Gilda in Rigoletto with San Diego Opera
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim makes an astonishing role and company debut as Gilda. Despite her petite size, she has a huge crystalline voice that she effortlessly pirouettes through perfect coloratura acrobatics and piercing high notes."
- Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune
"Several voices new to the San Diego Opera stage brightened this traditional production, especially Alisa Jordheim's scintillating, supple soprano as Gilda. I have never heard a more confident, beautifully shaped Caro nome, Gilda's defining cameo aria, and Jordheim's poise throughout the opera gave Rigoletto's sheltered daughter an unflinching definition of self-awareness that is rare in this role... This Rigoletto offered an array of compelling duets, but the third act quartet of [Scott] Quinn, [Alissa] Anderson, [Stephen] Powell and Jordheim revealed the opera's emotional crisis in robust, elevated vocal prowess. Only the magical storm scene that followed - a combination of Verdi's clever orchestration and Anne-Catherine Simard-Deraspe's inventive lighting design - could have eclipsed the quartet's striking emotional impact."
- Ken Herman, San Diego Story
"...it was soprano Alisa Jordheim's debut as Rigoletto's naive ill-fated daughter Gilda. Her fresh innocent appeal and Powell's veteran portrayal of cynical darkness were perfect for their respective roles. Jordheim has an agile voice with a deliciously silky tone, and commendable projection. She delivered coloratura passages of perfect clarity, hit the role's highest note with startling volume and purity, and held it. This won't be her last production of Rigoletto, nor the last major role in her promising career."
- Ron Bierman, Broadway World
"...in San Diego last night, Gilda stole the show. Soprano Alisa Jordheim is perfect for the role of Gilda. She looks small and vulnerable when surrounded by her fellow cast members and the chorus, and her coloratura flights are dazzling. The showcase aria Caro nome ('Beloved name') fits her like a glove. I believe this is the first time she has sung the role on stage and it was a triumph for her…Baritone Stephen Powell was wonderful with Jordheim in the father/daughter duets..."
- David Gregson, Opera West
"The performance was lyric coloratura Alisa Jordheim's San Diego Opera debut, and my first opportunity to hear her. Visually appropriate for the role of Rigoletto's sheltered young daughter Gilda, she immediately displayed the vocal beauty and technical virtuosity in her melodic duets with Stephen Powell's Rigoletto and Scott Quinn's Duke of Mantua. The San Diego audience obviously had bonded with Jordheim by her [first] act aria Caro nome - Gilda's rapturous celebration of 'Gualtier Maldè,' the name of an impoverished student that the Duke pretended to be. Jordheim's Caro nome - which included writing the student's name in the air, emphatically adding the accent at the end of Maldè - was a triumph. The sustained ovation for her performance of the aria was a show-stopper. I look forward to hearing Jordheim take on other challenging assignments in the coloratura repertory, such as the title roles of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Delibes's Lakme."
- William Burnett, Opera Warhorses
Gilda in Rigoletto with Central City Opera (at Hudson Gardens due to COVID-19)
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim is revelatory as Gilda. An apprentice artist back in 2012, when she played a child character in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, she is now a fully developed performer. Her glorious Act I aria 'Caro nome' was as vocally pure as could be expected, the high notes piercing through the open air. The character’s sacrifice at the end can be a difficult sell, but Jordheim accomplishes it with aplomb."
- Kelly Dean Hansen, www.centralcityopera.org/reviews
"Fine cast is led by Alisa Jordheim’s radiant Gilda…Of the cast members, Alisa Jordheim as Gilda was the star of the night. Her glittering, burnished soprano and splendid vocal technique made her every scene a delight. The tender wonder and brilliant coloratura of 'Caro nome,' her anguished cries in the great Act III quartet, and above all her powerful resolve before sacrificing herself for the Duke - all were both musically and dramatically compelling."
- Peter Alexander, Sharps & Flatirons
Cunégonde in Candide with Palm Beach Opera
"For sheer vocal bravura, soprano Alisa Jordheim dazzles the ear with her spectacular version of the opera's hit number, 'Glitter and Be Gay' - a fiendishly difficult sendup of grand opera coloratura. She matches [Miles] Mykkanen's wholesome geniality one moment, becoming a conniving gold digger the next, ending the opera dewy fresh and vocally unscathed on a solid, penetrating sustained high note."
- Robert Croan, Palm Beach Daily News
“PBO has fielded a dream cast that does full justice to Bernstein’s memorable melodies…Not diminishing Mykkanen's splendid depiction [of Candide] in any way, it is fair to say that the women owned the night. Alisa Jordheim was a natural operetta soubrette and born comedienne as the long-suffering heroine Cunegonde. Her sweet timbre blended felicitously with Mykkanen for 'Oh, Happy We' and 'You Were Dead, You Know,' Bernstein’s hilarious send up of an operatic reunion duet. She milked the showpiece 'Glitter and Be Gay' for all it was worth. Her split-second timing, cascades of coloratura and endless parade of adorned jewelry brought down the house for a prolonged ovation...Jordheim and [Denyce] Graves kicked up their heels and matched high notes in 'We are Women' for one of the evening’s most entrancing moments.”
- Lawrence Budmen, South Florida Classical Review
"The principals were well-matched in their comic timing, vocal strengths and easy physicality...Alisa Jordheim was a sweet-voiced Cunegonde with brilliant coloratura ("Glitter and Be Gay" stopped the show) and a winsome personality that somehow withstood the repeated assaults on her purity."
- Karl Besser, Opera News
"But as usual with Palm Beach Opera, the company's artistic team has found some exceptional voices...I'm surely not the only audience member who was thinking of Kristin Chenoweth when seeing Alisa Jordheim as Cunegonde; a petite blond with a big voice, she nailed all of her climactic high fifths above the tonics and showed off good training and diligent preparation in the coloratura fireworks in 'Glitter and Be Gay.' She's done a Rosina in her past, and it would be good to see her in some comic Rossini or Donizetti roles. Her voice has the right mixture of lightness and steel to pull it off."
- Greg Stepanich, Palm Beach Arts Paper
"Opposite Mykkanen, soprano Alisa Jordheim aced Cunegonde's coloratura pyrotechnics with a clear voice and thoughtful interpretation, and her duets with the tenor were warmly sung...Jordheim's 'Glitter and be Gay' was winningly executed..."
- Carly Gordon, Schmopera
"Mykannen...is delightful in duets with Alisa Jordheim's Cunegonde, especially in their deliciously mismatched visions of married life in 'O Happy We' and leaves unexplained how she survived in 'You Were Dead, You Know.' Jordheim's coloratura dazzles in 'Glitter and Be Gay.'"
- David M. Rice, ClassicalSource.com
Musetta in La bohème with the Pacific Symphony
"Alisa Jordheim limned a Musetta equal parts saucy and bratty, her pinpoint voice negotiating the part elegantly. She also won costume of the evening."
- Timothy Mangan, Culture OC
Despina in Così fan tutte with San Diego Opera
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim, who played Gilda in San Diego Opera’s 2019 production of 'Rigoletto' makes a triumphant and scene-stealing return as Despina, who turns the tables on the unfaithful men with the meticulously sung 'In uomini, in soldati' and then shows off her control and range in the playful 'Una donna a quindici anni.'"
- Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune
"The two returning sopranos to San Diego Opera easily fulfilled the promise of their debut roles here in the spring of 2019… As the ill-fated Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Alisa Jordheim’s vulnerability proved her successful dramatic calling card, but she had no difficulty finding the pluck and bravado to endear her scheming Despina to Saturday’s Civic Theatre audience.”
- Ken Herman, San Diego Story
“Alisa Jordheim's Despina impersonates a collection of zany characters, and the soprano changed the strength and timbre of her singing to match her varied costuming. The lovely true appeal of her voice showed most clearly in 'Una donna a quindici anni.'... The bulk of the production's comedy is assigned to Jordheim and [Reginald] Smith. Jordheim seemed to relish the silent-movie like exaggerations that went along with each costume change.”
- Ron Bierman, Broadway World
Adele in Die Fledermaus with Central City Opera
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim, who stole the audience's hearts last season as the tragic Gilda in Rigoletto, is utterly luminous as the chambermaid Adele. Jordheim's stage presence and crystal-clear vocal delivery (especially in the two rightly famous arias) convince the audience that while Adele certainly requires professional nurturing, she is destined for more than a maid's fate."
- Kelly Dean Hansen, Weekly Register-Call
"In the tradition of 19th-century comedic opera, the female arias are filled with coloratura acrobatics on a grand scale, and...Alisa Jordheim's (as Rosalinde's chambermaid, Adele) crystalline trills and agile leaps reverberate throughout the opera house's excellent acoustics... Jordheim's rendition of 'The Laughing Song' is astonishing."
- Bob Bows, Colorado Drama
"Adele, Rosalinde's chambermaid, is played by Alisa Jordheim. Gilda in last season's 'Rigoletto,' she also played Fredrika in 'A Little Night Music' (2009) and Flora in 'The Turn of the Screw' (2012). In this production Jordheim's singing of the aria known as 'the laughing song,' 'Mein Herr Marquis,' is utterly sublime!
- David Marlowe, Marlowe's Musings
"Meanwhile, Rosalinde's maid Adele (Alisa Jordheim, a beautiful soprano) is also scheming to get out of work to attend Orlofsky's party..."
- Alex Miller, OnStage Colorado
Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with Virginia Opera
"The Count may have officially renounced his droit, but he is still lusting after his wife’s diminutive chambermaid Susanna (soprano Alisa Jordheim in top voice and lithesome form)."
- Page R. Laws, The Virginian-Pilot
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim made an appropriately fetching Susanna...her solo aria 'Deh vieni, non tardar' teasing her husband in the final act was a highlight of the evening and a fine showcase for her talent."
- OperaGene
Constance in Dialogues des Carmélites at the Caramoor International Music Festival
"My favorite role in this opera, young Sister Constance, the eternal optimist, a chatterbox, was beautifully taken here by the sweet-voiced, endearing soprano Alisa Jordheim."
- Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times
"Little Constance (winningly performed by Alisa Jordheim in a soprano of surprising depth and color) becomes Blanche's best friend because - Constance does that sort of thing."
- John Yohalem, Musical America
"Alisa Jordheim...sang the role of the cheerfully mystical Sister Constance. This part can be described as 'chirpy'... [but] Ms. Jordheim's sweet soprano deftly avoided that trap, singing with lively energy and pinpoint high Cs."
- James Jorden, New York Observer
"Alisa Jordheim sparkled delightfully as the infectiously cheerful Sister Constance."
- Opera Magazine
"...Alisa Jordheim was a standout as Sister Constance with her sweet and expressive soprano. Her scenes with Blanche and other sisters were unusually well sung and acted and she provided deft comic touches."
