Selected Review Excerpts

Carmen

"Don Jose finally got to be a hero; or at least the tenor singing him did. As the male lead in Bizet's Carmen, American Mark Thomsen not only made his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut Saturday, but he did it on the season's opening night - and as a last-minute substitute for the billed Neil Shicoff, who was recovering from laryngitis. Thomsen began the evening facing a firing squad during the last bars of the overture, and he ended the night riddled with rifle bullets as the curtain fell. In between, though, he scored a personal triumph. What sort of tenor loses the girl to a bass-baritone?... Don Jose does get to kill her... And he gets to sing, beautifully, in Thomsen's case, particularly in Act II's 'Flower Song.' Thomsen is also young enough to play the role effectively, and handsome enough to account for why Carmen, the tempestuous Gypsy, singles him out for her attentions in Act I.

"...Credit for saving opening night went to Thomsen. When a large bouquet came flying over the orchestra pit at the curtain calls, Graves picked it up, extracted one red rose and presented it to the tenor. It was an echo of the action in Act I, but it was also a way of saying 'Thank you.'"
-- F.N. D'Alessio , Associated Press

"...And because Shicoff bowed out at the end of the first act, [soprano Denyce Graves] acquired a tall, good-looking and vocally capable new Jose in the person of tenor Mark Thomsen. With him in place, we got some real fire in an opera that requires dramatic commitment from all its participants. There were no complaints from the audience at the substitution..."
--Saint Louis Post-Dispatch (review of The Lyric Opera of Chicago)

Don Giovanni

"Mark Thomsen was a take-charge Don Ottavio, not at all subservient to his lady. He was given some particularly tough stage directions, like hauling the dead Commendatore up a steep hill and singing 'Dalla sua pace' flat on his back. Thomsen's tenor is smoothly lyrical but substantial, with a stunning pianissimo, and his breath control in 'Il mio tesoro' was nothing short of remarkable."
--Andante ( review of Günter Krämer's 2005 Spoleto Festival USA production)

"Tenor Mark Thomsen avoids the clichés associated with Don Ottavio and the venerable scholarly tradition that says Ottavio is a weak character. Partly because Thomsen sings beautifully but mostly because he plays the role sincerely - this Ottavio is truly devoted to Donna Anna - he turns Ottavio into a sympathetic character."
--Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"Mark Thomsen was a Don Ottavio who inspired affection for this sometimes unlovable character."
--Saint Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch

"There were some fine performances onstage, starting with Thomsen's return visit as Don Ottavio, even more elegantly sung than before and acted with impressive dignity."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Ottavio, normally a stick of a role, had Tenor Mark Thomsen singing and he...made the character become a necessary force in the opera."
--Denver Post

"Mark Thomsen's Ottavio cut a fine vocal and dramatic figure."
--Craig Smith

Lucia di Lammermoor

Thomsen quickly showed that he is the real thing...His superb, evenly-supported voice easily filled the house; he had it under total control from pp to the loudest ringing forte. His near-baritone quality provided great vocal heft. He projected a wide variety of emotions, ranging from his family's long-term strife with the Lammemoors to his ardent love for Lucia to his fury at her apparent betrayal. He even brought vocal "tears" to his death scene (without Gigli-like breaks of line). I see why this opera was originally revived for tenors.
-- Classical Voice of North Carolina

"The cast is a distinct asset, the men generating strong, testosterone-tinged sounds...Singing the two lovers are soprano Elizabeth Futral as Lucia and tenor Mark Thomsen as Edgardo. They do break one old tradition: Mr. Thomsen towers over Ms. Futral. More often than not, the opposite is the case...Deadline pressure forced me to miss Mr. Thomsen's final scene, but his earlier performance left no reason to think it did not go well. He has a strong Italianate voice and a physical presence to match."
--Dallas Morning News

"Tenor Mark Thomsen, whose most recent appearance in these parts was as a stellar Pinkerton in a visually depressing Butterfly at the Dallas Opera in 2000, was once again at the front of the cast as a dramatically intense and convincing Edgardo. He brought wonderful moments of subtlety to a role that is too often thrown away...The most daunting of many dramatic challenges in this piece is keeping interest alive for the final scene, after the demise of the title character."
--Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Madama Butterfly
"Pinkerton is an ideal role of tenor Mark Thomsen, and with his well-schooled vocalism and fine musicality he took the singing honors of the evening."
--Opera

