Read press and reviews of Ms. Gartland's recent engagements, including her acclaimed performances in the title roles of Rusalka and Jenufa.
MS. GARTLAND IN REVIEW
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MARIE | DES MOINES METRO OPERA
"The poignant Marie of Sara Gartland was something of a revelation. Gartland delivered the character through a gleaming column of sound that remained incisive yet consistently beautiful throughout the range up to the top C."
ozzeck
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MARK THOMAS KETTERSON
OPERA NEWS
“Sara Gartland sang the role of Marie, Wozzeck’s common law wife and mother of his child. Gartland portrayed this fallen and fragile woman with sympathy and maturity. It would be simple to condemn Marie for betraying her lover and sleeping with another man, but her circumstances leave her few choices. Gartland sang some of the most beautiful vocal lines of the opera, making atonal melodies feel just as luxurious as her more romantic roles.”
MEGHAN KLINKENBORG
SCHMOPERA
MUSETTA | THE DALLAS OPERA
“His flighty Musetta, soprano Sara Gartland, is also a singer on her way up, as she graduates from regional companies to big-time opera houses. Vocally, she is a lyric powerhouse. Dramatically, she commands the stage every time she is on it. Her antics in the second act as she tries to dump the rich old coot who is her current sugar daddy to return to Marcello’s arms is hysterical. There is a cute bit with her summoning spotlights from lighting designer Robert Wierzel’s arsenal as she prepares to sing her big aria.”
OHÈME
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GREGORY SULLIVAN ISSACS
THEATER JONES
MICAËLA | THE DALLAS OPERA
“From the start, Sara Gartland’s Micaëla is hardly the meek goody-two-shoes of tradition. She’s self-assured, and decisive in rejecting the soldiers’ crude advances. A late replacement in the role, she delivers a soprano of immediately arresting strength, clarity and expressive nuance.”
ARMEN
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SCOTT CANTRELL
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
RUSALKA | DES MOINES METRO OPERA
“Sara Gartland delivered an exquisite account of the title role. The soprano’s voice continues to gain body in midrange yet retains a thread of silver that graces her sound with an ethereal shimmer. The song to the moon was entirely satisfying; but it was in her sensitively employed dynamic shading of Act III’s “Necitelná Vodní Moci” that Gartland’s performance reached its zenith. “
USALKA
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MARK THOMAS KETTERSON
OPERA NEWS
“Sara Gartland was utter perfection in the title role, a performance on full throttle from first to last as she descended inexorably from infectious, hopeful girlish impetuosity to end up a pathetically defeated nonentity. Her singing was nothing less than radiant throughout. Ms. Gartland possesses a substantial lyric soprano of great beauty and rock solid technique that seems to know no bounds when it comes to alluring sheen, emotional connection, thrilling top notes, vibrant mid-range, floated pinaissimi, and well, any and all variation thereof. Moreover, her attractive presence and committed acting were all one could wish for this complex heroine. I would wager there is no one in the world singing this role better than Sara Gartland”
JAMES SOHRE | OPERA TODAY
“Sara Gartland was masterful in the title role of the opera. She beautifully portrayed Rusalka’s journey from restless optimist to defeated outcast. Gartland sounded reserved at the beginning of the famous “Song to the Moon,” but as the aria progressed, her voice blossomed into its full rich tone. Rusalka is a demanding role, most notably for its emotional range. She must be ethereal at times and heart wrenching at others, and Gartland excelled in all of the character’s vocal guises.”
MEGHAN KLINKENBORG | SCHMOPERA
