Acclaim

"L'Associazione M. Del Monaco ha offerto agli appassionati un concerto che ha visto avvicendarsi sul palco quattro giovani e già affermati artisti lirici, accompagnati al piano dalla nota M* Giuliana Panza. Il soprano Jessica Rose Cambio, perfezionatasi sotto la guida di Mirella Freni, timbro pieno e vibrante di schietto soprano lirico, si è esibita in brani di Charpentier, di Puccini, e della "Giovane Scuola", ottenendo caldi consensi, particolarmente in "Io son l'umile ancella" (A. Lecouvreur) e nella "Ballatella di Nedda" (Pagliacci)."

"Piazza d’onore all’americana Jessica Cambio (cognome da ascendenza italiana), con un’eccellente «Mi chiamano Mimì» pucciniana ed una «Mercè, dilette amiche» da I Vespri siciliani di Verdi, aria che richiede doti canore non posticce, resa con maestria, tanto che tra il pubblico (secondo un sondaggino al volo all’uscita dal Grande) diversi spettatori l’avrebbero collocata al primo posto."

"Den dritten Preis erhielt die Amerikanerin Jessica Rose Cambio (30) für ihre Interpretation von Neddas «Qual fiamma/Stridono lassù» aus Leoncavallos «I Pagliacci» -- eine Stimme, absolut stil - und höhensicher, mit farabsattem Timbre und natürlicher messa di voce, die man sich auch ganz oben in der Preishierarchie hätte vorstellen können."

"In contrast, the third prize winner, 30 year-old American soprano Jessica Rose Cambio, probably should have placed higher. She sang Nedda’s aria with rich, colorful tone, perfect style, a secure top, and a natural messa di voce."

"...et la troisième - Jessica Rose Cambio, qui après avoir bien caché son jeu durant les répétitions le matin-même, expose un joli timbre et un indéniable tempérament."

"And how will she spend her prize money? “Being a singer requires a lot of expenses,” she replied. “The cost of lessons, travel, hotels, wardrobe -- it adds up quickly.”

This reply was also echoed by American/Italian soprano Jessica Rose Cambio, whose brilliant account of “Stridono lassú” from Leoncavallo’s “I Pagliacci” won her the third prize of 3,500 euros. “I’ve sung in at least 50 competitions,” said Cambio, “and one prize just pays [all the expenses] for the next.”

"The jury, headed by renowned Italian soprano Mirella Freni, also chose Italian-American soprano Jessica Rose Cambio as the third place winner."

"Come in ogni concorso come si deve non sono mancate disapprovazioni sul verdetto. Qualcuno avrebbe preferito una voce «italiana» come quella dell'interessante soprano Jessica Cambio, cimentatasi con credibilità nell'Addio del passato da Traviata."

"Auch im Klassenraum verlässt sich die Sopranistin, die einst Karajan zu Tränen rührte («Sie hat nicht gesungen, es hat aus ihr gesungen»), auf ihr Gehör und ihr Bauchgefühl. Von Lehrmethoden im Gesangsunterricht hält sie nichts. «Jede Stimme ist anders, einzigartig. Ich höre nur auf die individuelle Stimme. Und auf die individuellen Probleme.» Zwischen Oktober und Juni arbeitet sie jede zweite Woche mit ihren Studenten. Jeden Tag, mit jedem einzeln. Wer nicht dran ist, schaut und hört zu. Mirella Freni macht keine großen Worte. Sie macht vor, was sie erwartet. Wenn sie etwas erklärt, spricht sie eine Sprache, die jeder der aus bisher 42 Nationen angereisten Eleven sofort versteht. Alles kommt gerade heraus: «Ich glaube, das Singen sollte die normalste, natürlichste Sache der Welt sein. Die Stimme, der Klang müssen frei sein und leicht. Wir dürfen gar nicht daran denken, dass wir einen Klang erzeugen.» Manchmal unterbricht sie schon vor dem ersten Ton. «Weil wir falsch stehen. Weil wir falsch atmen. Weil wir den Mund falsch aufmachen», erzählt die amerikanische Sopranistin Jessica Rose Cambio. «Sie gibt die Richtung vor, aber wir müssen selbst laufen. Da hat nun mal jeder von uns einen anderen Gang.» Und den will Mirella Freni niemandem nehmen. Vielleicht hängen die Studenten ihr auch deshalb an den Lippen, weil sie diese persönliche Zuwendung spüren (siehe Statements). Die Gabe, jedem Einzelnen genau das zu vermitteln, was er braucht, um seinen Weg zu finden."

"Mirella Freni weiß ganz genau, was sie von uns will. Sie hat das Ohr einer Außerirdischen. Es gibt Dinge, die nur Mirella Freni hört. Das verschlägt einem manchmal die Sprache. Wir kommen mit sehr verschiedenen Erfahrungen und Techniken nach Modena. Mit ihrer Hilfe wollen wir verstehen lernen, wie man diesen schönen, natürlichen Klang erzeugt, der ihr vorschwebt. Dabei geht es vor allem um den richtigen Sitz der Stimme, um die Projektion des Klangs in der Maske, um den Kopf als Resonanzraum. Sie fordert alles, aber sie drängt uns nichts auf. Ich fühle mich absolut sicher bei ihr."

