The Daily Campus

Issue date: 2/18/08 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Ryan Sayers Deborah Voight belts her merry way through the concert at the Jorgensen last night.

The audience in Jorgense cheered last Friday evening as Deborah Voight began to sing the Leonard Bernstein classic "It's Gotta Be Bad to Be Good", but as Voight and pianist Brian Zegar proved, it can sometimes just be good.

Hailed by critics as one of the best soprano singers in the world, Voight has continued to garner acclaim throughout the years by gaining the coveted leading role in many operas and even placing on the Billboard charts with her solo CD Obsessions.

In keeping with her reputation as an opera singer, Ms. Voight sang several numbers by Verdi and Strauss. For the entire first segment the audience was held spellbound by Ms. Voight's abilities. The opera pieces also showed off her prowess as a vocal artist and actor, as despite the foreignness of the language, the audience was able to feel the mood of the piece through her delivery. She also showed off her sense of humor by telling a few self-effacing jokes in between songs. Kim Soby, a recent graduate from UConn with a bachelor's degree in vocal performance, agreed. "The Strauss was amazing and it fits her perfectly. She has really good stage presence and can walk the line between casual and formal," said Soby.

In contrast to the more boisterous opera numbers, Voight performed several songs composed by Amy Beach and Ben Moore and based off of the poetry of Robert Browning and James. Yet Voight continued to use her vocal expertise to bring a bold life to the speakers of the poems as well as the characters from the operas.

"She is the best interpreter," said Anne Wright of Boston, "It is nice to hear her do what she is really good at."

The excitement in the auditorium built throughout the performance and by the time Ms. Voight sang her concluding song, "Somewhere" by Bernstein from West Side Story, the audience could do nothing but cheer - in near-perfect pitch.

"She had good acting in her performance, which goes with the pieces," said Mike Dionne, a 4th-semester mechanical engineering major. "And I was thoroughly impressed by the pianist.

In a time when all popular singers travel with an entourage of backup dancers and choreographed performances, seeing Voight perform on her own was quite refreshing.



Contact Eric Nigosanti at Eric.Nigosanti@UConn.edu .

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