Little Women
Conductor John Baril holds everything in the production together with a master’s hand.
— Boulder Daily Camera July, 2001
Little Women
In the pit, John Baril conducts Adamo’s busy score with a sure hand and keen sense of balance.
— Rocky Mountain News July, 2001
Lucia di Lammermoor
Conductor John Baril, Central City Opera’s Music Director, seamlessly integrated the cast and orchestra. The singing and acting consistently revealed the work’s depths.
— Opera Now October, 2009
Lucia di Lammermoor
John Baril presided very capably, admirably allowing many numbers their full repeats and endings.
— Opera News October, 2009
Il barbiere di Siviglia
Conductor John Baril kept the musical side of things percolating along. Maestro Baril accommodated and partnered with his singers with skill, and he made some bold choices of tempo for a few of the most well-known moments. The orchestra acquitted themselves cleanly…it was a wholly creditable afternoon of bubbly music-making.
— James Sohre Opera Today July, 2013
Il barbiere di Siviglia
John Baril conducts the Central City Opera orchestra with a baton that keeps the musicians in the pit and the singers onstage in perfect sync.
— David Marlowe Marlowe’s Musings July, 2013
Il barbiere di Siviglia
The orchestra played tightly under the baton of conductor John Baril.
— Chloe Veltman ArtsJournalBlog July, 2013
Il barbiere di Siviglia
Music Director John Baril is an artist of intelligence and sensitivity. His talent for balancing authenticity with practicality is impeccable. From the podium, Baril kept everything moving at a brisk pace, such that the long first act seemed to fly by.
— Kelly Dean Hansen Boulder Daily Camera July, 2013
Il barbiere di Siviglia
At Saturday night’s performance, conductor John Baril mastered well the difficult art of joining instruments and vocals. There was balance and an endearing partnership between the stage and the pit.
— Ray Mark Rinaldi Denver Post June, 2013
Il trovatore
Music Director John Baril has seen his share of milestones in the pit at Central City Opera, but this summer’s Il trovatore represents a new height for him and the company. Giuseppe Verdi’s popular but often critically maligned score was given its best possible advocacy by Baril and stage director Joachim Schamberger in the jewel box theater. The choruses of gypsies and soldiers are splendid, as is Baril’s orchestra. Verdi’s accompaniments range from the banal to the sublime, and these musicians had a keen understanding of when to come forward and when to let the singers take the lead. While Leonora is not the central character, the role is incredibly demanding, so much so that her last major solo in Act IV is often cut. Loutsion did sing one verse of it. This was just one example of Baril’s respect for Verdi’s score, which was evident throughout.
— Kelly Dean Hansen Boulder Daily Camera July, 2018