"Che la critica e il pubblico non siano quasi mai stati d’accordo è consueto."

"Una sorprendente esclusione dal podio del soprano italoamericano Jessica Rose Cambio - Decisione della giuria rispettata ma assolutamente non condivisa. Da nessuno."

"Ma è stata l’assegnazione del primo posto a lasciare di sasso tutti i presenti, quando tutti pensavano a Jessica Rose Cambio, soprano americano che vive a Modena, voilà il coup du théâtre."

"Chi decisamente lo avrebbe meritato è stata Jessica Rose Cambio che ha dato letteralmente vita a Violetta in 'Addio del passato' trasmettendone tutta l’angoscia e la rassegnazione. Forse ha pagato il fatto che gli ultimi vincitori del Concorso sono stati quattro soprani."

"Jessica Rose Cambio si presenta con 'Addio del Passato' da La traviata, eseguita molto bene, dall’intensa lettura della lettera, ai bei piani di cui è intrisa l’aria, esibendosi con una voce morbida e rotonda, ricca di colori e di accenti."

"Il verdetto è francamente deludente. Considerata infatti la prova finale dei dieci concorrenti, a cui abbiamo assistito, si ritiene che si sarebbero potute fare scelte diverse valorizzando, magari, la buona esecuzione del soprano Jessica Rose Cambio che ha cantato Traviata."

(translated from Hebrew)

"At the head of the singers is the excellent Jessica Rose Cambio (Mimi). Her sweet round voice has softness, and at the same time it is both well-placed and even somewhat penetrating. These qualities remind us somewhat of Mirella Freni, and there is no reason Cambio shouldn't have the distinguished career of that great soprano."

"As Violetta, soprano Jessica Rose Cambio emerged as a major voice, large and glamorous in timbre, understanding the sweeping Verdi style. She is also a natural actress."

"The tragic love story of a self-sacrificing courtesan, Verdi’s "La Traviata" is the ultimate in operatic romance — and for its central soprano, a vocal and emotional roller coaster with few peers. "Violetta is one of the greatest characters ever written," says Jessica Rose Cambio, who will sing the lead role with Opera at Florham on Sunday. The opera will be semi-staged with a small orchestra led by conductor Robert W. Butts.

The performance will be Cambio’s second time essaying the challenging but rewarding part, widely regarded as one of the canon’s richest leading ladies. "I think she stands for a lot of women," Cambio says. "Not that a lot of women are courtesans, of course, but her emotions are very real. The only sort of false thing about her is the pretense she puts on in front of her friends that she’s strong."

When the opera begins, Violetta, feeble with tuberculosis but experiencing a spate of better health, attends a raucous party. The guests sing the well-known "Libiamo" drinking song, with Violetta and her suitor Alfredo leading the crowd. "She starts off the opera in this vulnerable place," says Cambio. "She’s finally feeling better and the first thing she does is go to a party in order to feel loved and included. I think also not to be alone."

Alfredo captures her heart, even as she sings her soaring aria, "Sempre libera" ("Always free"), which she begins wounded, believing he has abandoned her, and ends joyously, as he appears. "She lets herself go to be with him," says Cambio. "You know how it is when you fall for someone — whether it’s good for you or not, it’s hard to stay away."

Violetta and Alfredo begin a life together, before his father Germont and then her illness intervene. In one of opera’s most touching final scenes, the lovers are reunited before Violetta’s death, and sing a gently rocking duet.

While extended operatic death scenes can seem unnatural, Cambio finds a link to reality in Violetta’s interspersed periods of weakness and vivacity by comparing them to those that she observed in her late grandmother’s final weeks. "People make fun of operas all the time because the tenor gets stabbed and 30 minutes later he dies, but it makes sense in the libretto and the context," she says.

Violetta is a career high point for many sopranos, and for Cambio to be on her second round at 28 is an impressive accomplishment. The three leads all have impressive credits. Tenor Luigi Boccia, a resident artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, will play Alfredo. Baritone Jonathan Beyer, who has recently been performing with the Opera Company of Philadelphia, will play Germont. Cambio, who is currently attending Mannes College the New School for Music, has distinguished herself with first prizes at the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition and the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, among many other awards. She made her professional debut singing scenes from Puccini’s "La Bohème" with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. After completing degrees at the University of Rhode Island and the University of Southern California, she went on to AVA — but just for one year, before she won a competition and a contract in Rome. An Italian-American with dual citizenship, Cambio thrived in Italy and studied several roles with the venerable soprano and teacher Renata Scotto. "She’s like an encyclopedia of interpretation," Cambio says. "It was an honor. I hope that I can do her and Giuseppe Verdi some justice."

"Jessica Rose Cambio enchanted us with "Ah, il suo nome... Flammen, perdonami!" from Mascagni's rarity Lodoletta. Ms. Cambio really moved the heart of the listener with her lovely expressive soprano. Her creamy, dreamy portamenti and floating tones were haunting. Lodoletta should be revived just for Ms. Cambio."