Acclaim

Marc Blitzstein's 'Regina' is both dramatically and musically powerful at Opera Theater of St. Louis

"Maybe its mix of musical styles — shifting among call-and-response spirituals, ragtime, jazz and cinematic romanticism — calls for a conductor as committed and capable as Stephen Lord, who is leading performances by Opera Theatre of St. Louis. He gets fine playing from members of the St. Louis Symphony."

~ Scott Cantrell, Dallas News

REGINA - Opera Theatre of St. Louis

"Conductor Stephen Lord valiantly welded the score’s disparate elements together."

~ Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal

REGINA - Opera Theatre of St. Louis

"Though the score evokes spirituals, jazz, folk songs, ragtime and Dixieland, the elements of musical theater came through most strongly in this performance, led with brio by Stephen Lord."

~ Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times

Rigoletto - Canadian Opera Company

"All three [singers] are led by Stephen Lord at the podium, who counted this Jan. 20 performance as his 67th conducting of Rigoletto. Lord's innate, human approach to Verdi's score lets it amble along naturally, full of fire, elasticity and space for the singers."

~ Jenna Simeonov, The Globe and Mail

Titus Lightens Up in Saint Louis

"Last but most certainly not least, this performance of Titus marked Stephen Lord’s last appearance on the podium as longtime Music Director. Maestro Lord has given us a lot to be grateful for over his tenure, but none more so that this lovingly rendered, stylistically correct, and dramatically propulsive reading of a Mozartean gem. His rapport with the singers and instrumentalists alike was remarkable and his inspired leadership was of the highest order. Bravo, Maestro, e buona fortuna!"

~ James Sohre, Opera Today

Opera Theatre's production of 'Titus' delivers

"Music director Stephen Lord, conducting his final production in that capacity, chose “Titus” as his swan song, and cast its six roles with some of the best of the young singers whose careers he’s advanced in recent years. They did not disappoint; it’s hard to imagine a better cast. Few conductors possess Lord’s invaluable combination of understanding of both voices and vocal scores. Add to that his excellent rapport with instrumentalists — this is one conductor who never fails to connect the musicians of the stage with those of the pit — and it’s clear that this is the end, not only of an era, but of a kind of golden age at OTSL."

~ Sara Bryan Miller, St. Louis Post Dispatch

Norma – Canadian Opera Company

"Stephen Lord conducted an idiomatic, singer-friendly performance, drawing a big ... sound from the orchestra.... I do like his well-judged tempi, and his willingness to allow the singers, especially Radvanovsky, the freedom to showcase her incredible technique."

~ Joseph So, Musical Toronto

Saint Louis Takes On ‘The Scottish Opera’

"In the pit, Music Director Stephen Lord knew exactly what he wanted, and what he wanted proved to be some faster-than-usual tempi. Actually, that approach had a good deal to recommend it as it glossed over some of the shortcomings of the rather youthful score. The strings especially had a magnificent night, with lush and idiomatic playing from first to last. I also appreciated the selective use of well-calculated astringent bowings that had the same effect as that scraping Psycho theme (with the bloody doings in this opera, that is a complement and a compliment!).

"Overall then, Maestro Lord went a bit more for creating driving passages than evoking spooky atmosphere, and his approach yielded effective results. When he finally relaxes the tension and helms a slow-paced final aria for Macbeth, the evening (and the singer) is all the better for it. Too, any number of choral passages found the Maestro in a suitably expansive mood."

~ James Sohre, Opera Today

Mississippi Muse

"It is thanks to Lord’s nose for new talent and ability to nurture that OTSL has been the venue for debuts or major early appearances of such singers as Patricia Racette, Christine Goerke, Anthony Dean Griffey, Lawrence Brownlee, Ailyn Pérez and Jamie Barton, to name a few. His casting policies have had a direct effect on the company’s idealistic approach to repertoire, and by the end of this season, which features the premiere of Jack Perla’s Salman Rushdie-inspired Shalimar the Clown, OTSL will have staged 25 premieres and 24 first American performances. Little wonder, then, that a decade ago Opera News was already putting Lord (one of only four conductors) on its list of the ‘25 Most Powerful Names in US Opera’."

~ John Allison, Opera Magazine

English National Opera - Norma

"The final word should be reserved for the superb ENO orchestra and chorus, both on excellent form under conductor Stephen Lord, who fires up the score as few others today could. Musically, this Norma was as vital a performance as could be wished for."

~ Graham Rogers, Opera News

Long live ENO!

"The first indication that it would be an exceptional evening was in the opening chords of the Overture, a belligerent and energetic piece with a surprising ethereal coda, conducted, as was the whole opera, with masterly pacing and fluid tempi and plenty of rubato by Stephen Lord, and immaculately played."

~ Michael Tanner, The Spectator

Puccini’s ‘La rondine’ takes flight in St. Louis

“Music director Stephen Lord has a special affinity for the opera — he conducted it for the Dallas Opera in 2007 — and he deftly balances sugar and spice with members of the St. Louis Symphony.”

~ Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News

La Rondine – Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

“Lord gave a reading of the score to cherish, leading all his musicians, from singers to instrumentalists, in a beautiful performance.”

~ Sarah Bryan Miller, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Saint Louis: A Hit is a Hit is a Hit

“In the pit, Stephen Lord presided with his usual skill and stylistic acumen, the Maestro totally at one with his cast and making the orchestra a full partner in the drama.”

~ James Sohre, Opera Today

St. Louis Opera fest serves potent brew as an opener

“This ‘Elixir’ is a potent brew, brightly sung, inventively staged by James Robinson and urgently conducted by music director Stephen Lord. The pitside St. Louis Symphony matches the energy level on stage.... There is no denying Lord’s feeling for the Donizetti idiom, and the orchestra plays with animation and rhythmic point…. This charming ‘Elixir of Love’ sets the performance bar high for the remainder of the season.”

