Reviews
Nashville Opera | Don Giovanni
- The Tennessean - October 12, 2008
“Baritone Michael Todd Simpson's Don Giovanni is a villain, but he's a sexy, charming cad who demands attention whenever and wherever he's onstage. ”
Opera Australia | Carmen
- Sydney Morning Herald - January 25, 2008
“The toreador's entrance into Act 2's Goyaesque tavern was splendid in every way.... As Escamillo the toreador, Michael Todd Simpson was tall and amiable, and a fine singer and table-top dancer: the persona and voice tended more towards the affable than the hypnotically erotic.”
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Florida Grand Opera | Così fan tutte
- Miami Herald - November 18, 2007
“Though the least well known of the cast, Michael Todd Simpson provided the finest all-around performance as Guglielmo. With a commanding baritone and dashing, charismatic presence, Simpson ideally balanced the vocalism and comedy, mining the humor from the opera's situations rather than merely mugging.”
- Miami Beach, Florida USA - November 21, 2007
“Michael Todd Simpson's voluminous baritone embodied Guglielmo. A vibrant stage figure, he exuded amorousness with the female protagonists.”
Seattle Opera | La Bohème
- P-I Music Critic - May 6, 2007
“....a robust Marcello”
- Seattle Times - May 7, 2007
“....sang well as an appropriately fiery Marcello”
Virginia Opera | Pagliacci
- Virginia Pilot - Mar 11, 2007
“Baritone Michael Todd Simpson portrayed Nedda's lover, Silvio. He sounded genuinely in love with her, his voice as handsome as his stage presence. He and Nassif certainly generated a great deal of chemistry in their long duet.”
- Portfolio Weekly - Mar 20, 2007
“As Nedda's lover Silvio, baritone Michael Todd Simpson, who was last season's sexy and befuddled Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, again finessed his good looks and silky voice into the totally believable backdoor boyfriend. His love scene with Nassif bordered on a voyeur's ultimate fantasy; his voice drips tears and testosterone.”
Dallas Opera | Lohengrin
- Dallas Morning News - Feb 16, 2007
“Chills go down the back the minute Sergei Leiferkus starts to sing the part of Telramund, his brazen baritone, his very presence, filling the place with malice. Dean Peterson is a credible King Henry, Michael Todd Simpson a sit-up-and-take-notice Herald.”
Palm Beach Opera | Pagliacci
- Miami Beach, Florida USA - December 8, 2006
“Michael Todd Simpson unfurled a gorgeous lyric baritone as Nedda's lover Silvio. With Blasi and Simpson singing verismo as bel canto, their duet became the vocal highlight of the performance.”
Glimmerglass Opera | The Pirates of Penzance
- New York Times - July 23, 2006
“Michael Todd Simpson, a young baritone, made a strong impression as the Pirate King”
- Classics Today - Aug. 6, 2006
“Michael Todd Simpson’s Pirate King was self-assured and athletic, his voice a rich baritone.”
- Times Union - July 9, 2006
“As for the pirates, they're a hearty lot who invade the theater down the aisles. Baritone Michael Todd Simpson, playing their leader, gives a great, robust vocal performance.”
Virginia Opera | Le Nozze di Figaro
- Washington Post - Feb. 20, 2006
“Joshua Winograde was a tall, stately, dark-voiced Figaro with more than a hint of temper and temperament. Michael Todd Simpson was his superb foil as Count Almaviva, even taller than Winograde, with a powerful voice and a surprising level of vulnerability, not just vengefulness, in ›Vedro mentr'io sospiro.‹"
- Richmond Times-Dispatch - Feb. 26, 2006
“Its singers, led by sopranos Jane Redding (Susanna) and Patricia Andress (Countess Almaviva), bass-baritone Joshua Winograde (Figaro) and baritone Michael Todd Simpson (Count Almaviva), are young, energetic and vocally complementary.”
“Simpson, unusually, brings out the petulant adolescence at the core of Count Almaviva, rescuing the role from the pseudo-villainy of so many portrayals.”
Glimmerglass Opera | The Mines of Sulphur
- Opera Today - Sept. 25, 2005
“Finally, I must mention Michael Todd Simpson, who has several extended scenes as Tooley, one of the actors. Mr. Simpson, who possesses a strong rich baritone voice and who handles the acting chores of his two monologues with impressive craft, was a member of Glimmerglass Opera's Young American Artists Program. He unfortunately will not be repeating the role at the NYCO. I'm sure whoever is engaged will be good, perhaps even as good as Mr. Simpson. But I doubt if he is better.”