Performance Reviews
Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, May 2024
Fort Worth Opera’s Companionship, May 2019, World Premier
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"Mezzo-soprano Kate Tombaugh maintained a clean, substantial quality and lively presence in a decidedly unglamourous role of the domineering Dough."
— Wayne Lee Gay, Texas Classical Review
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"The Dough, well acted and sung by mezzo Kate Tombaugh, is a capricious creature, simultaneously wise and childlike."
— J. Robin Coffelt, Theater Jones
Winter Opera St. Louis’ L’italiana in Algeri, January 2019
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"Kate Tomabugh's impressive mezzo-soprano soars in her winning interpretation of the high-spirited and dtermined Isabella."
— Mark Bretz, Ladue News
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"The cast is led by a simply stunning performance by mezzo-soprano Kate Tombaugh as Isabella. With smooth warmth and agility throughout her range her voice swells to glory on those high notes. She makes the singing seem so easy that she can, with a clear conscience, devote much of her attention to acting. And in this she triumphs."
— Steve Callahan, Broadway World
Fort Worth Opera’s Brief Encounters, April 2018
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"The stand out performance in Feel the Tango, and of the afternoon, was mezzo-soprano Katherine Tombaugh as the waitress who attempts to seduce the dimwitted husband. She was not only funny and sexy but she also sang with a wonderfully rich dark timbre."
— Jonathan Pell, Opera News Online
Winter Opera St. Louis’ La Cenerentola, January 2017
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“The Winter Opera cast is led by the beautiful Kate Tombaugh in the title role. It's unusual for an operatic heroine to be written as a coloratura contralto and such creatures are rare. But Miss Tombaugh more than triumphs as our Cinderella. Her lovely voice is full of power and clarity. She projects to the rafters and her diction is crystalline. (I found myself actually understanding some of the Italian!) In the last scene, after blissing through a particularly demanding tour de force aria, "Perché tremar, perché?" she gives us an astonishing crescendo as she soars to that very highest note. Amazing!"
— Steve Callahan, Broadway World
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"...a leading couple who were vocally, dramatically and physically attractive. As Cenerentola/Angelina, mezzo-soprano Kate Tombaugh sang flawlessly and captured the character’s essential goodness..."
— Sarah Bryan Miller, St. Louis Dispatch
Indianapolis Opera’s American Premiere of Mansfield Park, March 2016
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"…Fanny, a role radiantly filled by Kate Tombaugh. In her performance, Fanny’s vulnerability and sturdy integrity were both brought into play through a voice that rang true in every situation.”
— Jay Harvey, Upstage
Cincinnati Chamber Opera’s Ariodante, February 2015
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“In the youthful cast, the big-voiced and petite mezzo-soprano Kate Tombaugh was terrific in the title role, utterly convincing dramatically, and musically superlative: her vocal coloration dark enough for a role originally written for a male castrato and bright and agile enough when needed to highlight the youthful ardor of the young heir to the throne of Scotland. In the role’s signature aria, Scherza infida, she lovingly spun out the long vocal line while inflecting the words with mixed emotions. For the dacapo return she soberly added just enough ornamentation to sustain the interest of the listener throughout a ten-minute-plus scena.”
— Rafael de Acha, Seen and Heard International
Concert: Nova’s El Amor Brujo, June 2014
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“The young mezzo-soprano Kate Tombaugh sang the part of the haunted gypsy girl, Candelas: her lyric voice rang clearly, her chest tones were impressive, and her handling of the Spanish text and Gitano accent were authentic.”
— Rafael de Acha, Seen and Heard International
Testimonials
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“Our USI audience was thoroughly entertained by Kate Tombaugh’s one-woman show in our Performance Center. Not only was the show a humorous and thoroughly entertaining portrayal of the struggles of a young vocal performer in New York City and so very relevant to our theatre students, it was also a showcase for Kate’s powerful mezzo-soprano voice. Kate moved effortlessly from classical arias to Broadway and pop tunes as the performance prompted each song’s theme. As delightful as the evening was, the following day was even better when I had the chance to observe her master class. Kate spent almost 5 hours with six of our Theatre and Music program’s best vocalists. She employed her deep knowledge of the vocal apparatus to introduce exercises to each of the singers that addressed their specific needs. In some cases, the differences she could create in the singers were dramatic; moreover, she conducted the session with the kindest encouragement, putting all the students at ease and making them eager to work in fresh ways. We would love to have her back. Whether as a teacher, a performer, or both, any university musical theatre program or music department would gain a lot from having Kate as a guest artist. We plan to have her back soon,”
— Elliot Wasserman, Chair & Professor of Theatre
Department of Performing Arts, University of Southern Indiana
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"Kate Tombaugh presented her one-woman show, "It Just Takes One," at Saint Mary's College (Notre Dame), and our students were enthralled. Kate is a fantastic performer with a gorgeous, powerful voice and the acting skills to match it. She is a great role model for young singers. She also gave a talk to our music majors earlier in the day with valuable information about being proactive in presenting yourself as a singer. I would highly recommend her as a guest artist for college and university music and theatre programs...you won't be disappointed!"
— Nancy Menk, Chair & Professor of Music
Director of Choral Activities, Saint Mary’s College