PRESS
"Especially enjoyable was the savage joy with which soprano Barbara Paterson, as the dark spirit Care, taunted Faust." - Dominion Post reviewing Orchestra Wellington's Scenes from Goethe's Faust
"Dunedin composer Ihlara McIndoe is currently studying at McGill University in Canada so couldn’t attend the world premiere of her highly imaginative and intriguingly titled new work for ensemble and voice. I write and chew and crack my bones and think about hospitality expresses what the composer calls “my ruminations on life as an artist in an increasingly corporatised sector”. She would have been delighted by the committed performance by a first-rate septet of mostly NZSO principals conducted by co-artistic director of Stroma Hamish McKeich. Soprano Barbara Paterson relished the text with her quirky theatrical style and gentle humour while Gabriela Glapska’s beautiful piano flourishes shone within the ensemble’s accompanying textures." - Five Lines reviewing Dream Architects, feat. Stroma
"Like all good pubs (and many soap operas), the Cloverton Arms is presided over by a barwoman in charge of everything. Soprano Barbara Paterson plays this major role to the hilt – she’s philosopher, counsellor, bossy mistress of ceremonies, friend and confidante. She sings with her usual clear bright soprano and subtle understanding of the music’s character. She also keeps everybody on the move in a full narrative that might otherwise seem overlong." - Five Lines reviewing Cloverton - In Love and in Wine
"With humorous, tongue in cheek flamboyance, Barbara Paterson bursts forth with strong operatic vocals, juxtaposing the movement of the dancers and focusing our attention on her as she glides through the space singing...Paterson reappears and sings again, then falters, her voice breaking, trembling, alluding to her fragility too perhaps, or maybe not!" Theatreview reviewing Decodance at Classical on Cuba
"The three Goddesses made the most of their respectively singular qualities, Barbara Paterson’s suave, worldly Juno by turns kittenish and commanding as required, making the perfect foil for both Rowena Simpson’s no-nonsense, forthright and ‘spot-on” Pallas Athena, and Anna Sedcole’s softer, sweeter, wide-eyed and winning Venus/Aphrodite...Each of the goddesses shone whilst vocally plying their respective virtues and powers – Barbara Paterson’s Juno was at her most imperious with Eccles’ “Let Ambition fire thy Mind”, the voice ringing out, bolstered by the other characters in the music’s reprise, to a most exciting and invigorating string accompaniment." - Middle C reviewing The Judgment of Paris
"Java Dance company...likes to play an uncomfortable edge, likes messiness and a good dash of the unexpected...in a new room with two audience members cosying up in a furry bath, the question comes ‘What do you want’?, delivered with a Jazzy/Fosse type feel. The ghosts of Red Mole are somewhere about too...These performers embody the energy of uncontainable joy. They hold and grow the kaupapa of this innovative company, where there is no separation between musicians and dancers, to create a totally unique and immersive experience...Barbara Paterson, a compelling and willowy figure, weaves a thread around her fellow players who are frozen in a tableau of horror. She sings gently then stops – it would be genius moment to finish the work, all stories suspended, but there is more...Throughout the whole, these quirky, talented performers inhabit the space with total commitment. Each brings a unique flavour: [like] Barbara Paterson’s graceful and provocative talents...Perhaps this is exactly where humanity currently resides, all spun backwards vaulting into confusion and madness, with the capricious and sometimes pernicious gods as animateurs." -Theatreview reviewing The Home of the Gods
[As the soprano soloist for Karol Szymanowski's Stabat Mater,] "soprano Barbara Paterson’s finely-honed delivery and complete absorption in the feeling expressed by the Polish text held us in thrall throughout...[then] came an opening melody for the work’s final section that the composer described as ”the most beautiful melody I have ever managed to write”, here delivered most movingly by Paterson, again negotiating her high notes with ethereal purity...Exquisite!" Middle-C reviewing Orpheus Choir's concert I Was Glad
[As Elle in Francis Poulenc's La voix humaine (The Human Voice),] "soprano Barbara Paterson displays complete control and passionate commitment throughout all the moods of this very rich piece of writing, from spine-chilling wailing through powerful dramatic expression to gorgeous colouring in the denouement. Her acting is exemplary and there is a dignity and depth of understanding – a feminist understanding, as she notes – in her portrayal of Elle’s position. It is good to see a performer of this standard get a chance to display the full range of her talents in a role like this. Paterson never misses a heartbeat in response...Altogether this is a strong, uncompromising yet unquestionably cool production, performed at the highest standards." Theatreview reviewing The Human Voice