John Holiday earned widespread acclaim for his performance in Washington National Opera’s The Marriage of Figaro. See highlights from the production below.
"It was notable that the pageboy Cherubini, often played by a female mezzo soprano because of the higher range required, was instead portrayed by standout American countertenor John Holiday, whose voice was up there all night." -Broadway World
"Holiday had the full range for the part, written for a woman dressed en travesti, although one inevitably missed some of the mezzo warmth at the top. His acting brought out the adolescent ungainliness of the mischievous page, but the jokes generated by the libretto’s double cross-dressing of the character, a woman playing a man dressed as a woman, are funnier than what this version offered." -Washington Classical Review
"I cannot deny: John Holiday killed it. The singing throughout the role was beautiful, complete with the most ornamentation that anyone in the cast did, but the cherry on top was the fearlessness of some of the choices, whether just Holiday’s or Holiday’s and director Peter Kazaras’" -Opera Today
"Countertenor John Holiday portrayed a naïve, randy Cherubino and boasted impeccable comedic chops and a bright, clear sound, though this casting choice may have left some viewers missing the warmer mezzo timbre, such as in moments with Susanna and the Countess." -Parterre Box
"The potential stunt casting of countertenor John Holiday as Cherubino proved to be a smashing success as he ably embodied the randy page while singing with suave élan, including a particularly lovely “Voi che sapete." -Observer
