"As Leila, the woman with whom both men are in love, the young American soprano Sydney Mancasola, a Grand Finals winner of the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, gave a full-voiced, committed performance. She adroitly and elegantly handled the complex coloratura of “O, dieu Brahma,” never letting the difficult runs and ornaments interfere with the aria’s lyricism.
Throughout, she sang with a rich, focused, gleaming voice. But more than that, she showed a gift for infusing the character’s emotion into every moment, her voice turning urgent and fearful as she recalls the terror of an angry mob bursting into her house when she was a child, or when her voice radiates gladness as she realizes Nadir is nearby. She made the most of every moment, singing with a sorrowful intimacy as she handed one of the villagers her necklace before what she believed would be her execution."
DAVID FLESHLER, SOUTH FLORIDA CLASSICAL REVIEW
"Californian Sydney Mancasola sang a bewitchingly full-voiced and vocally agile Leila. A highly engaging singer and actress, Mancasola made us feel the priestess's panic in "J'étais encore infant" before she soared to coloratura heights in "Comme autrefois.""
JEAN–FRANÇOIS LEJEUNE, OPERA NEWS