BIOGRAPHY
Cassandra Black has performed in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, China, Thailand, and throughout the United States. The Houston Chronicle described her as "Moving, masterful, and marvelous," and Culture Map, "Nothing short of thrilling."
Ms. Black has portrayed more than twenty of opera's leading ladies in both the contemporary and standard repertoire such as Marie Antoinette in The Ghosts of Versailles, Doll Common in Vera of Las Vegas, Floria Tosca, Leonore in Fidelio, Donna Anna, and Fiordiligi, to name a few. Some of the houses she has enjoyed working for include Opera Siam, Opera Philadelphia, St. Petersburg Opera, and Skylight Music Theatre.
Cassandra's operatic highlights include portraying the extremely demanding role of The Dirty Duchess, Margaret of Argyll in Thomas Ades' Powder Her Face for which she received international critical acclaim, and traveling to Bangkok for the title role she created in Somtow Sutcharitkul's Snow Dragon at Opera Siam. She also created the roles of Helena Citronova (the true love story of an Auschwitz prisoner and a Nazi gaurd) and Bahusodari (a statue who comes to life) in Sutcharitkul's Suwana Sama, one of ten operas in his epic cycle on the lives of Buddah.
In concert, Cassandra has sung over twenty oratorios with orchestras from coast to coast and beyond, her most recent being Strauss’s Vier Letzte Lieder with the Siam Sinfonietta, Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light and Schubert’s Mass in G in Houston, Texas.
MEDIA
Ist mein Liebster dahin
Frau ohne Schatten
Strauss
Four Last Songs
Strauss
Amelia's Aria, Act II
Un ballo in maschera
Verdi
PHOTOS
REVIEWS
THE BANGKOK POST | HELENA CITRONOVA
“The versatile soprano Cassandra Black was captivating as Helena, alternatively hitting the very demanding high notes, and then achieving lyrical calm as the score requires, her sonorous voice melodious and haunting.”
OPERA MAGAZINE | POWDER HER FACE
"Cassandra Black, as the Duchess, went along with this approach, painting a terrifying picture of advancing mental illness. She depicted someone detached from reality and incapable of self-control, disconnected from her own mind, her voice dancing over the complexities of Ades' music producing sounds of clarity and emotional impact."
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | POWDER HER FACE
"Gorgeous dramatic soprano Cassandra Black absolutely and completely owns the stage as the Duchess of Argyll. Her singing is nothing short of miraculous, filling Zilkha Hall with the abundant richness and firm placement of each note and the many colors of her vivid and powerful instrument. Her acting is so magnificent, it is as if she has channeled the Duchess herself. The magnificent Ms. Black has graciously given us one of the best performances of the season. What is surprising and revelatory about Ms. Black's deft portrayal of the Duchess is that we feel pity for her. Indeed, tears welled up in my eyes when the hotel manager appears in her suite to evict her for lack of payment. A resounding "Brava!" to Ms. Black for her brilliant work."
OPERA MAGAZINE UK | TOSCA
"Black's 'Vissi d'arte' was gripping and not at all sentimental... Black was the stronger actor of the two, giving us a character as consistently mentally sick as Scarpia, one who could logically integrate killing with overpowering religious conviction."
THE MARQUETTE TRIBUNE | FIDELIO
"From the first note Cassandra Black sang as Leonore to the last, her presence on stage sent chills across the theatre and set the tone for story. Her vocal range was flawless and captivating as she sang about her husbands freedom. The want and need to see her husband again, and her deep love for him, spread out from the stage through her voice. This made a personal connection between her and the audience, one not lost throughout the operas entirety."
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
"The best - stylish, big-voiced and sassy."
"Moving, masterful, and marvelous"
BANGKOK POST
"Powerfully sung by the Juoesque Cassandra Black."
MILWAUKEE MAGAZINE
"You simply can't take your eyes off her."
BROADWAY WORLD
"Black commands the opera."
CULTURE MAP
"Nothing short of thrilling."
MILWAUKEE MAGAZINE
"You simply can't take your eyes off her."
MARQUETTE TRIBUNE
"Flawless and captivating."