Acclaim

The manic intensity of Jennifer Johnson Cano’s taut mezzo was captivating in her brief but memorable offstage turn as the priestess, singing the entrancing prayer to Ptah.

The Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano with her indulgence of divine voice in Canata No.34 was a piece to be cherished. Her presence was hugely welcomed by the audience.

The central aria “Wohl euch, ihr auserwählten Seelen” was superbly sung by Jennifer Johnson Cano. Cano’s lovely mezzo timbre, affinity for Baroque style and emotional projection of the text were a real luxury.

Jennifer Johnson Cano, dont la voix souple et moirée se glisse sans difficulté dans le rôle créé par sa défunte compatriote. Repérée dans de petits rôles au Met, cette jeune artiste possède de solides atouts pour faire carrière.

‘Jennifer Johnson Cano, whose agile, shimmering voice assumes effortlessly the famous mezzo role created by her sadly deceased compatriot, Lorraine Hunt. Discovered via her secondary roles at the Met, this young artist possesses all the necessary qualities to make an international career.’

Jennifer Johnson Cano was magnificent, especially in the settings of sublime poetry by Rosario Castellanos, conveying the emotional mysticism of conception and pregnancy in La anunciación.

The soloists were also excellent, with Jennifer Johnson Cano standing out in particular. Her heartfelt performance of Castellanos’ La anunciación was beautifully measured as her mezzo-soprano felt sumptuous without seeming inappropriately flashy.

"Johnson Cano, voluptuous and Titian-tressed, moves confidently and seductively, matching her chiaroscuro mezzo to the action. She avoids the pitfall of many Carmens by allowing the music to speak for itself, only coloring the words and refraining from over-interpreting. Act IV was a lesson in how to blend singing and acting to achieve a layered portrayal."

"In a time that many young singers sound polished but somewhat monochromatic, no one seems to have told Jennifer Johnson Cano to play it safe. Ms. Cano’s highly individual Orphée was a star turn of significant proportions. Her burnished mezzo has it all: size, color, agility, evenness and individuality."

In a cast of Des Moines Metro Opera debuts, Jennifer Johnson Cano was a standout (and, one hopes, a repeat performer).

As the grief-stricken husband Orphée, Cano sang with heartrending emotion while never sacrificing her rose gold vocal tone. In the opening scene, Orphée pawed at the grave of his beloved Eurydice, muddying his radiantly all-white suit. Cano also dug into each vocal line showing warmth from the top of the range to the bottom of her chest voice. Cano’s delivery of “Ah! puisse ma douleur finir avec ma vie!” while covered in falling rose petals after the famous “J'ai perdu mon Eurydice” aria was the most arresting performing of the evening.

"Dramatic intelligence and imagination suffused every note of Ms. Johnson Cano’s performance. Endowed with an attention-grabbing dark mezzo, its depths bracing like strong coffee, she seems to thrive in the role of a storyteller, greatly enhanced by her symbiotic interaction with her husband and accompanist, Christopher Cano.

“Jennifer Johnson Cano was truly stellar. She, in fact, was the complete package, a voice agile and forceful, spacious and laden with emotion. Whether proclaiming "good tidings to Zion" or distilling the anguish of Christ's rejection, she was a poignant medium.”

No longer a mere scold and nuisance—as Don Giovanni, and some other productions, see her—Elvira took on new dimensions Friday night as Johnson Cano took full advantage of the musical resources Mozart provided, tailoring her clear, versatile voice from the spitting fury of her first rage aria “Ah! chi mi dice mai” to the excited ambivalence of “Ah, taci, ingiusto core” and the resigned forgiveness of “Mi tradì quell’alma ingrata.” Elvira is the only character in this drama who evolves noticeably during the action, and Johnson Cano, in an auspicious debut with this company, made sure the evolution was noticed. 

"The finale benefited from the riveting contributions of soloist Jennifer Johnson Cano. Her deep, velvety mezzo and impassioned phrasing gave Jeremiah's warnings such startling immediacy that I wouldn't have been surprised to see people in the hall ducking under their seats."

"Ms. Cano...has both a delightful singing instrument and acting chops to spare. That’s no small thing standing alone with only music to guide you. But the alternation of her smile with fist-pounding anger at the variety of Jeremiah’s declarations in Lamentations left nothing to the imagination – even, again, in the original Hebrew rather than English translation."

"Her voice is radiant and intense, rich in the lower part of her range, bright and precise at the top, with astonishing evenness throughout. For such a commanding singer she also cuts a remarkably approachable persona on stage, and has an uncanny ability to discern and embody the character of each song."

"Jennifer Johnson Cano brought to her singing a natural sense of drama and wit that never became trite. Similar flashes of nonchalance were strewn through de Falla’s “Seven Popular Spanish Songs,” along with a smoldering sense of anger in the final “Polo.” But the deepest impression was left by “Asturiana,” a melancholy song whose subject is sorrow itself. Here Cano seemed to cast aside vocal shadings and reveal something steely and pure. The effect was devastating."

"Your computer screen has nothing on sitting mere feet from Jennifer Johnson Cano as she relishes every note of the vocal score in the title role of “Carmen,” delivering the lines flawlessly as they resonate in your heart and then disappear forever."

"Jennifer Johnson Cano, also in her Cincinnati Opera debut, made a strong impression as Diana. Her voice is pure and steady, a rather dark mezzo with a good deal of flexibility. She handled the comedy and serious moments of her role with equal aplomb."

"Mezzo Jennifer Johnson Cano was a formidable Diana, singing with authority and melting emotion."