Whatever else one can say about Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves, one thing is certain: It contains one of the most demanding roles for soprano in all opera…Lauren Snouffer turns in a powerhouse performance as the heroine…And as Bess develops from the girlish fiancée of the opening to the self-sacrificing wife of the climax, she has to radiate commitment at every step. Snouffer does that in spades. Compelling as she has been in roles as varied as Cherubino in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and the cheerful Sister Constance in Poulenc’s The Dialogues of the Carmelites, the intensity and vividness of Snouffer’s Bess on Saturday delivered a whole new impact. Snouffer built the intensity rapidly. She sketched in Bess’ first description of Jan, which opens the opera, in light, playful tones; her voice soared and blossomed to reveal the new bride’s passion. When Jan’s departure for the rig brought on Bess’ first burst of agitation, Snouffer sang with an edge and urgency that suggested Bess had more anxiety waiting to come out. And as events pushed Bess to new emotional extremes, Snouffer’s voice rang with more and more abandon, even taking on the grittiness of desperation at times. When Bess channeled what she imagined as the voice of God—embodied musically and visually by the elders—her dry, bloodless half-singing made the aura all the more nightmarish. Yet Snouffer pulled back from all that and returned to sweet, quiet tones when Bess harkened to the hope and devotion that sustained her. Dramatically, Snouffer also faced a tall order from revival director Sara Brodie: While charting Bess’ trajectory from smiling bride to fatalistic man-chaser, the directors at one point demonstrated Bess’ abjectness by having her shed nearly all her clothes as she begged a man to take her. Snouffer played that out with the same conviction she brought every scene, be it idyllic or horrific.
Texas Classical Voice, Steven Brown
Soprano Lauren Snouffer triumphed in this leading role, mastering Bess’s several modes – girlish delight and naiveté, sexual ecstasy, searing emotional pain, and spiritual transport – both audibly and visually. Her singing voice has an attractively full and smooth tone, but her dramatic power lay in her ability to modulate quickly between youthful-sounding lightness to eerie madness or to strident desperation. Snouffer’s performance alone is worth the price of admission...
Houston Chronicle, Gregory Barnett
The production is marvelously sung, however. Mazzoli gives them a workout. Lauren Snouffer is outstanding as conflicted Bess, out of her league as a sex worker, but utterly determined to please her man. Her high notes were stratospheric in the extreme, beautifully phrased, and as an actress she can’t be bettered. This is a defining portrait, and she ran with it with every fiber of her being.
Houston Press, D. L. Groover
Soprano Lauren Snouffer embraced the incredibly challenging role of Bess with fearless commitment. Her delivery of the opening aria, “His name is Jan,” is filled with tenderness. Whether portraying Bess’s anxiety with leaps to long high notes, displaying anger with quick repetition of “late, late, late,” or reveling in pure ecstasy when repeating Jan’s name, Snouffer’s vocal prowess, matched in equal measure by her vulnerable physicality, brought Bess’s psychological journey to vivid life. Her bell-like tone rang clear in the high register with uncanny accuracy, and her low, eerie voice when possessed by the voice of God sent chills down the spine.
earrelevant, Sherry Cheng
Lauren Snouffer embodies Mélisande’s fragile strangeness with a radiant lyric soprano.
Dallas Morning News, Scott Cantrell
Soprano Lauren Snouffer perfectly embodied the apprehensive and elusive Melisande…
Texas Classical Review, William McGinney
Lauren Snouffer makes the most exquisitely sung – and expressively acted – Pamina I have ever seen. Catch her if you can.
inews.co.uk, Michael Church
Part of this is successfully achieved through the inspired casting of American soprano Lauren Snouffer as Pamina, whose charismatic assertiveness and vivid fluent singing make it clear that no matter what the script says, here is a woman in charge of her life.
The Arts Desk, Rachel Halliburton
Here we get close to the depressive and clairvoyant Justine – phenomenally portrayed by the vocally agile Lauren Snouffer. She becomes a classic opera heroine, dressed in white, seemingly sleepwalking with her stratospheric soprano calling out to a dark and uncomprehending outside world.
Dagens Nyheter, Camilla Lundberg
Le plus beau chant, et le style le plus accompli, sont à chercher, ce soir, du côté de Lauren Snouffer, distribuée en Musica (curieusement présentée comme une femme traitée pour un cancer), puis en Speranza.