- Ako Imamura, Bachtrack
"Caramoor provides...conductor Will Crutchfield and the Orchestra of St. Luke's, who together gave a glorious performance of Francis Poulenc's glorious score. And a deep reservoir of great and good singers, from apprentices to principals, some of whom sing regularly at the Met and the big houses of Europe, like the sublime voices of Deborah Polaski and Jennifer Larmore. And some making their Caramoor debuts, like the captivating Alisa Jordheim."
- Enid Futterman, IMBY (Hudson, NY)
Ninetta in La gazza ladra with Teatro Nuovo
"...the emotions were honest, without overplaying, and the singing was stylish, with an unforced virtuosity that's all too rare in performances of this repertory...and the bright-voiced soprano Alisa Jordheim was a persuasively vulnerable Ninetta in the Rossini."
- Zachary Woolfe, The New York Times
"As always, Crutchfield assembled a clever and brave cadre of young singers, who performed with an exhilarating mix of musicality and valor...In the enormous role of Ninetta (she hardly leaves the stage after her first entrance), Alisa Jordheim wielded a crystalline soprano, meticulously accurate coloratura and a range of well over two octaves."
- James Jorden, New York Observer
"The women in the cast took the honors. Soprano Alisa Jordheim radiated steadfast determination as Ninetta..."
- Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal
"The singing was first class. As Ninetta, the story's troubled ingenue, Alisa Jordheim won hearts with a brilliant, gilded timbre and lithe, rhythmic coloratura."
-Brian Taylor, Cadenza
"...an enchanting prison-scene duet [was] ravishingly sung by [Hannah] Ludwig and Alisa Jordheim... Ninetta is a devilishly long and demanding role and Jordheim's cool high soprano handled it with gratifying stamina and aplomb. Difficult ornaments and ascents to acuti held no terrors for her..."
- Christopher Corwin, Parterre Box
"As Ninetta, Alisa Jordheim surmounted the role's dramatic demands - unappreciated servant, dutiful daughter, faithful lover, condemned thief, martyr - and her soprano negotiated the vocal demands with ease."
- Rick Perdian, Seen and Heard International
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim, who delighted us in the role of Serpetta in On Site Opera's production of Mozart's La finta giardiniera, impressed us again last night with her brilliant focused instrument, equally well deployed in the lyrical cavatina and in the coloratura passages of the cabaletta. She has a winning stage presence that makes you want to see her happy."
- Meche Kroop, Voce di Meche
"...her soprano had a pleasant, uniform texture across her entire range. Her interpretation of several arias - from the cavatina "Di piacer mi balza il cor" to "Deh tu reggi in tal momento" - was faultless."
- Edward Sava-Segal, Bachtrack
Erster Knappe in Parsifal with Opéra national de Paris
"Ici, la communauté chorégraphiée et l'aveuglement religieux endoctriné contribuent à l'arrière-goût douloureux du culte éxtrémiste avec de notables interventions...par les quatre écuyers (Alisa Jordheim, Megan Marino, Michael Smallwood, Franz Gürtelschmied), dont les voix se mêlent magnifiquement en chorale («Durch mitleid wissend» - le sachant par pitié)."
- Andreas Wahlberg, Ôlyrix
("Here, the choreographed community and the indoctrinated religious blindness contribute to the painful aftertaste of extremist worship, with notable interventions... by the four squires (Alisa Jordheim, Megan Marino, Michael Smallwood, Franz Gürtelschmied), whose voices mix magnificently in the chorale (Durch mitleid wissend).")
"Die Nebenrollen auf hohem Niveau...die Knappen Megan Marino, Alisa Jordheim, Michael Smallwood und Franz Gürtelschmied: spielfreudig und ideal aufeinander abgestimmt."
-Josef Schmitt, Die Presse
("The supporting roles are on a high level...the Knappen Megan Marino, Alisa Jordheim, Michael Smallwood and Franz Gürtelschmied: playful and ideally matched.")
"Le reste du plateau ne démérite pas...Alisa Jordheim, Megan Marino, Michael Smallwood et Franz Gürtelschmied, s'acquittent honorablement des interventions des Écuyers."
- Gilles Charlassier, Anaclase
("The rest of the cast does not demerit...Alisa Jordheim, Megan Marino, Michael Smallwood and Franz Gürtelschmied, honorably perform the Squires' interventions.")
"...le plateau vocal se hisse globalement à un très haut niveau...depuis les « petits » rôles des chevaliers, écuyers ou filles fleurs, jusqu’aux protagonistes..."
- Emmanuelle Giuliani, LaCroix
("...the vocal bar is raised globally to a very high level...from the 'smaller' roles of the knights, squires, or flower maidens, to the protagonists...")
"...des Filles-Fleurs, des Chevaliers du Graal et des Ecuyers absolument impeccables..."
- Chantal Cazaux, Avant Scène Opera
"...absolutely impeccable Flower Girls, Grail Knights and Squires..."
Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Boston Midsummer Opera
“First, the performers were so wonderfully at home with the Italian that it did not occur to me for a second that they were not Italian. Not only was their enunciation of rapid patter singing and the recitatives flawless, but also, they viscerally conveyed the Italian spirit with infectious body language…the shrewdly pared down supertitles allowed us to follow the story while still focusing on the singing. And what singing it was! Alisa Jordheim, in particular, made such a spectacular Rosina that I couldn’t help but think that she had singularly inspired the whole Barbiere project. What a voice! And what a grasp of the role! When Figaro realizes that he 'must take lessons in cunning from her,' we realize that she has been leading her own plot of liberation all along…"
- Leon Golub, The Boston Musical Intelligencer
"As his beloved Rosina, company newcomer Alisa Jordheim stunned with a sharp and sassy turn replete with superb coloratura fireworks. This was also her first run at Rosina, and it shouldn’t be her last...Lebow and Jordheim’s onstage lovers couldn’t keep their hands off each other, pulling off Rosina and the disguised Count’s singing-lesson scene with panache."
- Zoë Madonna, The Boston Globe
"Throughout the performance history of Barber, all types of female voices have sung the role of Rosina - from the original contralto, to lyric mezzo-sopranos, to lyric sopranos, to coloratura sopranos…Somehow, they all work - as long as the voice is expressive and flexible, and as long as the musicianship is alert and responsive. Alisa Jordheim has those in abundance. She also looks the part, but, more importantly, her voice is gorgeous, her technique is impeccable and she is infinitely playful onstage. Interpolations? Fireworks, more like it!"
- Antonio Ocampo-Guzman (stage director), The Boston Musical Intelligencer
"As Rosina, Alisa Jordheim — a vivacious young soprano from Wisconsin – glittered both visually and vocally, with her formidable technique well under control. She negotiated Rossini’s fiendish runs and roulades with accuracy, while acting with exceptional grace. By turns mischievous, temperamental and loving, her Rosina was more than a grinning doll – not only attractive, but piquant and glowing."
- Stephen Cera, stephencera.com
"A comic opera everybody has heard of, Rossini's "Il barbiere di Siviglia" ("The Barber of Seville"), got a terrific performance from Boston Midsummer Opera with Susan Davenny Wyner leading the band and the adorable and brilliant young soprano Alisa Jordheim as the irrepressible Rosina."
- Lloyd Schwartz, WBUR.org
Clotilde in Pacini's Maria, regina d'Inghilterra with Odyssey Opera
"In addition to reviving this unusual Pacini stagework, Odyssey deserves the highest praise for casting it to perfection...Soprano Alisa Jordheim was equally impressive in the role of Clotilde. Although she is petite in stature, her voice carried well over the orchestra, and penetrated even the largest ensembles. She produced a beautifully focused, silvery sound throughout, while acting the role with passion. Characterized by stratospheric high notes, and supple coloratura, her performance of Clotilde's Act III aria was one of the highlights of the performance."
- Ed Tapper, Edge Media Network
"Indeed, the casting of these two sopranos was a masterful stroke, because their physical and vocal characters perfectly contrast the two women: Mary [Amy Shoremount-Obra], taller and more physically imposing, with a powerful assertiveness in her voice (especially when confronting her rival), Clotilde [Alisa Jordheim], slighter and more delicate, with an appealing, sometimes pleading lyrical quality, even during her coloratura passages. And yet, when they sing together, in duet with parallel thirds and sixths (especially in Act III) expressing the painful romantic concerns of each one, the voices blend beautifully...Throughout we heard excellent singing, particularly, as already noted, with the two women, who made strong dramatic foils."
- Steven Ledbetter, The Boston Musical Intelligencer
"Standing next to the imposing Shoremount-Obra, Alisa Jordheim seemed like a child but her rounded voice with its tonal quality of a gold flute belied the image. Act 3's "Ciel che vedi il mio rimorso" illustrated Clotilde's determined and defiant side and the more dramatic qualities of Jordheim's voice...Yet again, Gil Rose made a convincing case for a flawed work while also introducing two young voices with bright futures - Jordheim and [Leroy] Davis."
- Kevin Wells, Bachtrack
"It struck me throughout this performance that a bel canto evenness of line, a gracious sweetness of utterance from top to bottom and fully engaged diaphragmatic support, were features of the singing of the entire cast...Jordheim, who sings roles like Gilda and Purcell's Belinda, is one of those tiny singers who look so fragile on stage - and then open their mouths and wallop you off your seat. Her double aria in Act III was as powerful as you could wish, her ease of expression and ornament rising to beautiful, rather fierce notes above the staff...The duet of the two ladies, the darker Maria set off by the lighter Clotilde, was a number worthy of encore..."
- John Yohalem, Parterre Box
"Additionally, Alisa Jordheim and Leroy Davis absolutely stole the show as Clotilde Talbot and Ernesto Malcolm, respectively... Jordheim showed wonderful technical control with a voice that floated around comfortably... Audiences, keep your eyes open: these two are singers to watch."
- Arturo Fernandez, Schmopera
"Clotilde (Alisa Jordheim, a glorious soprano whose runs up the octaves seemed natural)...was also sympathetic as she wavered between a man to whom she is attracted and one who deserves her loyalty and love...Most memorable in this thoroughly realized production were the performances of the ladies [Amy] Shoremount-Obra and Alisa Jordheim as Talbot. Both seem ideally suited to over-sized roles and out-sized demands on the big stage."
- Susan Hall, Berkshire Fine Arts
"In contrast, the diminutive Alisa Jordheim, movingly sang Clotilde. Pacini had given the original Clotilde, Teresa Merli-Clerici, a big scene of her own since she was the Prince of Cuto's mistress, and Ms. Jordheim delivered it beautifully in Act III. She was the best of the singers at acting too, and in spite of her small stature, her voice is big - big enough to compete and blend with Ms. Shoremount-Obra in the duets, which are one of the crowning joys of bel canto opera."
- Opera Lounge
"Jordheim was magnificent and may well have defined the role of Clotilde for our generation."