~ John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune

A Masked Ball is Verdi at his finest

“The totally sure-footed and confident conducting of Stephen Lord make[s] this such a delight. This orchestra sounds as wondrous with the thunder of Verdi as it does with the filigree of Mozart.”

~ Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star

“This wonderful evening was capped by Stephen Lord, who conducted with unusual sensitivity to the line and rhythm of Rossini’s melodies. He never rushed, and he found details of orchestration and dynamics that made it abundantly clear why 'La Donna del Lago' ranks among Rossini’s most beautiful scores.”

~ Simon Williams, Opera News

Lucia di Lammermoor: A bold vision gives new depth to this rich score

“You knew things were in good hands the way that conductor Stephen Lord began the prelude to Act I, with all the work’s rich darkness and threatening undercurrents given full value. And it was like that all evening. He knew that bel canto doesn’t mean 'pretty' singing, it means 'beautiful' singing, and beauty can have its hard and dark edges.”

~ Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star

Seriously, folks: Lyric Opera's 'Don Pasquale' is no cheap joke

"Lord is a delight at the podium, knowing that Donizetti’s music is real music, influencing everything from the dance to 'My Fair Lady' to Nino Rota’s Fellini film scores."

~ Andrew Patner, Chicago Sun-Times

Mad Hatter, Demon Barber Are Spirited in St. Louis

“OTSL’s stunning production of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Sweeney Todd’ had the best of both opera and Broadway worlds: the full Jonathan Tunick orchestrations, lovingly and vigorously conducted by Stephen Lord. … This tight show was one of OTSL’s best ever.”

~ Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal

Tosca, Eno - review

"Supervising the revival herself, she [Catherine Malfitano] has sharpened the stage action even further, in conjunction with Stephen Lord's powerfully driven conducting, creating a truly visceral impact. From the opening bars, Lord draws a sound of striking amplitude from his orchestra, moderating and winching up the tension which explodes in the climactic Te Deum. He's skilful, too, at eliciting the inky black tone associated with the brutal police chief Scarpia and the implacable oppressive forces he represents, though he can also create a mood of interior reflection which succeeds in lending dramatic credibility to even the big set pieces. In Vissi d'Arte, for example, he allows Claire Rutter the space to protract each phrase as though it's tearing her heart out, while Cavaradossi's E Lucevan le Stelle in Act 3 poignantly evokes a distant world of past happiness."

~ Barry Millington, London Evening Standard

St. Louis brilliantly reaffirms 'Klinghoffer' as a landmark American opera

"Debussy's diaphanous orchestration shimmered with delicate highlights under music director Stephen Lord."

~ John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune

High Art: Debussy's Pelleas and Mélisande is anything but conventional opera -- it's a trip

"Conductor Stephen Lord and the orchestra masterfully expose every millimeter of theatricality in the score, yet they manage to preserve its exquisite subtlety and subtexts."

~ Lew Prince, River Front Times

La Boheme - English National Opera

"Matters have improved in the pit with the excellent ENO orchestra now under the experienced baton of Stephen Lord who conducted with suitably idiomatic Puccini conviction, tenderness and 'heart-on-the-sleeve' emotion."

~ Jim Pritchard, Music Web International

'Tosca' an old-fashioned treat

"American conductor Stephen Lord, music director of Opera Theatre of St. Louis, is yet another debutant here; he brings a touch both careful -- in the good sense -- and easy, one that emphasizes Puccini's lyricism and humanity, never over-presses and allows the Lyric Orchestra to shine."

~ Andrew Patner, Chicago Sun-Times

Rigoletto: English National Opera @ Coliseum

"In the pit Stephen Lord conducted a blood and guts reading of the score and although he took many passages at quite a lick, it was viscerally exciting ... and the orchestra played their hearts out. And at the end, joy of joys, there were even proper curtain calls, so bravos all round."

~ Keith McDonnell, Music OMH (UK)

Salome (6/3/09), Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

"The lineup for Strauss' one-act Salome guaranteed success, but the production's brutal force was an unexpected surprise. Lord brings a Romantic musical temperament to the pit, and he led the Saint Louis Symphony players in glorious, plush colors and opulent climaxes without covering the singers."

~ Judith Malafronte, Opera News

Opera Colorado opener 'Madama Butterfly' draws in audience

"One is now so used to the perceptive presence of Stephen Lord as music director of most OC productions that one takes his excellence for granted -- which one should never do.

Here again he wielded a magic wand that accounted for the overall excellence of the Saturday performance.

~ Wes Blomster, Boulder Daily Camera

"Stephen Lord, the company music director, sustained tension with brisk tempos and crisp articulation worthy of Toscanini. And, unlike Toscanini, he opened up all the time-dishonored cuts." [LA TRAVIATA - Opera Theatre of St. Louis]

~ Martin Bernheimer, Financial Times/Opera Magazine

"Stephen Lord's wholesale embrace of the score, with its romantic gestures and broad palette, resulted in a splendidly vivid musical reading...." [ROMÉO ET JULIETTE - Opera Theatre of St. Louis]

~ Opera News

Stephen Lord to conduct Michigan Opera Gala starring Renée Fleming

Conductor Stephen Lord will join forces with Soprano Renée Fleming and the Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra to present a gala concert for the beginning of the 2018-19 season. The evening will include a special appearance by Victoria Jaiani and Dylan Gutierrez of Chicago’s renowned Joffrey Ballet performing a pas de deux from Swan Lake.