Reviews

OPERA NEWS SOUND BITES 

"Hughes has matured into an elegant, polished artist, impressively self-possessed and strikingly imaginative. His voice is dark and glossy, with a smart, sexy edge; his musicality is persuasive and his use of language superlative."

-Opera News

NUIT SANS AUBE, OPERA COMIQUE

“the struggle for balance between innocence-here embodied by Peter (the excellent Evan Hughes)-and its opposing force: corrupting evil, with no possibility of turning back…The only male soloist, Evan Hughes carries on his shoulders the overwhelming fate of Peter. In flawless French, the bass-baritone unfolds a voice whose nuance and breadth grow over the course of the evening, the score offering him a kind of full release in the final tableaux. Vocally infused with his talent as an actor, he truly captures all the light, somewhere between a lost Tamino and a petit Poucet, abandoned by everyone. He embodies this very contrast in every element of the staging: innocence in an unfeeling world (the forest), where murderous rituals still reign in honor of corrupting gods."

-Premiere Loge

"The principal role, that of Peter, is performed by the American bass Evan Hughes, whose voice-at once dark, sweet, and velvety-and which perfectly masters legato, gives his character a touching, impressionistic contour."

-DeArtes

“It is in the second tableau, where the percussion orchestra carries the audience into an anguished atmosphere, that Evan Hughes, performing the role of Peter, appears. His acting is grounded in an intense stage presence. His warm, rich voice conveys the melancholy of the character. Dressed in white—a symbol of purity, in contrast to Anubis in red, evoking blood and suffering—Peter quite literally gives his heart at the climax of the work. Devoid of feeling, illuminated by a white spotlight, he sings his misfortune a cappella, suspending time and the audience.”

-Olyrix

"As for Evan Hughes, present for nearly the entire opera (1 hour and 50 minutes without intermission), he takes on the overwhelming role of Peter with a stamina that shows no sign of fatigue. Barefoot, in light shorts and a long white tunic, he is given a Christ-like appearance. Called upon across his full bass-baritone range, with a warmly grained tone, he explores additional colors and expressive refinement in the head register for his superb a cappella monologue, which he sings upon awakening ('Everything is the same to me, everything is cold')."

-ResMusica

“In the central role of Peter, American bass-baritone Evan Hughes carried the opera's dramatic weight with stamina and conviction. Pintscher's writing is demanding, requiring extended passages of declamatory intensity against a dense orchestral fabric. Hughes conveyed the character's psychological turmoil with compelling focus, at times recalling the haunted figure of Edgar Allan Poe's Frederick Usher.”

-La Scena Musicale

"The other musical stake of course unfolds on stage: Evan Hughes, the bass-baritone who plays Peter and is constantly present on stage, carries the opera through his depth, his interpretive finesse, and the tone he gives to this objectless melancholy, this intuition of his own end, and this 'cold heart' nature that intrigues so much."

-Transfuge

"Evan Hughes portrays Peter with a supple baritone that follows the hesitations of a torn man, dragging his misery along without it being entirely clear what he is suffering from."

-Diapason

“As the central character, Peter, bass-baritone Evan Hughes is equally charismatic, in a different way, looking (tall and gaunt and bearded) like an El Greco saint. Vocally, he's especially successful in his soft, lyrical passages and that last, Grimes-like soliloquy.”

-NPW opera

“Within a cast largely dominated by female voices, Evan Hughes admirably embodies Peter: through both his singing and his acting, he expresses with finesse the character's hesitations, doubts, and anxiety, giving him striking credibility."

-Crescendo

“…all of them excellent and highly committed- from the valiant and fragile Peter of Evan Hughes, to the unsettling Anubis of Marie-Adeline Henry, by way of Katarina Bradić's Mother, as well as for a superb Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.”

-Les Echos

"At the center of the narrative, Peter moves forward like a troubled wanderer. Evan Hughes lends him a taut, fragile voice that oscillates between singing and speech. Pintscher's vocal writing explores the limits of expression: suspended phrases, broken breaths, and sudden outbursts. Peter does not seek wealth as in the original tale; he wants to rid himself of his heart, convinced that this burden is the cause of his suffering. A mistaken intuition, but excellent material for opera."

