Recent Reviews….
“The renown Mr. Lynch was an inspired choice to play Macbeth. He has a rich, powerful voice that commands the stage. His singing and acting displayed well the many elements of Macbeth’s character, from a capable general to a cajoled husband to evil perpetrator to guilt-ridden murderer; he also had a few tender moments when his singing/acting and Verdi’s music actually made me feel a little sorry for him.”
~ Opera Gene
“Lester Lynch showed multiple dimensions to the title character, singing with nuance and satisfying dramatic variety. Early on, he conveyed Rigoletto's vulnerability, while his stage movement persuasively embodied the jester's physical disability. His transition from dissembling jester to heart-on-sleeve pleading in the post-orgy second act was remarkably effective.”
~ Thomas May bachtrack
"The greatest singing actor of the production was opening night’s Rigoletto, dramatic baritone Lester Lynch ... his vocal beauty and emotional honesty made for a deeply touching, vulnerable portrayal. Lynch’s gift for bringing out the tender, wounded heart that motivates Rigoletto left me mesmerized."
“Lester Lynch debut scored in his performance of the villain Crown with voluminous and multi-faceted voice and in particular by his free (since completely off book), physical (sometimes with a small dance) and interactive game (always with a convincing smug laugh).” Author: Volksoper Wien Malina Meier Few
“Excellent are also Porgy's opponents. The dramatic baritone Lester Lynch excels as god and life at every opportunity challenging Brown; with the tenor Ray M. Wade, Jr., you also have a wonderfully ruthless drug dealer Sporting Life” Author: Volksoper Wien PETER JAROLIN
Baritone Lester Lynch, heard earlier this season as Crown in “Porgy and Bess,” displayed a wide interpretive range as the villainous Count di Luna: commandingly evil, yet capable of warm subtlety in his aria “Il balen.”
By Melinda Bargreen
Special to The Seattle Times
Mr. Lynch’s depiction of Gibson is very solid. He captures very well the thick-bodied man-child aspect of Gibson’s personality as recorded by the people who knew him. He was not educated. And while he could be seduced by the idea of playing in the major leagues, he was also a simple soul who loved being a huge fish in the smaller Negro League pond. And eating meals outside the back doors of restaurants when the teams toured apparently did not grate on him like it did others. A big man, he liked his food and just wanted it hot and good. Lynch’s vocals are also very solid, though at times, Sonenberg’s musical approach and libretto does not necessarily serve the singers very well.
-David Kiley
Pamela Williams – Detroit
I loved it! The singing, and story was so touching. The opera bought to life a Negro baseball player untold story. Lester Lynch voice was amazing. All the cast deserve standing ovations. I feel this opera will be seen again, and again for years. Thank you Detroit Opera House!
CB Fontana – Huntington Woods
I was anticipating something different, but I was not anticipating such a wonderful story explaining the professional life of Josh Gibson. Lester Lynch was on stage almost the entire opera and his powerful voice remained pure throughout. The changing sets kept my interest, a well as the orchestration changes incorporating Blues, Jazz, Mariachi so deftly handled by Maestro Mercurio. As I left with Comerica Park lights ablaze, I could only reflect just how baseball mirrors our culture. This work will have staying power.
"La voce di un popolo intero, radicata nella più profonda tradizione musicale americana e idealmente rappresentata da quella del baritono Lester Lynch, che si fa appunto letteralmente “portavoce” del grande repertorio degli spirituals, le cui origini più antiche risalgono a secoli lontani. «Un eccezionale patrimonio spirituale nazionale e il più grande dono del popolo afro-americano agli Stati Uniti», lo ha definito il cantante, che nel cd On my journey now ha raccolto una significativa e affascinante antologia di 25 tra canzoni dei tempi della schiavitù e del lavoro nelle piantagioni, inni biblici e religiosi, di speranza e libertà.
Titoli come il celeberrimo Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, Deep river, Ain't-a that Good News, Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho, ma anche brani dalla più marcata impronta spirituale, da Go down Moses (in cui i lavoratori oppressi lungo le rive del fiume Mississippi si paragonano agli Israeliti in Egitto) a My Lord what a morning, da Give me Jesus give me Jesus alla splendida Amazing Grace, scritta nel XVIII secolo da un ex mercante di schiavi pentito e convertito.
Lynch è un artista che ha cantato con le migliori orchestre del mondo, dai Berliner Philharmoniker alla New York Philharmonic, e in Italia è stato tra i protagonisti del Porgy and Bess di Gershwin andato in scena nel 2016 al Teatro alla Scala di Milano. Il suo timbro è caldo e profondo, a tratti un po' troppo sbilanciato verso impostazioni da melodramma, ma riesce a esprimere in modo autentico la carica e l'intensità emotiva, il messaggio provocatorio ed edificante, l'immediatezza e la semplicità di questi brani, di cui ha anche scritto gli arrangiamenti e nei quali riconosce un valore di grande attualità: «Queste canzoni hanno avuto un profondo effetto sulla storia americana e io le interpreto per onorare coloro che hanno lottato (e sono morti) per la libertà; è mia speranza che possano far rinascere nuovamente la luce della libertà e della fede per ogni ascoltatore»."
-Andrea Milanesi
Avvenire Italy (April 2018)
“Lynch’s rich baritone and vivid acting realises a compelling Shylock, his ‘Hath not a Jew eyes?’ stilled the auditorium.”
~The Guardian
(Opera News), Lester Lynch plays Porgy; soprano Alyson Cambridge, whose performances are “radiant, vocally assured, dramatically subtle and compelling, and artistically imaginative” -2016
‘Porgy and Bess,’ a Spoleto Festival USA Homecoming
By JAMES R. OESTREICHMAY 29, 2016
"Standout performers were many: Lester Lynch as Porgy, the sturdy cripple, and Alyson Cambridge as Bess, the warmhearted (and here, warm-voiced) prostitute he loves; Courtney Johnson as Clara (who sang an ethereal “Summertime”); Victor Ryan Robertson, as Sportin’ Life, the “happy dust” dealer; and Eric Greene as Crown, Bess’s current lover, in a menacing portrayal. So menacing, in fact, that there were pockets of applause when Porgy broke Crown’s neck."
"If it starts to sound like Falstaff is eclipsed by some of the surrounding players in this opera (Gordon Getty's PlumJack), it's certainly through no fault of Lester Lynch and his impressive, appropriately weighty baritone."
Opera News
" Lester Lynch was a pleasure to hear as Lescaut. Mr. Lynch has a ravishing, rolling baritone with power to spare, and excellent hook-up from top to bottom. His assured vocalizing was impressive and welcome."
Opera Today
"Lester Lynch gave a great performance as Amonasro, Ethiopia's king and Aida's father. He was so commanding a presence as a prisoner of war in the Triumphal Scene it was surprising no one suspected he was no ordinary prisoner."
The Pittsburgh Tribune - Review
"the American baritone Lester Lynch intones the Herald's pronouncements with clarion conviction."
The Chicago Tribune
"Lester Lynch's Crown had all the belligerent and menacing qualities of a town bully and a big baritone voice to match."
The Washington Post
"The young baritone Lester Lynch brought impeccable English diction and a powerful voice to Copland’s arrangements of the American songs “Simple Gifts” and “Zion’s Walls.”
The New York Times