press

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony - Teatro Real Madrid

“Leonardo Capalbo as tenor soloist; a bright and intense voice.” 

-Jordi Lledó Palomares, Platea Magazine, September 2020 

Don Carlos - Opera Vlaanderen

“[Stage director Johan] Simons risks to keep the infante on stage for the entire night. Don Carlos sits, walks, is silent or sings and does so in, on or next to the crib that he carries with him. Physically, this Carlos is not a fool. He comes straight out of the gym, a T-shirt strapped around the torso of the virile tenor Leonardo Capalbo. Carlos's appearance exudes power, from the inside he is a dreamer. In the depth of his mind, he tinkers within a world without human footing. Watch him lug around geometric objects, they become more and more beautiful shapes and colors.”

-Guido van Oorschot, de Volkskrant, September 2019

“It is a fine piece of acting by the American tenor Leonardo Capalbo who puts as fluent a legato in his singing as in his movements.”

-Sylvia Broeckaert, Het Journaal, September 2019

“Johan Simons comes from the theater and you can tell. He knows how to lead his singers, especially in Leonardo Capalbo he has an ideal young Don Carlos. Capalbo is an excellent tenor who dominates the demanding role of Don Carlos.”

-Hans Reul, BRF, September 2019

“Tenor Leonardo Capalbo, singing quite smoothly, is a driving force in the title role.”

-Mischa Spel, nrc.nl, September 2019

“We see the spry Italian-American tenor Leonardo Capalbo, a Don Carlos in a white T-shirt, constantly busy with the props. He relives all key moments as dream scenes in his confused universe. His immature spirit finds a symbol in a bed and a large box of blocks with enormous toys, propelled in dance.”

-Geert Van Der Speeten, De Stanaard, September 2019

[Johan] Simons lets Carlos hang out on stage for almost the entire evening, wearing simple clothes, barefoot, touching on to the other characters (even his father), lugging and rolling with stage pieces. He depicts a kind of hallucinating state just before Carlos's death. Fortunately, tenor Leonardo Capalbo is in physical form and possesses a pleasing appearance that can easily handle such a long exposure. He also sings very well. When Capalbo suddenly comes on the stage during the big auto da fe scene, the public spectacle where heretics enter the stake, he has a burning torch in his hands. Because Simons has omitted all stage attributes until that time, that very present burning torch suddenly becomes a daunting image after two hours. Dangerous. Not the heretics burn, but the idealist Carlos is on fire. And Simons has more in store for Carlos. Finally, when Carlos' grandfather Charles V takes him to the better world of the afterlife, Simons lets his Carlos look into the theater in front of the stage in the midst of choir members in normal clothing. The afterlife, it seems to me, Carlos seems to be saying here under the authority of Simons. If I want to mean something, I have to do it here and now.

-Peter van der Lint, Trouw, September 2019

“At the beginning of the opera, Don Carlos [Leonardo Capalbo] is lying on an iron bed in a monastery. His life is over. Repulsed by his father, consumed by the impossible love for his stepmother. He seems to close his eyes for a moment. A glimpse into the room, an invitation to relive his terrible life with him. You step inside his tormented head to look over his suffering like a crown witness. In addition, geometric figures constantly appear: cylinders, prisms, spheres and circles. Don Carlos constantly plays with it. As if he is still a child who plays with the blocks and never grew up. Which was also the case in real life. The man was a little behind mentally. The bed with the iron bars is constantly coming back. It looks like the child's bed that Don Carlos has never outgrown. You can view it as well as a metaphor for the prison of life in which the king's son found himself. A small arm movement, a raised eyebrow, a sigh. You feel the pain of every character for four hours. When the curtain falls, Don Carlos is gone. But he will wander in everyone's head for a long time to come.”

-Koen Van Boxem, De Tijd, September 2019

“[Johan] Simons makes exceptional physical demands on Leonardo Capalbo’s Carlos. Not only was Capalbo on stage throughout the four-hour long evening, he didn’t stop moving throughout – whether running around the auditorium, pulling Flemish deputies along the floor, and observing events…Capalbo brought Italianate ardour to the title role, singing with generous abandon and virile, full-throated tone. He gave so much of himself to us, both vocally and physically, never holding back.”

-operatraveller.com, September 2019

“Psychoanalysis and politics come together on the basis of the work itself: Don Carlos [Leonardo Capalbo] suffers from the Oedipus complex. In love with his step-mother, he tries to forget it by devoting himself to the defense of Flanders, but then he enters into a double conflict (political and sentimental) with his father. To represent this aspect and all these issues, the story is here seen exclusively through the psyche, the psychoanalyzed dream of a Don Carlos adult-infant, a tall baby rising in his crib like a child who wants to finish his nap, who wants to come out of this nightmare.

The drama is thus lived through the torment of Don Carlos and approached via the trauma of the separation which brings about a nostalgic flashback to each meeting, abolishing the continuity of time, place and action (even more than it is not already in this book and the genre of opera).

Dream of love and heroism, taboo fantasy, nightmare: all these universes must be composed by the tenor Leonardo Capalbo in the role of Don Carlos. Constantly barefoot and in his pajamas (even to cross the forest), he must implore with suffering tearfulness at the same time as he waves an Olympic torch to proclaim himself the savior of the Flemish people. His dramatic and vocal performance is constantly intense and powerful. The overall effect relies upon a lower register of baritonal weight with covered high notes. The ensemble of the whole line breathes as strong and sharp edged: rendering from beginning to end the inner nature of his characterization. In addition, his use of articulation reflects a clear work on French prose.”

