ST. LOUIS ARTS SCENE
And bass-baritone Christian Pursell is a warm and sympathetic Thomas—a marked contrast with his swaggering Escamillo in OTSL’s Carmen in 2022.
CHUCK LAVAZZI
Opera Theatre’s Premiere Of “This House” Delivers Haunting Beauty But Falters Under Narrative Sprawl
POP LIFE STL
Baritone Justin Austin brings supple emotional nuance to the role of Lindon, Ida’s son, while Christian Pursell lends warmth and pathos to Thomas, Lindon’s lover.
CHAS ADAMS
Review: THIS HOUSE at Opera Theatre Of St. Louis
BROADWAY WORLD
And when Lindon’s gay lover Tom (Christopher Pursell) arrives to urge Lindon to come with him to Spain … Wow!! Things get suddenly OPERA! I never realized how gorgeously dramatic the word “Valencia!” is. When sung with such an astonishing voice as Mr. Pursell’s it is a very fanfare—it’s almost an opera in itself!
STEVE CALLAHAN
`This House’ makes world premiere, exploring Black history through a family’s legacy in Harlem
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zoe’s brother, poetic painter Lindon (baritone Justin Austin), doesn’t want to leave the house. and his lover Thomas (bass-baritone Christian Pursell) suggests they travel to Spain.
RONALD BLUM
Blind Injustice: a WOW at Lincoln Center
THE MILLBROOK INDEPENDANT
Bass-baritone Christian Pursell delivered a commanding and convincing portrait of a blindly ambitious careerist prosecutor with impressive power and a frighteningly memorable voice. As the villain, he was appropriately insensitive and self-righteous.
KEVIN T MCENEANEY
MasterVoices’ “Blind Injustice” lifts up the wrongly convicted with eclectic music
NEW YORK CLASSICAL REVIEW
Bass-baritone Christian Pursell’s Prosecutor was all fury and inner conflict, his tight dark suit and briefcase fairly bursting with accusations as he resonantly defended his right to “do my job,” but ultimately confessed to doubts about what he had done.
DAVID WRIGHT
Requiems and riddles: Seattle Symphony muses on the ultimate questions
BACHTRACK
Fauré's Requiem setting does include moments of foreboding in the Libera me. Bass-baritone Christian Pursell added a welcome sense of dramatic tension to his plea.
THOMAS MAY
Kurzak brings fresh vocal richness to Met’s “Tosca”
NEW YORK CLASSICAL REVIEW
Christian Pursell as Sciarrone and William Meinert as the Jailer made fine impressions in their company debuts.
RICK PERDIAN
Metropolitan Opera 2024-25 Review: Tosca
OPERAWIRE
Christian Pursell as Sciarrone had a strong stage presence and look of shock as Tosca jumped to her death from the platform of Castel Sant’Angelo.
JENNIFER PYRON
REVIEW: Cincinnati Opera’s production of ‘Don Giovanni’ balances tragedy, comedy
CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER
Bass-baritone Christian Pursell, who earned a master’s degree at CCM, performed the role of Leporello, Giovanni’s servant and general clean-up man. His performance was often hilariously funny, and he wielded an excellent voice, to boot. His Act I “Catalog” Aria, in which Leporello describes the more than 2,000 amorous conquests of his master, was engagingly sung.
JANELLE GELFAND