"It was up to Mark Thomsen, an unusually sweet-voiced Pinkerton, to make something of the gorgeous Act 1 love duet, which is tough to do alone."
--The Wall Street Journal

Faust
"Tenor Mark Thomsen made his debut in the role, singing with a clear, smooth lyrical and ardent tone that suited the role perfectly, Thomsen's tall, youthful appearance also finally gave the production a credible-looking Faust. Thomsen's dramatic involvement with the role was especially noteworthy in the prologue, where he projected the frustrations of the aged Faust and his search for youth and pleasure with remarkable theatrical conviction."
--The Houston Post

"In the prologue, set in the aging Faust's study, tenor Mark Thomsen modulated his youthful voice into the hollow valleys of old age, his first word, 'Rien!' (Nothing), resonant with the pain of Faust's despair. In Faust and Mephistopheles, it was a meeting of minds; for Thomsen and Johnson, it was a near-perfect match of voices...Thomsen's voice burst forth with newfound power in the opera's final trio, following Gorra's soaring vocal line into celestial realms."
-- New Orleans Times-Picayune

The Merry Widow
"Tenor Mark Thomsen as Camille displayed an unfailing lyrical gift, and his virile presence made a credible threat to the safety of the distracted Baron's marriage, especially just before Camille and Valencienne sneak off together unto the summerhouse of Anna's garden."
--The Indianapolis Star

Manon
"Thomsen made a fine vocal impression as Manon's ardent but impetuous lover, Des Grieux. His voice had the creamy, lyric tone that works so well with Massenet's vocal line and his singing blended passion with tenderness very credibly, His performance in the second scene was particularly fine, conveying a real sense of intimacy to those few treasured moments Des Grieux shares with Manon in their tiny room."
--The Houston Post

"He sang with uncommon beauty for this lyrical role, giving the reading of his letter in Paris a quiet tenderness and, later, his prayer at Saint Sulpice a luminescent glow."
--Houston Chronicle

Cosi fan tutte
"Mark Thomsen as Ferrando displayed a fresh tenor and sensitivity to mood in 'Un'aura amorosa'" The New York Times "As Ferrando Mark Thomsen was equally convincing, physically appealing and vocally impressive with his warm, light voice."
--The Santa Fe New Mexican

"Tenor Mark Thomsen portrayed the soldier Ferrando with durable energy and voice."
--Albuquerque Journal

Die Entführung aus dem Serail
"The tenor were also quite striking. Mark Thomsen produced an admirably focused tone as Belmonte."
--The Houston Post

"Mark Thomsen sang Belmonte's long, florid lines (including those of the usually omitted third aria) steadily and sweetly."
--Los Angeles Times

"Playing Belmonte like a mild-mannered blend of Indiana Jones and Clark Kent, Mark Thomsen sang appealingly and deftly tossed off the fioritura in the often cut 'Ich baue ganz'"
--Opera News

"Mark Thomsen has the perfect vocal quality for Belmonte, the Spanish nobleman, and he becomes more commanding in every way with each succeeding scene and demanding aria."
--The Columbus Dispatch

Die Zauberflöte
"...a winning hero. Thomsen voiced Tamino with pleasing lyrical sweetness and no straining for effect and he played the character convincingly."
--Opera News

"Thomsen's ardency of his commitment to win Pamina and the vocal ring of his singing were a stirring combination."
--Houston Chronicle

"Other standouts in the mostly American cast include tenor Mark Thomsen as an aristocratic Tamino."
--Houston Press

"Tenor Mark Thomsen led off with a commendably earnest portrayal of the courageous Prince Tamino, enduring trials to rescue captive Pamina. His tone softened to its most appealing emotional expression in Tamino's 'magic flute' aria toward the end of Act One."
--The Houston Post

"As the fearless prince Tamino, tenor Mark Thomsen furnished a heroic presence, and also sang with a nice blend of youthful ardor and manly authority."
--The Hartford Courant

The Portrait of Dorian Gray
"As Dorian, tenor Mark Thomsen proved a happy combination of lithe, handsome young man and a singer who could traverse the difficult vocal gamut of the role, act reasonably well and deliver reams of text clearly (the two-act work is about two hours long, and the character of Dorian is on stage virtually throughout).
--Opera