-Charles Arden, Olyrix, September 2019

“The idea of the Dutch Director [Johan Simons] is that the Infante of Spain retraces the steps of his life’s sad love affairs, disturbed by matters of State. Interweaving dream with reality is the excellent Leonardo Capalbo who interprets him naturalistically, ever present upon the stage, for over three hours of opera, alternating his own parts of the score with moments in which he instead acts as an invisible observer of the surrounding facts, but also as a spectator who does not limit himself to being passive but moves the elements of the scenography almost as if he wanted to intervene throughout the course of the story. 

The young Italian-American tenor Leonardo Capalbo gives an intense interpretation, displaying a voice of beautiful timbre, ringing tone and of ideal potency, particularly melodious, so much so that in the duets he contributes greatly to make them more pleasurable.”

-Alma Torretta, Il giornale della musica, September 2019

“Fortunately Johan Simons has Leonardo Capalbo as Don Carlos. He is constantly on the stage as a result of the dramaturgical idea. He walks about the scene as if he were always at home there: he shifts the props as the best stage hand. He is especially busy with a number of beds on wheels. It is a pleasure to watch him by the way he walks around, listens, gestures with his arms. All this silent play commands admiration. But opera is about singing. As a singing prince, he is just as convincing across the board: passionately and painfully propelling the performance musically in all his arias. The Don Carlos of Leonardo Capalbo is very convincing.”

-Johan Thielemans, Pzazz, September 2019

”The tenor Leonardo Capalbo is a valiant Don Carlos, with an undeniable dramatic temperament and unquestionable vocal health: a greater range of nuances would be advantageous, but what sonorous presence and what scenic veracity!”

-Benedict Hévry, Resmusica, September 2019

“The role of Don Carlos is itself a magical feat from Leonardo Capalbo, who is constantly on stage. After all, the production is conceived in such a way that the whole story takes place in his mind. Like a dream or flashback? In any case, he sees everything happening again. Furthermore, there is only praise for Capalbo's performance: he sings with a clear tenor voice, excellent diction and captivates as well as yearning lover (the aforementioned Fontainebleau scene and the gripping farewell of Elisabeth at the end of the opera), but also as a militant rebel (auto da fe scene) and as a sincere friend - in one of those other highlights of the show: his visit from friend Rodrigue while imprisoned. Apart from the context of "memories" in which Carlos is placed here, we experience him as a sensitive young man, not an instigator, but a tragic figure.“

-Lucrèce Maeckelbergh, Klassiek Centraal, September 2019

“In the title role, the Italian-American tenor Leonardo Capalbo stands out as an interpreter of choice in this repertoire: compared to the time when we heard him in a role like Ismaele (Nabucco in Geneva in 2014), the timbre has undeniably gained in size, and his phrasing in relevance. The acting is all the more amazing as he is omnipresent on stage, always truthful and touching at the same time.”

-Emmanuel Andrieu, Opera Online, September 2019

“The Italian-American tenor Leonardo Capalbo gives his youth all the tragic magnitude needed - even if it turns out that the true Charles of Austria had nothing of the romantic hero: product of repeated incestuous unions, he was deformed, epileptic and cruel.”

-Valerie Colin, L’Echo, September 2019

“The Italian-American Leonardo Capalbo is an impressive title character, who smashes the most powerful notes from the most unthinkable positions, which he has to occupy as a madman in beds and between building blocks. With never-ending strength, he brings the prince to life on the verge of madness, and is also capable of fine piani and impresses me deeply in his nuanced interpretation of the role.”

-Jochen Rüth, Der Opern Freund, September 2019

“Above all, the American tenor Leonardo Capalbo as Don Carlos, whose role vocally and dramatically equaled a marathon. Johan Simons demanded a lot from his title hero, who was on the stage continuously during the almost four-hour evening - always on the move, watching and acting. Vocally, however, he was without reproach and sang to the end with radiant, emotional voice and charismatic heights.”

-Alexandra Richter, Das OpernMagazin, September 2019

“Leonardo Capalbo valiantly assumes his role as extraverted idealist with a beautiful well-produced lyric tenor and excellent French diction. The staging obviously pushes him to the extreme though one can not reproach him for somewhat uniformly strong singing which he aims to nuance whenever possible.” 

-Alfred Caron, Avant Scène Opéra, October 2019

“Tenor Leonardo Capalbo, who interprets the morbid nature of Don Carlos as an autistic uniform fixation upon recognition of his father, love of his other half and profane rule, first carefully puzzles abstract blocks together to allow them to collide afterwards.  These elements can be used figuratively as well as conceptually, and precisely this scenographic openness is an invitation to the imagination of the public. Furthermore, the early passion between Leonardo Capalbo and Mary Elizabeth Williams is very authentic.”