- Alexandra Sourakov, The Tech
"The cast for this production also energized Pacini's vision with great vocal charisma and charm. The vocal highlights were many, but two singers stood out at this performance: Alisa Jordheim in the role of the young Clotilde Talbot and Leroy Davis (in his Odyssey debut) in the role of Ernesto Malcolm... Jordheim's lilting soprano, (silvery and supple), captured the inquiries of her young, seeking character perfectly. Her duets with Amy Shoremount-Obra (Queen Mary I), were bracing and beautiful... When she [Shoremount-Obra] joined with Jordheim in their duets, the results were transfixing. They created a mercurial partnership with their vocals and entwining harmonies shifting in deft sparkle (Jordheim) and majestic force (Shoremount-Obra)."
- Boston Concert Reviews
"Also excellent was Alisa Jordheim, who sang Clotilde in a bright, perky lyric soprano with plenty of agility. She was especially affecting in the florid, rhythmically bouncy Act III cabaletta in which Clotilde resolves to save Ernesto."
- George Loomis, The New Criterion
"Shoremount-Obra was well-matched by Alisa Jordheim's innocent Clotilde. Whereas Mary personifies self-absorption and insecurity, Clotilde's character radiates innocence and inner strength. She is anguished at having betrayed Ernesto but eventually finds the resolve to redeem herself. Jordheim's youthful tone belies rich vocal resources, and her facility with florid vocal writing was impeccable...Her Clotilde was the moral center of the opera, and, with Ernesto, a foil to Mary and Fenimoore's degeneracy."
- Angelo Mao, Opera News
"Alisa Jordheim sang Clotilde with éclat and verbal point, sounding like a young Roberta Peters. Given the strength and stylishness of these two [Amy Shoremount-Obra and Alisa Jordheim], the elaborate 'wronged sisterhood' duet proved the evening's musical highlight."
- David Shengold, OPERA
The Girl/Luna in the premiere of Hertzberg's The Rose Elf with Death of Classical - The Angel's Share
"As the Girl, Alisa Jordheim channeled innocence and grief in equal measure, with an indelible coloratura soprano."
- Bruce Hodges, Musical America
"The production, directed by R.B. Schlather, featured a strong cast...As The Girl, soprano Alisa Jordheim showed great passion, grief, and vulnerability."
- Arlo McKinnon, Opera News
"Alisa Jordheim, soprano from Wisconsin, appeared as The Girl in The Rose Elf...Her fierce, no-holds-barred performance was as impressive musically as it was dramatically."
- Fred Plotkin, "40 under 40: A New Generation of Superb Opera Singers," WQXR.org
"The effects are large and live. Yet the singers’ voices carry and are never drowned by orchestral sound…The singers, because they are so near to the audience, act dramatically, but in a bubble, where audience is not acknowledged. This enables them to perform. For us, the experience is up close, but not intimate. Yet sitting next to the singers, you are engulfed by their voices. This is a particular treat when you listen to Alisa Jordheim, whose soprano can be sweet, and also penetrate in fear and confusion…Anyone familiar with the fairy tale hopes for a Salome moment. In fact, the gifted singer/dancer/actress Jordheim, who sings the role of Luna, suggests the severed head of her lover as she grasps his neck and circles it with arm movements."
- Susan Hall, Birkshire Fine Arts
“The short show featured a glamorous cast of four young performers…[who] happened to turn in magnificent performances…I equally loved the dreamy ingenues cast as the young lovers, tenor Kyle Bielfield and lyric soprano Alisa Jordheim, both of whom spun out such arresting lines of silver that I nearly lost my breath.”
- Joel Rozen, Parterre Box
“Alisa Jordheim as the girl was innocent and naive at the outset but evolved into a complex mix of characterizations. (Hertzberg gave the lovers both human and mythical personas.) The girl’s conflicted emotions were reflected in Jordheim’s vibrant soprano and the canvas that was her face…Costumed in a hodgepodge of floral patterns, they were called upon to move as much as sing. As a trio they writhed in passion; the brother later entwines himself with the corpse of the man that he had murdered. At such close range it was if they were under a microscope, with no detail of their performances unobserved.”
- Rick Perdian, Seen and Heard International
"Is it going too far to say the singers were downright heroic? No, mainly because the cast was so well adapted to the catacomb environment, as well as its surprisingly clear, focused acoustic, that you didn’t see the effort behind their respective achievements. Also, their performances were so much of a piece that vocal and physical gestures were one and the same…As the couple, Kyle Bielfield and Alisa Jordheim sang a love duet that convinced me that this music is at least the equal of Puccini."
- David Patrick Stearns, Classical Voice North America
Serpetta in La finta giardiniera (The Secret Gardener) with On Site Opera & The Atlanta Opera
"...But that was a small price to pay for close-up portraits of some highly talented artists. Outstanding among them were two servants: the baritone Jorell Williams as Robert and the clear-voiced soprano Alisa Jordheim as Serpetta."
- Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, The New York Times
"Add to that a cast of young, talented singers...Standouts were soprano Alisa Jordheim as Serpetta (a feisty Despina-type) fending off the advances of Jorell Williams as Robert [Nardo]..."
- Richard Sasanow, Broadway World
"The unmiked singers projected well even in the open air, and each contributed a memorable characterization...Sporting rotating pairs of stylish spectacles, Alisa Jordheim was a pert, bookish Serpetta, aiming lithe soprano darts at the mellifluous baritone Jorell Williams, an endearingly goofball Nardo. The pair milked their size difference for teddy-bear cuteness, as well as laughs."
- Joanne Sydney Lessner, Opera News
"This focused the attention on the impressive singers...Jorell Williams and Alisa Jordheim brought a more practical, comic flavor to the romantic perplexities of the servants."
- Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal
"On Site Opera assembled a terrific cast for the proceedings...her ease of phrasing and tender ascensions into the soprano stratosphere were soothing."
- David Salazar, Opera Wire
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim sang Serpetta, the stony hearted maiden, with all the vibrancy and spunk one would expect from a young Daphne-like woman dead set on playing hard to get. Attired on the Punky Brewster end of the spectrum, only with flower prints, she was as adorable as she was fiery. Her soprano sounded clean and clear in the night air."
- Allegri con fuoco
"[Nardo] learns to court the Mayor's servant Serpetta (splendid soprano Alisa Jordheim) in a foreign language which she clearly finds far more romantic than English."
- Meche Kroop, Voce di Meche
Soprano soloist in Torke's Book of Proverbs with the Grant Park Music Festival
"The soloists were both excellent. Alisa Jordheim displayed a slender yet luminous soprano in "The Way of an Eagle," backed by the women in the chorus singing of life's mysteries."
- Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim and female voices have the most touching music, all communicated with welcome simplicity."
- Alan G. Artner, Chicago Tribune
Satirino in La Calisto with Cincinnati Opera
"A full head taller than his fellow (male) nymphs, he [Thomas Michael Allen as Linfea] showed himself to be a gifted physical comedian, bringing down the house in his interactions with Satirino, played by the diminutive Alisa Jordheim…The satyrs were uniformly excellent. Jordheim's lusty Satirino was voiced in a clear, pure soprano that carried wonderfully in the house. Like the others, she was adept in ornamentation and a gifted stage comedian as well."
- Joe Law, Opera News
"I also fell in love during the performance. She was petite, goat-legged with horns, but love is blind. Alisa Jordheim, as Satirino, is an absolute darling with a dazzling voice and an effervescent personality. Her very physical rejection of the advances of Diana's nymph Linfea, sung by Thomas Michael Allen, who was twice her size, was a riot."
- Burt Saidel, Oakwood Register
"...soprano Alisa Jordheim nearly stole the show as Satirino, who was only too willing to accommodate Linfea's longing for a lover."
- Opera Lively
"The cast...is equally superb, with a strong female contingent that includes...as a young male satyr, the musically and dramatically agile Alisa Jordheim."
- Rafael de Acha, Music for All Seasons (also in Seen and Heard International)
"Alisa Jordheim's agile soprano easily handled the demands of the frustrated Satirino..."
- Anne Arenstein, Cincinnati City Beat
"A terrific cast...beautifully sung...The singers phrased stylishly and added tasteful baroque ornaments. There were equally strong performances by Alisa Jordheim as a young satyr..."
- Janelle Gelfand, Cincinnati Enquirer
Venus in Venus and Adonis and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with Florentine Opera
"The cast was remarkable in their vocal delivery...memorable was Alisa Jordheim's beautiful full-bodied soprano as Venus and Belinda. In many ways this was one of the finest recent productions by the Florentine Opera, enhanced by the consistency of a superior cast."
- Steve Spice, Shepherd Express
"...few singers know how to use a flick of the eyes or a tilted brow to stay alive while listening...[Sandra Piques] Eddy and Jordheim in particular have mastered techniques the others are just approaching."
- Dominique Paul Both, Urban Milwaukee
Soprano soloist in Mozart's Requiem with Ensemble Pygmalion at Versailles
"La soprano est plainement à l'aise dans ce répertoire. Les quatre voix s'accordent trés bien...Les applaudissements sont généreux et mérités."
- Violette Renié, Ôlyrix
("The soprano is fully at ease in this repertoire. The four voices blend very well...The applause was generous and deserved.")
Soprano soloist in Messiah with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
"Among the delights of the evening were the present, wonderfully expressive sounds delivered by the evening's soloists: soprano Alisa Jordheim, mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson, tenor David Portillo and baritone Ethan Vincent. Each singer brought nimble vocal work, expressive musical nuances, clearly enunciated texts, and a strikingly different sound quality to their part, for example: Jordheim's bright, sparkling soprano lines and Costa-Jackson's dark, earthy mezzo passages."
- Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim was born to sing Messiah. She hit the bulls-eye of every pitch, for starters. Handel tests both the coloratura agility and the lyrical phrasing of his soprano; Jordheim sailed through the challenges of the former with brilliant ease and lavished the sweetest vocal beauty on the latter. Her voice fell upon the ear as a blessing."
- Tom Strini, Third Coast Digest
"Jordheim gave some lovely renderings of the oratorio's soprano recitatives and arias, blending a light, facile sound and spot-on command of baroque style."
-Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Soprano soloist with the Madison Bach Musicians
“Antonio Vivaldi’s Latin Cantata, 'In furore iustissimae irae,' is a powerful evocation of divine rage, and soprano Alisa Jordheim matched her powerful voice strongly to its moods, with lovely embellishments in the first da capo aria...For the Cantata BWV 32...Jordheim used her projecting voice to fine effect.”
- John Barker, Isthmus
Lulu Baines in Elmer Gantry with Florentine Opera
"Soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim gave a spot-on performance as Lulu Baines. She created a sympathetic character and sang with a voice that was pure, lovely, light in color, and powerful."
- Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"More vocally proficient was Alisa Suzanne Jordheim as Lulu Baines, Elmer's sometimes mistress, with her lovely lyric soprano."
- Steve Spice, Shepherd Express
Ruth Maier in Letters from Ruth with the New York Opera Society
"Yet Kverndokk and Bull have crafted a gratifying lead role and, more importantly, revealed a complex heroine in Maier, especially as performed as Alisa Jordheim. Singing with a steely earnestness and a gorgeous, vintage musical theater high belt when needed, Jordheim was a strikingly confident Ruth. With a soft-grained voice she can turn both mournful and wistful. She also showed innate sensitivity as an actress with a winning portrayal."
