Critical Acclaim
Opera Atelier’s Something Rich & Strange, 2020
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"Perhaps the most unmissable moment in the entire evening from the purest vantage point of singing, movement and Baroque poetic rhetoric, was a stunning performance by rising star mezzo-soprano Danielle MacMillan in her presentation of "Mi lusinga il dolce affetto" from Handel's Alcina. If you missed it, stay tuned: she will likely return to this company's future slate of Baroque opera plans in coming seasons with her rich, low mezzo-tone, a surfeit of harmonic colour ensconced in a maturity of musicality and voice that singing with shocking core strength from her entire body.
Her tone is endowed with a rainbow of possibility in each phrase, demonstrating aptly that this young singer is here to stay with regular and lasting appeal on the opera stage here and abroad. Her opening A-section of "Mi lusinga" was overwhelming. When she sings next, you won't want to miss it."
- Stephan Bonfield, Opera Canada (Opera Atelier's "Something Rich and Strange")
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“Mezzo-soprano Danielle MacMillan is a real find with a sparkling voice who exudes great personality in her singing.“
- Paula Citron, Ludwig Van (Opera Atelier's "Something Rich and Strange")
Palm Beach Opera’s Don Giovanni, 2019
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"Mezzo-soprano Danielle MacMillan's Zerlina was beautifully sung and playfully acted, with “Là ci darem la mano” taking on a darker timbre in rich harmony with Bondarenko’s Don. MacMillan and bass-baritone Neil Nelson as Masetto played out the couple’s quarrels with clever forays into near-sprechstimme, adding an edge of humour tinged with realism."
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- Carly Gordon, Schmopera
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"As Zerlina, the mezzo-soprano Danielle MacMillan....was convincingly scheming, seductive and ingenuous, bringing a creamy legato to the aria 'Batti, batti, o bel Masetto.'"
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- David Flesher, South Florida Classical Review
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"The Canadian mezzo Danielle MacMillan turned in a splendid Zerlina, something of a minx but believably earthy at the same time...in her 'Batti, batti o bel Masetto' she raised the temperature of the room significantly with her seduction of Masetto."
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- Greg Stepanich, Palm Beach Arts Paper
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Against the Grain Theatre’s Kopernikus, 2019
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"Danielle MacMillan presents a charming Agni, who begins her journey in a state of beautiful otherness; visibly confused and separate from the ensemble. Her clear mezzo-soprano copes well with the role’s vocal demands, and her body language brings a great depth to the character."
- Isabella Perone, Opera Canada
"Reprising her role as Agni last seen at Banff Centre, mezzo-soprano Danielle MacMillan turns in an exquisite performance brimming with poignancy and pathos. The co-mingling of warm, radiant timbre and finely tuned technique tenderly mirrored by an exceptionally open stage presence, makes for a singularly appealing blend of guilelessness and artistry."
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- Ian Ritchie, Opera Going Toronto
"Danielle MacMillan employs a rich mezzo-soprano as Agni and portrays perfectly her character’s surprise and fear at first encountering this new world as well as depicting her gradual acceptance of it and, one might even say, the joy of losing her self to conform with the others in song and movement."
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- Christopher Hoile, Stage Door
"Mezzo Danielle MacMillan sings Agni, a haunting performance. She really conveys the sense of being adrift, alone and desperate for answers."
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- John Gilks, Bachtrack