-Jan-Jakob Delanoye, Cutting Edge, October 2019

“By having Carlos constantly present, watching and sometimes participating in scenes where in Verdi's original he is omitted, Simon presented Leonardo Capalbo with a challenge, expanding the role considerably, one to which Capalbo rose magnificently. Leonardo Capalbo is a lyric tenor moving slowly into more dramatic territory. His current repertoire includes Rigoletto and La Traviata, but also Don Jose in Bizet's Carmen and the title role of Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffman as well as a remarkable appearance as Massenet's Le Cid with Dorset Opera. Because of the production's concept as being in Don Carlos' memory. Capalbo created a strong and passionate character, one who was involved with the other protagonists via the sequence of striking scenes which Verdi and his librettists articulated the opera (in the original Don Carlos is does not actually spend very long alone) With Capalbo clearly responding to Johan Simons' strong and detailed personenregie, the result was a series of gripping encounters, and the overall concept gave Capalbo the chance to reveal more of Don Carlos' character than would normally be possible. Capalbo was a fallible, powerfully human Carlos, passionate and unable to let go of the past, rather than damaged or idiotic, and throughout Capalbo sang with a fine, open dramatic tone yet with a lovely intimacy in the quieter moments.”

-Robert Hugill, Planet Hugill, October 2019

Don Carlo -  Grange Park Opera

“Passionate and richly coloured in the title role.”

-Yehuda Shapiro, The Stage, June 2019

“[Leonardo Capalbo] is supremely at ease, vocally and dramatically. Capalbo’s interpretation makes Don Carlo a believable character: a young man who, through errors and reflection, eventually matures. Full command of his voice is such that it rings with the exuberance of youth written into the role by Verdi and his librettists, while the contrast of colour in certain scenes – such as Posa’s death or the farewell from Elisabetta – is beautifully and movingly rendered.”

-Valeria Vescina, Seen and Heard, June 2019

“In the Act 4 duet with Elisabetta, when Carlo has finally overcome his childish, petulant nature to become truly heroic, [Capalbo] was singing with warmth to add to that strength and to his smooth phrasing.”

-David Karlin, Bachtrack, June 2019

“This power-packed performance by Leonardo Capalbo has everything you want from an Italian tenor – elegant notes and phrasing, a really focused drive forwards and dashing appearance.”

-Claudia Pritchard, Culture Whisper, June 2019

“Leonardo Capalbo ran on, vividly emoting and we were in no doubt as to this Don Carlo's youth, humanity and sheer personal intensity. There was no doubting his commitment and the vibrancy of his performance, as he obsessed over Elisabetta. Capalbo brought a nice intensity to his quiet singing, particularly in the tense Act Two scene with Elisabetta, and by Act Three he was a changed man. Central to Capalbo's performance was the journey that Don Carlo goes on, this strutting peacock of a man learns control and balance, so that his final scene with Elisabetta was moving indeed for the understated nature of their pair's emotions, their control and maturity.”

-Robert Hugill, Opera Today, June 2019

Rigoletto - Calgary Opera

“Capalbo’s unbuttoned style of singing is eminently convincing for this over-the-top duke, who is confident and dissolute in equal measure. With his strong voice and ringing top notes, he handled the high-flying role remarkably well. The last scene, with “La donna é mobile” and the famous quartet, was easily the most enjoyed moment in the evening, the audience exploding in applause.

-Kenneth Delong, Calgary Herald, April 2019

Candide - London Symphony Orchestra

“As Candide, Leonardo Capalbo sang with glowing tenorial warmth, and struck a wistful tone in his lament.”

-John Allison, The Telegraph, December 2018

“You have to sit back and relish, without cynicism, all the ridiculous twists and turns, convenient coincidences and improbable events that unfold as the naive Candide, winningly played by Leonardo Capalbo, finds out what life is really all about.”

-Rebecca Franks, The Times, December 2018

“There was a good cast. As Candide, Leonardo Capalbo combined a fine tenor voice and appealing personality.”

-Richard Fairman, Financial Times, December 2018

“Leonardo Capalbo brought the unfortunate non-hero’s numbers a lovely Italianate glow.”

-Jessica Duchin, The Arts Desk, December 2018

“Leonardo Capalbo’s big tenor is quite a showstopper at full tilt, and he deployed it magnificently in Candide’s music, especially the Lament and the Broadway-style ‘Make our garden grow’ conclusion; he also kept us guessing as to Candide’s true nature.”

-Peter Reed, Classical Source, December 2018

“The stellar cast was led by Leonardo Capalbo, who as Candide revealed a beautifully expansive voice that also felt extremely solid and controlled, and Jane Archibald, who achieved just the right sense of ‘flutter’ in her coloratura in Cunegonde’s ‘Glitter and Be Gay’. They also brought a depth of emotion to ‘Oh, Happy We’ that only comes when such duets are sung by genuine operatic voices.”

-Sam Smith, musicOMH, December 2018

“Our Candide was tenor Leonardo Capalbo, who gets the first word in his verse of ‘Life is happiness indeed’. Capalbo’s voice is full and rounded, aspects that paid full dividends in his Lament (‘Cunegonde, Cunegonde, Cunegonde,/Is this all then?’); the beauty of Bernstein’s music was fully relished by singer and orchestra. Together, Capalbo and [Jane] Archibald seemed the perfect vocal pairing: whether or not the text of ‘Oh happy we’ is a deliberate reference to Handel or not (Acis), there was no doubting the sentiment in Capalbo and Archibald’s rendition. These two have the final word in ‘Make Our Garden Grow’; appropriately, this was heard as high beauty, Alsop shaping the performance to allow this full dramatic resonance.”