- Harry Rose, Washington Classical Review
Soprano soloist in Mahler's Symphony No. 4 with the Madison Symphony Orchestra
"But the fourth movement, a song with orchestral accompaniment, was lovely with soprano Alisa Jordheim giving a performance that was dazzling and both musically and physically expressive."
- Jessica M. Courtier, The Capital Times
"Like [Emanuel] Ax, Jordheim is not a flamboyant performer. She sang simply - and beautifully - and became part of the symphony."
- Channel 3000, Madison Magazine
Lola in the world premiere and live commercial recording of Aldridge and Garfein's Sister Carrie with Florentine Opera
"Alisa Jordheim displayed a sparkling coloratura as Lola."
- Mark Thomas Ketterson, Opera News
"Alisa Suzanne Jordheim provided a vocally and theatrically sparkling Lola."
- Elaine Schmidt, Journal Sentinel
"For anyone who might long for the bel canto trills of classical opera, these are provided in rapid abundance during a backstage 'mash notes' duet by [Adriana] Zabala and fine soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim as fellow chorine Lola."
- Dominique Paul Noth, Urban Milwaukee
"Alisa Suzanne Jordheim, as Carrie's fellow working actress Lola, sounded glorious with Zabala in the flashy, giddy duet sequence during which they read each other love letters from their fans."
- Joshua Rosenblum, Opera News
"This recording features some of the best American opera talent and role originators today, including Adriana Zabala as Carrie, Keith Phares as Hurstwood, Matt Morgan as Drouet, and Alisa Jordheim as Lola."
- Opera News Desk, Broadway World
"The principal singers - mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala (as Carrie), baritone Keith Phares (Hurstwood), tenor Matt Morgan (Drouet), soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim (Lola), and bass-baritone Stephen Cunningham (Abdul/Captain) - set high standards for future casts."
- Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone
Exsultate, jubilate with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Fox Valley Symphony
"Jordheim gave a soaring, stirring performance of Mozart’s 'Exsultate, jubilate.' The extremely live acoustic of the Basilica created a rather atmospheric effect, with Jordheim’s ringing, silvery sound running through the echoing orchestral sounds like a bright, metallic thread through a dense tapestry. She sang with ease and facility, making a piece Mozart wrote for a specific singer with uncommonly fine technique sound free and relaxed. She opened up to fill the space with a glorious sound and beautifully shaped phrases during the highest passages."
- Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"From start to finish, Jordheim displayed a clarity of voice throughout her entire range with clean articulation, diction, and vocal projection. She effortlessly touched upon the high notes and sang the low notes with confidence. I was particularly taken with her interpretation of the recitative: 'Fulget amica dies;' strong, emotional, and musical while her singing of the following aria, 'Tu virginum corona' provided the perfect balance. In the concluding 'Alleluia!' she mastered the numerous running passages...The audience awarded her with a standing ovation."
- James Chaudoir, Post-Crescent
Soprano soloist in Torke's Four Proverbs with Present Music
"Some of the evening's loveliest moments were found in Milwaukee native Michael Torke's "Four Proverbs" (1993). Vocalist Alisa Jordheim delivered a spot-on performance of Torke's angular vocal lines, backed by pairs of violins, clarinets and saxophones, along with a viola, cello, bass, piano and synthesizer."
- Elaine Schmidt, Journal Sentinel
"...'Made for Milwaukee' continued on into likely its most conventional piece, "Four Proverbs" from Michael Torke with opera singer Alisa Jordheim at the forefront. Through her lovely soprano voice, the jumbled then reconfigured words of the four proverbs sometimes blended into the rest of the ensemble as another instrument, only then to pop out and return into the harmonious blend of classical sound."
- Matt Mueller, OnMilwaukee
Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow with the New Philharmonic Opera
"Other standouts are the petite but mighty soprano Alisa Jordheim as the title character. She has the vocal chops to pull off this demanding role."
- Catherine Hellmann, ChiIL Live Shows
Erste Zofe in Der Zwerg at the George Enescu Festival
"Alisa Jordheim, Hagar Sharvit and Margaret Plummer were memorably cliquey as the Infanta's obsequious maids."
- Seb Smallshaw, Seen and Heard International; September 19, 2021
"Alisa Jordheim, Hagar Sharvit și Margaret Plummer din rolurile comprimare ale celor trei servitoare au fost la același nivel înalt al soliștilor, asigurând coerența vocală a serii."
- Despre Opera
("Alisa Jordheim, Hagar Sharvit and Margaret Plummer, in the comprimario roles of the three maids, were at the same high level of soloists, ensuring the vocal coherence of the evening.")
Winner of the 2015 Bel Canto Regional Artists Competition
"While we had a superlative group of finalists competing in this year's Regional Artist Competition, soprano Alisa Jordheim's outstanding performance made her the unanimous favorite of the judges. Ms. Jordheim sang beautifully, crafting each phrase with great expression using a crystalline, warm tone that effortlessly filled the performance space. She is a true vocal artist. I am pleased to feature her in Bel Canto's March 2016 Midwest premiere of Carson Cooman's Revelations of Divine Love."
- Richard Hynson, Bel Canto Music Director (press release)
Micaëla in Carmen with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra/Opera Columbus
"Micaëla, sung by Alisa Suzanne Jordheim, was youthful and innocent, yet wise. Her brief interactions with José (Richard Troxell) were particularly striking with their bright, lyric voices a perfect match in clarity."
- Lynn Green, The Columbus Dispatch
Soprano soloist in Carmina Burana with the Fox Valley Symphony
"Once again, it was a joy to hear Jordheim return to the PAC stage...This role was perfectly suited for Jordheim as she graced each vocal moment with style and precision. Her rendition of the lullaby movement "In trutina" was lovely beyond words, and her sense of pitch and accuracy in the extremely high and delicate "Dulcissime" movement were astounding."
- James Chaudoir, Post-Crescent
Soprano soloist in the St. John Passion with the Madison Bach Musicians
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim reminded local listeners again that she is steadily climbing to the highest rungs of artistic achievement."
- Greg Hettmansberger, What Greg Says
Marzelline in Fidelio with Madison Opera
"As Marzelline, the girl who mistakenly falls in love with 'Fidelio,' Alisa Jordheim displayed a voice of considerable appeal..."
- John W. Barker, Isthmus
"Young Marzelline (the appealing soprano Alisa Jordheim) hangs laundry and rebuffs the advances of Jaquino (David Blalock)..."
- Lindsay Christians, The Capital Times
2014 Café de Concert, Oslo - Schumann Lieder with pianist Aksel Kolstad
"...norsk-amerikanske sopranen Alisa Suzanne Jordheim trollbandt publikum."
- Kristin Engløkken Mainitz, Fredriksstad Blad
("...Norwegian-American soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim held the audience spellbound.")
2013 Merola Grand Finale - "Dal tuo gentil sembiante" from Mozart's Ascanio in Alba
"Amid the press to give all 23 singers a shot in the spotlight, a few performances stood out from the crowd...Soprano Alisa Jordheim's bright sound and impeccable coloratura enlivened an aria from Mozart's Ascanio in Alba, vivified by one of [George] Cederquist's most imaginative bits of staging."
- Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
"Alisa Jordheim gave a winning performance in another rarity: an aria from Mozart's Ascanio in Alba."
- Janos Gereben, San Francisco Examiner
Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro at San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program
"The rest of the cast was strong, too, including...the vocally resplendent Alisa Jordheim, heard all too briefly as Barbarina."
- Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
"Another total love was soprano Alisa Jordheim as Barbarina. Pure, light sopranos with sweet voices that project health and innocence are far too rare."
- Jason Victor Serinus, San Francisco Classical Voice
Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia at San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program
"As fine as the men were, the show really belonged to the women - especially Alisa Jordheim, whose voice was a constant source of surprising strength and clarity."
- Mark Rudio, A Beast in a Jungle
"...diminutive but powerful soprano Alisa Jordheim [is] the servant Lucia."
- David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
"...audibility was not an area of concern for this particular group of Merolini; big voices were on display...The work puts equal demands on each member of the ensemble, making it an excellent vehicle for a presenter such as Merola, whose ranks are flush with new talent this summer...The roles of Bianca and Lucia, sung by Katie Hannigan and Alisa Jordheim, respectively, provided one of the evening's highlights in their 'flower duet'...there is much to look forward to from these talented young artists."
- Jeffrey S. McMillan, Opera News
Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro with Florentine Opera and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
"Alisa Suzanne Jordheim, a Florentine resident artist, stood out as Barbarina among the strong cohort of secondary characters."
- Tom Strini, Third Coast Digest
"...soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim's vivacious Barbarina, and Thomas Hammons's drunkenly comical Antonio, were all beautifully constructed of ringing, polished voices and theatrical poise."
- Elaine Schmidt, Journal Sentinel
Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring with Florentine Opera
"Alisa Suzanne Jordheim was cute as a button as Miss Wordsworth and tossed off her staccatos pertly as Andrew Wilkowske's Vicar, Jamie Offenbach's Superintendent, and Kevin Newell's Mayor joined their feminine colleagues for a delightful traversal of the Act I sextet."
- Mark Thomas Ketterson, Opera News
"...Alisa Suzanne Jordheim and Kevin Newell gave strongly sung performances that leaned just enough on caricatures to bring a dash of comedy to their roles."
- Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Soprano soloist in Florentine Opera's "That's Amore: A Concert of Love Songs"
"...The singers performed as if in front of thousands. Every note was wonderfully clear and...the performers...are clearly on top of their game. Not one note could have been deemed sour or off-key, and Jordheim amazed and enthralled as she reached piercingly high notes with wonderful confidence and ease."
- Max Thiesenhusen, Shepherd Express
Frasquita in Carmen with Florentine Opera
"Worth noting is the rest of the main cast: Peter Volpe as the officer Zuniga and the Florentine's four studio artists (Carl Frank, Kevin Newell, Alisa Suzanne Jordheim, Kristen DiNinno)...there wasn't a dull bit to be heard from the remaining four - especially the women, who killed their fortune-telling duet in Act III."
- Matthew Reddin, Third Coast Digest
Flora in The Turn of the Screw with Central City Opera
"Alisa Suzanne Jordheim (Flora) has a gorgeous soprano voice and the looks to match and is magnetic on stage, every bit as comfortable acting as singing."
- Opera Lively
"The striking Alisa Suzanne Jordheim was mesmerizing in the role, really revealing the process of the girl's possession by Miss Jessel. Jordheim is downright frightening in her closing invective against the Governess."
- Kelly Dean Hansen, Boulder Daily Camera
Soprano soloist in J. S. Bach's Cantata No. 29 with the Dayton Philharmonic
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim looked and sounded like an angel."
