"...the superb soprano Nell Snaidas."
–The New York Times
“Perfectly cast, Nell Snaidas sang with a voice that can languish, cajole, laugh and pout.”
–The New York Times
"Nell Snaidas brought a beautiful soprano voice, a superb sense of line and a gift for physical comedy to the roles of Amore and Valletto"
–The New York Times
“One of the world’s leading interpreters of Sephardic music… the American-Uruguayan soprano Nell Snaidas took the spotlight, with the confidence of a master teacher, she offered three love songs that brought a flexibility to the choir’s timbre and an earthy passion to the austere Fuentidueña Chapel (Cloisters Metropolitan Museum of Art).” –Commonwealth Magazine
“The concert was led by guest curator and performer Nell Snaidas — a captivating storyteller and crystalline singer in everything she sang”
–The Chicago Tribune
"And vocally, the ravishing moments were many: Nell Snaidas, who proved a brilliant comic actress in “Poppea,” switched gears to give a wrenching account of “Lamento Della Ninfa".
–The New York Times
"And speaking of high notes, Nell Snaidas was the soprano of the evening and brought down the house with her "Glitter and Be Gay." She is a brilliant soprano"
–Playbill
“Snaidas’ voice has remarkable purity with glints of rich sensuality”
–The Vancouver Sun
"Among the highlights were Soprano Nell Snaidas' period-correct renditions of "Dido's Lament" and "Bist du bei mir", both of which transcended history with heartfelt music making"
–The Milwaukee Journal
Nell Snaidas, the soprano, gave an emotionally charged reading of Scarlatti’s chromatic score, using carefully controlled dynamics and florid but thoughtfully applied ornamentation to evoke Orpheus’ desolation as it is transformed to determination. Ms. Snaidas has a sweet, tightly focused sound, and she has no hesitation about using vibrato, sometimes lavishly but always expressively. She invariably brings a clear sense of the drama within the music to her performances and inhabits her characters, even on a stage as small as Bargemusic’s (perfect for this music). Ms. Snaidas used both timbre and body language to convey coquettishness, frustration, anger, satisfaction and amorousness. Her account of Mazzocchi’s “Sdegno Campion” (“Anger, That Bold Champion”) was forceful but nuanced, and she brought melting passion to both Caccini’s “Amarilli” and Henri du Bailly’s “Yo Soy la Locura” (“I Am Madness”).
–The New York Times
“Of the excellent cast, Nell Snaidas is the really talented singer and actress.”
–The Boston Globe
"That and the soprano Nell Snaidas’s direct, beautifully modulated performance of the Purcell were probably the program’s highlights. But there were close contenders... Ms. Snaidas sang Monteverdi’s “Quel Sguardo Sdegnosetto” and Stölzel’s “Bist Du Bei Mir” with the same suppleness and warmth that she brought to the Purcell."
–The New York Times
"Madamoiselle Cunegonde, played and sung masterfully by Nell Snaidas... anchors the production with great vocal abilities, comedic timing and commanding stage presence."
–Provincetown Magazine
"Soprano Nell Snaidas, who is picture perfect as Cunegonde, has a set of pipes on her that won't quit. Her "Glitter and Be Gay" is terrific."
–Stagebuzz
Nell Snaidas brought life to music through her clear and beautiful soprano that needed no mic (every word was clear). Her smart, sassy, and sexy rendition of the bawdy “My Thing is My Own” showed feminism was alive and laughing even in “ye olde” days. But it wasn’t all cakes and ale as she showed in the touching “Barra Faustus’s Dream” and “The Poore Man Pays for All.”
–Cool Cleveland
Soprano Nell Snaidas made her first appearance last weekend with Viscera and provided the best singing heard in both evenings. Her vocal control delivered just the right opulence for this early/middle Baroque period, plus it should be recalled that Snaidas appeared in two Early Music programs last summer. After dominating in a sequence with the title, "Punishments, Minor and Major" and the song "Galeritas de España," Snaidas highlighted the evening with — as translated: "Old Ballad of the Confession of a Lady Accusing Herself of Breaking the Ten Commandments," by Luis Briçeño from 1626. Nell Snaidas is welcome back any time — with any group.
–nuvo-Indy's alternative voice
Soprano Nell Snaidas returned to the Early Music Festival from two weeks ago — once again to dominate the singing with her rich but beautifully controlled delivery — far above that of her colleagues, who otherwise would be viewed as excellent Baroque singers.
–nuvo-Indy's alternative voice
Various vocal pieces, ranging from lute songs by Thomas Campion to bawdy broadside ballads, were sung by soprano Nell Snaidas. Ms. Snaidas has a lovely clear voice, charismatic stage presence, and a stunning control of technique, which she often used to highlight the text.
