Tracy Cantin sang, in the first part of the [Rising Stars] concert, Cressida’s recitative and aria, “How can I sleep? … At the haunted end of the day,” from Sir William Walton’s Troilus and Cressida. Ms. Cantin’s involvement in this brief evocation of the title character was riveting. Her searing top notes emphasizing “betrayed” and “a phantom” led to the dramatic concluding declaration of “my conqueror.” In the second part of the program Cantin was equally impressive in a very different role, the concluding scene of Jules Massenet’s Thaïs. Here as she was supported by the Athanaël of baritone Anthony Clark Evans the vision of Thaïs came alive and her transformation from courtesan to saint was believable. Cantin produced soft, pure pitches in contrast to the appropriately urgent, sincere appeals by Evans. The final “Je vois Dieu”
[“I see God”] communicated the apotheosis of a blessed figure.
OPERA TODAY
The concert was a triumph from start to finish, but so, some moments stood out. Tracy Cantin gave an impassioned reading of "How Can I Sleep?" from Walton's Troilus and Cressida, with note-perfect execution matched by interpretive intensity. Her phrasing, pitch, and line gave the audience the sense of Cressida's conflicted emotions. Her command suggests she would do well in a full performance of this role. ... The ensembles were strong, too. The duet "C'est toi, mon pere?" from the climactic scene of Massenet's Thais had the strength usually seen only in seasoned performers. Cantin was as convincing in this Romantic role as she was in the twentieth-century Walton excerpt earlier in the evening.
SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL
Cantin's performance of Berta's solo 'Il vecchiotto cerca moglie' shows an assured and comic approach including effective chest tones, a superb diminuendo in the repeat, and inventive decorations taken at the close.
OPERA TODAY
Berta is usually given to a mezzo, but since Rosina commanded that range here, Canadian soprano Tracy Cantin got the assignment. Cantin is certainly not a character singer (she has covered the roles of Desdemona, Rosalinde, and Rusalka this season), but sang her aria delectably and, in the Act I finale, taking the musical line Rosina usually sings,
her voice soared impressively.
OPERA CANADA
I feel especially compelled to praise Tracy Cantin as the maid Berta: so great was her finesse and projection
. . . certainly a name to watch from now on!
CHICAGO CRITIC
Tracy Cantin sang the maid Berta's aria as well and as stylishly as one will ever hear it.
CHICAGO CLASSICAL REVIEW
As for Tracy Cantin, this second-year Ryan Center member is a veritable musical powerhouse in
the role of Bartolo's maid Berta.
THE BEVERLY REVIEW
Tracy Cantin brought a shining soprano to the brief contributions of Berta.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Tracy Cantin's gorgeously sung Berta and Lyric's zesty male chorus helped round-out the gifted cast.
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
Tracy Cantin’s Berta has a big, busybody beautiful tone and mesmerized in 'Brantola quanto vuoi'.
BERKSHIRE FINE ARTS REVIEW
Tracy Cantin makes a strong comic appearance as Berta.
CHICAGO STAGE REVIEW
Cantin thrilled as the proud Latino woman of A Julia de Burgos, which she sang in the original Spanish.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
The solo lines were handled adroitly, as Terfel joined forces with soprano Tracy Cantin.
THE AUSTRALIAN
Among the successes of the evening was the aria by soprano Tracy Cantin from Donizetti's Anna Bolena, 'Come innocente giovane...Non v'ha sguardo', a piece in which Cantin displayed a real aptitude for bel canto singing,
with a strong top range and impressive coloratura.
LA SPLASH
Tracy Cantin brought style to the second-act duet from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, 'Vedrai, piccolo amor…Scuoti quella fronda di ciliegio.' Cantin’s strong voice gave Cio-Cio San a rich, full-bodied sound
SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL
These Maids, whose music is as difficult as that of Wagner's Valkyrie sisters, were highly effective vocally,
especially Canadian Tracy Cantin in the important cameo of the Fifth Maid.
OPERA CANADA
There was an excellent Overseer from Elizabeth Byrne, a firmly intoned First Maid from Victoria Livengood
and a sympathetic Fifth Maid from debutante Tracy Cantin.
OPERA NEWS
In her defense of Elektra's nobility of spirit the fifth maid, sung and declaimed here with admirable attention to
diction by Tracy Cantin, communicates further the tension that accompanies Elektra's dilemma.
OPERA TODAY
As Mimi, Canadian first-year soprano made sure there were no dry eyes in the house when her character dies. In the
Mozart (Le Nozze di Figaro), Cantin as the Countess, soprano Kiri Deonarine as Susanna, and mezzo-soprano
Cecilia Hall as Cherubino were stand-outs.
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
Vaulting up to the top of the vocal range, soprano Tracy Cantin displayed an ample, arresting soprano with a nice
incisive ring at the top in her dual assignments of Mimi and the Figaro Countess.
CONCERTO NET
The Canadian soprano (as Mimí) sang with luminous tone and delivered an affecting performance with a tender
rendition of her reprise of the opening phrases of che gelida manina.
CHICAGO CLASSICAL REVIEW
Cantin offered a moving Mimí in La Bohème, and a limpid Countess in Figaro.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
The melancholic Donna Anna (Tracy Cantin) delivered a formidable performance herself,
her tremendous vocal power and agility on display for much of the evening.
THE PHONOGRAPH
Tracy Cantin, touchante Donna Anna à la voix capable d'une force et d'une virtuosité extraordinaires à l'aigu.
Tracy Cantin, touching Donna Anna with a voice capable of strength, and extraordinarily accurate virtuosity.
LA PRESSE
McGill compte un nouveau phénomène vocal: Tracy Cantin.
McGill has a new vocal phenomenon: Tracy Cantin.
LE DEVOIR
Les quatre voix solistes (de Beethoven no.9) furent impeccables. ... la souriante Tracy Cantin lança à la perfection
les deux si aigus de la fin.
The four vocal solists (in Beethoven's 9th) were impeccable. ... the smiling Tracy Cantin launched to perfection the two high B's at the end.
LA PRESSE
Tracy Cantin (à Mimi) domine incontestablement tout au long des quatre actes. Sa voix de soprano, puissante,
articulée et modulée à volonté. . . Quel travail, quelle maitrise à la fois gestuelle et vocale! À voir!
Tracy Cantin (as Mimi) unquestionably dominates throughout the four acts. Her soprano voice, powerful, articulate and modulated at will. . . What
work, what mastery of both gestural and vocal! Must see!
PATWHITE.COM
Tracy Cantin's Mimi impressed with the power of her voice and the lovely bloom most evident in her forte singing
. . . It was a committed performance.
OPERA CANADA
The most striking performer was PEI-born Tracy Cantin... her Alice Ford was vocally immense, with great power
and poise. Often young singers - and even professionally successful singers - have musicality and passion, but
nevertheless come across as small, making the audience work to become fully engaged with the performer.
No one listening to Cantin will ever have this problem.
OPERA CANADA
Tracy Cantin's tour-de-force presence and voice literally shook the audience to the core.
THE PHONOGRAPH
That is an international voice.
EDMONTON TOURISM
It was a very large voice...She had such magnitude in her sound.
LONDON FREE PRESS
Tracy Cantin, in the role of Donna Anna, struck the tone of passion and power from her first aria, and never flagged.
THE BEAT MAGAZINE