- Burt Saidel, Dayton Daily News
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim makes an astonishing role and company debut as Gilda. Despite her petite size, she has a huge crystalline voice that she effortlessly pirouettes through perfect coloratura acrobatics and piercing high notes."
- Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune
"Several voices new to the San Diego Opera stage brightened this traditional production, especially Alisa Jordheim's scintillating, supple soprano as Gilda. I have never heard a more confident, beautifully shaped Caro nome, Gilda's defining cameo aria, and Jordheim's poise throughout the opera gave Rigoletto's sheltered daughter an unflinching definition of self-awareness that is rare in this role... This Rigoletto offered an array of compelling duets, but the third act quartet of [Scott] Quinn, [Alissa] Anderson, [Stephen] Powell and Jordheim revealed the opera's emotional crisis in robust, elevated vocal prowess. Only the magical storm scene that followed - a combination of Verdi's clever orchestration and Anne-Catherine Simard-Deraspe's inventive lighting design - could have eclipsed the quartet's striking emotional impact."
- Ken Herman, San Diego Story
"...it was soprano Alisa Jordheim's debut as Rigoletto's naive ill-fated daughter Gilda. Her fresh innocent appeal and Powell's veteran portrayal of cynical darkness were perfect for their respective roles. Jordheim has an agile voice with a deliciously silky tone, and commendable projection. She delivered coloratura passages of perfect clarity, hit the role's highest note with startling volume and purity, and held it. This won't be her last production of Rigoletto, nor the last major role in her promising career."
- Ron Bierman, Broadway World
"...in San Diego last night, Gilda stole the show. Soprano Alisa Jordheim is perfect for the role of Gilda. She looks small and vulnerable when surrounded by her fellow cast members and the chorus, and her coloratura flights are dazzling. The showcase aria Caro nome ('Beloved name') fits her like a glove. I believe this is the first time she has sung the role on stage and it was a triumph for her…Baritone Stephen Powell was wonderful with Jordheim in the father/daughter duets..."
- David Gregson, Opera West
"The performance was lyric coloratura Alisa Jordheim's San Diego Opera debut, and my first opportunity to hear her. Visually appropriate for the role of Rigoletto's sheltered young daughter Gilda, she immediately displayed the vocal beauty and technical virtuosity in her melodic duets with Stephen Powell's Rigoletto and Scott Quinn's Duke of Mantua. The San Diego audience obviously had bonded with Jordheim by her [first] act aria Caro nome - Gilda's rapturous celebration of 'Gualtier Maldè,' the name of an impoverished student that the Duke pretended to be. Jordheim's Caro nome - which included writing the student's name in the air, emphatically adding the accent at the end of Maldè - was a triumph. The sustained ovation for her performance of the aria was a show-stopper. I look forward to hearing Jordheim take on other challenging assignments in the coloratura repertory, such as the title roles of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Delibes's Lakme."
- William Burnett, Opera Warhorses
Gilda in Rigoletto with Central City Opera (at Hudson Gardens due to COVID-19)
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim is revelatory as Gilda. An apprentice artist back in 2012, when she played a child character in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, she is now a fully developed performer. Her glorious Act I aria 'Caro nome' was as vocally pure as could be expected, the high notes piercing through the open air. The character’s sacrifice at the end can be a difficult sell, but Jordheim accomplishes it with aplomb."
- Kelly Dean Hansen, www.centralcityopera.org/reviews
"Fine cast is led by Alisa Jordheim’s radiant Gilda…Of the cast members, Alisa Jordheim as Gilda was the star of the night. Her glittering, burnished soprano and splendid vocal technique made her every scene a delight. The tender wonder and brilliant coloratura of 'Caro nome,' her anguished cries in the great Act III quartet, and above all her powerful resolve before sacrificing herself for the Duke - all were both musically and dramatically compelling."
- Peter Alexander, Sharps & Flatirons
Cunégonde in Candide with Palm Beach Opera
"For sheer vocal bravura, soprano Alisa Jordheim dazzles the ear with her spectacular version of the opera's hit number, 'Glitter and Be Gay' - a fiendishly difficult sendup of grand opera coloratura. She matches [Miles] Mykkanen's wholesome geniality one moment, becoming a conniving gold digger the next, ending the opera dewy fresh and vocally unscathed on a solid, penetrating sustained high note."
- Robert Croan, Palm Beach Daily News
“PBO has fielded a dream cast that does full justice to Bernstein’s memorable melodies…Not diminishing Mykkanen's splendid depiction [of Candide] in any way, it is fair to say that the women owned the night. Alisa Jordheim was a natural operetta soubrette and born comedienne as the long-suffering heroine Cunegonde. Her sweet timbre blended felicitously with Mykkanen for 'Oh, Happy We' and 'You Were Dead, You Know,' Bernstein’s hilarious send up of an operatic reunion duet. She milked the showpiece 'Glitter and Be Gay' for all it was worth. Her split-second timing, cascades of coloratura and endless parade of adorned jewelry brought down the house for a prolonged ovation...Jordheim and [Denyce] Graves kicked up their heels and matched high notes in 'We are Women' for one of the evening’s most entrancing moments.”
- Lawrence Budmen, South Florida Classical Review
"The principals were well-matched in their comic timing, vocal strengths and easy physicality...Alisa Jordheim was a sweet-voiced Cunegonde with brilliant coloratura ("Glitter and Be Gay" stopped the show) and a winsome personality that somehow withstood the repeated assaults on her purity."
- Karl Besser, Opera News
"But as usual with Palm Beach Opera, the company's artistic team has found some exceptional voices...I'm surely not the only audience member who was thinking of Kristin Chenoweth when seeing Alisa Jordheim as Cunegonde; a petite blond with a big voice, she nailed all of her climactic high fifths above the tonics and showed off good training and diligent preparation in the coloratura fireworks in 'Glitter and Be Gay.' She's done a Rosina in her past, and it would be good to see her in some comic Rossini or Donizetti roles. Her voice has the right mixture of lightness and steel to pull it off."
- Greg Stepanich, Palm Beach Arts Paper
"Opposite Mykkanen, soprano Alisa Jordheim aced Cunegonde's coloratura pyrotechnics with a clear voice and thoughtful interpretation, and her duets with the tenor were warmly sung...Jordheim's 'Glitter and be Gay' was winningly executed..."
- Carly Gordon, Schmopera
"Mykannen...is delightful in duets with Alisa Jordheim's Cunegonde, especially in their deliciously mismatched visions of married life in 'O Happy We' and leaves unexplained how she survived in 'You Were Dead, You Know.' Jordheim's coloratura dazzles in 'Glitter and Be Gay.'"
- David M. Rice, ClassicalSource.com
Musetta in La bohème with the Pacific Symphony
"Alisa Jordheim limned a Musetta equal parts saucy and bratty, her pinpoint voice negotiating the part elegantly. She also won costume of the evening."
- Timothy Mangan, Culture OC
Despina in Così fan tutte with San Diego Opera
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim, who played Gilda in San Diego Opera’s 2019 production of 'Rigoletto' makes a triumphant and scene-stealing return as Despina, who turns the tables on the unfaithful men with the meticulously sung 'In uomini, in soldati' and then shows off her control and range in the playful 'Una donna a quindici anni.'"
- Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune
"The two returning sopranos to San Diego Opera easily fulfilled the promise of their debut roles here in the spring of 2019… As the ill-fated Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Alisa Jordheim’s vulnerability proved her successful dramatic calling card, but she had no difficulty finding the pluck and bravado to endear her scheming Despina to Saturday’s Civic Theatre audience.”
- Ken Herman, San Diego Story
“Alisa Jordheim's Despina impersonates a collection of zany characters, and the soprano changed the strength and timbre of her singing to match her varied costuming. The lovely true appeal of her voice showed most clearly in 'Una donna a quindici anni.'... The bulk of the production's comedy is assigned to Jordheim and [Reginald] Smith. Jordheim seemed to relish the silent-movie like exaggerations that went along with each costume change.”
- Ron Bierman, Broadway World
Adele in Die Fledermaus with Central City Opera
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim, who stole the audience's hearts last season as the tragic Gilda in Rigoletto, is utterly luminous as the chambermaid Adele. Jordheim's stage presence and crystal-clear vocal delivery (especially in the two rightly famous arias) convince the audience that while Adele certainly requires professional nurturing, she is destined for more than a maid's fate."
- Kelly Dean Hansen, Weekly Register-Call
"In the tradition of 19th-century comedic opera, the female arias are filled with coloratura acrobatics on a grand scale, and...Alisa Jordheim's (as Rosalinde's chambermaid, Adele) crystalline trills and agile leaps reverberate throughout the opera house's excellent acoustics... Jordheim's rendition of 'The Laughing Song' is astonishing."
- Bob Bows, Colorado Drama
"Adele, Rosalinde's chambermaid, is played by Alisa Jordheim. Gilda in last season's 'Rigoletto,' she also played Fredrika in 'A Little Night Music' (2009) and Flora in 'The Turn of the Screw' (2012). In this production Jordheim's singing of the aria known as 'the laughing song,' 'Mein Herr Marquis,' is utterly sublime!
- David Marlowe, Marlowe's Musings
"Meanwhile, Rosalinde's maid Adele (Alisa Jordheim, a beautiful soprano) is also scheming to get out of work to attend Orlofsky's party..."
- Alex Miller, OnStage Colorado
Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with Virginia Opera
"The Count may have officially renounced his droit, but he is still lusting after his wife’s diminutive chambermaid Susanna (soprano Alisa Jordheim in top voice and lithesome form)."
- Page R. Laws, The Virginian-Pilot
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim made an appropriately fetching Susanna...her solo aria 'Deh vieni, non tardar' teasing her husband in the final act was a highlight of the evening and a fine showcase for her talent."
- OperaGene
Constance in Dialogues des Carmélites at the Caramoor International Music Festival
"My favorite role in this opera, young Sister Constance, the eternal optimist, a chatterbox, was beautifully taken here by the sweet-voiced, endearing soprano Alisa Jordheim."
- Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times
"Little Constance (winningly performed by Alisa Jordheim in a soprano of surprising depth and color) becomes Blanche's best friend because - Constance does that sort of thing."
- John Yohalem, Musical America
"Alisa Jordheim...sang the role of the cheerfully mystical Sister Constance. This part can be described as 'chirpy'... [but] Ms. Jordheim's sweet soprano deftly avoided that trap, singing with lively energy and pinpoint high Cs."
- James Jorden, New York Observer
"Alisa Jordheim sparkled delightfully as the infectiously cheerful Sister Constance."
- Opera Magazine
"...Alisa Jordheim was a standout as Sister Constance with her sweet and expressive soprano. Her scenes with Blanche and other sisters were unusually well sung and acted and she provided deft comic touches."