–Classical Cleveland
Under the direction of Eddie Mora the orchestra of Heredia performed at the National Theater in San Jose with American soprano Nell Snaidas singing Exsultate Jubilate by W. A. Mozart. The warm and distinctly clear timbred voice of Nell Snaidas was heard with well modulated phrasing and expressive musicity. Furthermore, in the final Alleluia the soprano tossed off the difficult melismas with great aplomb.
–La Nacion Costa Rica
"Nell Snaidas, singing both Love and Valletto (Ottavia's page), brightly captured the impulsive, lusty adolescent quality of both characters"
–The Wall Street Journal
" soprano Nell Snaidas lent blazing virtuosity and a wealth of expressive colors to alluring songs. In one, Virgilio Mazzocchi’s “Sdegno, campion audace,” Snaidas spit out the first word (translation: disdain) and proceeded to fly through the florid material up to a brilliant high C. Elsewhere, she was piously irreverent (Luis de Briceno’s depiction of a woman who breaks all 10 commandments, reconstructed by guitarist Grant Herreid) and deeply affecting (Luigi Rossi’s “Lamento di Euridice”)."
–The Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Soprano Nell Snaidas brought flair and sharply differentiated feeling to her singing, which included a lament and a fiercely dismissive song. She was duly subdued in a drolly humorous song about a woman confessing to breaking all Ten Commandments out of romantic passion -- well, nine really, but she also confesses to feeling no repentance."
–Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"It started with the spot-on, theatrical singing of soprano Nell Snaidas. Opera and madrigals didn't have the stranglehold on dramatic and comedic song at this time, and Snaidas tapped into an expressive and sultry manner in such works as Benedetto Ferrari's "Amanti, io vi so dire (Lovers, I can tell you)," Luigi Rossi's "Lamento di Euridice" and Luis de Briceno's hilarious "The Ten Commandments," about a young woman who breaks all of them because of a man she loves. Her voice was resonant with a slightly dark timbre, yet nimble to navigate all manner of runs and ornaments."
–Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Both Amore and the bratty (later incessently randy) Valletto were sung by Nell Snaidas, in a comic tour de force. While her Amore ran the risk of jumping beyond the sprightly into the hyperactive, she pointed her gestures and her vocal acting so well, that her energetic gesticulation consistently made its point. As if her funny and engaging portrayal of the amoral boy-god weren't enough, Snaidas threw herself into Valletto with equal energy and wit—an equally broad and daring portrayal which never failed to add to the good spirits of the production, as obnoxious an adolescent as Valletto is. On the other hand his physical arousal in the presence of Damigella, and his gradual discovery of its nature, was charming in the warm-heartedness of the naughty little scene. Not much later the same impulses drive the page to annoy Drusilla in an equally amusing incident. In both roles, Nell Snaidas makes the best of her brilliant, well-rounded soprano, using comic distortions with restraint and a purpose."
–Berkshire Review for the Arts
"The large cast of 15 singers, who often doubled over the 25 roles, was superb. Everyone sang the long lines that were heavily ornamented with florid scales, trills and other coloratura gymnastics with elegance and supreme confidence...and soprano Nell Snaidas as Cupid/Valletto (Ottavia’s page) brought many laughs from the crowd.
–The Schenectady Gazette
"In a performance marked by bright singing and intuitive acting, Snaidas looked and sounded great on stage in a rewarding double role as Amore and Valletto, Ottavia’s saucy page."
–The Examiner
"One of the most successful aspects of this production was the palpability of the characters. In addition to being top-notch singers, the cast was constantly teeming with persona, humor, and pathos- especially in the moments featuring Holger Falk or Nell Snaidas"
–The Boston Intelligencer
“Also singing in the concert was the brilliant Nell Snaidas, who is a super-high soprano with an unbelievable tone. Her voice is so glorious."
–Playbill
“Soprano Nell Snaidas was a model of luminous timbre and emotional intensity as La Musica and Euridice….. Snaidas was shining and articulate.”
–The Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Snaidas’s bright, lithe voice contrasted making their blend together uncannily beautiful, precise and balanced, yet full of fascinating colors and textures.”
–The Boston Globe
“Snaidas shone through the power and lovely quality of her fine voice. Her presence on stage, movements and gestures resonated so with the public that on more than one occasion, it allowed the atmosphere to be filled with rousing ovations.”
–La Nacion (Costa Rica)
Ms. Snaidas has a lovely clear voice, charismatic stage presence, and a stunning control of technique, which she often used to highlight the text... she stretched rhythms, bent tones, and hesitated on sibilant consonants to express the song‘s eerie poetry
–Classical Cleveland
“The fine cast of singer-actors featured Nell Snaidas as a scene stealing Cherubino-esque page.”
