REVIEWS
CONCERT REVIEWS
Beethoven 9th Symphony
Richmond (VA) Sym. Orchestra
Mark Russell Smith, conductor
Sang the baritone’s introduction to the Ode [to Joy] with as much passion and authority as I have heard.
- Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA
Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem
Tufts University Choirs
Jamie Kirsch, conductor
Baritone Philip Lima... demonstrated his ability in vocal control and his rich voice.
- The Tufts Daily
Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra
Fred Stolzfus, conductor
A strong, ringing delivery of the German text, and he interacted forcefully and subtly with the choral forces.
- The News Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, IL
Rockford Symphony Orchestra
Steven Larsen, conductor
A commanding vocal presence. Without any excess dramatic tricks, he let the musical line carry its own emotions, and his voice had a constant intensity that gave added meaning to the notes and words.
- Rock River Times, Rockford, IL
New Bedford Symphony Orchestra
David MacKenzie, conductor
Lima’s baritone voice was powerful and dramatic.
- Standard Times, New Bedford, MA
Fauré Requiem
Falmouth Chorale
John Yankee, conductor
Lima sings with inherent lyricism, in a lustrous voice, still with considerable power (there was one particularly impressive fermata, held firmly, at the “Offertory”).
- Cape Cod Times
Monterey Symphony
Max Bragado-Darman, conductor
The elegant baritone Philip Lima, whose strong masterful voice carried easily over the thickest orchestral textures.
- Peninsula Reviews
Haydn The Creation
Chatham (Cape Cod) Chorale
Margaret Bossi, conductor
[His] resonant, spirited singing effectively carried the narrative forward.
- Cape Cod Times
Mahler Kindertotenlieder
Boston Ballet Orchestra
Jonathon McPhee, conductor
Lima sang with imposing tone and dignified restraint... by Sunday I had put away my Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau recording.
- The Boston Phoenix
Impassioned, mellifluous performance.
- The Boston Globe
Mendelssohn Elijah
New Bedford (MA) Symphony Orchestra
David MacKenzie, conductor
Philip Lima as Elijah was a stand-out, not only because of his imposing presence but also for his ringing voice. His first-half bravura aria “Is not his word like a fire” was a powerful tour-de-force... Elijah’s plaintive aria “It is enough”... allowed Lima to reveal his softer side in a wrenching, beautifully sung confessional.
- WickedLocal.com
Ravel Don Quichotte à Dulcinée
Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra
Jung-Ho Pak, conductor
Baritone Philip Lima sang impressively, and three short songs were not enough to enjoy his instrument... Lima tugged at everyone’s heartstrings with a familiar and rousing anthem (‘The Impossible Dream”)
- Cape Cod Times
Walton Belshazzar's Feast
Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus and Orchestra
Simon Carrington, conductor
His singing was wonderfully flexible and engaging. His is the ideal voice for Belshazzar, resonant and full; his musicianship is exemplary and his stage presence tremendously impressive.
- Simon Carrington, New England Conservatory
and Yale School of Music
Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs
Worcester Chorus
Andrew Clark, conductor
Rendered with impressive precision and beauty.
- Telegram & Gazette, Worcester, MA
Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony
Oklahoma City Sym. Orchestra/Canterbury Choral Society
Constantina Tsolainou, conductor
Evocative... soaring effortlessly above the chorus and orchestra.
- The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, OK
In recital
One of the most personal and artistically satisfying vocal performances heard in Greensboro in recent history... he is a superb singer.
- News & Record, Greensboro, NC
Lima struck one of the high notes of the evening... his singing was glorious.
- The Boston Globe
Lima brought down the house with his lively and soulful spiritual, “Sister Mary Had-a But One Child.”
- The Boston Globe
An eloquent “Song to the Evening Star” by baritone Philip Lima
- The Boston Globe
Lima sounded clear as a bell... gracefulness in power and a kind of purity marked Lima’s delivery
- The Boston Musical Intelligencer
Schubert’s Winterreise
In the last song of Schubert’s "Winterreise" Philip Lima and pianist Beverly Orlove transformed a good performance into a transcendent one.
