"…Castle rules the show. Her voice is authoritative with a dark edge to it that makes Elizabeth the commanding presence on stage that she is."

Queen Elizabeth, Gloriana (Central City Opera)

"Joyce Castle has what it takes: the inflections, the voice color, the stage presence, and her talent as an actress." "The competition was tough...but none, to our knowledge, was superior to Joyce Castle's. Never criticized for her high tessitura as a mezzo, she has the merit of fully integrating herself among the rest of the cast that surrounds her, without playing the star."

Queen Elizabeth, Gloriana (Central City Opera)

"This Visit is Exquisite...and the rock-solid cast, led by the marvelously sardonic Joyce Castle in the title role, makes the most of it."

Claire Zachanassian, The Visit of the Old Lady (New York City Opera)

"It is when she combines her singing with her considerable skills as an actress that she becomes a formidable force. She delivers the full range of Elizabeth’s personality...perhaps most important, Castle manages to convey the sense of authority, charisma, and majestic presence that Elizabeth would have to have had to dominate both her era and remain such an influential historical figure."

Queen Elizabeth, Gloriana (Central City Opera)

"Leading the way is Joyce Castle, whose gloriously voiced Elizabeth is a commanding, complex presence. Her indelible portrayal..."

Queen Elizabeth, Gloriana (Central City Opera)

"Joyce Castle gives every one of her gestures, every one of her words it's due - this old woman thirsting for revenge and for blood - who from time to time lets show the troubling echoes of her youth."

Claire Zachanassian, The Visit of the Old Lady (New York City Opera)

"Naturally, the opera revolves around Elizabeth-and on Saturday it swirled around the once in a lifetime performance of Joyce Castle. Never did she stray over the top or she lose sight of the humanness of Gloriana ...Castle grew stronger with each scene."

Queen Elizabeth, Gloriana (Central City Opera)

"Joyce Castle sang the title character with a saw-toothed bite to her voice, capturing Claire's lonely, loony dignity and her fearsomeness mixed with humor."

Claire Zachanassian, The Visit of the Old Lady (New York City Opera)

"Joyce Castle scored a great personal success as Gloriana,.....But Castle also showed the person behind the mask: uncertain and afraid, scheming and planning, relying on God in her hard task, longing always for love." "Castle sang Britten's demanding music with forceful confidence."

Queen Elizabeth, Gloriana (Central City Opera)

"As the visiting billionairess, Joyce Castle turned in a vocal and theatrical performance so well judged one wishes one were seeing her in a better opera."

Claire Zachanassian, The Visit of the Old Lady (New York City Opera)

"In a beautifully wrought performance, Joyce Castle found both the imperiousness and the vulnerability of this towering, complex figure. She revealed the queen's humanity in a perf of warmth and exuberance. Castle was also vocally ideally cast, with her regal mezzo and perfect diction."

Queen Elizabeth, Gloriana (Central City Opera)

"...the opera revolves around the old lady, who's sung and played with delicious understatement by mezzo-soprano Joyce Castle, one of the finest singing actors working in opera today. Her Claire is quite mad but she works out the consequences of her lunatic premises with the sort of cheer and level-headedness you might expect from a real estate agent."

Claire Zachanassian, The Visit of the Old Lady (New York City Opera)

"The mezzo-soprano Joyce Castle...has a luxuriant lower range that savors the deep contralto reaches of Mother Sorel. Her act II lullaby, 'I shall find for you shells and stars,' is radiant. Her discovery later in the act that her beloved grandchild has died in its sleep is a compelling study in brilliant understated anguish."

Mother Sorel, The Consul (Berkshire Opera and Newport Classics)

"With her large mezzo and clean delivery, Joyce Castle made a strong, poignant Mother as she cared for Magda's dying baby."

Mother Sorel, The Consul (Berkshire Opera and Newport Classics)

Mezzo Joyce Castle delivers so convincing a dramatic and vocal performance of the old woman that the audience joined the onstage crowd in cheering for her.

Mother Sorel, The Consul (Berkshire Opera and Newport Classics)

"...Still, Strawberry Fields seduced me, along with the rest of the audience - not least because of a delicately heartbreaking star turn by Joyce Castle."

"Other outstanding performances were those of...Joyce Castle as Fricka and Waltraute"

Fricka and Waltraute, The Ring (Seattle Opera)

The Klytemnestra of Mezzo, Joyce Castle was a gloriously sung, spellbinding portrait of this guilty queen."

Klytemnestra, Elektra (Florentine Opera)

"Castle's Augusta deepens as the evening goes on, evolving from a tremulous caricature of indignation to the portrait of an elderly lady tormented by lifelong habits of affection and pride."

Augusta, The Ballad of Baby Doe (New York City Opera)

"The Mere Marie of Joyce Castle I'm sure roused disquieting memories in every parochial-school-trained soul present even before she began to sing, and her intensely coloured, beautifully produced mezzo was as dramatically effective as her demeanor."

Mother Marie, Dialogues des Carmelites (Seattle Opera)

"Joyce Castle brought wit and wile to an alcoholic Herodias, coming close with her auburn Mezzo to stealing the show from her daughter Salome."

Herodias, Salome (Seattle Opera)

"The opera revolves around the old lady, who's sung and played with delicious understatement by mezzo-soprano Joyce Castle Joyce Castle, one of the finest singing actors working in opera today. Her Claire is quite mad, but she works out the consequences of her lunatic premises with the sort of good cheer and level-headedness you might expect from a real estate agent."

Claire Zachanassian, The Visit of the Old Lady (New York City Opera)

"The admirable Joyce Castle was the lady."

Claire Zachanassian, The Visit of the Old Lady (New York City Opera)

"Joyce Castle sings and acts to the murderous hilt the eponymous billionairess." (Leighton Kerner)

Claire Zachanassian, The Visit of the Old Lady (New York City Opera)

"As for the old lady herself, Joyce Castle brings this monstrous woman to life."

Claire Zachanassian, The Visit of the Old Lady (New York City Opera)

"Joyce Castle gives everyone of her gestures, every one of her words it's due - this old woman thirsting for revenge and blood - who from time to time lets show the troubling echoes of her youth."

Claire Zachanassian, The Visit of the Old Lady (New York City Opera)

"Castle's portrayal of the physically and emotionally crippled Claire Zachanassian was especially probing and affecting."

Claire Zachanassian, The Visit of the Old Lady (New York City Opera)

"Joyce Castle as John's mother was all a great singing actress should be. You could see her being sapped of energy and life, feel her pain and her yearning for oblivion. What Castle did brilliantly was to maintain reality and sympathy, never going over the top, but singing, as well, all the notes and only speaking when singing failed."

Mother Sorel, The Consul (Berkshire Opera and Newport Classics)

"'Strawberry Fields'... this work is Ms. Castle's star turn. Greta...has been dragged to the ritual by her meddlesome mother, characterized brilliantly by Joyce Castle."

Greta's Mother/The Old Lady, Central Park (Glimmerglass Opera)

"Joyce Castle's rich, pointed singing made Jezibaba a most formidable presence."

Jezibaba, Rusalka (Seattle Opera)