Sasha Cooke mastered this role, whether singing the fiery passagework of Donna Elvira's outrage or the poignant lyricism of her lover's yearning. There was, moreover, a dark-chocolatey resonance to her mezzo-soprano that was attractive all on its own.

In the role of Béatrice, the American mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke delivered a beautifully poised performance, with a sinuous singing line and a refined sensitivity, qualities which give all its depth to the character.

Sasha Cooke did an utterly valid, sonorous and expressive work in the complex part of Eduige. Graceful onstage, she proved a mistress of the style, displaying a pleasing liquid tone.

Cooke’s Cherubino was equally nimble and fleet-footed, except when pinned to the ground by Van Horn’s Figaro. Cooke was excellent as the over-sexed teenage page that had clearly learned a trick or two from the Count, exhibiting more cockiness than awkwardness in the young man’s relentless quest for romance. With a plummier voice than many a mezzo-soprano who assays the role, Cooke dashed off an impressive, fleet-footed “Non so piu” and an ardent “Voi che sapete”.

It is an astounding collection. The contributors are big names in the forties-and-younger crowd—Caroline Shaw, Missy Mazzoli, and Gabriel Kahane, to name a few—and although they represent a diversity of styles, it seems as if each composer was equally inspired to showcase Cooke’s luscious sound [...] There’s Shaw’s achingly beautiful title track and Andrew Marshall’s witty impersonation of a cabaret standard, “(A Bad Case of) Kids.” Cooke sounds fabulous, and the songs acknowledge the pandemic in wry, raw, or gently insightful ways without sounding tragic.

Cooke displayed richness throughout her ample range and an animated, theatrical approach to creating a character for the four Mahler songs, widely regarded as the first song cycle written for orchestra. Cooke buoyantly bounced about in celebration of a beautiful day on "I Went This Morning Over the Field." But she also captured the heartbreak and sorrow waiting at the cycle's conclusion, her dusky tone ideal for the mood of Mahler's sad march on the finale. It was some masterful Mahler.

Sasha Cooke, as Genièvre, phrased her text with beguilling skill, unleashing her wide-ranging, sensuously cushioned mezzo with dynamic acumen.

And what instruments were those of Burton and Cooke. Whether singing separately or together, the two artists evinced stunning versatility, bringing to the musical poetry enormous palettes of color, power, and expression. Both moved with obvious comfort and command across their ranges and between styles and vocal dimensions.

Cooke in particular turned in a performance of remarkable lushness and vigor, creating a Hansel who lingered beguilingly in a border region between juvenile and full-grown leading man. Her singing soared securely above the dark clangor of the orchestra — even at the pumped-up volume favored by conductor Christopher Franklin — and she gave the role a buff athleticism that proved charming throughout.

This challenging role, originally written for the celebrated contralto castrato Senesino, holds no terror for Ms. Cooke, who dispatches Orlando’s Act 1 bravura aria “Fammi combattere” with fiery brilliance[...] It’s a dramatic tour de force as fine as anything I’ve heard on an operatic stage.

American mezzo Sasha Cooke did so exquisitely, capturing the delicate meld of Gautier's poetry and Berlioz's music. This was superlative artistry; we heard vocal power and warmth with no strain whatsoever, coupled with a pure and flexible tone, bewitchingly lustrous in its lower register. Already, in April, this must be one of the standout performances of the concert year.

Sasha Cooke’s Goffredo offered as lustrous a voice as was heard all evening, a burnished mezzo-soprano with some of the deeper colours of an alto, and with a dignity of delivery to match the character.

In the title role, the mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke sings with both warmth and a barely concealed backbone of steel, and projects ruefulness and the tiniest touch of humor.

Sasha Cooke sings a faultless, warm, engaging Laurene Powers Jobs with a dignified stage presence and quiet charisma to spare. Her long closing soliloquy/eulogy after Steve’s memorial service is simply the opera’s finest moment.

The true star of the evening, however, was mezzo Sasha Cooke. In the words of an anonymous audience member, “If God is a woman, that is what she would sound like.” Her verdant timbre, dark and warm, is more commonly heard in contraltos, yet she carried her full sound above the staff with ease. Her stunningly composed performance awed the Hult audience, as well as all on stage with her.