-Colin Clark, Seen and Heard International, December 2018

“Leonardo Capalbo’s Candide moved from a lighter, almost naïve, tone at the start to a weighty helden-tenor in the final scenes.”

-Brian Hick, Lark Reviews, December 2018

Rigoletto - Royal Swedish Opera

“Leonardo Capalbo is the personification of the Duke: handsome, sensitive, elegant and dashing but also temperamental and cynically complacent – and he sings like a god with beautiful tone, exquisite nuances, tossing off his top notes with brilliance and glow. ‘La donna è mobile’ is sung with seductive rubatos and becoming nonchalance.”

-Göran Forsling, Seen and Heard, December 2018

“Tenor Leonardo Capalbo is both vocally and dramatically a sultry and fiery Duke; a restless destructive Don Giovanni who maniacally seeks new women to conquer. His devotion in suffering does not only seduce Gilda, but also the Maddalena of Katarina Leoson and Ella Morin’s page.”

-Karen Helander, Svenska Dagbladet, November 2018

“The Duke, well sung by Leonardo Capalbo, is the arch villain here, though he is driven by forces that seem unstoppable. As the embodiment of all the world's self-centered men, it appears when he bursts into the famous "La donna é mobile" and complains of the fickleness of women when he himself only wants to go after the next one.”

-Bjorn G Stenberg, Upsala Nya Tidning, November 2018

“Leonardo Capalbo makes an interesting interpretation of the Duke, passionate, powerful and emotionally unstable, and sings well despite a cold on premiere night. In his hands, ‘La donna è mobile’ feels like an emotional projection: when he sings about how lightweight and unreliable women are, he really describes himself. ‘Rigoletto’ is about power and powerlessness. It originates in the 16th century, but the Duke of Mantua, the alpha-male around which everything circles, is a timeless figure. Not least in terms of #MeToo, he feels eerily contemporary. He is rich, has an appetite for women, respects no one, is feared by many and gets away with everything. His charm and beautiful exterior make women fall for him - he has a luminous power, which makes it logical that his solo arias are the most powerful in the opera. ‘La donna è mobile’ and ‘Questa o quella’ in his time are equivalent to macho-hiphop hit songs like Lil Wayne's ‘Love Me.’”

-Nicholas Ringskog Ferrada-Noli, Dagens Nyheter, November 2018

“What stays with you like a stab in the side afterwards is Leonardo Capalbo’ s Duke. He breaks down every girl, woman, daughter, mother, under every coat of arms, without distinction, confident of his own charm. While the male collective all around turns away from this flagrant power addict. It is very nasty. While his tenor is brilliant, distinct and free.”

-Gunilla Brodrej, Expressen.se, November 2018

“Leonardo Capalbo enlivened a psychopathic Duke; a deranged bully inebriated with power. At the same time, his love for Gilda was real, his fascination with her youth and her innocence a sign of his tragic inability to experience real human relationships. Capalbo’s tenor was generous, bold and fearless, perfect for the Duke. His performance was a great success, confirming his deep understanding of Verdi’s music.”

-Laura Servidei, Bachtrack, November 2018

La rondine - Minnesota Opera

“But it was Act Three before the evening really caught fire dramatically, in the festering performance of Ruggero by New Jersey tenor Leonardo Capalbo. Unleashing a voice with marked baritonal colorings and muscular heft, Capalbo railed at the rejection of his marriage proposal to Magda, the raw emotion of abandonment flung despairingly out into the Ordway arena. It was a riveting conclusion to a production that seemed often prim and proper in its examination of what happens when sex and money form a fatal combination, and love itself becomes the victim.”

- Terry Blain, Minneapolis Star Tribune, October 2018

“But it’s also a love letter to love, and the principal singers make that equally palpable… Leonardo Capalbo proved endearing in his infatuation and passionately stormy when his dreams started to unravel.”

- Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities Pioneer Press, October 2018

Les contes d'Hoffmann - Musikfest Bremen

“There is Leonardo Capalbo, already looking like a Latin Lover from a magazine, who combines virile power with sentiment and tackles the big role with great naturalness and even greater insight into the psyche of Hoffmann.”

-Ralf Döring, Neue Osnabrückerzeitung, September 2018

“The Hoffmann of Leonardo Capalbo looks slender, but with iron discipline he is very respectable and passionately portrayed.”

- Kreiszeitung, September 2018

Le Cid - Dorset Opera Festival

“What makes the evening worthwhile, however, is the terrific bravado of the young American tenor Leonardo Capalbo in the title-role...[He] sings with unstinting heroic grandeur and does full justice to the lovely aria ‘O souverain, o juge’: his clean, bright, firm timbre is very well suited to this school of music, and he should sing more of it.”

- Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, July 2018

“Pride of place amongst a doughty cast must go to Italian-American tenor Leonardo Capalbo, who not only keeps going throughout the arduous title role of Rodrigue (alias Le Cid), but does so with the kind of ringing tone and old-fashioned heroic stance this piece of dramatic hokum needs to succeed.”

- George Hall, The Stage, July 2018

“Le Cid, the name by which the Moors reportedly called Rodrigue Díaz de Vivar, was sung by Leonardo Capalbo who performed the role with complete assurance. Capalbo has a bold, ringing tenor and bristles with energy; his Rodrigue is an earnest, honourable man and Capalbo brought to life the confusion and distress that his need to defend his father’s honour at the expense of his own happiness brought him. Clear at the top of the voice and text passionately enunciated, Capalbo brought the spark to the production that gave it its edge.”

