“Internationally renowned…for her unique combination of exquisite singing and hilarious comic acting.” - Vanity Fair

Press

“Of particular delight: the friendly openness of the great American dramatic soprano Deborah Voigt – a Brünnhilde to reckon with.”

“The only diva who might carry on Beverly Sills’ role as ‘opera cheerleader’ in America.”

“Internationally renowned…for her unique combination of exquisite singing and hilarious comic acting.”

“Her timorous sweetness and…spitfire sassiness come across as affectingly authentic. … Why shouldn’t a Wagnerian soprano who has been smitten with musical theater since childhood fulfill a fantasy? … Ms. Voigt was delightful.”

“Voigt comes to pop singing naturally. She creates each musical mood so perfectly and demonstrates such show-biz savvy that it makes me wish she had more opportunities … If this were 1970, she would probably be given her own network variety show; let’s hope that Conan O’Brien and David Letterman have her on soon.”

“Not only has her majestic voice made her fans love her, but so has the soprano’s profound feeling for texts and subtleties of musical style, not to mention her genuine sense of humor.”

“… everyone seemed more confident, especially the soprano Deborah Voigt, who has been singing Marie for the first time in this run at the Met; she gives a vulnerable, intense portrayal of a role that suits her well.”

“Singing her first Marie, Voigt was in fine form, shifting seamlessly across a wide range of styles, from powerful declamation to Sprechgesang and Sprechstimme, and from lyrically melodious to harsh and dissonant. Her portrait of Marie’s multifaceted character was touching in her love for her child and concern for Wozzeck, hostile toward her neighbor Margret, and lustful and seductive in her encounter with the Drum Major.”

“Ms. Voigt was delightful. She has found her own way into the role of Annie Oakley, the country bumpkin sharpshooter who falls into a competitive romance with the dashing marksman Frank Butler and becomes a star in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Ms. Voigt does not have anything like the bluster and vocal brass of Ethel Merman, who created the role. (Who does?) But her timorous sweetness and, when Annie gets challenged, spitfire sassiness come across as affectingly authentic.”

“Deborah Voigt was at the top of her game as Marie. Her voice peaked with thrilling high notes and her middle range created a lush and sensual effect. She managed to express Marie’s dream-like qualities but was also unafraid of exposing her ugly savage demeanor. This was most apparent during the Act 1 confrontation with the Drum Major. She clawed at him and her voice took on a sharp, rugged complexion. Her treatment of the child was also rather ambiguous. She managed to create tender legati as she sung him to sleep, but was quite violent vocally and physically as she told him to fall back asleep. Her death scene was another touchstone moment; her eyes filled with tremendous pain as she fell to the ground.”

“I have seldom heard the role sung with such rhythmic accuracy and verbal clarity. From the start, with those go-for-broke cries of ‘Hojotoho,’ she sang every note honestly. She invested energy, feeling and character in every phrase … a compelling and creditable Brünnhilde.”

“In a role that reduces even great divas to shrieks, she sang with confidence and musicality.”

“… a warm, endearing portrayal.”

“… you could never take your eyes off Deborah, even when she was silently listening, because of the emotional intensity of her portrayal. I found Voigt’s interpretation of Brünnhilde, as a playful, willful and ultimately disobedient and disowned daughter, to be so moving and convincing that tears streamed down my face when Wotan regretfully took his leave of her in the last act, saying that she would never see him again.”

“She sang with clearly focused tone, mostly dead-on high notes, and a surprisingly ample lower register. … Dramatically, Voigt made a most winning warrior maiden. She looked terrific with flowing red hair, and acted with conviction and nuance.”

Associated Press: Q&A


Opera star Deborah Voigt writes of turbulent life.  Her autobiography, “Call Me Debbie: True Confessions of a Down-to-Earth Diva,” published by HarperCollins, is a startlingly frank look at the life of one of her generation’s most prominent operatic stars.

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New York Times: Deborah Voigt to star in Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance.” Oct. 15 and 16 at New York City Center


The Collegiate Chorale, announced Monday that it was changing its name to MasterVoices and beginning a new partnership with City Center to give concert performances there of operas and operettas in English.

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Observer.com: A Fresh ‘Pirates’ and a Reliable ‘Tosca’ Highlight New York’s Fall Opera Offerings


“…she showed up in the second act sporting an outfit Auntie Mame might wear to a pirate-themed cocktail party—that was all part of the fun of a prima donna’s reinventing herself as a musical theater diva.