- Ako Imamura, Bachtrack
"Caramoor provides...conductor Will Crutchfield and the Orchestra of St. Luke's, who together gave a glorious performance of Francis Poulenc's glorious score. And a deep reservoir of great and good singers, from apprentices to principals, some of whom sing regularly at the Met and the big houses of Europe, like the sublime voices of Deborah Polaski and Jennifer Larmore. And some making their Caramoor debuts, like the captivating Alisa Jordheim."
- Enid Futterman, IMBY (Hudson, NY)
Ninetta in La gazza ladra with Teatro Nuovo
"...the emotions were honest, without overplaying, and the singing was stylish, with an unforced virtuosity that's all too rare in performances of this repertory...and the bright-voiced soprano Alisa Jordheim was a persuasively vulnerable Ninetta in the Rossini."
- Zachary Woolfe, The New York Times
"As always, Crutchfield assembled a clever and brave cadre of young singers, who performed with an exhilarating mix of musicality and valor...In the enormous role of Ninetta (she hardly leaves the stage after her first entrance), Alisa Jordheim wielded a crystalline soprano, meticulously accurate coloratura and a range of well over two octaves."
- James Jorden, New York Observer
"The women in the cast took the honors. Soprano Alisa Jordheim radiated steadfast determination as Ninetta..."
- Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal
"The singing was first class. As Ninetta, the story's troubled ingenue, Alisa Jordheim won hearts with a brilliant, gilded timbre and lithe, rhythmic coloratura."
-Brian Taylor, Cadenza
"...an enchanting prison-scene duet [was] ravishingly sung by [Hannah] Ludwig and Alisa Jordheim... Ninetta is a devilishly long and demanding role and Jordheim's cool high soprano handled it with gratifying stamina and aplomb. Difficult ornaments and ascents to acuti held no terrors for her..."
- Christopher Corwin, Parterre Box
"As Ninetta, Alisa Jordheim surmounted the role's dramatic demands - unappreciated servant, dutiful daughter, faithful lover, condemned thief, martyr - and her soprano negotiated the vocal demands with ease."
- Rick Perdian, Seen and Heard International
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim, who delighted us in the role of Serpetta in On Site Opera's production of Mozart's La finta giardiniera, impressed us again last night with her brilliant focused instrument, equally well deployed in the lyrical cavatina and in the coloratura passages of the cabaletta. She has a winning stage presence that makes you want to see her happy."
- Meche Kroop, Voce di Meche
"...her soprano had a pleasant, uniform texture across her entire range. Her interpretation of several arias - from the cavatina "Di piacer mi balza il cor" to "Deh tu reggi in tal momento" - was faultless."
- Edward Sava-Segal, Bachtrack
Erster Knappe in Parsifal with Opéra national de Paris
"Ici, la communauté chorégraphiée et l'aveuglement religieux endoctriné contribuent à l'arrière-goût douloureux du culte éxtrémiste avec de notables interventions...par les quatre écuyers (Alisa Jordheim, Megan Marino, Michael Smallwood, Franz Gürtelschmied), dont les voix se mêlent magnifiquement en chorale («Durch mitleid wissend» - le sachant par pitié)."
- Andreas Wahlberg, Ôlyrix
("Here, the choreographed community and the indoctrinated religious blindness contribute to the painful aftertaste of extremist worship, with notable interventions... by the four squires (Alisa Jordheim, Megan Marino, Michael Smallwood, Franz Gürtelschmied), whose voices mix magnificently in the chorale (Durch mitleid wissend).")
"Die Nebenrollen auf hohem Niveau...die Knappen Megan Marino, Alisa Jordheim, Michael Smallwood und Franz Gürtelschmied: spielfreudig und ideal aufeinander abgestimmt."
-Josef Schmitt, Die Presse
("The supporting roles are on a high level...the Knappen Megan Marino, Alisa Jordheim, Michael Smallwood and Franz Gürtelschmied: playful and ideally matched.")
"Le reste du plateau ne démérite pas...Alisa Jordheim, Megan Marino, Michael Smallwood et Franz Gürtelschmied, s'acquittent honorablement des interventions des Écuyers."
- Gilles Charlassier, Anaclase
("The rest of the cast does not demerit...Alisa Jordheim, Megan Marino, Michael Smallwood and Franz Gürtelschmied, honorably perform the Squires' interventions.")
"...le plateau vocal se hisse globalement à un très haut niveau...depuis les « petits » rôles des chevaliers, écuyers ou filles fleurs, jusqu’aux protagonistes..."
- Emmanuelle Giuliani, LaCroix
("...the vocal bar is raised globally to a very high level...from the 'smaller' roles of the knights, squires, or flower maidens, to the protagonists...")
"...des Filles-Fleurs, des Chevaliers du Graal et des Ecuyers absolument impeccables..."
- Chantal Cazaux, Avant Scène Opera
"...absolutely impeccable Flower Girls, Grail Knights and Squires..."
Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Boston Midsummer Opera
“First, the performers were so wonderfully at home with the Italian that it did not occur to me for a second that they were not Italian. Not only was their enunciation of rapid patter singing and the recitatives flawless, but also, they viscerally conveyed the Italian spirit with infectious body language…the shrewdly pared down supertitles allowed us to follow the story while still focusing on the singing. And what singing it was! Alisa Jordheim, in particular, made such a spectacular Rosina that I couldn’t help but think that she had singularly inspired the whole Barbiere project. What a voice! And what a grasp of the role! When Figaro realizes that he 'must take lessons in cunning from her,' we realize that she has been leading her own plot of liberation all along…"
- Leon Golub, The Boston Musical Intelligencer
"As his beloved Rosina, company newcomer Alisa Jordheim stunned with a sharp and sassy turn replete with superb coloratura fireworks. This was also her first run at Rosina, and it shouldn’t be her last...Lebow and Jordheim’s onstage lovers couldn’t keep their hands off each other, pulling off Rosina and the disguised Count’s singing-lesson scene with panache."
- Zoë Madonna, The Boston Globe
"Throughout the performance history of Barber, all types of female voices have sung the role of Rosina - from the original contralto, to lyric mezzo-sopranos, to lyric sopranos, to coloratura sopranos…Somehow, they all work - as long as the voice is expressive and flexible, and as long as the musicianship is alert and responsive. Alisa Jordheim has those in abundance. She also looks the part, but, more importantly, her voice is gorgeous, her technique is impeccable and she is infinitely playful onstage. Interpolations? Fireworks, more like it!"
- Antonio Ocampo-Guzman (stage director), The Boston Musical Intelligencer
"As Rosina, Alisa Jordheim — a vivacious young soprano from Wisconsin – glittered both visually and vocally, with her formidable technique well under control. She negotiated Rossini’s fiendish runs and roulades with accuracy, while acting with exceptional grace. By turns mischievous, temperamental and loving, her Rosina was more than a grinning doll – not only attractive, but piquant and glowing."
- Stephen Cera, stephencera.com
"A comic opera everybody has heard of, Rossini's "Il barbiere di Siviglia" ("The Barber of Seville"), got a terrific performance from Boston Midsummer Opera with Susan Davenny Wyner leading the band and the adorable and brilliant young soprano Alisa Jordheim as the irrepressible Rosina."
- Lloyd Schwartz, WBUR.org
Clotilde in Pacini's Maria, regina d'Inghilterra with Odyssey Opera
"In addition to reviving this unusual Pacini stagework, Odyssey deserves the highest praise for casting it to perfection...Soprano Alisa Jordheim was equally impressive in the role of Clotilde. Although she is petite in stature, her voice carried well over the orchestra, and penetrated even the largest ensembles. She produced a beautifully focused, silvery sound throughout, while acting the role with passion. Characterized by stratospheric high notes, and supple coloratura, her performance of Clotilde's Act III aria was one of the highlights of the performance."
- Ed Tapper, Edge Media Network
"Indeed, the casting of these two sopranos was a masterful stroke, because their physical and vocal characters perfectly contrast the two women: Mary [Amy Shoremount-Obra], taller and more physically imposing, with a powerful assertiveness in her voice (especially when confronting her rival), Clotilde [Alisa Jordheim], slighter and more delicate, with an appealing, sometimes pleading lyrical quality, even during her coloratura passages. And yet, when they sing together, in duet with parallel thirds and sixths (especially in Act III) expressing the painful romantic concerns of each one, the voices blend beautifully...Throughout we heard excellent singing, particularly, as already noted, with the two women, who made strong dramatic foils."
- Steven Ledbetter, The Boston Musical Intelligencer
"Standing next to the imposing Shoremount-Obra, Alisa Jordheim seemed like a child but her rounded voice with its tonal quality of a gold flute belied the image. Act 3's "Ciel che vedi il mio rimorso" illustrated Clotilde's determined and defiant side and the more dramatic qualities of Jordheim's voice...Yet again, Gil Rose made a convincing case for a flawed work while also introducing two young voices with bright futures - Jordheim and [Leroy] Davis."
- Kevin Wells, Bachtrack
"It struck me throughout this performance that a bel canto evenness of line, a gracious sweetness of utterance from top to bottom and fully engaged diaphragmatic support, were features of the singing of the entire cast...Jordheim, who sings roles like Gilda and Purcell's Belinda, is one of those tiny singers who look so fragile on stage - and then open their mouths and wallop you off your seat. Her double aria in Act III was as powerful as you could wish, her ease of expression and ornament rising to beautiful, rather fierce notes above the staff...The duet of the two ladies, the darker Maria set off by the lighter Clotilde, was a number worthy of encore..."
- John Yohalem, Parterre Box
"Additionally, Alisa Jordheim and Leroy Davis absolutely stole the show as Clotilde Talbot and Ernesto Malcolm, respectively... Jordheim showed wonderful technical control with a voice that floated around comfortably... Audiences, keep your eyes open: these two are singers to watch."
- Arturo Fernandez, Schmopera
"Clotilde (Alisa Jordheim, a glorious soprano whose runs up the octaves seemed natural)...was also sympathetic as she wavered between a man to whom she is attracted and one who deserves her loyalty and love...Most memorable in this thoroughly realized production were the performances of the ladies [Amy] Shoremount-Obra and Alisa Jordheim as Talbot. Both seem ideally suited to over-sized roles and out-sized demands on the big stage."
- Susan Hall, Berkshire Fine Arts
"In contrast, the diminutive Alisa Jordheim, movingly sang Clotilde. Pacini had given the original Clotilde, Teresa Merli-Clerici, a big scene of her own since she was the Prince of Cuto's mistress, and Ms. Jordheim delivered it beautifully in Act III. She was the best of the singers at acting too, and in spite of her small stature, her voice is big - big enough to compete and blend with Ms. Shoremount-Obra in the duets, which are one of the crowning joys of bel canto opera."
- Opera Lounge
"Jordheim was magnificent and may well have defined the role of Clotilde for our generation."