- Dominic Lowe, Backtrack, July 2018

“[Le Cid] is certainly worth doing, with challenging roles for Rodrigue (El Cid) and his lover, Chimène, taken with punch and intensity by Leonardo Capalbo and Lee Bisset.”

- Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian, August 2018

Carmen - Polish National Opera

“Leonardo Capalbo’s characterization of the simple soldier whose moral decay leads to murder was a fascinating study in first-rate stage acting. Looking every inch a country lad cruelly victimized by an amoral, selfish seductress, Capalbo’s palpable emotional collapse was engrossing.  The American tenor is not just highly gifted dramatically, but has surprisingly strong projection also capable of capturing the lightest nuances of the score. The à capella fortissimo high G on ‘Dragons d’Alcala!’ was flawlessly pitched and ‘non, jamais femme avant toi’ sung with a fine legato and poetic phrasing.  ‘La fleur que tu m’avais jetée’ was a terrific tour de force with a timbre and squillo reminiscent of Mario de Monaco. Capalbo paid scrupulous attention to the dynamic markings and the pianissimo change on ‘Puis je m’accusais de blasphème’ and splendidly graduated diminuendo scale to top B flat on ‘j’étais une chose à toi!’ was very fine singing indeed. The final confrontation with Carmen showed the height of Capalbo’s acting and vocal prowess. ‘Tu ne m’aimes donc plus?’ was unbearably fraught and ‘souviens-toi du passé’ touching in its hopeless desperation.”

- Jonathan Sutherland, Operawire, June 13, 2018

“The finale of the opera brought a moment of a truly moving musical theater, when against the background of the black curtain there was a meeting between Carmen and Don José which ended, as is known, tragically. This was achieved by the American tenor Leonardo Capalbo, who was advancing towards this throughout the entire evening, as if to show this most important moment, not only in voice, but also in the cultivation of his interpretation and acting skills.”

- Jacek Marczyński, Rzeczpospolita, June 10, 2018

“Most convincing is the moment when Don José (Leonardo Capalbo) professes his love to Carmen (aria La fleur que tu m'avais jetée). Then you can see how they do not fit together: he is a sentimental dreamer, she is a seducer who perfectly controls her emotions.”

- Anna S. Dębowska, Gazeta Wyborcza, June 8, 2018

“Don José in a sensational performance by Leonardo Capalbo, remembered on our stage as the Electrician in the Adès opera ‘Powder Her Face’, plays a man who self-destructs before our eyes. He gives his heart to a woman who is unworthy. In the final duo, we saw how complicated the character was in his interpretation of Don José, who undergoes a transformation from a simple soldier to a murderer of a woman who fought against his jealousy.”

- Wojciech Giczkowski, Teatralna-Warszawa, June 10, 2018

Gloriana - Teatro Real Madrid

“In the role of Essex, tenor Leonardo Capalbo made a major case for himself as a tenor on the rise...still young, the Italian American tenor is very much a star in the making...his voice displayed a strong sense of security and clarity...His anger and jealousy in the first scenes was palpable from the get-go and his frustration when talking to his wife about Elizabeth’s hesitations toward him added to his characterization of a reactionary being. He might have come off as a bit childish in this latter scene, but it also added to the overall complexity of the work’s interpretation...His interpretation of the Lute Song added to this as he tossed off Britten’s fioritura writing with élan, the voice floating effortlessly and the multitude of notes gliding. He was a man in utmost control for this one moment, adding massive contrast to other scenes where he had anything but a sense of control. His final scene with Elizabeth was the most riveting of the entire night, his previous explosiveness now turned to passionate begging at her hands.”

- David Salazar, Operawire, April 13, 2018

“Leonardo Capalbo's Devereux is extremely convincing, striking in his performance, and vocally polished.”

- Alejandro Martínez, Platea Magazine, April 13, 2018

“A very solid vocal cast where Leonardo Capalbo builds an Earl of Essex in which the character's growth captivates.”

- Alberto González Lapuente, ABC, April 13, 2018

“Leonardo Capalbo was the perfect choice for the ambitious and hot-headed Essex. Charming and frank, he assailed the royal quarters with his mellow lyric tenor. He was perfect in duos and ensembles, with solid tone and flaming phrasing. His second lute song, a treacherous gift due to its long phrases and low pitch, was well sung.”

- Fernando Remiro, Bachtrack, April 16, 2018

Macbeth - L'Opéra de Lyon

“With a virile squillo and technically impeccable breath support, Capalbo brought an exciting Italianate del Monaco/Corelli timbre to this relatively small role with a killer aria. Totally unfazed by the video cameraman literally in his face, the accomplished actor/tenor gave a passionate and musically outstanding interpretation of the show-stopper scena. A pristine top E flat-F natural on the opening ‘figli’ was followed by a beautifully phrased “E me fuggiasco, occulto” with a powerful crescendo on ‘Possa a colui le braccia’ rising to a spine-tingling top A. Unsurprisingly Capalbo received thunderous applause.”

- Jonathan Sutherland, Operawire, April 2018

La bohème - Festspielhaus Baden Baden

“Leonardo Capalbo impresses with a warm timbre in the cantilenas and radiant high notes.”