Opéra Magazine, David Shengold
As Romilda, soprano Lauren Snouffer delivered beautifully dark, shimmering tone and thrilling melismatic ornamentation.
Opera News, Jennifer Goltz
In this iconic “trousers role,” Snouffer literally bounds into Act I and never stops bounding. Playing a boy who’s continually in love with someone, anyone, but the Countess is his unrequited desire, she’s an utter delight…It’s her voice, of course, that seals the deal, as she gloriously sings her heart out with Mozart as perfect accompanist. Snouffer’s a scene stealer of the highest order, and it takes quite a lot to make an impression with so many other scene stealers in sight in this picturesque co-production from Houston Grand Opera and Glyndebourne Festival.
Houston Press, D.L. Groover
As his sweetheart, Mabel, Lauren Snouffer made her appearance in a flurry of coloratura. She proceeded to wow with crystalline high notes in her delicious song, “Poor wand’ring one.” She charmed every minute she appeared.
Cincinnati Business Courier, Janelle Gelfand
Snouffer and Hampson gave polished, highly convincing performances. Snouffer’s demanding solos filled the hall, but her voice also stirred compassion for the young maid in a fix, a woman employed by a married man who’s awfully keen to please her. Snouffer also demonstrated a mastery of her soprano that was as inviting as it was well-tempered, as colourful as it was secure.
Bachtrack, Sarah Batschelet
Vor allem Lauren Snouffer, die Sängerin der Titelrolle, weiss die Expressivität der Gesangslinien mit ihrem blühenden Sopran zu nutzen. In ihrer Darstellung der Griet wird die Zerrissenheit der Figur zwischen den banalen Hausarbeitspflichten als Dienstmädchen und ihren aufkeimenden künstlerischen Ambitionen berührend deutlich. Überdies verfügt Snouffer szenisch über ein reicheres Mienenspiel als die etwas wächsern-maskenhafte Scarlett Johansson in der gleichnamigen Verfilmung von Peter Webber.
Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Christian Wildhagen
L’Américaine Lauren Snouffer, qui reprend le rôle, est plus qu’un prix de consolation : alter ego vocal de Hannigan, dont elle fut la doublure pour la création mondiale de Written on Skin, de George Benjamin, elle possède une belle et originale personnalité, qui donne envie de la revoir et de la réentendre bientôt.
Télérama, Sophie Bourdais
Lauren Snouffer…incarne Gerda. Son timbre doux comme une neige poudreuse reste homogène sur un large ambitus très sollicité. Elle s’acquitte avec succès et précision des difficultés rythmiques de sa partition, mais aussi des défis techniques comme ces lentes vocalises, sinusoïdes parcourant les registres par des lignes escarpées qu’elle accompagne d’un geste de la main.
Olyrix, Damien Dutilleul
Écrit à l’origine pour Barbara Hannigan, la soprano canadienne qui a incité le compositeur à écrire de la musique vocale, le rôle de Gerda est ici repris par Lauren Snouffer, qui porte bravement sur ses épaules si frêles d’apparence (on donnerait volontiers à la jeune femme l’âge du rôle, tant elle se montre crédible en fillette courageuse et déterminée) une partition où elle est de toutes les scènes ou presque, aigus éprouvants à l’appui, qu’elle aborde sans problème apparent.
Opera Forum, Catherine Jordy
Snouffer has the voice and the attitude to grow into a memorable Lulu. She played the temptress with delicious abandon, feline grace and a light, clear soprano that rose easily to coloratura.
Opera News, Roberto Herrscher
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Discography
Recognized for her unique artistic curiosity in world-class performances spanning the music of Claudio Monteverdi and Georg Frideric Handel through to Missy Mazzoli and Sir George Benjamin, American Lauren Snouffer is celebrated as one of the most versatile and respected sopranos on the international stage.
Lauren Snouffer celebrates three high profile role debuts this season: the title role of Debussy’s hallowed Pelléas et Mélisande in a new production at The Dallas Opera directed by Jetske Mijnssen led by Ludovic Morlot, Bess McNeil in Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s adaptation of Lars von Trier’s acclaimed feature film Breaking the Waves at the Houston Grand Opera in a production by Tom Morris with Patrick Summers on the podium, and the title role of Handel’s Semele at The Atlanta Opera in a new production staged by General and Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun under the baton of Christine Brandes. No less dynamic is the soprano’s concert calendar of 2024-25, which includes debuts at the at the Salzburg Mozartwoche in a program of Haydn and Mozart conducted by Roberto González- Monjas and with the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra and conductor Elena Schwarz in performances of Hans Abrahamsen’s Let me tell you paired with Mahler’s Fourth Symphony. Further concert performances include Schoenberg’s Second String Quartet with the Telegraph Quartet under the auspices of DaCamera of Houston, Handel’s Alceste with Peter Whelan and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and Messiah under Patrick Dupré Quigley leading Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and with Scott Hanoian and the Ann Arbor Symphony.
