Press

...symphonist

Maestro Domenico Boyagian and his Cleveland Opera Theater Orchestra contributed in no small part to this outstanding production. The orchestra is technically superb and Mr. Boyagian knows how to add to the jubilation and pathos of the characters circumstances with the nuance of a symphonist. The orchestra becomes at once another lead character and an emotional ensemble that is as extraordinary in the libretto’s quieter moments as it is lavish in its more buoyant moments. The maestro’s approach is akin to a fine film composer knowing when to step back and let the drama play when to let singers’ accomplishments shine. Maestro Boyagian is masterful as he manifests Verdi’s beautiful melodies and enables this expressive score to take center stage. Cleveland Opera Theater - CoolCleveland

...expressive

Domenico Boyagian is a born opera conductor. Using economical gestures, he led the cast and an accomplished 34-piece orchestra in an expressive journey through Puccini’s turn-on-a-dime tempo changes and reacted quickly to whatever liberties his onstage colleagues wanted to take with their individual vocal lines. The coordination between stage and pit was nearly flawless.
Cleveland Opera Theater - ClevelandClassical.com

…sensitive

Conductor Domenico Boyagian is sensitive to the nuances of the score, bringing out the exuberance of Verdi’s melodic waltzing in the scenes set in the Parisian demimonde, as well as the ominous, antic tremolo of the strings as Violetta’s tuberculosis progresses to its inevitable end.
Opera North - Valley News

…indulge

But the soloist and conductor Boyagian maintained such close contact that the score unfolded with seamless vibrancy. […] Boyagian shaped the piece with keen attention to textural clarity and subtle inflection, though he also insisted that the musicians indulge in hearty or fleet display at the requisite moments. […] In each of the four movements, Boyagian focused on phrasing, color and articulation to elucidate Ravel’s glowing evocations of Baroque style. The performance enchanted from first note to last, and the playing was first-rate.
Ohio Philharmonic Orchestra - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

...sixth sense

Boyagian paced the production with his customary sixth sense, drawing fine playing from the orchestra and excellent ensemble from the singers. Traviata was easily Cleveland Opera Theater’s most impressive production to date. The best professional opera production that Cleveland has seen in years. Cleveland Opera Theater - ClevelandClassical.com

...refinement

Standards on the musical front were especially high. Visually, this "Tosca" was spare, an arrangement of simple wood-frame constructions by Richard Fleischman. The pit and cast, however, led by Domenico Boyagian, were fully satisfying, singing and playing with refinement and expression. Boyagian's pacing also was effective; While each scene felt perfectly spacious, the overall noose was always tightening.
Cleveland Opera Theater - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

…impressive

Throughout the performance, conductor Domenico Boyagian was in full control of the proceedings and kept things moving while still allowing the singers room to bask in the lushness that is Puccini. The orchestra sounded top-notch and responded quickly to every small tempo and dynamic adjustment made by Boyagian. He is an impressive conductor and it will be interesting to follow the development of his career.
Cleveland Opera Theater - ClevelandClassical.com

…passionate

Boyagian called for passionate intensity in the Air and a brisk tempo for the Rigaudon [...]. The strings switched easily into a lighter and more elegant mode for Tombeau, where the winds now joined them to add their own stylish playing. [...] It's difficult to keep things witty and rhythmically playful while managing the ebb and flow of Ravel's music, but Boyagian chose sensible tempos and urged the four movements along effectively.
Ohio Philharmonic Orchestra - ClevelandClassical.com

…lyricism

Boyagian appears to be a conductor for whom the music is the sole point of standing before musicians. Leading the “Prague” Symphony, he employed economic gestures to convey the grandeur and lyricism that pervade the score. […] Boyagian proved a charming host introducing the various arias and ensembles – the opera’s greatest hits, as it were – and an alert, flexible collaborator. […] Boyagian and the orchestra gave a wonderfully animated account of the overture and maintained sure contact and balances with the cast. Ohio Philharmonic Orchestra - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

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