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Press
“Intriguing…nuanced, witty, and incisive…The Harlem Chamber Players offer sparkling, taut performances.”
The New York Times
“The Chevalier’s concertos boil over with batteries and bariolages, brilliantly executed on Sunday by violinist Brendon Elliott, who split the role of Bologne with actor RJ Foster.”
New York Classical Review“Quite simply exquisite…shrewd and witty. Bologne himself is forcefully portrayed both by actor Chukwudi Iwuji and violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason.”
The Guardian“Radiated warmth and dignity…Jolly music finished it off, closing a musical portrait that gave Bologne a boost… I’ll certainly applaud the show’s ambition, and the music too.”
London Times“An absorbing and illuminating concert-theatre piece…
Bologne’s star is at last rising again.”
Chicago Sun TimesBarclay’s play has one specifically modern-day goal: participating musicians must join the National Alliance for Audition Support, which provides audition grants for Black and Latino musicians, who have been mostly or entirely absent
from European and American concert stages.
“Genius….Barclay’s Chevalier tells Bologne’s historic story with vibrance, passion, significance.”
The Chautauquan Daily
Press for Secret Byrd
“Quietly transfixing…In the atmospheric catacombs below Green-Wood Cemetery, the singers of Cathedra, supported by the string ensemble Abendmusik, enact an immersive ritual around a candlelit table, raising their voices, one to a part, in Byrd’s solemn strains.”
The New Yorker
“This was something else: imaginative, authentic, and deeply moving…the finest imaginable tribute to the great man.”
Charles Hutch Press“High drama…and excellent performances…An effective and compelling dramatic presentation, as well as a reminder of our hope for a world in which people’s differences of belief are tolerated and respected.”
Opera News“What to do with an event that resists characterization? You could feel the composer’s heart and soul…The skill on hand was unequivocally impressive.”
Blogcritics“That this all had a beautiful sound goes without saying; it also had a deep and beautiful spirit and effect that went beyond music. Secret Byrd mixes music, history and drama, and what emerges is an experience that is neither concert nor theatre, but something out of life itself.”
Financial Times“An intriguing example of how to create a non-traditional concert experience… It enhances the context around the music instead of competing with it. Most importantly, the theatrical presentation serves the interests of the music rather than working against it, by allowing audiences a rare chance to experience expert singers performing this detailed, intimate music in close quarters.”
Washington Classical Review“Secret Byrd is a novel and engrossing way of bringing Renaissance music to the public and is done with an intimacy and imagination that embeds this music within the world.”
Opera World
Press for Peer Gynt
“Tremendously entertaining.”
The Boston Globe
“As a whole, BSO’s rendition of Peer Gynt was spectacular for its ingenuity and creativity, making the experience more enriching. The performance ended with thunderous applause from the audience. Although traditional performances have their own merits in encouraging the audience to listen carefully, masterfully combining theater and orchestra can help orchestras reach new audiences.”
The Tech“Barclay’s stage direction made full use of the space, and simple props of chairs, tables, and coat racks left the Norwegian countryside and other exotic locations up to the imagination.”
Boston Classical Music Review“Whimsical, entertaining, and eye-opening… It unfolded cinematically…enhanced by a hilarious bit of puppetry.”
Cincinnati Business Courier“Barclay’s direction, a combination of surrealness and tenderness spelled by rustic comedy, were decidedly convincing, and the audience readily responded.”
Shepherd Express“The result, which won and deserved a cheering, standing ovation, was witty and engaging, full of energy and fun, and flowed seamlessly.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Press for Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
“Magical…Imaginative…Enchanting.”
The Boston Globe
“The liminal world of Shakespeare’s moonlit forest was brought brilliantly to light by orchestra, singers and actors. A very Puck-ish looking boy remarked to his mother as everyone awoke in the cacophony and chaos of the street outside,“Mom, that was everything!” Yes, it was, and more.”
Bachtrack“An imaginative stage adaptation that reunited the score with selected moments from the play it was meant to illustrate. Barclay fashioned a theatrical frame involving Mendelssohn as both a young boy and as a mature composer at work on his score.”
The Boston Globe
Press for Antony & Cleopatra
“Fascinating, every second of it.”
The Guardian
The most accomplished way of combining words and music I’ve witnessed.
Bachtrack Superb synchronicity between actors and orchestra.
The Guardian Sensuous and exotic.
Financial Times