During the past season Lauren Snouffer made a Glyndebourne Festival debut as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte under the baton of Constantin Trinks and she created the principal role of Justine in the world premiere of Mikael Karlsson and Royce Vavrek’s opera Melancholia at the Royal Swedish Opera. On the concert stage, she returned to The Cleveland Orchestra to join Daniel Harding for Mahler’s Fourth Symphony paired with Ces belles années, by Besty Jolas, and gave semi-staged concert performances of Sir George Benjamin’s Written on Skin with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the composer. Additional performances included Stravinsky’s cantata Les Noces with both the Orchestre de Paris and San Francisco Symphony conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the Houston Symphony led by Music Director Juraj Valčuha. An acclaimed artist in music of the Baroque Era, Lauren Snouffer appeared with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Dame Jane Glover in Handel’s Messiah and in Bach’s St. John Passion with the Seattle Symphony under the baton of Nicholas McGegan.
Lauren Snouffer’s concert profile has yielded marvelous results with many of the world’s most distinguished conductors and orchestras including performances with Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra, Rafaël Pichon and the Handel & Haydn Society, Maasaki Suzuki and the San Francisco Symphony, Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony, Jaap van Zweden and the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert conducting the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Edo de Waart and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and with Marin Alsop and the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo.
Operatic performances on leading international stages have fortified the soprano’s place as one of the eminent interpreters of contemporary music; she created the title role in Stefan Wirth’s Girl with a Pearl Earring with Opernhaus Zürich and portrayed the lead role in Hans Abrahamsen’s The Snow Queen at Opera National du Rhin. She assayed the title role of Berg’s Lulu in a new production at the Teatro Municipal de Santiago conducted by Pedro-Pablo Prudencio and directed by Mariame Clément, and returned to Houston Grand Opera for the world premieres of The Phoenix by composer Tarik O’Regan and librettist John Caird and The House Without a Christmas Tree by Ricky Ian Gordon and Royce Vavrek. Closely associated with Sir George Benjamin’s Written on Skin, Lauren Snouffer has performed this compelling opera under the composer’s baton at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, with the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, and Opera Philadelphia
Further international performances include Die Zauberflöte at the Opernhaus Zürich and Seattle Opera, La clemenza di Tito and Orphée et Eurydice at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Rossini’s Le comte Ory at Seattle Opera and Il barbiere di Siviglia at Austin Opera, Hasse’s Siroe at the Opéra Royal de Versailles, with additional performances in Budapest and Vienna, Xerxes at Detroit Opera, and Monteverdi’s Orfeo with a world premiere orchestration by Nico Muhly at Santa Fe Opera. Past seasons include Houston Grand Opera performances of Dialogues des Carmélites in a production by Francesca Zambello and Le nozze di Figaro conducted by Harry Bicket in a production by Michael Grandage as well as presentations of Carousel, Show Boat, The Rape of Lucretia, and L’italiana in Algeri.
A Grammy Award-nominated artist, her impactful recording catalogue includes Hasse’s Siroe and Handel’s Ottone with George Petrou for Decca, Gottschalk’s Requiem for the Living with Vladimir Lande on Novona Records, Grantham’s La cancíon desesperada conducted by Craig Hella Johnson on Harmonia Mundi, and Feldman’s Rothko Chapel with Steven Schick for ECM.
An alumna of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Lauren Snouffer was graduated from Rice University and The Juilliard School.
Melancholia, Royal Swedish Opera
Melancholia, Royal Swedish Opera
Girl With A Pearl Earring, Opernhaus Zürich
The Snow Queen, Opéra national du Rhin
Clori, Tirsi e Fileno, Ars Lyrica Houston
Non sa che sia dolore, BWV 209, Ars Lyrica Houston
Ottone, Il Pomo d'Oro
Arminio, Handel Festival Karlsruhe
Written on Skin, Opera Philadelphia
Contact
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Tel: 929.777.0775
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