- Thomas Gehrig, Klassik.com, November 2017

“The Rodolfo of Leonardo Capalbo, a young tenor with generous mezzi voci, seems more animated by a youthful irrationality than by the fire of a typical lover.”

- Stefano Nardelli, Giornale della Musica, November 2017

Carmen - The Grange Festival

“Don José, an assured and appealing Leonardo Capalbo, convincingly turns from good-natured lover to jealous murderer.”

- Rebecca Franks, The Times, June 2017

“It’s left to Leonardo Capalbo’s José to make the strongest impression with a voice and personality that gathered dramatic intensity. Ringing tones informed the ‘Flower Song’ and by Act Four José’s implicit doom was a mixture of rage and hopelessness presented with nearly uncontrollable passion; a towering performance.”

- David Truslove, Classical Source, June 2017

“Italian-American tenor Leonardo Capalbo presents Don Jose’s disturbing disintegration with varied and purposefully expressive tone.”

- George Hall, The Stage, June 2017

“American-Italian tenor Leonardo Capalbo was totally convincing in this role, a man hopelessly smitten in spite of his own better council, and that of Micaëla his child-hood sweetheart. Capalbo’s rendering of José’s, ‘la fleur que tu m’avais jetée’ was reflective and lyrical.  But as José slides down a spiral of total enthrallment, Capalbo shifts his tone into the realm of the dramatic tenor, exploring José’s anguish and conflicting emotions.”

- Mark Aspen, markaspen.wordpress.com, June 2017

“Leonardo Capalbo’s lithe, Byronically handsome Don José, packing a borderline dramatic tenor, is also more multi-faceted than usual: he comes across as so sociable and well-adjusted in the early scenes that I was beginning to wonder how on earth his metamorphosis into homicidal psychopath was going to play out convincingly. It turns, quite literally, on a knife-edge, in what was for me the production’s most shocking innovation. Rather than simply squaring up to Zuniga (Grigory Soloviov) when his assignation with Carmen is interrupted, he stabs him to death with almost prosaic detachment, and the blithe disregard with which the chorus step over the officer’s corpse as they celebrate José’s initiation into the smugglers’ underworld makes for one of the most chilling scenes I’ve seen in a theatre all year. He and Arden pace the long arc of the terrifying final scene superbly.”

- Katherine Cooper, Backtrack, June 2017

”Capalbo, with his strong, expansive and aesthetically pleasing tenor, conveys the innocent corporal who cannot escape becoming infatuated with the ‘femme fatale’ very convincingly.”

- Sam Smith, musicOMH.com, June 2017

Messa da Requiem - The Grange Festival

“Leonardo Capalbo’s tenor and Jongmin Park’s bass were both characterised by strength, security and aesthetically pleasing sounds in their respective ranges.”

- Sam Smith, musicOMH.com, June 2017

La traviata - Polish National Opera

“The most successful performance came from young American tenor Leonardo Capalbo. His Alfredo was the only multi-faceted characterisation as he matured from a bashful, preppy stage-door-Johnny to a violently jealous lover. Capalbo has a solid vocal technique with a warm, full-bodied lustrous timbre which carried effortlessly into the large, acoustically problematic auditorium. Despite the golf balls, ‘De’ miei bollenti spiriti’ combined impressive vocal assurance with an elegant melodic line and finely nuanced phrasing. The following cabaletta had fire and finesse while scrupulous attention to the dynamic markings and exemplary diction were impressive throughout.”

- Jonathan Sutherland, Bachtrack, April 2017

Un ballo in maschera - Royal Swedish Opera

“The young Italian-American singer Leonardo Capalbo made his debut in the role of Gustav III, which suits his rich, round tenor very well. His middle and lower registers were very powerful and warm, giving depth and intensity to his singing. Capalbo's boyish good looks made him a credible mischievous youngster as he planned the escapade to the fortune teller's cave under disguise, and when he laughed at her gloomy vaticination of his imminent death. His breath control and well-set voice gave life to both a passionate lover and a distressed leader.”

- Laura Servidei, Bachtrack, March 2017

Les contes d'Hoffmann -  Royal Opera Covent Garden

“...a beautifully honeyed, lyric sound suiting the young Hoffmann's naive innocence as he is duped into falling for Spalanzani's doll.  He rose to the challenge of the Hoffmann-Antonia duet splendidly, matching Sonya Yoncheva for spirit and passion. Capalbo is a more contained actor...a distinct advantage in portraying the inebriated Hoffmann of the Prologue.”

- Mark Pullinger, BeckmessersQuill, December 2016

Carmen - Athens Festival Greek National Opera

“Deservedly at the side of Rinat Shaham was the Italian-American tenor Leonardo Capalbo in the role of Don José. Capalbo incarnated a passionate and emotionally vulnerable Don José without trouble or hesitation, and with obvious dynamism and depth.  Where necessary he used impressive openings of his voice with tenderness and unique interpretation, especially in La fleur que tu m'avais jetée in the second act.  The striking duet with the toreador Dionyssis Sourbis in the third act was a match of male voices that one rarely hears.”

- Nikos Xenios, Bookpress, July 2016

“Leonardo Capalbo interpreted a Don José that absolutely surrendered, humiliated and dragged behind Rinat Shaham who swept the scene like fire.  A couple with a unique chemistry that precisely interpreted the roles of the dominant woman who dominates the love-struck man.”

