“And with “Braided Together,” the second long player from the musician with a voice as sparkling as the sunbeams in the morning dew, this is exactly what happened: The album sounds like a spontaneous blend of Americana, (Irish) folk, and country, almost as if the woman and her fellow musicians had gone into the studio to record the album directly, without multiple attempts.”
Nebraska native Amanda DeBoer Bartlett, a classical soprano now based out of Chicago, blends an array of styles throughout this, her second collection of original songs, while contemplating love, motherhood and memories. Her voice soars high above the clouds one moment, glides just beneath them the next, and the arrangements are spot-on.
"[A]n astonishing display of vocal nimbleness"
“DeBoer Bartlett, her fellow sopranos Liz Pearse and Carrie Henneman Shaw, and mezzo-soprano Kayleigh Butcher are all fearless champions of contemporary music, with the pipes to back it up.”
“Galvanizing soprano.”
- Keith Powers, WBUR Boston
"Soprano Amanda [DeBoer] Bartlett’s skilled acting and undeniable stage presence added depth and flair to the text as she spoke, sang, and occasionally shouted."
"[S]oprano Amanda DeBoer in “Himmelfahrt,” sounding truly like an angel, joyful and terrifying."
"Amanda DeBoer Bartlett brought her rainwater-fresh soprano to the medieval songs"
- Jon von Rhein, Chicago Tribune
"In the dual role of Molly and Anne, Amanda DeBoer Bartlett was a high-energy dervish of theatrical presence, fizzy and fearless."
- Matthew Guerrieri, Boston Globe
"Hitting the high Cs...will be soprano Amanda DeBoer Bartlett. An Omaha native, she recently returned home after launching a career that found her floodlit on stages across three continents."
- David Williams, The Encounter (Omaha, NE)
"Talented and lovely soprano."
"DeBoer clearly demonstrated that she is not afraid of a challenge…The young soprano tossed off, seemingly effortlessly, a pair of the most challenging modern works for unaccompanied voice..."
- Jan Jezioro, Artvoice (Buffalo, NY)
"Amanda DeBoer deployed her expressive voice like a painter with an inexhaustible palette."
- Wynne Delacoma, Chicago Classical Review
"As the saint and her Immortal Soul (sung impressively by Amanda DeBoer) were gasping their way through a final indignity, the police were at the door deciding that this performance would be the last."
- Deanna Isaacs, Chicago Reader