OPERA CRITICS IN THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION
Critics. Why bother? Good question, and I have visited the issue in two blog posts (Report 1, Report 2) . I have also initiated an annual report (most recent) on my favorite opera critics in the mid-Atlantic, whom I refer to in fun as Knights of the Opera Table. Personally, I seek out reviews. In general, I find that reviews by professional critics add to my knowledge of and appreciation for opera, and provide opinions for me to agree or disagree with. For this section, I will just list critics who review opera in the mid-Atlantic region, the publications they work for, and a little info on their qualifications, as best I can discover. This page will be updated and expanded from time to time as I learn about more critics and their backgrounds. There are many free lance critics not listed here.
As I discover reviews of the operas listed in the three-month opera listing (the right side-bar on the Blog page); this makes it easy for the reader to access opera reviews for current opera performances in the mid-Atlantic. I also transfer the links to the Seasonal Lists page as they drop from the three-months listing, makeing it easy to look up reviews of past operas.
Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/michael-brodeur/): As of March 9, 2020, Mr. Brodeur became a classical music critic for the Washington Post, a replacement for critic Anne Midgette. Here is the Post’s bio for Mr. Brodeur: “Over the past decade, Brodeur has served as an assistant arts editor and cultural critic for the Boston Globe, overseeing the paper’s Sunday Books section and writing the Globe’s weekly @large column on a range of topics in the arts and digital culture. Before the Globe, he served as music editor and lead music critic for the Boston Phoenix and as editor in chief of Boston's Weekly Dig. His essays, humor and criticism have also appeared in Nylon, Thrillist, Entrepreneur, Medium, McSweeney's Internet Tendency and other publications. He has also released five music albums under different monikers, most recently writing and performing electronic music under the name New Dad.” Unfortunately, he arrived just in time for the coronavirus to shut all performances down. He is active on Facebook and Twitter.
Robert Croan, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Bio info not found. Mr. Croan is now retired, but writes ocassional freelance reviews of Pittsburgh Opera performances for PPG.
Peter Dobrin, Philadelphia Inquirer (http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/peter_dobrin/): Mr. Dobrin is a classical music critic and culture writer with the Inquirer since 1989. He has an undergraduate degree in performance from the University of Miami and a master's degree in music criticism from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. He has also written for the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post. His blog is titled "Arts Watch."
Charles Downey, Washington Classical Review (http://ionarts.blogspot.com/p/meet-moderator.html): Mr. Downey writes reviews for Washington Classical Review and sometimes the Washington Post. He is also moderator for Ionarts.com. He studied piano and obtained his Bachelor of Music in Piano from Michigan State University, then obtained his MA and PHD in musicology from Catholic University. He is a performer with several groups the the DC area as well as a music critic. I find his reviews to be scholarly and entertaining, often imparting his knowledge to his readers.
Whitney Fishburn, DC Metro Theater Arts (https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/author/whitney-mcknight/): Ms. Fishburn is a critic for the DC Metro Theater Arts and writes reviews of opera performances in the DC area. I have found her reviews to be insightful, informative, and often strongly stated.
Susan Galbraith, DC Theatre Scene ( https://dctheatrescene.com/author/susan-galbraith/ ): Ms. Galbraith writes theater, especially musical theater, and opera reviews for DC Theatre Scene. She holds a B.S, degree in English and Drama from Tufts University and a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota. She has extensive experience in professional theater, including writing and directing, with a particular emphasis in music-theater. Another entry on her CV that caught my eye is that she once worked with Prince on writing songs. She has been writing reviews for DC Theatre Scene for the last 7-8 years. I enjoy her reviews for color commentary, with detail and insights that add depth to other reviews that I read of a performance. I particularly enjoy her comments on dance scenes in operas.
Cameron Kelsall, Broad Street Review (https://www.broadstreetreview.com/authors/cameron-kelsall): Mr. Kelsall writes reviews of opera performances by Opera Philadelphia, the Academy of Vocal Arts, and the Curtis Opera Theatre. I have found his reviews to be of consistent high quality.
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/philip-kennicott): Mr. Kennicott is the chief Art and Architecture critic for the Post since 2011; he frequently writes features for Opera News and reviews of recordings for Gramophone . Beginning at the Post in 1999, he previously served as classical music critic and culture critic. He has studied the piano and graduated from Yale University in 1988 with a degree in philosophy. He won the 2013 Pulitzer for Criticism and has been nominated for two other awards. He writes about all arts and architecture, which for the Post, though now only rarely includes opera; he also writes ocassional opera articles for other publications. His blog can be found at http://philipkennicott.com. He recently published a book titled “Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning”. Mr. Kennicott’s prose and insights are worth reading no matter what he is writing about.
Anne Midgette, Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/anne-midgette): Ms. Midgette is chief classical music critic for the Post. She has served in this position since 2008. According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Midgette) she graduated from Yale University, lived in Germany for many years reviewing opera and other arts, and has reviewed for other major publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Opera News. She has also co-authored two books. Ms. Midgette also frequently reviews performances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York as well as the DC area. I find her reviews to generally be informative, insightful, and placed in the context of the current opera scene. In my opinion, she is an outstanding opera critic. Ms. Midgette left her position at the Post in December, 2019 to spend more time with her young son and to finish a book. Her personal website is annemidgette.com and she remains active on Facebook and Twitter.
George Parous, Pittsburgh Table-in-the-Round ( https://www.pghintheround.com/author/george-parous/): Mr. Parous is a critic for Pittsburgh-in-the-Round and frequently writes reviews of performances by Pittsburgh Opera. I find his reviews informative and entertaining.
Jeremy Reynolds, PIttsburgh Post Gazette (http://search.queryly.com/post-gazette.aspx?query=jeremy%20reynolds): Mr. Reynolds joined the PIttsburgh Post Gazette in 2017 as Classical Music Critic. He has a bachelors degree in music from Obelin College/Conservatory in 2015 and a masters in music from Syracuse University in 2016. As a freelancer, he has written for other publications, including Symphony Magazine, Early Music America Magazine, and Cleveland Classical. I have enjoyed his reviews, especially ones that are educational for the opera and music fan.
Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun (http://www.baltimoresun.com/balnews-tim-smith-20130507-staff.html): Mr. Smith began s the fine arts critic for the Baltimore Sun in 2000, covering classical music, theater and visual arts. He previously served as classical critic for the Sun-Sentinel in South Florida. He has contributed to NPR, the New York Times, BBC Music Magazine, and Opera News. He is author of a book, “The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical Music” (Perigee, 2002). Mr. Smith retired in 2018.
David Patrick Stearns, formerly Philadelphia Inquirer, now free-lancing (http://www.wqxr.org/#!/people/david-stearns/): Mr. Stearns is a classical music critic for the Inquirer since 2000. He is also contributes to Opera News and Gramophone. He is a blogger for Operavore. He has an MA in musicology from NYU and a BA in journalism from Southern Illinois University. He has served as a music commentator for WRTI-FM and NPR Morning Edition.