- The Boston Phoenix
OPERA REVIEWS
La Cenerentola; Alidoro
Lyric Opera Cleveland
Gary Race, director
With a vibrant baritone and commanding presence (and occasional dreadlocks), he provided just the right note of philosophical wisdom.
- The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH
The Crucible; John Proctor
Lyric Opera Cleveland
Will Graham, director
Lima sings with firm assurance... makes an overwhelming impression.
- The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH
Der Kaiser von Atlantis; Kaiser Überall
Opera Theater of Pittsburgh
Jonathan Eaton, director
Kaiser Überall, scarily played by Philip Lima.
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Madama Butterfly; Sharpless
Granite State Opera
Philip Lauriat, conductor; James de Blasis, director
The two standout performers of the evening, surprisingly, were… mezzo-soprano Janice Edwards… and baritone Philip Lima, who began strong, continued strong and ended strong singing and acting the role of U.S. Consul Sharpless. Lima, it seems to me, was the anchor whose presence and well-rounded characterization held the show together.
- OperaOnline.us, Boston
Philip Lima left a deep mark... his portrayal of this sincere character was very touching.
- Seacostonline.com, Portsmouth, NH
A rich foundation for multi-voice passages. As an actor he showed great subtlety in projecting frustration over his inability read the fateful letter in Act II—not an easy thing to get across to the rear rows of the balcony, where I was seated.
- Hippo Press, Manchester, NH
The Mikado; Mikado of Japan
Boston Academy of Music
Ira Siff, director; Julian Wachner, conductor
Cape Cod Opera and The BOSTONIANS
Steven Karidoyanes, conductor
Star turn... the top chuckler was Lima’s “Let the Punishment Fit the Crime.”
- The Boston Herald
An affability and sense of humor that beamed to the back of the hall.
- Cape Cod Times
An imposing presence and voice.
- The Boston Globe
Pagliacci; Tonio
Granite State Opera
Philip Lauriat, conductor and director
Animated and lively, with a rounded, controlled vocal performance that was pleasing to the ear. Mr. Lima is the kind of performer who sings and acts well and who communicates his role with believability to the audience, which makes him a natural who can enhance any ensemble performance. Well done!
- OperaOnline.us, Boston
The Rape of Lucretia; Tarquinius
Prism Opera, Boston
Thomas Stumpf, conductor
Physically imposing, dramatically powerful, and vocally secure.
- The Boston Globe
He made a wonderful villain: singing with power and wit and capturing both Tarquinius’s cruelty and his seductiveness.
- The Boston Phoenix
Rise and Fall/Mahagonny; Trinity Moses
Opera Boston
Gil Rose, conductor; Sam Helfrich, director
Philip Lima was a formidable Trinity Moses.
- The Boston Globe
It's hard to imagine two better collaborators than tenor Frank Kelly (a slim but sinister Fatty the Bookkeeper) and huge but graceful Philip Lima (Trinity Moses).
- The Boston Phoenix
Samson et Dalila; High Priest
El Paso Opera
Raymond Harvey, conductor
Of particular note is the authoritative presence of the High Priest of Dagon, Philip Lima, whose majestic voice matches his towering physique and imperial manner with equal command.
- El Paso Times
Semele; Cadmus
Handel and Haydn Society
Christopher Hogwood, conductor
Philip Lima positively shone as Cadmus. Lima has always been a commanding, intelligent stage presence; what a pleasure to hear new ping and glamour in his voice.
- The Boston Globe
Tosca; Scarpia
Cape Cod Opera
John Yankee, conductor; David McCarty, director
A chilling portrayal of the brutal police chief, Scarpia. He was at his vocal best in the second-act dramatic monologue, "Ha piu forte sapore."
- Cape Cod Times