-ClassyKeo

VENERE E ADONE, STAATSOPER HAMBURG

IL VIAGGIO, DANTE, AIX-EN-PROVENCE

Dusapin: Il viaggio, Dante (World premiere) Festival d’Aix-en-Provence
"Jean-Sébastien Bou's Dante... was accompanied on this two-hour journey by towering American bass-baritone Evan Hughes as his companion, Virgilio."

-Opera News

BELSHAZZAR, OPERNAUS ZÜRICH

"Gobrias' opening aria, "Opressed with never ceasing grief," was magnificently intoned by American bass-baritone, Evan Hughes. Hughes' superb diction, sense of line, and noble stage presence, established him as the outstanding singer in this production."

-Opera News

"The bronze-gold voice of an Assyrian noble, Gobrias (the tremendous bass-baritone Evan Hughes), made for one of the great vocal highlights of the production."

-Bachtrack

"Ebenfalls das erste Mal in Zürich zu hören war der kalifornische Bass-Bariton Evan Hughes in der Partie des Gobrias. Mit seiner dunklen und noblen Stimme konnte auch er sehr für sich einnehmen."

-Das Opernmagazin

CINCINNATI SYMPHONY MESSIAH 

Evan Hughes, a formidable bass-baritone, riveted whenever he was performing. He navigated passages in the depth of his range with power and clarity, at times enunciating forcefully to convey a particularly solemn moment. What a joy it was to hear “The trumpet shall sound” in tandem with trumpeter Matthew Ernst - a stunning performance.

-Cincinnati Enquirer

​ENSEMBLE INTERCONTEMPORAIN, PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS

"Evan Hughes sera la découverte vocale de la soirée. Le baryton américain membre de la troupe de l’Opéra de Dresde prouve la solidité de l’ensemble de sa tessiture, dévoilant un timbre brillant et coloré."

(Evan Hughes will be the vocal discovery of the evening. The American baritone, member of the Dresden Opera ensemble (semperoper), proves the solidity of its entire tessitura, revealing a brilliant and colorful tone.)

-Forum Opéra

MET CHAMBER ENSEMBELE/ CARNEGIE HALL 

Bass-baritone Evan Hughes was exactly on target with the works varied expressions. Hughes gave a performance that would greatly have pleased Elliott Carter, much as it did those of us lucky enough to be in attendance. Levine’s leadership was well balanced and assured. The MET Chamber Ensemble’s players, particularly the winds, made a fine impression.

-Opera News

BOSTON LYRIC OPERA, LE NOZZE DI FIGARO​

"Bass-Baritone Evan Hughes made his BLO debut as a dashing, determined Figaro, swaggering through confident arias with superb vocal and physical presence."

-Boston Globe

"Making his Boston debut, Evan Hughes was a superlative Figaro.  His sturdy bass-baritone was perfectly focused, even, and sizable in scale. He tossed off his arias with ease, and appeared to have far more in vocal reserve.  He is tall and slim, and cuts a handsome stage presence.  This is one real find the company would do will to re-engage as often as possible."  

-The Edge Boston

"Across the board, the recitative (sung dialogue) from all singers was well-prepared, fluid, and funny.  Evan Hughes, a wily Figaro, has a bold and capable bass-baritone voice befitting the audacity of the character and possessed a lively energy.  He and Emily Birsan have honed a real onstage chemistry."

-The Theater Times

"Any production of this opera demands singers who can act, and in that regard the composer would have been quite pleased indeed.  Hughes and Birsan (Susanna) made a believable couple who could deliver musically and convey the lightness and poetry of the piece with genuine musicality and sparkling presence."

-South Shore critic

"Both leads showed fine, well-matched voices and lithe Mozartian instincts."

-Boston musical intelligencer 

WASHINGTON CONCERT OPERA

"A commanding presence both vocally and physically as Oroe, the High Priest of the Magi, young bass-baritone Evan Hughes brought muscle and nuance to the considerable range of his music. Beginning with a sinewy account of the recitative ‘Si, gran Nume, t’intesi’ in the opera’s Introduzione, he proceeded to a fiery voicing of Oroe’s lines in the quartetto with Semiramide, Assur, and Idreno, 'Di tanti Regi, e popoli.' In Act Two, his scene with the chorus, ‘In questo augusto soggiorno arcano,’ was sung with blazing intensity. The zeal with which Hughes’s Oroe incited Arsace to exact revenge on Assur was viscerally conveyed by the flinty grandiloquence of his singing. Hughes sounded as though he could have sung Assur on a moment’s notice, but his Oroe was the sonorously-sung dramatic spine of the performance." 

