Press

J.-P. Rameau, Pigmalion –

“Most impressive, though, was tenor Dann Coakwell, a seasoned professional of international renown. To the title role of Pygmalion he brought a particularly idiomatic combination of Gallic vocal sound and French diction.”

– Madison Isthmus, April 19, 2015 (Madison Bach Musicians / Madison, WI)

J.S. Bach, St. Matthew Passion –

“Tenor Dann Coakwell's performance was exemplary in every respect. His clear and effulgent vocal tone, his impeccable German diction, and his grasp of the emotional and dramatic elements of the Evangelist role were all superb. He is not a reader of the text; he is the Gospel-writer himself, telling his story quickly or deliberately, moving the drama from point to point.”

– North Carolina Classical Voice, March 29, 2015 (Duke Chapel / Durham, NC)

“The part of the Evangelist, who tells the story of Jesus’ betrayal and death, was splendidly served by Dann Coakwell, his lyric tenor clear and dramatically flexible. It could blaze out in anger, mutter conspiratorially or soar sweetly on high.”

– Dallas Morning News, April 5, 2014 (with Dallas Bach Society)

“Dann Coakwell, ... in the demanding role of the Evangelist, sang with attractive tone and lively temperament (as he did in Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” a year ago at St. Paul’s Chapel)...”

– The New York Times, March 17, 2014 (Alice Tully Hall, New York / Gary Thor Wedow dir.)

“As the Evangelist, the tenor Dann Coakwell was clear-voiced and eloquent as well as a vivid storyteller…”

– The New York Times, May 9, 2011 (with Masaaki Suzuki / Park Avenue Christian Church, New York)

J.S. Bach, St. John Passion –

“In Part II, tenor Dann Coakwell sang “Erwäge, wie sein blugefärbter Rücken” gorgeously, as though reacting on-the- spot to what he has witnessed and simultaneously reflecting on it long afterward, a revelation of the transformation of his soul over time ... and a subtle, elegant musical depiction of the salvational theology contained in the mere six lines of this aria, moving from the pouring blood on Jesus’ back to the shining rainbow of God’s grace.”

– TheaterScene.net, November 10, 2015 (Alice Tully Hall, New York / American Classical Orchestra)

“Most impressive of all was tenor Dann Coakwell, an Evangelist with a gorgeous lyric tenor that could threaten or caress on the turn of a dime, that could float sweetly on high or put the fear of God in anyone – and do so in impeccable German.”

– Dallas Morning News, March 25, 2012 (with Dallas Bach Society)

“Dann Coakwell and Paul Max Tipton expertly performed the foundational roles of the Evangelist and Jesus, both displaying great sensitivity to the textual and musical structures.”

– Boston Musical Intelligencer, March 13, 2012 (with Back Bay Chorale)

“Tenor Dann Coakwell managed the high leaps and swoops of the Evangelist’s recitatives with conversational ease…”

– Boston Classical Review, March 11, 2012 (with Scott Allen Jarrett, dir., Back Bay Chorale)

“Tenor Dann Coakwell’s superb declamation and agility and Misty Bermudez’s sizable [mezzo-]soprano and passionate expressivity scored impressively in their solos.”

– South Florida Classical Review, March 19, 2011 (with Patrick Dupré Quigley, dir., Seraphic Fire)

Bradley Ellingboe, Star Song

World Premiere, presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) –

“The star of Star Song was tenor Dann Coakwell, who handled all the various styles with remarkable ability. It did not matter whether the style was a recitative, an arioso, or just slapstick, the end result was one of excellence.”

– New York Concert Review, May 29, 2014 (conducted by composer Bradley Ellingboe)

Handel, Messiah –

“[Coakwell’s] elegant lyric tenor unfailingly went to the music’s emotional core. After a genuinely heartbreaking ‘Thy rebuke hath broken his heart,’ how strikingly he captured the change of tone at ‘But thou didst not leave.’”

– Dallas Morning News, December 23, 2014 (with Dallas Bach Society)

“Dann Coakwell’s ... honeyed tone was allied to clear diction and suave delivery of words and phrases. I’ve never heard ‘Behold and see if there be any sorrow’ sung so heartbreakingly.”

– Dallas Morning News, December 23, 2013 (with Dallas Bach Society)

“The standout vocal soloist was Dann Coakwell, with a smoothly sinewy tenor even from top to bottom, with utterly natural diction, declamation and line.”

– Dallas Morning News, December 22, 2012 (with Dallas Bach Society)

J.S. Bach, Christmas Oratorio –

“Dann Coakwell, a tenor, made a fine Evangelist, with clear, attractive tone, and sang some crucial arias in like fashion.”

– The New York Times, January 7, 2013 (with Julian Wachner, dir., Trinity Wall Street Choir)

“Tenor soloist Dann Coakwell turned the long passages of ornamentation in Haste, ye Shepherds into an easy grace, no mean feat as Bach often writes for voices as though they were instruments.”

– The Albuquerque Journal, December 19, 2010 (with New Mexico Symphony Orchestra)

J.S. Bach, Magnificat BWV 243a –

“The tenor solos during the Magnificat were the perfect showcase for Dann Coakwell’s voice which combines a rare warmth and depth.”

– The Stark Insider, December 13, 2012 (with Masaaki Suzuki, dir., Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra)

Handel – Alexander’s Feast –

“Since the concert, I’ve downloaded a half-dozen treatments of the air ‘The king seiz’d a flambeau,’ and none of them comes anywhere close to Coakwell’s treatment.”

– The Stark Insider, April 22, 2012 (with Nicholas McGegan, dir., Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra)

“Tenor Dann Coakwell, tasked with much of the narration as well as a handful of evocative arias, dispatched his assignment with sweet tone and rhythmic alertness…”

– The San Francisco Chronicle, April 26, 2012 (with Nicholas McGegan, dir., Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra)

Prokofiev, далекие моря / Dalyekie Morya (Distant Seas) | Carnegie Hall solo debut:

“The singers — Elizabeth de Trejo, soprano; Dann Coakwell and Rolando Sanz, tenors; and [John] Hancock, baritone … sang the music in Russian with suppleness and a lively comedic sense, with Mr. Berman accompanying.”

– The New York Times, February 10, 2010

“Dann Coakwell displayed a well-modulated lyric tenor as the loquacious Andrey…”

– Opera News, February 9, 2010