"The part of Dorian, containing juicy stretches of vocal display studded with high notes, well suited the blond good looks and firm, healthy tenor of Mark Thomsen."
--Chicago Tribune

"Florentine's excellent cast was led by tenor Mark Thomsen in the extended and difficult title role. A tall handsome man with a medium-weight voice and fine enunciation, Thomsen sand and acted well."
--Opera Canada

Lakmé
"Thomsen was likewise ideal as Gerald, Lakmé's lover, a British army officer who eventually chooses duty over love. He commands an ample lyric tenor of smoothly appealing quality, firmly placed, true of pitch and diction, sensitive to the musical shape of the singing line."
--Chicago Tribune

Don Pasquale
"Mark Thomsen's debut as Ernesto guaranteed that he will be remembered, for his lyric tenor voice is bright, clear and well-placed and, as an added bonus, he is attractive and can act."
--Opera

Eugene Onegin
"Mark Thomsen's Lensky was notable for clarity of projection, enunciation and musical line."
--Opera News

"Tenor Mark Thomsen, who was making his debut in the role of Lenski...was my favorite lead Friday. His aria, sung as he pushed Olga on a swing, was so pretty, smooth and hopeful. But once again Onegin flirted with Olga to pay Lenski back for inviting him to a dull party, the conflict got out of control, spoiling their friendship. As a duel between them loomed, Thomsen's magnificent version of the famous 'Lenski's Aria' reflected that change of circumstance. Sung partly as the tenor lay on the ground and partly as he stared skyward, this aria was lyrical, yet thick with despair. Audience response was huge."
--Indianapolis Star

Of Mice and Men
"Central to the success of the piece is the relationship between Lennie - sung for Edmonton Opera by tenor Mark Thomsen - and his friend/guardian George. The Chemistry is genuine. We believe that George, after all, will stand by his friend, even to the tragic end. Thomsen and Powell are fine actors, and their voices have as much dramatic life as they do musically."
--Edmonton Journal

Paulus's The Woodlanders
"Lyric tenor Mark Thomsen was appropriately debonair and dangerous as the dissipated Fitzpiers."
--The Tennessean

"Mark Thomsen caught the vanity and destructive glamour of the young doctor."
--The Village Voice

Rossini's Armida "Armida is filled with tenors, and the chief support comes from Mark Thomsen, first as the warrior leader, then as a French knight. He sings with passion and dramatic flair."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"In addition, Mark Thomsen was particularly impressive as Goffredo, leader of the French Crusaders."
--Saint Paul Pioneer Press

The Bartered Bride
"The individual singers were in fine voice and were well cast. Strapping tenor Mark Thomsen offered a fine counterpoint as Jenik, vulnerable with Marenka, but blunt and decisive at the bargaining table and at the local pub."
--The Washington Times

"She moves on stage as expertly as does tenor Mark Thomsen, who sang the role of Jenik, her chosen partner; Thomsen's feisty, macho agility during the third-act duet was superb."
--The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Jenik, Marenka's true love, steady and sure amid all the scheming, was sung with authority by tenor Mark Thomsen." The Gazette Newspapers

"Tenor Mark Thomsen proved a less plastic sweetheart as Jenik, whose trickery ensures his marriage to the girl of his dreams. Strong, clear high notes and an animated, engaged face made his performance stand out."
--Intermission

Der fliegende Holländer
"Both Mark Thomsen as the Steersman and...fleshed out their important roles and sang honorably."
-- The New York Times

"Mark Thomsen did tenorial aspirations right proud."
--New York Daily News

In Concert: Bach's Magnificat
"Among the soloists in this work, Thomsen was the standout for his authoritative interpretation."
--Houston Chronicle

"Tenor Mark Thomsen was the stellar soloist in a commanding performance of the 'Deposuit potented' aria"
--The Houston Post

Handel's Messiah
"Mark Thomsen's agile tenor was heard to good effect in 'Every valley'.'"
--Minneapolis Star Tribune

Honegger's King David
"Of the operatic soloists used, the clarion tenor of Mark Thomsen was best."

"Mark Thomsen did the tenor solos very beautifully indeed."
--The Charleston News and Courier

Mozart's Requiem
"Tenor Mark Thomsen sang with fine tone and with a musical discretion which tenor of his talent are not always willing to display."
--The Youngstown Vindicator