press
"Griffin defied acoustic odds as Loudspeaker, bringing forth a dominating 'Hallo...' that resonated throughout the tent.”
Opera News
Stephanie Adrian
"With his booming dark voice and a large black loudspeaker, Calvin Griffin made a striking (and loud) impression as the Loudspeaker (no pun intended)."
Parterre Box
Michael Anthonio
"Calvin Griffin’s suspicious and bumbling Bartolo."
Washington Post
Grace Jean
"Not to be outdone, bass-baritone Calvin Griffin who played Dr. Bartolo made his presence felt each time he was upon the stage, once singing falsetto for comic effect to everyone’s surprise and delight; I felt this was a break out performance for Mr. Griffin. "
Opera Gene
“Griffin consistently moved with the gate of an old man, however his vivacity couldn’t be masked as he passionately and furiously spat “A un dottor dell mia sorte,” a rendition that contrasted heavily with his high-pitched falsetto after Rosina’s “Contro un cor,” reminiscent of a castrato of the time. Griffin epitomized the necessity of a comedy – a villain that all can love to hate. “
MD Theatre Review
Helen Ganley
"Griffin was a cunning and athletic schemer as the palace’s jack of all trades. With his voluminous bass-baritone, Griffin registered Figaro’s anger when he thinks Susanna has betrayed him and brought showmanship to his mock military dressing down of Cherubino in “Non piu andrai.”"
South Florida Classical Review
Lawrence Budmen
"Figaro, played with the right blend of comic wit and dramatic tension by Calvin Griffin, was also a standout."
The Sophia News
"Calvin Griffin and Elena Galván are marvelous as Figaro and Susanna, around whom the plot revolves, bringing chemistry and fine comedic timing. Figaro’s determination to outwit his master, Count Almaviva, was politically shocking in Mozart’s day. Griffin’s character is no servant but self-assured and convinced of his noble birth, with a voice penetrating and powerful as Figaro mockingly sends Cherubino off to join the Count’s regiment in ‘Non più andrai’; and he later bemoans how badly men are treated by women. "
Classical Source
David M. Rice
“The young American bass-baritone Calvin Griffin, as Arenas’s nemesis Victor, also turned in a terrific performance. He has a big, commanding instrument that he can use with real menace. He was at all times the rigid ideologue and unchecked power glutton, except for one moment of tenderness as he talked about the beauty of Arenas’s writing before burning the writer’s latest manuscript, stolen from his apartment, in front of him.”
Palm Beach Arts Paper
Greg Stepanich
“The brilliant portrayal of Victor by Griffin, in my opinion, stole the show.”
el Nuevo Herald
Pedro Portal
“The revolutionary leader Victor, sung by the bass-baritone Calvin Griffin, is in a way more subtly drawn than Arenas. Neither overwritten nor overacted, he is made more malevolent by being more believable, a subtle portrait of a ruthless man who respects Arenas and his work but is willing to ruin lives and to kill 'to protect revolution.'”
South Florida Classical Review
David Fleshler
“Taking on character and a most secular stage presence, Griffin wowed us with his compelling voice. The music shined with trumpet runs that ripped up into the heavens. What a burst of sunshine!”
Herald-Tribune
Gayle Williams
"Calvin Griffin, bringing a darkly lustrous voice to the toreador’s final duet with Carmen."
South Florida Classical Review
David Fleshler
"Lyric bass baritone Calvin Griffin sang the role with a smooth dark voice as he commanded his beleaguered ship."
Opera Today
Maria Nockin
"And as the Captain, bass-baritone Calvin Griffin once again shows off the powerful pipes..."
AZCentral
Kerry Lengel
"Bass Calvin Griffin as Dappertutto sang "Scintille diamant" as well as we have ever heard it--with a great deal of menace."
Voce di meche
Meche Kroop
"Arizona Opera Young Artist Program member Calvin Griffin has become a valuable member of the company. A lithe and limber comedian, he made an attentive Hortensius."
Opera Today
Maria Nockin
"But the one God-given world-class voice on the stage belonged to Mr. Griffin."
WOSU Radio
Christopher Purdy
"...powerful vocal performance of tenor Borichevsky and bass-baritone Calvin Griffin, another member of the opera's artists residence program."
Arizona Daily Star
Cathalena E. Burch
"As Schicchi, Calvin Griffin had the panache to make a plausible con man, and deployed a resonant lyric baritone that suited his suave approach to the character. His stage presence held the center against a motley crew of avaricious relatives roiling about him."
Seen and Heard International
Harvey Steiman
© Kristin Hoebermann