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OC Register: Deborah Voigt shines in return to Cal State Fullerton


It was a big night for music Sunday at Cal State Fullerton …Central to the festivities, a benefit performance in Meng Concert Hall featuring the music school’s most famous alum: Soprano Deborah Voigt.

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Guideposts: A Singular Voice


For years this opera diva’s brilliance hid her darker side, but a message from above brought her into the light.

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NPR Weekend Edition


A ‘Down-To-Earth Diva’ Confronts Her Flaws And Good Fortune. Listen to Debbie’s interview with Scott Simon Here.

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WHYY: Articulate with Jim Cotter


Jason Vieaux, Play it Again Art, and Deborah Voigt. Soprano Deborah Voigt had to rebuild her voice when she found herself in a newer, smaller body. It also brought numerous personal and emotional conflicts.

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The Boston Globe: Opera Star Deborah Voigt’s “Call Me Debbie”


Deborah Voigt is famous in the opera world for her signature role as Ariadne in the Richard Strauss opera, among other performances.

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Philadelphia Inquirer: A Diva Goes Deep About Art, Weight, and Addiction


The opera world’s friendliest diva is about to become much more so – and not just because Deborah Voigt’s new autobiography is titled Call Me Debbie.

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San Jose Mercury News: Deborah Voigt’s ‘Call Me Debbie’ memoir pulls out all the shocks


Opera fans who have watched Deborah Voigt’s rise from emerging artist to world-renowned dramatic soprano may be in for a shock when they read her new memoir. With “Call Me Debbie: True Confessions of a Down-to-Earth Diva”

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The Guardian: Deborah Voigt: ‘When I walked onstage, you saw addiction’


One of the world’s great sopranos, Deborah Voigt was notoriously fired from Covent Garden for being too fat. Now she’s back with a book detailing her struggles with addiction – and her recovery.

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WTTW Chicago Tonight: Television Interview


Deborah Voigt grew up in Wheeling, Ill., came of age in Southern California, and became a sensation on the operatic stages of the world. But binge eating and weight problems plagued her all her life until an incident involving a little black dress put the issue front and center in headlines all around the world.

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The Leonard Lopate Show: Fame, Addiction, Opera


Opera star Deborah Voigt recounts her private battles, to overcome addiction and self-destructive tendencies, in her memoir Call Me Debbie: True Confessions of a Down-to-Earth Diva

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The Diane Rehm Show: Call Me Debbie: True Confessions of a Down-to-Earth Diva


Deborah Voigt has sung in the world’s most famous opera houses, playing lead roles in the works of Wagner, Strauss, Verdi. Yet, in 2004 she made headlines for her size, not her voice.

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Today Show: Opera singer Deborah Voigt bares all in ‘Call Me Debbie’


Video: The renowned operatic soprano opens up about her food and alcohol addictions in a new memoir. She tells Hoda and Jenna about her most diva moment on the stage.

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PBS NewHour: Diva Deborah Voigt writes of addiction, insecurity off-stage


Jeffrey Brown talks to the star about the ups and downs described in her new book, “Call Me Debbie: True Confessions of a Down-to-Earth Diva.”

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Broadway World: Deborah Voigt in VOIGT LESSONS at the 92nd Street Y


“She is immediately likable and is funny and heart-breaking, all at once. One can also see that she has the skills to be a fine actress. She tells it all – growing up, the addictions, the alcohol, the unhappiness, the frustration and was brutally honest with us.”

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People Magazine


The Jan 26 issue of People Magazine boasts a three-page spread titled “A Diva’s Weight-Loss Drama,” featuring generous excerpts from the memoir. You can read the on-line version, “Fired for Being Too Fat, Opera Singer Deborah Voigt Admits ‘I Was a Poster Child for Food Addiction'” Here

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Wall Street Journal Feature & Interview


Opera Singer Deborah Voigt: An Anti-Diva Bares It All – The Singer Offers Backstage Observations and Details About Her Own Struggles.

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The Boston Globe

Soprano Voigt forges her own path forward

Her powerful, lustrous voice made her one of the great dramatic sopranos of her time, especially in Wagner and Strauss.

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Examiner.com

Deborah Voigt's Celebrity Series recital at Symphony Hall

“one of opera’s most distinguished and beloved sopranos”

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