2009 Reviews
Messiah
Boston Baroque
"Lawrence Wiliford opened the services wih a clear and elegant tenor, then, in the second part¹s more passionate narrative, went the furthest in risking vocal quality for dramatic intent; the brief infusion of intensity was welcome in the serenely polished context."
- Matthew Guerrieri, Boston Globe, December 15, 2009
Messiah
Calgary Philharmonic
"I greatly enjoy the tenor singing of Lawrence Wiliford, a new name to me, but one I will watch. Elegant in style, and with superb enunciation, he was the perfect Handelian tenor for the role, not only in the well-known opening but also in the demanding 'Thou shalt break them.' "
- Kenneth Delong, Calgary Herald, December 7, 2009
The Turn of the Screw
Britten Studio, Snape Maltings (Prologue / Quint)
"Lawrence Wiliford's spry, seductive Quint was more force of nature than force of evil."
- Anna Picard, The Independent, November 1, 2009
"The storyteller of the prologue was Laurence [sic] Wiliford, as complacent in tweeds and a bow tie as any academic of the 1950s. His transformation into the slinking, lithe Peter Quint, as fluid in movement as in vocal line, dominated the scenes with the children and worked especially well in the quartet with Miss Jessel, the Governess and Mrs Grose. Outside the Maltings, the River Alde teased at its reed beds; inside the theatre it felt as though some primeval and evil essence had sucked itself up from the sludge and was now coiling itself around human victims."
- Anne Morley-Priestman, Whats On Stage, October 24, 2009
Grande Messe des Morts
Elora Festival
"While limited to a brief cameo role, Wiliford's tenor solo in the Sanctus provided a lovely feeling of texture and animation to the work. His tone and supple vocal control, along with a dramatic placement in the audience, were a wonderful contribution to the overall piece."
- Stephen Preece, The Record, July 11, 2009
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Canadian Opera Company (Francis Flute)
"[...] Robert Pomakov as Bottom/Pyramus and Lawrence Wiliford as Flute/Thisbe steal the show."
- Christopher Hoile, Eye Weekly, May 8, 2009
"Flute as Thisbe (tenor Lawrence Wiliford) committed a hilarious suicide [...]."
- Robert Everett-Green, The Globe and Mail, May 7, 2009
"As Flute, the role written for Peter Pears, Lawrence Wiliford recalled that Britten wrote his bel canto aria as a send-up of Joan Sutherland [...]."
- Wes Blomster, Opera Today, May 13, 2009
Pygmalion
Boston Baroque (Pygmalion)
"Tenor Lawrence Wiliford [...] sounded remarkably confident and polished. His voice had exceptional power throughout his range."
- David Weininger, Boston Globe, March 9, 2009
Messiah
Boston Baroque
"Lawrence Wiliford opened the services wih a clear and elegant tenor, then, in the second part¹s more passionate narrative, went the furthest in risking vocal quality for dramatic intent; the brief infusion of intensity was welcome in the serenely polished context."
- Matthew Guerrieri, Boston Globe, December 15, 2009
Messiah
Calgary Philharmonic
"I greatly enjoy the tenor singing of Lawrence Wiliford, a new name to me, but one I will watch. Elegant in style, and with superb enunciation, he was the perfect Handelian tenor for the role, not only in the well-known opening but also in the demanding 'Thou shalt break them.' "
- Kenneth Delong, Calgary Herald, December 7, 2009
The Turn of the Screw
Britten Studio, Snape Maltings (Prologue / Quint)
"Lawrence Wiliford's spry, seductive Quint was more force of nature than force of evil."
- Anna Picard, The Independent, November 1, 2009
"The storyteller of the prologue was Laurence [sic] Wiliford, as complacent in tweeds and a bow tie as any academic of the 1950s. His transformation into the slinking, lithe Peter Quint, as fluid in movement as in vocal line, dominated the scenes with the children and worked especially well in the quartet with Miss Jessel, the Governess and Mrs Grose. Outside the Maltings, the River Alde teased at its reed beds; inside the theatre it felt as though some primeval and evil essence had sucked itself up from the sludge and was now coiling itself around human victims."
- Anne Morley-Priestman, Whats On Stage, October 24, 2009
Grande Messe des Morts
Elora Festival
"While limited to a brief cameo role, Wiliford's tenor solo in the Sanctus provided a lovely feeling of texture and animation to the work. His tone and supple vocal control, along with a dramatic placement in the audience, were a wonderful contribution to the overall piece."
- Stephen Preece, The Record, July 11, 2009
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Canadian Opera Company (Francis Flute)
"[...] Robert Pomakov as Bottom/Pyramus and Lawrence Wiliford as Flute/Thisbe steal the show."
- Christopher Hoile, Eye Weekly, May 8, 2009
"Flute as Thisbe (tenor Lawrence Wiliford) committed a hilarious suicide [...]."
- Robert Everett-Green, The Globe and Mail, May 7, 2009
"As Flute, the role written for Peter Pears, Lawrence Wiliford recalled that Britten wrote his bel canto aria as a send-up of Joan Sutherland [...]."
- Wes Blomster, Opera Today, May 13, 2009
Pygmalion
Boston Baroque (Pygmalion)
"Tenor Lawrence Wiliford [...] sounded remarkably confident and polished. His voice had exceptional power throughout his range."
- David Weininger, Boston Globe, March 9, 2009