"Madison Leonard, as Juliette, anchors the cast with her bright and fluttery soprano that easily fills the Barns theater. That it wasn’t supposed to be her role—the whole cast had to be reshuffled after two singers dropped out earlier this year—is all the more impressive."

WASHINGTON CITY PAPER

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Seattle Opera

August 2019

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"As Gilda, Leonard was a totally natural stage presence with nary a false moment. Her pure, appealing lyric soprano had a slight fluttery spin reminiscent of Pilar Lorengar, and her clear upper extension ensured that the staccato cadenza to the high E-flat was pristine and the big high E-flat at the end of the vengeance duet blew my hair back. 'Caro nome' was the vocal highlight of the evening: set in Gilda’s bedroom, we saw and heard a breathless teenager, hugging her pillow at the joy of it all."

igoletto

OPERAWIRE

"As Gilda, Madison Leonard commanded both delicate filigree and remarkable vocal heft, and her portrayal suggested a good deal more agency and emotional complication than victimhood. Hume staged her first scene with the Duke, disguised as Gualtier Maldè, as one of panic, face-to-face with a sexual predator, but this was contradicted by the warmth of her great solo that followed. The scene of her kidnapping, as the all-male chorus surrounded her with flashlights, was genuinely eerie. Gilda's final exchange with her father was both radiant and heartbreaking.”

"Madison Leonard captures the attention of the hall from the first moment, and expresses in detail the contrasts of Gilda's character: from naivety to forgiveness, from shame to deception. The intensity of her central sound combines sweetness and moving fragility in the acute texture; the
passages are agile and sustained. 'Caro nome' has in it all the elements of the sighs of love with nuanced dynamics exploited to the maximum for interpretative purposes and with well calibrated attacks and breath."

OPERACLICK

BACHTRACK

"Both Gildas make their big solo moment, the aria 'Caro nome,'  the production’s vocal highlight, affecting and technically sure."

THE SEATTLE TIMES

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Wolf Trap Opera

July 2018

"Juliette certainly gave Leonard more dramatic scope than Ilia in “Idomeneo,” and as a character she was one of the most affecting Juliettes I’ve seen. She also sings with a natural sound rather than a self-consciously stentorian Opera Voice, a huge asset."

uliette

THE WASHINGTON POST

"Leonard is appearing at Wolf Trap Opera this summer on the heels of her Met National Council Audition win and she sure sang like it. Her voice sparkled and sighed and soared, and never showed a hint of stress or strain. She sang the intense Poison Aria, which easily trips up the kinds of lighter sopranos who take on this role, like an honest-to-god star, without ever becoming heavy or harsh as the orchestra swelled around her."

"Madison Leonard, as Juliette, anchors the cast with her bright and fluttery soprano that easily fills the Barns theater. That it wasn’t supposed to be her role—the whole cast had to be reshuffled after two singers dropped out earlier this year—is all the more impressive."

WASHINGTON CITY PAPER

SCHMOPERA

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'An Afternoon of Opera Stars in the Making' by Anthony Tommasini, May 1, 2018

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"The three other winners struck me as more fully formed...Madison Leonard, 26, a soprano, brought a bright, dexterous voice and sassy charm to an aria from Humperdinck’s “Hänsel und Gretel,” and was especially at home in “Caro nome” from Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” She seems headed intrepidly into the lyric-coloratura repertory."

et

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Aida, Washington National Opera 2017

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"Madison Leonard floated some lovely phrases as the High Priestess."

OPERA MAGAZINE

The Fall of the House of Usher (Glass), Wolf Trap Opera 2017

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"His sister Madeline (sung by Madison Leonard)... floats haunting. wordless vocals over and around the two young men."

WASHINGTON NATIONAL POST

The Little Prince, Washington National Opera 2017

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"Soprano Madison Leonard played the Rose with a sparkly voice and an air that alternated between that of an ingénue and a diva."

WASHINGTON CLASSICAL REVIEW

Carmina Burana, The Florida Orchestra 2017

"Meanwhile soprano Madison Leonard delivered the truly spine-stiffening singing, repeatedly coloring the role of love goddess Venus with maturity and warmth."

Tampa bay times

Il barbiere di Siviglia, Opera Coeur d'Alene 2016

"A consistently vibrant and engaging dramatic presence is just what Leonard delivered."

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW