Press/News
Opera News: CAV+PAG, September 2021
““The ensemble played beautifully under the elastic, appealing direction of McCoy.”
Opera News: Looking At You studio Recording, October 2021
“Samuel McCoy leads the outfit in a performance that’s as cool and smoky as a scotch on the rocks.”
Opera News: Looking At You at HERE Arts, September 2019
“Conductor Samuel McCoy led the four-person orchestra (three saxophones, one piano, plus recorded tracks) through the ever-shifting musical dramaturgy of Sankaram’s score with deft skill and keen awareness of dramatic pacing.”
L.A. Times: Thumbprint at L.A. Opera, June 2017
"...ardently conducted by Samuel McCoy..."
Tosca at Chelsea Opera, June 2015
"Samuel McCoy, Music Director and Principal Conductor, maintained masterful control of the orchestra. Bigness - robust, satisfyingly large sturdiness - was, in fact, one of the core features of this Tosca. The sheer size of the musical sound gave this Tosca the feel of a major opera house performance rather than the offering of a small regional company."
"Conductor Samuel McCoy is of the restrained type, but that was no impediment to his pulling an arresting, propulsive performance from the excellent Chelsea Opera Chamber Orchestra."
Approaching Ali at North Carolina Opera, January 2015
“Samuel McCoy directed the small orchestra with precision and a strong sense of musical arch. He brought Sparr’s score to life, and offered a musical reading that highlights Sparr’s tonal language with more theatrical, edgier moments.”
Opera News Review: The Tender Land by Aaron Copland
June 13, 2014
“...music director, Samuel McCoy led the cast and fine instrumental ensemble in a stirringly vital performance, bringing Chelsea Opera’s 2013-14 season to a triumphant conclusion.”