Turandot, Austin Lyric Opera
The performer who stole the stage was Elizabeth Caballero as Liu. At the conclusion of her first aria of the night the audience spontaneously erupted in applause. Her command of her character and her voice was exceptional and hers was the loudest applause at the conclusion of the evening.
Patrick Dixon, Austin Post 4/15/12
The show’s musical highlight is Elizabeth Caballero’s turn as Liu, the play’s most sympathetic character. Caballero nearly steals the show with a prodigiously beautiful voice, that shimmers with emotion, volume and nuanced shades of color. The crowd positively fawned over her, with an applause several orders of magnitude above the others (a wave of gratitude that topped any I’ve heard at the Long Center, for any concert). It plainly floored the young soprano.
Luke Quinton, Austin American Statesman 4/16/12
La Rondine, Florida Grand Opera
Caballero brought great warmth and emotion to the role, especially in the final act as she expressed the turmoil going through her mind over whether to tell Ruggero about her past. She read the letter from his mother in a voice full of luster and humanity and brought desperate determination as she tells Ruggero she must leave him.
David Flesher, South Florida Review 1/22/12
Turandot, Lyric Opera Kansas City
Most notable was Cuban-American soprano Elizabeth Caballero, who sang Liu in sensuously glowing tones, her charged legato shaping the music into cogent paragraphs. Liu’s death scene tore at the heart. For a long stretch in Act III, the performance achieved the kind of unselfconscious emotional directness that has lately been in short supply at the Met, where almost every production seems designed for people who think they don’t like opera, or worse, for the movie cameras.
Alex Ross, The New Yorker 10/31/11
The most poignant character in the piece is Liu, the loyal slave girl who has served Calaf’s father, the deposed Tartar king. in Act 1 Liu, who is secretly in love with Calaf, begs him not to risk his life on the riddles in the opera’s first great aria (“Signore, ascolta!”). Soprano Elizabeth Caballero’s performance of the piece on opening night was stunning. Indeed, Caballero threatens to walk away with the production, because her solo in Act 3, just before Liu takes her own life, is another highlight of this show.
Robert Trussell, Kansas City Star, 10/02/11
Carmen, Central City Opera
Among the strongest and most memorable performances of tis production is Elizabeth Caballero in the role of the gppd hearted Micaela. Caballero’s soaring, lyrical soprano and poised, graceful presence effectively convey the endearing sweetness of the peasant girl whose heart is loyal to the emotionally feeble Jose.
Sabine Kortals, The Denver Post, 07/03/11
La Traviata, Madison Opera
I’ve been attending Madison Opera performances for more than 30 years, and I don’t recall a more spontaneous or more enthusiastic response to a soprano than Elizabeth Caballero received following Friday night’s presentation of “La Traviata.”The audience was on its feet almost before the curtain was raised, indeed, almost before the curtain fell following her stage death in Act 3.
William Wineke- Cahnnel3000.com 5/02/11
The “top” came in the person of soprano Elizabeth Caballero as Violetta, the courtesan who finds true love, only to, in true operatic fashion, lose it and regain it only to lose her life — all the while singing gloriously. The glamorous coquette was clearly winning the audience’s hearts by the middle of Act I, when an aria that ended with a preciously soft high note swelled and glowed and sank back into a sweet nothing, elicited the first “bravas” of the night.
Greg Hettmansberger, Local Sounds Magazine 4/30/11
Fortunately, this Madison Opera production has a truly wonderful Violetta in Elizabeth Caballero, a Cuban-American soprano who has appeared previously in an Opera in the Park show but not in a full role here until now. With a lovely voice, she has a compelling sense of drama. As she puts the role through its paces, she creates a Violetta of passion and vulnerability, able to move from a conflicted sense of herself, through cruel sacrifices, to profound commitments. Even before her death scene, this Violetta is really heart-wrenching.
John Barker,Isthmus- The Daily Page 4/30/11
Forget the supertitles. When Elizabeth Caballero’s onstage, they’re not necessary.The star of Madison Opera’s shimmering production of “La Traviata,” closing on Sunday, May 1, in Overture Hall, communicates the meaning of each musical line from furrowed brow to restless pacing.From Caballero’s first aria, it’s clear that Violetta is consumed with longing, fear and – improbably – hope…….As the glittering party girl, Caballero commands an easy, lyric soprano, colorful and skilled with ornamentation. Especially impressive are the soft tones high in her range during arias like “Sempre Libera” (“Always Free”); they shimmer.
Lindsay Christians, The Capital Times 4/30/11
