Acclaim

“Yulia is the single most promising young singer I’ve ever auditioned, really a star in the making.” – Conductor Stephen Stubbs, as quoted in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“…Van Doren immediately captivated the audience as she launched into the fast, furious aria ‘Anzi ti pur…Non disperar.’ It was immediately obvious why she is so highly regarded despite her relative youth; she sang in a dizzyingly intricate coloratura, flawless in timbre while executing rapid, difficult ornamentation with pinpoint accuracy despite the merciless tempo…She was able to switch from anger to joy to sadness as necessary, projecting the effortless calm of one singing for friends in the parlor of someone’s home. She immediately penetrated to the heart of meaning in each text she sang all throughout the evening, her stage presence serving to enhance her shining musicianship.” – Northwest Reverb

“Yulia Van Doren is the Anna Netrebko of early music…That’s a name that you should keep your ears open for.” – OperaNow!

“Yulia Van Doren, making her professional opera debut in the title role [of Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea], is not only a perfect baroque voice but scorches the stage with her sensual presence as the femme fatale.” – Seattle Times

“The cast, generally strong, was dominated by the Russian-American soprano Yulia van Doren, who sang gloriously, with subtle inflection, dynamic sensitivity and spunky charm as the shepherdess Dorinda [in Handel's Orlando].” – Financial Times, New York

“The alluring Russian-American soprano Yulia Van Doren stole the show as Dorinda [in Handel's Orlando]…Her luscious voice has a pure, shining high extension, and she sailed through the coloratura leaps, plunges and flourishes with uncanny ease. All of this was allied to a charming and expressive characterization.” – Chicago Tribune

“The soprano Yulia Van Doren made the most of these comic implications in her portrayal of Dorinda [in Handel's Orlando] but never overdid them. Her voice blossomed as Handel fleshed out her character, and she – like the other singers here – brought consistently interesting, often athletic embellishments to the repeated sections.” – The New York Times

“She reminds me of Natalie Dessay…another performer who artfully combines singing and acting to wonderful effect on the operatic stage. Truly this is the trickiest role in Orlando, encompassing a wide emotional range including ignorance, irony, and resignation – yet Yulia Van Doren made it all seem terribly easy.” – Cashman Kerr Prince, The Boston Musical Intelligencer

“Her singing, especially in the decorations she devised…had the ability to pull this listener far into the sadness of the character. It was not a light soprano kind of performance. It was a big luscious performance.” – The Berkshire Review

“…Russian-American soprano Yulia Van Doren brought charm and a bell-like purity to her arias…” –The Huffington Post

“Soprano Yulia Van Doren was bubbly as Dorinda [in Handel's Orlando], with sighing portamento and effervescent ornaments, teasing her way through the Italian.” – Boston Globe

“Soprano Yulia Van Doren has a world-class voice and its quality remained vibrant throughout the evening… The baroque is her true métier.” – Register-Star

“The soloists themselves were also impeccable. Yulia Van Doren, a young soprano, negotiated Haydn’s florid runs so effortlessly that she seemed to float upon the music. Her two long arias left the listener wishing they were even longer.” – Daily Camera (Boulder, Colorado)

“The great role in the opera was ‘Bird with Golden Plumage,’ sung magnificently by Yulia Van Doren with expansive brilliance and compelling trilling.” – Register-Star

“…stylish and refined singing from Yulia Van Doren…Van Doren’s pure-toned soprano…made the Mazzocchi a particular pleasure.” – Boston Globe

“…this Niobe production offers many other pleasures, including [a] vivid performance…from Yulia Van Doren as the radiant ingenue Manto…” – The Classical Review

“Yulia Van Doren, was a lovely, ingenuous Manto…” – The New York Times

“I was truly fascinated by the performance of Yulia Van Doren, who sang with beautiful articulation and rich tone in the role of Belinda.” – Oksana Khadarina, Ballet.co.uk

“Handel’s ‘Chandos Anthem No. 4’ brought another vocal find in soprano Yulia Van Doren…Van Doren’s voice was like clear spring water and her English diction was perfect…” – Register-Star

“Yulia Van Doren introduced bright, shimmering accounts of Belinda and the First Witch.” – Orange County Register

“Yulia Van Doren sang with an appealing soprano and expressive conviction.” – The New York Times

“…vocally lithe…” – Los Angeles Times

“Soprano Yulia Van Doren, singing affectingly…stood out.” – Boston Herald

“Yulia Van Doren makes her professional debut in the title role. Few opera singers can appear to advantage on stage in a bathing suit with spike heels, yet Van Doren would draw eyes at a Miss America contest, while her rich, agile soprano matches her sensual, luscious characterization of Poppea.” – Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“On stage, Yulia Van Doren looks like a real empress, with a colorful, vigorous voice and gorgeous presence.” – Russian World

“The singers were also consistently outstanding in their musical parts, their acting, and their ensemble work…Among these Yulia Van Doren, who is still a student, deserves special praise for her management of the complex ornaments in her part as the Grieving Woman in the Italian lament. With her rounded but limpid voice she brought historical correctness and attention to detail to a higher level of expression, which was ultimately very moving.” – Berkshire Fine Arts

“An odd interposition of an Italian vocal trio of grieving citizens stood out, thanks to Yulia Van Doren…” – The New York Times

“Standouts included…Yulia Van Doren.” – Wall Street Journal

“Mezzo Mireille Lebel and soprano Yulia Van Doren caught the ear with expressive, pleasing voices in numerous smaller roles; indeed Van Doren’s Grieving Woman, lamenting Psyché’s projected fate in Italian, was a highlight.” – OPERA (UK)

“An unexpected highlight is the gorgeous, mournful lament sung by New England Conservatory senior [sic] Yulia Van Doren.” – Cape Cod Times

“The moody, spare-textured ‘Sun, Moon, and Star’ by Angel Lam, a Hong Kong-born composer, was about her childhood friendships and was well suited to the clear, expressive voices of Chanel Wood and Yulia Van Doren.” – The New York Times

“…Here the fare was more familiar, including Monteverdi’s ‘Lamento d’Arianna’ and Purcell’s ‘O let me weep’ (from The Fairy Queen). Van Doren sang them in a sweet, pure voice with airy top notes… a brief passacaglia by Henri de Bailly was poignantly expressive, and the Purcell made for an especially moving final number.” – Boston Globe

“Soprano Yulia Van Doren sounded fresh and radiant in the ‘Pie Jesu’…” – Cincinnati Enquirer

“Soprano Yulia Van Doren displayed the perfect lyric voice in ‘Pie Jesu,’ letting it bloom a bit on the repeat, but without over ripeness.’ – Music in Cincinnati