- Katerina Anesti, Protagon, July 2016

“Leonardo Capalbo as Don José was ideal in his appearance and interpretation; reminiscent of a 1930's movie star.”

- Nick Vatopoulos, I Kathimerini, July 2016

“We were lucky to have the Italian-American tenor Leonardo Capalbo, a vulnerable, passionate and heartbreaking Don José with a beautiful voice, pure timbre, and an interpretation full of intensity and emotion.”

- Lena Ioannidou, Athens Voice, July 2016

“[Leonardo Capalbo's] noticeably youthful appearance, bright, lyrical voice and use of vibrato were perfectly suited to the unfortunate, vulnerable, and painfully divided corporal [Don José].”

- John Bolus, Efsyn.gr, July 2016

Nabucco - Royal Opera Covent Garden

“However, debuting at the Royal Opera House, the promising Italian tenor Leonardo Capalbo made the audience sit up and take notice due to the suppleness of his voice and his distinctive timbre in the comparatively thankless tenor role of Ismaele. Next season, he will perform as Hoffmann alternating with Vittorio Grigolo.”

- Opernglas, August 2016

“American mezzo soprano Jamie Barton, [...] and Italian-American tenor Leonardo Capalbo added a welcome touch of lyricism as the ‘star-crossed’ beloveds, Fenena and Ismaele.”

- Claire Seymour, Opera Today, June 2016

“Tenor Leonardo Capalbo and bass John Relyea top and tail the male range in style as the Hebrews Ismaele and Zaccaria.”

- Mark Valencia, What's On Stage, June 2016

“American tenor Leonardo Capalbo, gave an Ismaele performance that delighted the audience with youthful zest and passion.”

- Performance Reviewed, June 2016

Macbeth - Michigan Opera Theatre

“Amid the score’s weighty vocal demands, the flexible, brilliant tone of tenor Leonardo Capalbo’s Macduff was a breath of fresh air. Even clutching his murdered child to his chest, he delivered his heartrending Act IV aria with liquid line, conspicuously expressive among an often understated cast.”

- Jennifer Goltz, Opera News, April 2016

Tosca - Minnesota Opera

“Leonardo Capalbo sounds better every time I hear him; his radiant tenor and clarion top made for an uncommonly ardent and engaging Cavaradossi. His cries of ‘Vittoria!’ were breath-stopping; his ‘Recondita armonia’ was an irresistible paean to eros—an ecstatic contemplation of feminine beauty as only a painter can see it—that set the tone for much of Act I.”

- Larry Fuchsberg, Opera News, March 2016

“Leonardo Capalbo made a believably sympathetic and defiant hero out of the one-dimensional Cavaradossi. His duets with [Kelly] Kaduce — what an attractive couple — threatened to set the stage on fire. A true tenore di forza, Capalbo's outbursts were bright and ringing, and his third-act aria was tellingly nuanced.”

- Michael Anthony, Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 2016

“Everything about Mr. Capalbo’s wry, throbbing tenor and winning stage presence is used to thrilling effect as the painter who becomes an unlikely revolutionary.  From the first notes of ‘Recondita armonia’ to his Act III jail aria ‘E lucevan le stelle,’ Capalbo fully embodies the Italian romantic hero. And it must be said that there are sparks aplenty between Mr. Capalbo and Ms. Kaduce onstage who simply just look delicious together as the artist and temperamental muse. Even better, they sound great together in their Act I dueling arias and in the tricky a capella ‘Triumphante’ sequence in Act III, where there were in perfect lockstep unison.”

- Todd O'Dowd, L'Etoile Magazine, March 2016

“Manson’s direction is finely paced and draws out some lovely moments during Leonardo Capalbo (as Cavaradossi)’s moving ‘E lucevan le stelle,’ which was so beautiful and gripping that it moved some in the audience to tears.”

- Basil Considine, Twin Cities Arts Reader, March 2016

“Yes, Tosca and Scarpia are legendary roles, but that’s less frequently said of Cavaradossi, the painter who is Tosca’s lover. Yet tenor Leonardo Capalbo may cause you to wonder why. He might just be the most passionate singer on stage, whether bringing palpable urgency to his love duets with Tosca or taking on the mantle of defiant revolutionary. And I’ve never experienced a production of ‘Tosca’ that left  me thinking that the opening of the third act — when Cavaradossi composes a farewell letter from prison — might have the most beautiful music in the opera. (Kudos to both Capalbo and the orchestra.)”

- Rob Hubbard, Pioneer Press, March 2016

Carmen - Palm Beach Opera

“Leonardo Capalbo was a youthful Don José, callow and easily suggestible. His Act II flower song was well-sung.”

- Karl W. Hesser, Opera News, January 2016

“[As Don José] tenor Leonardo Capalbo was an excellent foil. Virile yet vulnerable in his demeanor, he vocalized Don Jose’s lyrical lines with honeyed tone and technical security. His smoothly vocalized Flower Aria was a highlight of the evening, and he scaled the role’s more dramatic lines without fatigue or strain.”

- Robert Croan, Palm Beach Daily News, January 2016

“Don José was the American tenor Leonardo Capalbo, and he was wonderful. Not only does he have one of those inimitable Italianate voices that define the opera-going experience for so many viewers, he acted the role beautifully.  His ‘La fleur que tu m’avais jetée’ was tender and then over-the-top passionate, with a carefully graded, easily achieved scale at the end, and his acting was a very persuasive portrayal of a man desperately in love who has the soul of a stalker.  It’s one of the few Don José’s I can remember seeing in which the tenor was equal to the role, and Capalbo made it look easy.”