- Alexandra Sourakov, The Tech
"The cast for this production also energized Pacini's vision with great vocal charisma and charm. The vocal highlights were many, but two singers stood out at this performance: Alisa Jordheim in the role of the young Clotilde Talbot and Leroy Davis (in his Odyssey debut) in the role of Ernesto Malcolm... Jordheim's lilting soprano, (silvery and supple), captured the inquiries of her young, seeking character perfectly. Her duets with Amy Shoremount-Obra (Queen Mary I), were bracing and beautiful... When she [Shoremount-Obra] joined with Jordheim in their duets, the results were transfixing. They created a mercurial partnership with their vocals and entwining harmonies shifting in deft sparkle (Jordheim) and majestic force (Shoremount-Obra)."
- Boston Concert Reviews
"Also excellent was Alisa Jordheim, who sang Clotilde in a bright, perky lyric soprano with plenty of agility. She was especially affecting in the florid, rhythmically bouncy Act III cabaletta in which Clotilde resolves to save Ernesto."
- George Loomis, The New Criterion
"Shoremount-Obra was well-matched by Alisa Jordheim's innocent Clotilde. Whereas Mary personifies self-absorption and insecurity, Clotilde's character radiates innocence and inner strength. She is anguished at having betrayed Ernesto but eventually finds the resolve to redeem herself. Jordheim's youthful tone belies rich vocal resources, and her facility with florid vocal writing was impeccable...Her Clotilde was the moral center of the opera, and, with Ernesto, a foil to Mary and Fenimoore's degeneracy."
- Angelo Mao, Opera News
"Alisa Jordheim sang Clotilde with éclat and verbal point, sounding like a young Roberta Peters. Given the strength and stylishness of these two [Amy Shoremount-Obra and Alisa Jordheim], the elaborate 'wronged sisterhood' duet proved the evening's musical highlight."
- David Shengold, OPERA
The Girl/Luna in the premiere of Hertzberg's The Rose Elf with Death of Classical - The Angel's Share
"As the Girl, Alisa Jordheim channeled innocence and grief in equal measure, with an indelible coloratura soprano."
- Bruce Hodges, Musical America
"The production, directed by R.B. Schlather, featured a strong cast...As The Girl, soprano Alisa Jordheim showed great passion, grief, and vulnerability."
- Arlo McKinnon, Opera News
"Alisa Jordheim, soprano from Wisconsin, appeared as The Girl in The Rose Elf...Her fierce, no-holds-barred performance was as impressive musically as it was dramatically."
- Fred Plotkin, "40 under 40: A New Generation of Superb Opera Singers," WQXR.org
"The effects are large and live. Yet the singers’ voices carry and are never drowned by orchestral sound…The singers, because they are so near to the audience, act dramatically, but in a bubble, where audience is not acknowledged. This enables them to perform. For us, the experience is up close, but not intimate. Yet sitting next to the singers, you are engulfed by their voices. This is a particular treat when you listen to Alisa Jordheim, whose soprano can be sweet, and also penetrate in fear and confusion…Anyone familiar with the fairy tale hopes for a Salome moment. In fact, the gifted singer/dancer/actress Jordheim, who sings the role of Luna, suggests the severed head of her lover as she grasps his neck and circles it with arm movements."
- Susan Hall, Birkshire Fine Arts
“The short show featured a glamorous cast of four young performers…[who] happened to turn in magnificent performances…I equally loved the dreamy ingenues cast as the young lovers, tenor Kyle Bielfield and lyric soprano Alisa Jordheim, both of whom spun out such arresting lines of silver that I nearly lost my breath.”
- Joel Rozen, Parterre Box
“Alisa Jordheim as the girl was innocent and naive at the outset but evolved into a complex mix of characterizations. (Hertzberg gave the lovers both human and mythical personas.) The girl’s conflicted emotions were reflected in Jordheim’s vibrant soprano and the canvas that was her face…Costumed in a hodgepodge of floral patterns, they were called upon to move as much as sing. As a trio they writhed in passion; the brother later entwines himself with the corpse of the man that he had murdered. At such close range it was if they were under a microscope, with no detail of their performances unobserved.”
- Rick Perdian, Seen and Heard International
"Is it going too far to say the singers were downright heroic? No, mainly because the cast was so well adapted to the catacomb environment, as well as its surprisingly clear, focused acoustic, that you didn’t see the effort behind their respective achievements. Also, their performances were so much of a piece that vocal and physical gestures were one and the same…As the couple, Kyle Bielfield and Alisa Jordheim sang a love duet that convinced me that this music is at least the equal of Puccini."
- David Patrick Stearns, Classical Voice North America
Serpetta in La finta giardiniera (The Secret Gardener) with On Site Opera & The Atlanta Opera
"...But that was a small price to pay for close-up portraits of some highly talented artists. Outstanding among them were two servants: the baritone Jorell Williams as Robert and the clear-voiced soprano Alisa Jordheim as Serpetta."
- Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, The New York Times
"Add to that a cast of young, talented singers...Standouts were soprano Alisa Jordheim as Serpetta (a feisty Despina-type) fending off the advances of Jorell Williams as Robert [Nardo]..."
- Richard Sasanow, Broadway World
"The unmiked singers projected well even in the open air, and each contributed a memorable characterization...Sporting rotating pairs of stylish spectacles, Alisa Jordheim was a pert, bookish Serpetta, aiming lithe soprano darts at the mellifluous baritone Jorell Williams, an endearingly goofball Nardo. The pair milked their size difference for teddy-bear cuteness, as well as laughs."
- Joanne Sydney Lessner, Opera News
"This focused the attention on the impressive singers...Jorell Williams and Alisa Jordheim brought a more practical, comic flavor to the romantic perplexities of the servants."
- Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal
"On Site Opera assembled a terrific cast for the proceedings...her ease of phrasing and tender ascensions into the soprano stratosphere were soothing."
- David Salazar, Opera Wire
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim sang Serpetta, the stony hearted maiden, with all the vibrancy and spunk one would expect from a young Daphne-like woman dead set on playing hard to get. Attired on the Punky Brewster end of the spectrum, only with flower prints, she was as adorable as she was fiery. Her soprano sounded clean and clear in the night air."
- Allegri con fuoco
"[Nardo] learns to court the Mayor's servant Serpetta (splendid soprano Alisa Jordheim) in a foreign language which she clearly finds far more romantic than English."
- Meche Kroop, Voce di Meche
Soprano soloist in Torke's Book of Proverbs with the Grant Park Music Festival
"The soloists were both excellent. Alisa Jordheim displayed a slender yet luminous soprano in "The Way of an Eagle," backed by the women in the chorus singing of life's mysteries."
- Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim and female voices have the most touching music, all communicated with welcome simplicity."
- Alan G. Artner, Chicago Tribune
Satirino in La Calisto with Cincinnati Opera
"A full head taller than his fellow (male) nymphs, he [Thomas Michael Allen as Linfea] showed himself to be a gifted physical comedian, bringing down the house in his interactions with Satirino, played by the diminutive Alisa Jordheim…The satyrs were uniformly excellent. Jordheim's lusty Satirino was voiced in a clear, pure soprano that carried wonderfully in the house. Like the others, she was adept in ornamentation and a gifted stage comedian as well."
- Joe Law, Opera News
"I also fell in love during the performance. She was petite, goat-legged with horns, but love is blind. Alisa Jordheim, as Satirino, is an absolute darling with a dazzling voice and an effervescent personality. Her very physical rejection of the advances of Diana's nymph Linfea, sung by Thomas Michael Allen, who was twice her size, was a riot."
- Burt Saidel, Oakwood Register
"...soprano Alisa Jordheim nearly stole the show as Satirino, who was only too willing to accommodate Linfea's longing for a lover."
- Opera Lively
"The cast...is equally superb, with a strong female contingent that includes...as a young male satyr, the musically and dramatically agile Alisa Jordheim."
- Rafael de Acha, Music for All Seasons (also in Seen and Heard International)
"Alisa Jordheim's agile soprano easily handled the demands of the frustrated Satirino..."
- Anne Arenstein, Cincinnati City Beat
"A terrific cast...beautifully sung...The singers phrased stylishly and added tasteful baroque ornaments. There were equally strong performances by Alisa Jordheim as a young satyr..."
- Janelle Gelfand, Cincinnati Enquirer
Venus in Venus and Adonis and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with Florentine Opera
"The cast was remarkable in their vocal delivery...memorable was Alisa Jordheim's beautiful full-bodied soprano as Venus and Belinda. In many ways this was one of the finest recent productions by the Florentine Opera, enhanced by the consistency of a superior cast."
- Steve Spice, Shepherd Express
"...few singers know how to use a flick of the eyes or a tilted brow to stay alive while listening...[Sandra Piques] Eddy and Jordheim in particular have mastered techniques the others are just approaching."
- Dominique Paul Both, Urban Milwaukee
Soprano soloist in Mozart's Requiem with Ensemble Pygmalion at Versailles
"La soprano est plainement à l'aise dans ce répertoire. Les quatre voix s'accordent trés bien...Les applaudissements sont généreux et mérités."
- Violette Renié, Ôlyrix
("The soprano is fully at ease in this repertoire. The four voices blend very well...The applause was generous and deserved.")
Soprano soloist in Messiah with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
"Among the delights of the evening were the present, wonderfully expressive sounds delivered by the evening's soloists: soprano Alisa Jordheim, mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson, tenor David Portillo and baritone Ethan Vincent. Each singer brought nimble vocal work, expressive musical nuances, clearly enunciated texts, and a strikingly different sound quality to their part, for example: Jordheim's bright, sparkling soprano lines and Costa-Jackson's dark, earthy mezzo passages."
- Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim was born to sing Messiah. She hit the bulls-eye of every pitch, for starters. Handel tests both the coloratura agility and the lyrical phrasing of his soprano; Jordheim sailed through the challenges of the former with brilliant ease and lavished the sweetest vocal beauty on the latter. Her voice fell upon the ear as a blessing."
- Tom Strini, Third Coast Digest
"Jordheim gave some lovely renderings of the oratorio's soprano recitatives and arias, blending a light, facile sound and spot-on command of baroque style."
-Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Soprano soloist with the Madison Bach Musicians
“Antonio Vivaldi’s Latin Cantata, 'In furore iustissimae irae,' is a powerful evocation of divine rage, and soprano Alisa Jordheim matched her powerful voice strongly to its moods, with lovely embellishments in the first da capo aria...For the Cantata BWV 32...Jordheim used her projecting voice to fine effect.”
- John Barker, Isthmus
Lulu Baines in Elmer Gantry with Florentine Opera
"Soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim gave a spot-on performance as Lulu Baines. She created a sympathetic character and sang with a voice that was pure, lovely, light in color, and powerful."
- Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"More vocally proficient was Alisa Suzanne Jordheim as Lulu Baines, Elmer's sometimes mistress, with her lovely lyric soprano."
- Steve Spice, Shepherd Express
Ruth Maier in Letters from Ruth with the New York Opera Society
"Yet Kverndokk and Bull have crafted a gratifying lead role and, more importantly, revealed a complex heroine in Maier, especially as performed as Alisa Jordheim. Singing with a steely earnestness and a gorgeous, vintage musical theater high belt when needed, Jordheim was a strikingly confident Ruth. With a soft-grained voice she can turn both mournful and wistful. She also showed innate sensitivity as an actress with a winning portrayal."
