VOCAL ELEGANCE AND FIRE AT THE 222

April 26th, 2025 | Pamela Hicks Gailey

“Ms. Hollow sang the vocal pyro techniques as if she were in Carnegie Hall. Costumed fetchingly in trousers, blouse, vest and top hat, she emceed the program as an erudite and enthusiastic teacher/club host.

Performed straight through with no intermission, the program was divided into five sets entitled Entering the Tavern, Nightlife Shenanigans, Nostalgic and Silly, Sloppy and Bizarre, and Closing Time. The titles provided a witty framework for this musically rich and adventurous deep dive exploring the night scene, its people and places…A talented and sensitive musician, actress and storyteller as well as singer, Ms. Hollow is the master of her elegant coloratura soprano and she knows exactly what it can do. She sings and acts energetically and powerfully but also effortlessly, never forcing, never at the expense of sweetness, focus, pitch or expression. And a couple of the pieces were technically extremely demanding. Ravel’s incredible “Fire Aria” from his eccentric Opera L’enfant et les sortilèges, was the astonishing high point of the evening, both literally and figuratively.”

Read the full review here.

Opera Parallèle's Birds and Balls

April 07, 2024 | The Opera Tattler

“Opera Parallèle gave a splendid performance of two comedic one-act operas yesterday at SFJAZZ…Vinkensport is about Flemish folk sport of Finch-Sitting, in which trained finches try to sing the most "susk-e-wiets" in an hour as possible. In this opera there are six competitors, all the finches have very amusing names…soprano Chelsea Hollow's character who trains Farinelli is actually just using a tape recorder, since her bird is deceased. Hollow's voice is crystalline and very beautiful.”

Read the full review here.

Alameda Soprano Chelsea Hollow Releases ‘Cycles of Resistance’

Album draws from resistance movements across 120 years

April 28, 2023

“A lot of people seem to think opera is stuffy music written centuries ago, but Alameda-based Chelsea Hollow begs to differ. Yes, she is an accomplished coloratura soprano known for her soaring high range and traditional operatic roles with a variety of companies in the Bay Area. But she’s also a modern activist on many levels, as her new album, Cycles of Resistance, proves.”

Read the full preview here: Alameda Soprano Chelsea Hollow Releases ‘Cycles of Resistance’

Radium Runway Recap

October 27, 2022 | Liz Barrett

“There were many families with kids in the audience, which is unusual for most opera performances. They seemed not only interested but delighted with much of what they saw and heard…and were visibly enchanted by soprano Chelsea Hollow as the fully costumed singing wind-up doll from Offenbach’s magical opera, Tales of Hoffman. The doll had to be repeatedly “wound up” by her young assistant, Elizabeth Eldredge, which made the audience laugh every time. Hollow made the performance seem so fun and effortless that few people may have realized it is one of the most difficult coloratura arias in the entire operatic repertoire. She later gave a chilling performance of the exceptionally difficult “Queen of the Night” aria from Mozart’s Magic Flute.”

Read full review here.