- Greg Stepanich, Palm Beach Arts Paper, January 2016

“[As Don José] Capalbo sang with a sweet tenor voice, the Act Two ‘Flower Song’ ardently expressive of José’s adoration for Carmen, and with his obsession for her coming through stunningly in the final scene.”

- David M. Rice, Classical Source, January 2016

I due Foscari - St. Galler Festspiele

“The Jacopo Foscari of the American Leonardo Capalbo pleases with flawless pronunciation and a heroic youthful tenor.”

- Neue Zürcher Zeitung, June 2015

“For scenic and vocal presence, there is no match for Leonardo Capalbo as Jacopo Foscari.”

- Südkurier, June 2015

“Leonardo Capalbo gives a sensational debut as Jacopo.”

- Schwäbische, June 2015

L'elisir d'amore - Minnesota Opera

“L’Elisir should belong to its tenor, and Leonardo Capalbo, in his company debut, did not disappoint. The man has both poetry and power; his multi-hued instrument, strongly supported, filled the room without apparent strain. Capalbo’s Nemorino was a naïf but no dunce. The role is hardly heroic, but the tenor, without violating its spirit, managed to inject it with a bit of charisma. Too tasteful to treat ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ as a display piece, Capalbo nevertheless earned one of the most clamorous ovations I’ve heard in St. Paul.”

- Larry Fuchsberg, Opera News, 2015

The Manchurian Candidate - Minnesota Opera

“The opera is strongly cast, and the singers give their all. The Italianate warmth of the tenor Leonardo Capalbo’s voice suits the role of the effusive, troubled Ben Marco.”

- Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, 2015

Candide - Berlin State Opera

“In the title role [of Candide] was the fantastic American tenor Leonardo Capalbo. He is the full package, attractive with a great voice and good acting skills. His rich rounded voice is a joy to listen to, but most notable is his perfect breath control, allowing him to spin phrases in ways most other singers simply can’t.”

- Bachtrack, 2014

Roberto Devereux - Canadian Opera Company

“Leonardo Capalbo's singing was as muscular, well honed and agile as his physique. His unusual voice had the dark, velvety timbre of a baritone even in his highest notes.  The tenor always emanated an intensity that commanded the stage. He received the greatest acclaim for his prison scene, sung with gorgeous legato and undeniable emotion.”

- Christopher Hoile, Opera News, 2014

“Leonardo Capalbo plays the Earl of Essex (the Roberto Devereux of the title) and he possesses all those qualities one prays for in a tenor but doesn’t always get: a voice both sweet and powerful, an appearance both sensitive yet masculine, and acting which manages to combine intensity with believability.”

- Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star, 2014

“The title role of Roberto [Devereux], the Queen's star-crossed object of affection, was brilliantly sung by American tenor Leonardo Capalbo.  A lyric tenor of the proper weight for Donizetti's elegant melodies and ringing climaxes, Capalbo was entirely believable as the roguishly charming earl.  Capalbo received sustained applause for Roberto's Tower Scene, with its plaintive cavatina. Dismayed and angry to find that he really was going to be beheaded, Capalbo's Roberto sings both verses of the fast- paced cabaletta.”

- Operawarhorses.com, 2014

“Tenor Leonardo Capalbo in the title role [of Roberto Devereux] looked and sounded the part of the daring romantic hero. His voice has a captivating mix of youthful vitality and rich color.”

- Keira Grant, Mooney on Theatre, 2014

La traviata - Welsh National Opera

“There was already an extra edge to the performance with the announcement that tenor Leonardo Capalbo was a last-minute, unrehearsed replacement in the role of Alfredo. Yet the Italian-American threw himself into it with an amazing, instinctive passion. For once, it was perfectly possible to believe in the all-consuming nature of Alfredo and Violetta's love.”

- Rian Evans, The Guardian, 2012

I Capuleti e i Montecchi - Caramoor Festival

“Tenor Leonardo Capalbo was a dashing hothead as Tebaldo, mixing incisive delivery and robust heft.”

- Steve Smith, The New York Times, 2012

Candide - Berlin State Opera

“Leonardo Capalbo is a pin-up-boy Candide, lithe, sunny and effortlessly lyrical.”

- Shirley Apthorpe, Financial Times, 2011

“Leonardo Capalbo, the fast-rising American tenor, embodied the titular naïf to life with his easy good looks and a bright, yearning voice.”

- Opera News, 2011

Macbeth - Lyric Opera of Chicago

“Capalbo shows himself as a true, Verdian lyric tenor, with effortless and polished legato, secure top notes, and a skillful placement of diminuendo.”

- Salvatore Calomino, Opera Today, 2010

Stars of the Lyric Concert - Lyric Opera of Chicago

“The American tenor also proved himself to be a model of Italianate sound and style in one of the Duke's arias from Verdi's Rigoletto.”

- John Von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, 2010

Macbeth - Opera Holland Park

“Leonardo Capalbo's Macduff makes a sound rarely heard, a true Italianate tenor making the rafters ring and frightening the peacocks.”

- Robert Thicknesse, The Times, 2005