–Vancouver Courier
“Only Nell Snaidas, as Olga, a Russian princess who gives up political intrigue for love, seemed three-dimensional, with flashing eyes and a voice to match”
–Berkshire Eagle
“The highlight was Snaidas' sweet, crystalline singing. She sang with tenderness and clarity.”
–Milwaukee Journal
"Last, but not least, enchanting soprano Nell Snaidas provided amazing ornamentation."
–Columbus Dispatch
“Nell Snaidas is a first-class actress.”
–Opera Magazine
"Snaidas' singing was a refined moment to be savored."
–Sacramento Bee
“Nell Snaidas was one of the real standouts of the evening with her wonderful soprano voice.”
–The Pittsburgh Tribune
“If pluck could be a lady, she'd be soprano Nell Snaidas, who invested her songs with a range of emotions and expressive nuances even the finest thespians might be hard-pressed to match. Snaidas has a way of wrapping her entire body around a text, which can be a dangerous prospect, considering the ribald or erotic nature of some of the words. She was enchanting and ardent in a series of Monteverdi songs, and she rendered a selection about a woman breaking all 10 commandments with chameleon-like shifts in personality and vocal colors.”
–The Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Highlighted by the sultry voice of soprano Nell Snaidas, the old song type called a ‘dump’, as in the phrase ‘down in the dumps’, came alive in all its depressed glory.”
–The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Snaidas was powerfully at home in Latin-based works by Monteverdi and Caccini. Her expressive style made me feel as though I understood every Italian word.”
–San Francisco Classical Voice
“Perhaps the most intriguing voice was that of soprano Nell Snaidas, who took the lead in an excerpt from the Cuban zarzuela Cecilia Valdes. The number allowed Snaidas a chance to show off her pure top range.”
–Providence Journal
“per nitida ed espressiva incisività vocale e grande chiarezza di dizione ha caratterizzato la vivace e disinvolta Lisetta di Nell Snaidas.”
“Nell Snaidas had incisive vocal expression and great clearness of diction as the vivacious and free-spirited Lisetta.”
–Giornale di Sicilia
"Nell Snaidas is a soprano of unusual gifts – her clear voice and impeccable diction float through the performing space as if carried on the wings of angels. Her luminous dark eyes flash joyously as her smile illuminates the music in enchanting fashion. At times, she’s an invigorating guitarist, as well."
–Cool Cleveland
“Nell Snaidas como Aurora muy hermosa y también sobresaliente.”
“Nell Snaidas as Aurora was very beautiful and also outstanding.”
–El Norte (Mexico)
“The voice of the beautiful Nell Snaidas, brought an extra ingredient, whose enchantment brought the public to their feet”
–Uno Mas Uno (Mexico)
“Sexy, golden voiced Nell Snaidas lit up the stage.”
“special kudos to golden voiced Catherine Zeta-Jones look alike, Nell Snaidas.”
–The Forward
“Nell Snaidas, soprano, and Steve Player, dancer-guitarist, struck the sparks that set the program ablaze Thursday night. Snaidas, a sexy Carmen type with a red flower in her long black hair was delightful. Snaidas’ vibrant voice embellished melodies with virtuosity and projected lyrics like a storyteller.”
–The Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Nell Snaidas, soprano and Steve Player, Spanish dancer/guitarist nearly burnt the place down with their sizzling intensity—for the music, of course! Ms.. Snaidas was eloquent and animated in her portions of the program. Her voice is clear and accurate in pitch, with a well-controlled vibrato. She used facial expressions, arm movements—indeed, her entire body—to convey the meaning of the words she sang, leaving no doubt about the meaning, whether flirtatious, scolding or amorous.”
–Cool Cleveland
“A warmer, even glowing, sound was achieved in the second half of the program, which featured a performance of John Adams' "Grand Pianola Music,". Indeed, there were sounds emanating from the stage during Thursday night's Los Angeles Philharmonic concert there that were among the best that we've heard at the venue.…singers Nell Snaidas, Catherine Webster and Kimberly Gratland James oohed and ahhed over a wide range skillfully”
–Orange County Register
A supremely sweetened Brahmsian orchestration (think Hungarian Dances) crowns Nell Snaidas’s triumphantly lilting Zog Zog Zog Es Mir. Recording is of the very best. Orchestra and singers have been extremely well chosen. It is divisive to choose but choose I will. Robert Bloch and Nell Snaidas are my current favourites.”
–Music Web International
*****NAXOS RECORDING Voted in 10 Best CDs of 2004 Music Web International