Contessa of Nicole Cabell: she is radiant onstage, with a warm timbre, very clear text, and a characterisation free of ostentation. Her “Porgi amor” was a true delight with extraordinary line, and perfectly expressing the complexity of the character”

(Bachtrack, September 2017)

“Cabell sang and acted an impassioned Mimì, her big lyric soprano voice soaring when soaring was needed”

(Cincinnati Inquirer, June 2017)

“Nicole Cabell is exquisite in her many contributions, her creamy soprano soaring in the sublime Prière”

(BBC Music Magazine, June 2017)

“His ill-fated amour, Mimi, was given an engaging portrayal by Nicole Cabell, who employed a rich and subtle soprano voice throughout her ample range.”

(Twin Cities Pioneer Press, May 2017)

“In a star performance, Nicole Cabell delights and intrigues throughout as a lovely Juliet. The scene in which she drinks Friar Laurence’s draught has a breath-taking sense of intensity and clarity.”

(Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 2016)

“Nicole Cabell gave a fabulous performance in the title role. For a start, she looked superb, thanks to her height and imperious elegance…Cabell also proved an actress of substance, giving precise and unexaggerated expression to the sorceress’s wide-ranging emotions as she found her powers of attraction gradually waning. Above all her singing was admirable, even if it did not conform to the aesthetic that has come to typify Baroque opera: her tone was rounded and silky, projected with ease, immaculately controlled and finely nuanced.”

(Opera Magazine, June 2016)

“Best of all was the Alcina of Nicole Cabell. She is the real thing, a superb lyrical soprano…She phrases generously, was capable of a genuine dramatic presence in her “Ombre pallide,” and was greatly moving in the final “Mi restano le lagrime”.”

(Seen & Heard, February 2016)

“Nicole Cabell’s Alcina was by far the superlative element of the evening: she is ready to make sacrifices to prove her love for Ruggiero, weeping in “Ah mio cor”, her voice carries the text as well as the emotion like no other performer on the stage. Her gaze ignites the stage and fully embodies a woman torn between love and revenge. Her aria “Ah Ruggiero crudel…Ombre pallide” was splendid and, despite her powers, Alcina is still a real woman who feels pain and love’s despair”

(Bachtrack, February 2016)

“When she first enters, Nicole Cabell’s Alcina strikes a strong figure on stage, bringing a majestic voice and stage presence. With a sensual timbre, this soprano gives her character a variety of colours and a rare intensity.”

(Le Courrier, February 2016)

“In the title role, Nicole Cabell impresses with a smooth timbre throughout her range and a lovely roundness to the voice (particularly convincing in “Ah mio cor”).”

(24 heures, February 2016)

“Nicole Cabell is a true diva…Thanks to her rich voice, full of colour and convincing stage presence. He “Si, son quella” was full of emotional nuance”

(Forum Opéra, February 2016)

“Nicole Cabell interpreted Alcina masterfully…With her velvety voice, she succeeds in inciting sympathy from the audience for the heroine who brings about her own demise.”

(Opernnetz, February 2016)

“Soprano Nicole Cabell brought more uninhibited emotionalism to the stage, marrying vocal sweetness and strength in appealing fashion.”

(Detroit Free Press, October 2015)

“with a gloriously smoky middle register that effortlessly stretches up to the top extension of her voice.”

(BBC Music Magazine, February 2015)

“Nicole Cabell, acting up a storm and giving meaning to every word, sings ravishingly and sadly as Giulietta, spinning out Bellini’s long lines, with a voice somewhat grander than one normally hears in this music…we get a gorgeous trill to boot, all delivered in luxurious tone.”

(International Record Review, February 2015)

“Cabell clearly enjoys bringing a bouncy girlishness to Adina, enthusiastically embracing the comic spirit that permeates the production. And Cabell glides smoothly around the outer reaches of her register, as impressively rich in her lower range as in her soaring high notes.”

(Pioneer Press, January 2015)