With her rock-solid, richly textured mezzo, Cooke pointed out the words in “Blicke mir Nicht in die Lieder,” rose gloriously in “Liebst du um Schõnheit” and conveyed the quiet, trance-like intensity of “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen” with exquisite control [...] The orchestra certainly knew how to put the zip behind Cooke’s room-filling dramatics in “Deh, per questo istante solo” from Mozart’s "La clemenza di Tito."

But anytime you add Cooke into the mix, there’s a whole new level of magic involved. She brings an extraordinary wealth of tonal color to a performance, as well as a degree of emotional intensity that can be almost unnerving in its focus.

A song recital by the luminous American mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke is always an event. Her outing on March 12 in New York City’s Zankel Hall, with the attentive Julius Drake at the piano, was no less so with its world premiere by Kevin Puts...Cooke’s commitment to contemporary music seems a natural part of her musical curiosity and communicative commitment. Each piece on this recital revealed a different aspect of her rich artistic personality, from the classical gravity of Haydn’s scena, "Arianna a Naxos," to the giddy hilarity of Cole Porter’s "Give Him the Ooh-La-La."

The best thing about this performance was Sasha Cooke, the American mezzo whose resonant tone and intelligent projection raised the fourth movement to a different level.

The best news in "Mary Magdalene" was Cooke's majestic performance. In her company debut, the American mezzo made a brilliant impression, her characterization composed of equal parts poise, radiance and elegant directness. Her honey-colored voice was deployed luxuriantly; Cooke sang with complete conviction, sounding unforced and lustrous throughout a long evening.

Flanking Tilson Thomas were four soloists, all excellent -- though a special "hosanna" must go out to mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, whose singing of "miserere nobis" ("have mercy upon us") in the "Agnus Dei" was like an expanding column of pure concentrated sound. It was soulfully unnerving, shaking your inners, bringing to mind the likes of Callas and Coltrane. Wow.

Sasha Cooke brings a rich, beautifully supported soprano to Magnolia, persuasively charting her growth from starry-eyed innocent to life-toughened survivor, with the right soignée polish in her late-in-the-action Ziegfeld turn "Nobody Else But Me."

"Das amerikanische Wunder" A still very young singer from California took the stage. She made her entrance in her blue taffeta gown, with such self-assurance as if she had been born a diva [...]This mezzo soprano has the blues in her voice, she has that swing in every fiber of her body. Her voice is wonderfully clear, with a timbre of liquid gold. She rocked the Philharmonie right from the first note of the Shaker song, “Simple Gifts,” she moved the audience so that the out-of-office politicians awoke, and the B-list celebrities felt like A-listers. All applauded like crazy, right after every selection. They didn’t want to let her leave. Her name is Sasha Cooke, a name to take note of.

What a voice. Thrillingly free at the top, it is even more spine-tingling down in its contralto region, and the freedom from excessive vibrato gave a clarity to the text. And how vividly she was inside Mahler's words, with each song characterised with great intensity. This was, quite simply, great singing.

Sasha Cooke proved to be right at home in this gorgeous cycle. Hers was a warm, captivating performance that emphasized the dramatic imagery in each of the three songs. [...]Cooke gave an exquisite performance...covering a range of emotion from cheerful innocence to bravura posturing, from religious devotion to hearty celebration.

The Lamentation, the final movement, was also a revelation, as it introduced us to mezzo Sasha Cooke. This is a big, rich, intensely present voice driven by perceptive musical intelligence. Her singing was beautiful in many ways: as outraged protest, as utter despair, and as a lonely voice crying out amid the aftermath of disaster.

New to ‘Atomic’ is the gifted young mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, as Kitty Oppenheimer. Perhaps because she had no nostalgia for the old production, she was able to create a fresh, vital portrayal, bringing a luminous tone, a generously supported musical line, a keen sense of verbal nuance, and a flair for seduction. Even if the Oppenheimers’ bedroom came out looking oddly like a suite in an Ian Schrager hotel, their duet emerged as the most psychologically cogent scene of the night—a billowing of sensual delirium into white-knuckle reality.