Press Acclaim

"Elizabeth Askren knows how to animate the bouncy Rossinian grace of her lean and chamber music direction, with a lot of spirit."

"For this weekend again, we can also point out at the Athénée, with the artists and musicians in residence at the Académie de l'Opéra, the performance of the Scala di seta... It is also a success, joyful."

"We will not forget the incredible orchestra that opening night, which was led with an iron fist by New Yorker Elizabeth Askren. ... To sum up, tonight we attended a modern and funny comic opera where the new generation of lyrical singers had a blast, and so did we. An hour and a half of high-dose humor where their communicative joy made our hearts capsize."

"Elizabeth Askren directs the musicians (in residence at the Académie de l'Opéra or from the Orchester-atelier Ostinato) with the blend of spirit and elegance befitting Rossini. So much so that at the end of an hour and a half of show, this Ladder of silk has no difficulty in hoisting us on a small cloud."

"Under the spirited direction of Elizabeth Askren, the resident musicians at the Académie de l'Opéra de Paris and those of the Orchester-atelier Ostinato delivered with palpable happiness the adaptation made by Jean-Francois Verdier for the miniature pit of the Athenaeum."

"The conductor keeps it all together and breathes into it the energy necessary to ignite the fearsome mechanics dear to the swan of Pesaro. We wish young artists (but also the Opera and the public) many shows like this, a real musical and theatrical achievement."

"This team ... benefits from the fine and attentive direction of Elizabeth Askren, present on each line, each silence... Not as a chef but as a benevolent godmother, concerned about the artistic development of her young godchildren."

"Because everything is play, movement, bodily energy in this show overflowing with imagination and admirably regulated (even the decor, devilishly clever, becomes an actor at times!) that the nimble and smiling direction of Elisabeth Askren makes even more effective ."

"Elizabeth Askren conducts an orchestra reduced to the strict minimum (composed of musicians from the Orchester-Atelier Ostinato and others in residence at the Académie de l'Opéra) but which she animates with an energetic gesture while being particularly attentive to the singers so that they can give the best of themselves. ...The audience warmly applauds a quality show..."

Conducted by Elizabeth Askren, the TDO orchestra provided delicate accompaniment, effectively layered around the vocalists rather than under them.

Conducted by Elizabeth Askren, an alumna of the Dallas Opera Hart Institute for Women Conductors, the orchestra supplied vivid characterizations of its own Friday night.

A la tête de 13 excellents musiciens de l'Orchestre Victor Hugo, la cheffe américaine Elizabeth Askren montre une précision remarquable, sans que sa direction ne paraisse sèche ou cérébrale, avec un instinct théâtral et un sens du timing qui rendent évidente cette délicate succession de variations.

La cheffe d'orchestre américaine Elizabeth Askren dirige les 13 membres de l'Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche-Comté d'une oreille sûre et d'une main plus sûre encore. La nature "épisodique" de la partition de Britten (une série de quinze variations avec des interludes instrumentaux) en fait un défi à relever, ici par des lignes contrôlées, menées vers leurs apogées...Le public dijonnais exprime sa satisfaction, envers la direction musicale, les instrumentistes ainsi que la riche prestation des artistes sur scène.

The millimetered precision, the agility, the dynamics, the colors are there and contribute to the emotion of the listeners: infinite details are perceptible, which we discover with delight. The baton of Elizabeth Askren, discovered on this occasion, is as attentive to the plateau as to the pit, and demonstrates a constant exigency. Britten's rich orchestration, his colorist art, his dramatic sense are magnified.

The conductor shines as much in oiling the cogs of this captivating Hitchcockian suspense in the pit as in x-raying the remarkable art of Benjamin Britten in the interview that accompanies the show: "these artists (such as Britten)", she says, "are forced to silence a secret but manage to reveal it indirectly." She says again: “One can't look at the sun directly, but can perceive its presence by the shadows cast on the ground." There is no better way to describe the abyssal potential of the Turn of the Screw.

Elizabeth Askren, an early standout at the Hart Institute for Women Conductors and now a faculty member, will be back in March to lead Mozart's "Così fan Tutte" at the Dallas Opera.

"Conductor Elizabeth Askren led a glittering account of Britten's translucent score."

"Elizabeth Askren conducted a revelatory reading of Britten’s multi-faceted, difficult-to-categorize score. From the first haunting string glissandi, Maestra Askren elicited a haunting effect that soon morphed from the ‘spiritual’ fairy realm to the ‘spirited’ human scape and beyond, to the Music Hall sensibilities of the Mechanicals. Britten was a master orchestrator, and Askren inspired virtuosic achievements from the pit, from seamless ensemble playing to exposed, characterful solos, all beautifully rendered..."

"Elizabeth Askren’s conducting captured the score’s magic"

"Under the direction of conductor Elizabeth Askren, the orchestra beautifully plays the music of Britten and lulls the audience into a dreamlike state from the beginning of the show. "

"Appearing for the first time on the podium of the Orchestra and Choir of the Cluj Philharmonic, Elizabeth Askren brought the hall to its feet... Askren imposed through assurance and genuineness, with precise gestures, graceful assets which captured the attention of all those present, creating an atmosphere specific to unforgettable evenings."

“Her in-depth artistry, purposeful, determined, precise conducting shows that, like her conducting, she is careful and thorough in her (musical) research.”

“Elizabeth Askren…directed the concert as both conductor and narrator in a fine, attentive, and expressive manner…”

”The obvious, accomplished work leads to an amazing result, of verve, panache, and well-balanced harmony.”

”Elisabeth Askren will enchant the public. Energetic and precise gestures, a confidence that seduces irresistibly. She hypnotizes the entire hall. A revelation and the discovery of the Classic Symphony of Prokofiev.”