-Voix des Arts 

RECORDING: MATTHIAS PINTSCHER'S "BERESHIT" with Ensemble Intercontemporain

"C’est ici au tour du jeune et impeccable baryton Evan Hughes de se saisir de cette partition, à la vocalité finalement assez classique et conjointe, sans effets particuliers, permettant de mettre au mieux le texte au premier plan."

(It is here with the turn of the young and impeccable baritone Evan Hughes to seize this part, to vocality finally classical and joint, with no particular effects, allowing to put the best text in the foreground.)

-ResMusica, France

DON GIOVANNI, SEMPEROPER DRESDEN

"Gesanglich ist der junge Bassbariton Evan Hughes, vor kurzem noch als Leporello an der Komischen Oper zu erleben, durchaus kräftig-fulminant und eine hervorragende Wahl." (Vocally is the young Bass-Baritone Evan Hughes, who can be experienced at the Komische Oper as Leporello, is Strong and fulminant throughout, and an outstanding choice)

-Klassic.com, Germany

"...der Amerikaner Evan Hughes (Masetto) lagen in der Gunst des Publikums weit vorn."(The American Evan Hughes (Masetto) stood far forward in the favor of the public)

-MusikHeute, Germany

​DON GIOVANNI, KOMISCHE OPER BERLIN​

"Performed as per Komische Opera tradition in a German translation, it is simply hilarious, at times crude, and perfectly appropriate for the Komische Opera's standard 'naughty' filter. Sabrina Zwach's gritty translation, coupled (please do excuse this hilarious pun), with the fantastic physical comedy of Günter Papendell as Don Giovanni, and bass-baritone Evan Hughes singing Leporello had the audience laughing out loud almost throughout. It was fabulous."

-Bachtrack

LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, SEMPEROPER DRESDEN​

"Evan Hughes acted well as Figaro swaggering around as if he owned the stage, a persona matched by his equally confident singing."

- Seen and heard international​

"...Aus der Besetzung ragt Evan Hughes als agiler Titelheld im eleganten schwarzen Gehrock mit starker Präsenz und jungmännlich-virilem Timbre heraus. Prächtig singt er seine Arien..."

(...From the cast, Evan Hughes stands out as an agile title hero in an elegant black frock coat with a strong presence and virile-virile timbre. He sings his arias magnificently...

-Opera Lounge, Germany

LA PHILHARMONIC 

There was a surprising luxury casting among the smaller parts. Kelley O'Connor (who had brilliantly starred in the L.A. Phil's production of John Adams' "The Gospel According to the Other Mary") found a fuller character in Violetta's demimonde friend, Flora, than one typically encounters in a full production of the opera. Evan Hughes, best known for daring contemporary music (as is O'Connor), was imposing as the Baron Douphol, who duels with Alfredo.

-Mark Swed, LA TIMES

SANTA FE OPERA

Don José’s lieutenant, Zuniga, was impressively rendered by Evan Hughes, whose bass-baritone was so rich, round, and clear that one regretted not hearing more of him.

-Santa Fe New Mexican

…….

"Evan Hughes stands out as a confident, big-voiced Zuniga."

-SF Reporter

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"Evan Hughes’ Zuniga was deliciously sinister…"

-NY Times

……..

"Evan Hughes is notable for his portrayal of the sleazy Lieutenant Zuniga, a would-be Lothario who, in the process of Carmen’s escape from jail, ends up himself imprisoned with his trousers around his feet."

……….

"Don Fernando, the prime minister, just pops in briefly at the end to personify the forces of justice, but bass-baritone Evan Hughes made it his second attention-getting “small part” of the season, sounding every bit as alluring as he did when he sang Zuniga in Carmen and making one yearn to hear him in a lieder recital."

BBC CITY HALLS 

THE GUARDIAN UK, Kate Molleson, (BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra)

“Bass-Baritone Evan Hughes sang with warmth and gravitas.”

​COSI FAN TUTTE, LINCOLN CENTER

“The two standouts were Canadian Mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta, as Dorabella, and Californian Bass-Baritone Evan Hughes as Don Alfonso. Hughes Demonstrated impressive suavity in ensembles and well-timed edge in his recitatives, creating a character believably older and wiser than those of his fellow mozartians. “

-OPERA NEWS, F. Paul Driscoll