"Soprano Emily Birsan possibly achieved the finest work yet seen from this young singer. Her voice was bright and glittering in the coloratura of “Je veux vivre” and she displayed surprising body in her middle register for the potion aria. Juliette’s developmental arc from buoyant teen to tragic heroine was capitally rendered. The pair blended delightfully in the score’s unusual bounty of four extended duets.”

- OPERA NEWS

"Romeo may get top billing in the title, but Madison Opera’s latest production is all about the girl. . . Emily Birsan’s Juliet is a lusty, energetic teenager, giddy in love and intensely passionate. With her nurse (Allisanne Apple) she’s confident and headstrong. On stage, she draws the light. And on Gounod’s waltzes and arias, Birsan’s coloratura soprano sparkles brighter than the “inconstant moon” hanging over Juliet’s balcony. . . Birsan’s performance of “Amour, ranime mon courage” in Act IV is electrifying, as much a highlight as the sweet, bubbly (and more familiar) Act I waltz, “Je veux vivre.”

- The Cap Times