The Press

“In soprano Sarah Cambidge and tenor Kyle van Schoonhoven, the program boasts not just one but two singers with the stamina, muscle and sheer lung power to undertake the demanding music of Wagner and Strauss........ Cambidge and van Schoonhoven distinguished themselves first individually – in excerpts from Strauss’ rarely heard “Die Ägyptische Helena” and Wagner’s “Parsifal,” respectively – and then together, bringing the evening to a close with a sumptuous traversal of the love duet from Act 2 of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.” The path to Wagnerian mastery is long and arduous, and these two are clearly well on their way.”

— San Francisco Chronicle

“Perhaps the evening’s most striking revelation, came shortly before the end, when tenor Kyle van Schoonhoven unleashed a vivid, shapely and full-throated account of “Mein lieber Schwan” from Wagner’s “Lohengrin.” It was clear that he’s being trained, slowly and methodically, to undertake the Wagnerian tenor repertoire; it was a thrill to hear how far along that path he’s come.”

— San Francisco Chronicle

“Kyle van Schoonhoven, a heldentenor star of the future now, was the Otello to Palmertree’s Desdemona, and he brought the house down with “Mein lieber Schwan” as Wagner’s Lohengrin. This is a rare and amazing instrument, combined with musicality and presence...”

— Opera West

“... the budding heldentenor Kyle van Schoonhoven [showed a] steady, burnished sound”

— New York Times

“... And how much guts does it take for an aspiring tenor to do the “Mad Scene” from Peter Grimes? If you’re Kyle van Schoonhoven, the answer is, you do it beautifully because you can."

— Seen and Heard (International)

“Kyle van Schoonhoven made his mainstage debut; the young Adler Fellow is sure to be seen prominently in the future."

— Classical Voice America

“Tenor Kyle van Schoonhoven, from Lockport, NY, who was impressive in the title role in a Lohengrin excerpt at the beginning of the program in July, shone in yet another Wagner role, singing the hero’s prayer from Rienzi. The voice was not only gorgeous and powerful — filling the big hall effortlessly — but had that indefinable Wagner-tenor characteristic of “ping,” Richard Tucker’s term for hitting high notes squarely. When van Schoonhoven joins the small cadre of outstanding Wagner heldentenors in the world’s great opera houses, those at the concert Saturday can claim they were there when the 28-year-old made his mark almost a decade ahead of when such accomplished delivery is expected."

— San Francisco Classical Voice

“Kyle van Schoonhoven impressed in an excerpt from Wagner's "Rienzi"

— The Mercury News

“...in the Lohengrin wedding scene with Sarah Cambidge’s big-voiced Elsa demanding the secret from Kyle van Schoonhoven’s beautifully sung Swan Knight"

— San Francisco Classical Voice

“van Schoonhoven’s tenor sounded mostly effortless and ready for the major leagues"

— San Francisco Civic Center

“...Kyle van Schoonhoven stole the show with his expressive and extremely well-sung performance of Don José. His transition from mama’s boy to crazed lover was not only believable, but well paced... The strength of the leading men made their Act III duet a particularly thrilling part of the performance."

— The Millbrook Independent

“Kyle van Schoonhoven...was particularly strong vocally."

— ConcertoNet.com

“Kyle David van Schoonhoven a sonorous Ruiz"

— Opera News

“In the love duet from Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Kyle van Schoonhoven sang the role of Lt. Pinkerton. He has a sweet tenor with a lovely resonance and gave a well-modulated performance..."

— Voce di Meche

“when Cambidge and van Schoonhoven found their musical destiny in the love duet, “Soll ich lauschen?”, from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. The kiss was replayed — and then some — by these two powerhouse singers.”

— San Francisco Classical Voice

“Van Schoonhoven opened this joint concert with soprano Heidi Melton with four classic British songs. There was no doubting either the young tenor’s sincerity or his intentions...The final line of ‘Silent Noon’ was sung in a beautiful head voice and actual tears seemed to flow at the end of ‘The Salley Gardens’...If van Schoonhoven’s physique did not have you thinking ‘budding Heldentenor’, once he started singing Wagner there was no doubt. He performed ‘Rienzi’s Prayer’ with ease and power, hurling the tribune’s final plea to the Almighty into the auditorium like a javelin. In Lohengrin’s farewell to Elsa, ‘Mein lieber Schwan’, he found equally congenial turf, his singing no less ardent but a bit more subdued....They joined forces for the duet from Act III of Lohengrin where Elsa and the Swan Knight rapturously express their love for one another, until Elsa starts asking questions. Van Schoonhoven, totally in command of his voice, embodied the tragic hero remaining stoic throughout. Melton, however, blazed with fury and indignation as she demanded answers. Her taunts became shrieks as she grew increasingly frenzied at Lohengrin’s calm demurrers, ultimately collapsing, crushed by the realization that her hopes have been dashed by her own doubts and mistrust."

—Seen and Heard

“Stumbling onto the stage with his first words ringing through the house, it was obvious the Grime’s Mad Scene “Steady! There you are! Nearly home!” was going to be good. Tenor Kyle van Schoonhoven, committed through the entire aria, held our attention for minutes, and practically alone, the orchestration comprised of a few trombone slides and a brief accordion cameo. A very daring choice for the competition, but van Schoonhoven pulled it off. He followed up in the second half with Rienzi’s powerful Prayer, showing off a hefty, rich voice."

— OperaWire

“What was unexpected was the ambition shown through choices like the mad scene from Peter Grimes—sung with riveting directness by tenor Kyle van Schoonhoven"

— New York Classical Review

“The title character’s prayer from the final act of Wagner’s “Rienzi” elicited a gleaming, potent performance from tenor Kyle van Schoonhoven, marked by suave phrasing and tonal freshness."

— The San Francisco Chronicle

“Tenor Kyle Van Schoonhoven (Lockport, NY) ...continued to impress with his clarion Wagnerian power in a strong hymn from Rienzi."

— Bay Area Reporter

“In Rienzi's prayer scene, tenor Kyle van Schoonhoven's clear & open high notes were immediately striking, & his voice had unusual timbres."

— Not For Fun Only

“tenor Kyle van Schoonhoven (Lohengrin) from Lockport, NY filled [his] taxing responsibilities with apparent ease. Powerful force and heroic lyricism are a difficult pairing, but van Schoonhoven seemed unfazed by the dry acoustic of the Conservatory auditorium, and he thrilled with his full-throated and sweet tone. Cambidge matched him with a bright voice, free of shrillness and charged with emotion."

— Bay Area Reporter

“The standard of singing was high, with Kyle van Schoonhoven as Tamino..."

—The Secret Victorianist

“Another excellent characterization was that of Kyle van Schoonhoven as the alcoholic tabloid journalist Peter Fallow."

— Voce di Meche

“I was in tears when Kyle van Schoonhoven wrenched our collective hearts with the tenor aria ‘Then Shall the Righteous Shine Forth’”

— Westminster Choir Word Press

“ Kyle van Schoonhoven... has done well, singing with opera companies throughout the country. From the Chapel lectern, his solid tenor sound fit in well with the upper choral voices that provided the bulk of the responding text in the fourth movement... Both soloist and chorus created more fervency in the text, ending the movement with a joyful character."

— Town Topics