Warm Brilliance of Alfreda Burke
Critical Acclaim
“…Soprano Alfreda Burke…singing displayed a voice flexible and brilliant in the upper register, dark yet colorful in the middle and lower registers.”
- Muskegon Chronicle
“…Burke sang with such deep and knowing pathos that the audience was kept in rapt silence until the end of the set. …Then Burke keened the achingly beautiful ‘Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child,’ with arching chromaticisms that enhanced the melodic line.”
- Lake City Reporter
“Soprano Alfreda Burke, who portrayed a memorable Liu at last year’s festival staging of Turandot, almost achieved the impossible: delivering a challenging vocal line in intelligible English in the wide open spaces of this venue.”
- Columbus Dispatch
“Burke and Dixon performed duet ‘Parigi o cara’ by Verdi, and it sent chills down the spine.”
- Dixon Telegraph
“…But Burke was the outstanding voice of the evening. With exquisite charm, she sang with an actor’s instinct and a finesse that denoted true artistry.”
- Chicago Defender
“The vocal artistry of featured soprano Alfreda Burke was captivating. The unassuming Burke quietly opened and suddenly consumed everyone’s attention with ease. Burke’s tender voice left a lingering impression.”
- Times-Herald
“…Soprano Alfreda Burke is lavishing voluptuous blues laments on “The Trumpet Shall Sound…”
- Chicago Tribune
“It will be a long time before listeners forget soprano Alfreda Burke lavishing the sound of her creamy midregister voice on “The Trumpet Shall Sound;”
- Chicago Tribune
“Soprano Alfreda Burke also produced her most luxuriant vocals in “The Trumpet Shall Sound.”
- Chicago Tribune
“A solo by soprano Alfreda Burke was among the evening’s highlights….And the Burke-led “For Unto Us a Child is Born” rocked to such a rousing culmination that whoops and hollering from the audience began even before it ended.”
- Chicago Sun-Times
“The evening was billed as a tribute to the Great American Songbook, but kicked off with the rousing “Brindisi” from Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata”. The selection proved a grand showcase for guest vocalists, tenor Rodrick Dixon and soprano Alfreda Burke, who also navigated the songbooks of George Gershwin… Leonard Bernstein…with the greatest of ease.”
- Chicago Sun-Times
“On the challenging “Summertime,” Burke sounded sweet and tranquil, and her performance seemed almost effortless.”
- Arlington Heights Daily Herald
“The audience… also were graced with classical music and the voice of soprano Alfreda Burke.”
- Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
“In ‘Give Me Jesus,’ Burke achieved a similar effect centering her pitch with perfect intonation right up to the top. …’Ride On, King Jesus!’ …thrilling conclusion. The concluding duet (Iolanta) brought both singers to their strong upper registers. The combination of Dixon’s bright ring with Burke’s fuller tone was quite beautiful. …Burke shaped Alban Berg’s challenging melodic lines carefully to recreate his magical nighttime mood.”
- Virginian Pilot
“Opera singer Alfreda Burke delivers impassioned praise for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. …”
- Memphis Commercial Appeal
“…Alfreda Burke… presented a spectacular show…”
- Mount Vernon News
“Dixon, Burke, Kearns and Eder provide incredible vocals, elevating such well known songs as Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’, What I Did for Love, Climb Every Mountain and You’ll Never Walk Alone (Burke’s exceptional performance, backed by the Choir).”
- National Examiner/DVD/Etier
Soprano Alfreda Burke’s voice has been called “voluptuous, creamy and luxuriant” by the Chicago Tribune, but she was both tender and exciting when she set the scene: “There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.”
- Bridge Michigan Magazine