- Harry Rose, Washington Classical Review
Soprano soloist in Mahler's Symphony No. 4 with the Madison Symphony Orchestra
"But the fourth movement, a song with orchestral accompaniment, was lovely with soprano Alisa Jordheim giving a performance that was dazzling and both musically and physically expressive."
- Jessica M. Courtier, The Capital Times
"Like [Emanuel] Ax, Jordheim is not a flamboyant performer. She sang simply - and beautifully - and became part of the symphony."
- Channel 3000, Madison Magazine
Lola in the world premiere and live commercial recording of Aldridge and Garfein's Sister Carrie with Florentine Opera
"Alisa Jordheim displayed a sparkling coloratura as Lola."
- Mark Thomas Ketterson, Opera News
"Alisa Suzanne Jordheim provided a vocally and theatrically sparkling Lola."
- Elaine Schmidt, Journal Sentinel
"For anyone who might long for the bel canto trills of classical opera, these are provided in rapid abundance during a backstage 'mash notes' duet by [Adriana] Zabala and fine soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim as fellow chorine Lola."
- Dominique Paul Noth, Urban Milwaukee
"Alisa Suzanne Jordheim, as Carrie's fellow working actress Lola, sounded glorious with Zabala in the flashy, giddy duet sequence during which they read each other love letters from their fans."
- Joshua Rosenblum, Opera News
"This recording features some of the best American opera talent and role originators today, including Adriana Zabala as Carrie, Keith Phares as Hurstwood, Matt Morgan as Drouet, and Alisa Jordheim as Lola."
- Opera News Desk, Broadway World
"The principal singers - mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala (as Carrie), baritone Keith Phares (Hurstwood), tenor Matt Morgan (Drouet), soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim (Lola), and bass-baritone Stephen Cunningham (Abdul/Captain) - set high standards for future casts."
- Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone
Exsultate, jubilate with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Fox Valley Symphony
"Jordheim gave a soaring, stirring performance of Mozart’s 'Exsultate, jubilate.' The extremely live acoustic of the Basilica created a rather atmospheric effect, with Jordheim’s ringing, silvery sound running through the echoing orchestral sounds like a bright, metallic thread through a dense tapestry. She sang with ease and facility, making a piece Mozart wrote for a specific singer with uncommonly fine technique sound free and relaxed. She opened up to fill the space with a glorious sound and beautifully shaped phrases during the highest passages."
- Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"From start to finish, Jordheim displayed a clarity of voice throughout her entire range with clean articulation, diction, and vocal projection. She effortlessly touched upon the high notes and sang the low notes with confidence. I was particularly taken with her interpretation of the recitative: 'Fulget amica dies;' strong, emotional, and musical while her singing of the following aria, 'Tu virginum corona' provided the perfect balance. In the concluding 'Alleluia!' she mastered the numerous running passages...The audience awarded her with a standing ovation."
- James Chaudoir, Post-Crescent
Soprano soloist in Torke's Four Proverbs with Present Music
"Some of the evening's loveliest moments were found in Milwaukee native Michael Torke's "Four Proverbs" (1993). Vocalist Alisa Jordheim delivered a spot-on performance of Torke's angular vocal lines, backed by pairs of violins, clarinets and saxophones, along with a viola, cello, bass, piano and synthesizer."
- Elaine Schmidt, Journal Sentinel
"...'Made for Milwaukee' continued on into likely its most conventional piece, "Four Proverbs" from Michael Torke with opera singer Alisa Jordheim at the forefront. Through her lovely soprano voice, the jumbled then reconfigured words of the four proverbs sometimes blended into the rest of the ensemble as another instrument, only then to pop out and return into the harmonious blend of classical sound."
- Matt Mueller, OnMilwaukee
Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow with the New Philharmonic Opera
"Other standouts are the petite but mighty soprano Alisa Jordheim as the title character. She has the vocal chops to pull off this demanding role."
- Catherine Hellmann, ChiIL Live Shows
Erste Zofe in Der Zwerg at the George Enescu Festival
"Alisa Jordheim, Hagar Sharvit and Margaret Plummer were memorably cliquey as the Infanta's obsequious maids."
- Seb Smallshaw, Seen and Heard International; September 19, 2021
"Alisa Jordheim, Hagar Sharvit și Margaret Plummer din rolurile comprimare ale celor trei servitoare au fost la același nivel înalt al soliștilor, asigurând coerența vocală a serii."
- Despre Opera
("Alisa Jordheim, Hagar Sharvit and Margaret Plummer, in the comprimario roles of the three maids, were at the same high level of soloists, ensuring the vocal coherence of the evening.")
Winner of the 2015 Bel Canto Regional Artists Competition
"While we had a superlative group of finalists competing in this year's Regional Artist Competition, soprano Alisa Jordheim's outstanding performance made her the unanimous favorite of the judges. Ms. Jordheim sang beautifully, crafting each phrase with great expression using a crystalline, warm tone that effortlessly filled the performance space. She is a true vocal artist. I am pleased to feature her in Bel Canto's March 2016 Midwest premiere of Carson Cooman's Revelations of Divine Love."
- Richard Hynson, Bel Canto Music Director (press release)
Micaëla in Carmen with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra/Opera Columbus
"Micaëla, sung by Alisa Suzanne Jordheim, was youthful and innocent, yet wise. Her brief interactions with José (Richard Troxell) were particularly striking with their bright, lyric voices a perfect match in clarity."
- Lynn Green, The Columbus Dispatch
Soprano soloist in Carmina Burana with the Fox Valley Symphony
"Once again, it was a joy to hear Jordheim return to the PAC stage...This role was perfectly suited for Jordheim as she graced each vocal moment with style and precision. Her rendition of the lullaby movement "In trutina" was lovely beyond words, and her sense of pitch and accuracy in the extremely high and delicate "Dulcissime" movement were astounding."
- James Chaudoir, Post-Crescent
Soprano soloist in the St. John Passion with the Madison Bach Musicians
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim reminded local listeners again that she is steadily climbing to the highest rungs of artistic achievement."
- Greg Hettmansberger, What Greg Says
Marzelline in Fidelio with Madison Opera
"As Marzelline, the girl who mistakenly falls in love with 'Fidelio,' Alisa Jordheim displayed a voice of considerable appeal..."
- John W. Barker, Isthmus
"Young Marzelline (the appealing soprano Alisa Jordheim) hangs laundry and rebuffs the advances of Jaquino (David Blalock)..."
- Lindsay Christians, The Capital Times
2014 Café de Concert, Oslo - Schumann Lieder with pianist Aksel Kolstad
"...norsk-amerikanske sopranen Alisa Suzanne Jordheim trollbandt publikum."
- Kristin Engløkken Mainitz, Fredriksstad Blad
("...Norwegian-American soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim held the audience spellbound.")
2013 Merola Grand Finale - "Dal tuo gentil sembiante" from Mozart's Ascanio in Alba
"Amid the press to give all 23 singers a shot in the spotlight, a few performances stood out from the crowd...Soprano Alisa Jordheim's bright sound and impeccable coloratura enlivened an aria from Mozart's Ascanio in Alba, vivified by one of [George] Cederquist's most imaginative bits of staging."
- Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
"Alisa Jordheim gave a winning performance in another rarity: an aria from Mozart's Ascanio in Alba."
- Janos Gereben, San Francisco Examiner
Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro at San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program
"The rest of the cast was strong, too, including...the vocally resplendent Alisa Jordheim, heard all too briefly as Barbarina."
- Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
"Another total love was soprano Alisa Jordheim as Barbarina. Pure, light sopranos with sweet voices that project health and innocence are far too rare."
- Jason Victor Serinus, San Francisco Classical Voice
Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia at San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program
"As fine as the men were, the show really belonged to the women - especially Alisa Jordheim, whose voice was a constant source of surprising strength and clarity."
- Mark Rudio, A Beast in a Jungle
"...diminutive but powerful soprano Alisa Jordheim [is] the servant Lucia."
- David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
"...audibility was not an area of concern for this particular group of Merolini; big voices were on display...The work puts equal demands on each member of the ensemble, making it an excellent vehicle for a presenter such as Merola, whose ranks are flush with new talent this summer...The roles of Bianca and Lucia, sung by Katie Hannigan and Alisa Jordheim, respectively, provided one of the evening's highlights in their 'flower duet'...there is much to look forward to from these talented young artists."
- Jeffrey S. McMillan, Opera News
Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro with Florentine Opera and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
"Alisa Suzanne Jordheim, a Florentine resident artist, stood out as Barbarina among the strong cohort of secondary characters."
- Tom Strini, Third Coast Digest
"...soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim's vivacious Barbarina, and Thomas Hammons's drunkenly comical Antonio, were all beautifully constructed of ringing, polished voices and theatrical poise."
- Elaine Schmidt, Journal Sentinel
Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring with Florentine Opera
"Alisa Suzanne Jordheim was cute as a button as Miss Wordsworth and tossed off her staccatos pertly as Andrew Wilkowske's Vicar, Jamie Offenbach's Superintendent, and Kevin Newell's Mayor joined their feminine colleagues for a delightful traversal of the Act I sextet."
- Mark Thomas Ketterson, Opera News
"...Alisa Suzanne Jordheim and Kevin Newell gave strongly sung performances that leaned just enough on caricatures to bring a dash of comedy to their roles."
- Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Soprano soloist in Florentine Opera's "That's Amore: A Concert of Love Songs"
"...The singers performed as if in front of thousands. Every note was wonderfully clear and...the performers...are clearly on top of their game. Not one note could have been deemed sour or off-key, and Jordheim amazed and enthralled as she reached piercingly high notes with wonderful confidence and ease."
- Max Thiesenhusen, Shepherd Express
Frasquita in Carmen with Florentine Opera
"Worth noting is the rest of the main cast: Peter Volpe as the officer Zuniga and the Florentine's four studio artists (Carl Frank, Kevin Newell, Alisa Suzanne Jordheim, Kristen DiNinno)...there wasn't a dull bit to be heard from the remaining four - especially the women, who killed their fortune-telling duet in Act III."
- Matthew Reddin, Third Coast Digest
Flora in The Turn of the Screw with Central City Opera
"Alisa Suzanne Jordheim (Flora) has a gorgeous soprano voice and the looks to match and is magnetic on stage, every bit as comfortable acting as singing."
- Opera Lively
"The striking Alisa Suzanne Jordheim was mesmerizing in the role, really revealing the process of the girl's possession by Miss Jessel. Jordheim is downright frightening in her closing invective against the Governess."
- Kelly Dean Hansen, Boulder Daily Camera
Soprano soloist in J. S. Bach's Cantata No. 29 with the Dayton Philharmonic
"Soprano Alisa Jordheim looked and sounded like an angel."
- Burt Saidel, Dayton Daily News