Press: Critical Acclaim

Possessed of an imposing build and a rugged, perfectly articulated baritone

Opera News

In Old Fashioned he performs songs made popular by the great American baritones of the 20th century, such as Nelson Eddy, Lawrence Tibbett and Leonard Warren, sailing through them from a whisper to a roar. He sounds very comfortable in this repertoire, from the ardent romanticism of d'Hardelot's Because to the goonish On the Trail of the Lonesome Pine, famously performed by Laurel and Hardy.

Opera Now
Critical Acclaim:

Review: Old Fashioned

“The home page of Brian Mulligan’s website highlights a review stating that he possesses ‘a voice that rich, secure, and really, really big’, and I am happy to concur... {...}

Mulligan’s sturdy baritone and soulful acting assured an appealing Mandryka.

Opera Warhorses
Critical Acclaim:

San Francisco Opera – Arabella

“Mulligan’s supple baritone did not tire, and his impeccable technique made his solid, salt-of-the-earth portrayal of Mandryka even and free from low to high range. We could see and... {...}

Brian Mulligan (also Donner in Rheingold) sang Gunther with the voice of a king masked by a softness in physical presence that made him easy prey for Hagen.

Richard S. Ginell, Classical Voice America
Critical Acclaim:

San Francisco Opera – Ring Cycle

“Baritone Brian Mulligan unfurled a resplendent baritone as the thunder god Donner and returned in Götterdämmerung as a weak-willed but smoothly sung Gunther.” -Harvey Steiman, Seen and Heard International (June 19,... {...}

"The Death of Klinghoffer," by John Adams and Alice Goodman, is a controversial work... Nancy Maultsby, Brian Mulligan, Christopher Magiera, Aubrey Allicock and the rest of the cast made it come alive."

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Critical Acclaim:

20 years of favorites from Opera Theatre of St. Louis

“The Death of Klinghoffer,” by John Adams and Alice Goodman, is a controversial work, dealing with the real-life 1985 hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro by Palestinian terrorists,... {...}

For me, however, the evening’s strongest performance was Brian Mulligan’s Sharpless, who cautions the headstrong and irreverent Pinkerton that it is a “great sin to … break a trusting heart”. Sharpless is moral standard, cultural interface and master of diplomacy all in one – an easy fellow to like anyway – but Mulligan sang the role with authority and bravado.

Sarah Batschelet, Bachtrack
Critical Acclaim:

Opernhaus Zürich – Madama Butterfly

“But it was American-Irish baritone Brian Mulligan who impressed me the most, as Sharpless. Amply rounded both in form and vocal tone, his warm voice was always the centre... {...}

Critical Acclaim:

A bold debut album: Brian Mulligan sings Dominick Argento

American baritone Brian Mulligan has released his debut solo album on the Naxos label, lending his voice to the music of Dominick Argento. On the album are the composer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning From the Diary of... {...}

It is the opera’s next scene that introduces the opera’s principal protagonists, the Proctors, played by the two of opera’s most important young stars, New York baritone Brian Mulligan and mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton. It is the Proctors’ relationship that provides the dramatic arc of the opera. The vocally strong, soulful performances of the two artists set a new standard for 21st century performances of this important work.

Opera Warhorses
Critical Acclaim:

Mulligan, Barton, Zambello, Paiement Make the Case for “The Crucible”

{...}

Mulligan’s portrayal, as expected from an artist with strong acting skills, proved dramatically convincing. Vocally secure throughout the role’s range, Mulligan was chillingly impressive singing "These are My Friends" – Sweeney’s anthem to the razors that he expects to advance both his profession and his plans for vengeance.

Opera Warhorses
Critical Acclaim:

Searing Performances by Brian Mulligan and Stephanie Blythe for San Francisco Opera’s First “Sweeney Todd”

{...}