“Our Carmen, Chelsea Laggan, was with us last year,” DeRenzi explains. “She was understudying the role of Thérèse (the title role of Jules Massenet’s opera), and we have what we call a cover run of a show, which means the understudies perform the opera. She set us all back on our heels. So we thought this would be good, to get someone to play Carmen who we know is dramatically and vocally interesting, and who has been part of this company. Moving people through our company is a very important part of what we do, and she certainly convinced all of us that she should advance with the company.” -Victor DeRenzi

https://scenesarasota.com/magazine/sarasota-operas-women-of-the-season/

“…Laggan made the most of her entrance with the Habanera, her skirt swirling, wreathed in drifting cigarette smoke, and sang Carmen’s defiant declaration of freedom in a sexy, throaty voice, soaring easily above the orchestra and chorus.” -John Fleming, Opera News

“Carmen’s cohorts… joined her in a scintillating Act 2 quintet.”

Given these three engaging principals, the underwhelming Escamillo of Andrew Manea came as a disappointment, with the baritone weakly projecting a decidely dim Toreador Song and cutting a rather dumpy figure, hardly what is expected from the flashy matador.

“Another popular aria was “The Flower Song” from Delibes’ “Lakmé” sung with beauty and sensuality by soprano Pape and mezzo-soprano Chelsea Laggan.”

https://www.timesargus.com/features/vermont_arts/opera-north-s-cavalcade-takes-on-new-depth/article_63b0ab5b-e24e-5d81-ba21-180e86462d88.html

Chelsea Laggan (in Arensky’s “Lily of the Valley”) had a wonderfully unforced lower range with a particularly enveloping, warm quality—she reminded me of American mezzos of an earlier school, like Risë Stevens or Blanche Thebom. -David Fox

https://parterre.com/2018/12/22/romance-holiday/

Olga- Chelsea Laggan (a third-year) has a lot of stage charm and a lovely lyric voice that coped well with the role. - David Fox

https://parterre.com/2022/03/01/doing-something-right/

DF: Chelsea Laggan (“O ma lyre immortelle”) had some very good moments, but I think the long line of this aria revealed some unevenness; the voice still seems a work in progress, though certainly a promising one.

CK: I can say that we agree generally across the board, although I had a more favorable impression of Laggan’s performance—and her instrument in general. We often talk about how rarely today you hear a young singer who actually sounds like a mezzo, and to my ears, Laggan has that instantly recognizable quality. I placed her fairly high in my personal rankings, though outside the top three.

https://parterre.com/2020/10/28/bel-canto-from-a-distance/

A few of the minor characters do come to life, notably Chelsea Laggan’s funny, flirty Marcellina, which is also sung with luxurious tonal amplitude. - David Fox

https://parterre.com/2019/11/14/the-opposite-of-sex/

Chelsea Laggan’s darker mezzo timbre suited her exasperating, then amusing and ultimately sympathetic Marcellina.

Susan Gould

https://bachtrack.com/review-mozart-le-nozze-di-figaro-academy-of-vocal-arts-macatsoris-gately-philadelphia-november-2019

Chelsea Laggan's memorably timbred dark mezzo sounded better as Sally's ex, freed of the indeterminate accent imposed on her as Woolf's cook Nelly. -David Shengold

3/18/22