Verdi: Requiem   Richmond SO  Anton Coppola (c)       1997

"Soprano Rochelle Ellis, mezzo soprano Joyce Campana, tenor

Stephen O'Mara and baritone Philip Kraus are as accomplished and

finely balanced a solo quartet as I can recall hearing in a symphony

performance....Kraus is a rare baritone, with a low range as strong

as that of most basses and a gratifyingly lyrical top. Hearing him ride

above an orchestral crescendo in the Confutatis was a singular

experience."

                                            Clarke Bustard  Richmond Times-Dispatch

Brahms: Requiem    Milwaukee SO  Lukas Foss (c)     1996

"Kraus gives his baritone solos a tinge of urgency, of a reluctance to go

gentle into that good night."

                                               Tom Strini Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Shostokovitch: Sym. 14   Concertante di Chicago       1995

"Soprano Winifred Faix Brown and baritone Philip Kraus brought

vivid life to the 11 poems that Shostokovitch used in his symphony. 

Kraus' voice sounded rich and dark, and every anguished word of the

isolated prisoner in In Prison seemed to come straight from his soul."

                                             Wynne Delacoma   Chicago Sun Times

Beethoven: Sym. 9    Roanoke SO     David Wiley(c)       1997

"But the four solo vocalists were truly star quality- and special

mention must be made of baritone Philip Kraus' hair-raisingingly

masterful introduction of Schiller's poem "To Joy". Kraus has a

gorgeously burnished instrument with a focus and control and phrasing

fit to be compared to the likes of John Shirley-Quirk."

                                             Seth Williamson     Roanoke Times

Mahler: Knaben Wunderhorn     Colorado Mahlerfest    2001

“ ... was ultimately overshadowed by baritone Philip Kraus.  He plunged

into his three selections with relish, showing a comfortable feel for the

German and giving them the theatricality and interpretive involvement

the self-contained little musical worlds demand.  Particularly worthy of

note was his delightful version of “Trost im Ungluck” (Solace in

Misfortune), which, as in the rest of the songs, was capably supported

by the orchestra’s fine performance of Mahler’s rich accompaniment."

                                             Kyle MacMillan       The Denver Post

Italian Night    Owensboro SO   Nicholas Palmer(c)     2000

“Despite the Germanic name, baritone Philip Kraus proved more than

equal to the task before him- to be Italian to the depth of his soul. 

Kraus joined the orchestra in particularly sensitive readings of two of

Verdi’s most famous arias for baritone, ‘Di provenza il Mar’ from La

Traviata and ‘Credo in un Dio crudel’ from Otello.  No stranger to these

roles, Kraus was able to switch from the loving and nuturing Germont

in Traviata to the arch villain Iago in Otello, who ‘believed in a cruel

God’ merely by adding a frown and putting an edge to his voice. Boito’s

Prologo to Mefistofele is a very ambitious piece. As the evil Mephisto,

Kraus delivered his most sinister role of the evening.”

                                   Dwight Pounds    Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer

Purcell: Fairy Queen              Music of  the Baroque        1996

"As the Drunken Poet and buffoonish Coridon, baritone Philip Kraus

conjured more riotous images.  Watching his comic huffing and puffing

before the indignant sprites sung by Mabbs and Amy Cochrane, we

could all but smell the ale on his breath."

                                  Wynne Delacoma        Chicago Sun Times

Orff: Carmina Burana                Pensacola SO                1994

"Visiting baritone Philip Kraus, who has worked both with the Chicago

Symphony and the Dallas Symphony, counts Carmina Burana as one

of his specialties, and with good reason.  Vigorous in tone and

expressive in manner, Kraus performed beautifully.  Perhaps most

notable for his power, Kraus performed the majority of the evening's

solos.  Kraus' power was matched only by his showmanship, a fact

which certainly becomes a soloist of his caliber. Also of note was

Kraus' control of the vocal instrument, which he maintained very

well through several tricky pieces."

                                       C.S. Morris            Pensacola News Jornal

Rodgers and Hammerstein Pops       Milwaukee SO    1990

"...soloists Lee Henning, Philip Kraus, Marjorie Fowler, and Cynthia

Anderson gave rousing voice to Hammerstein's fine words and

Rodgers' stirring tunes from South Pacific, State Fair, Oklahoma!

and The King and I.  Kraus, a baritone, bounced his way

effectively through The Surrey with the Fringe on Top, emulated

the booming delivery of Ezio Pinza in Some Enchanted Evening and

 reached his peak with a nicely thought out rendition of Billy

Bigelow's Soliloquy."

                                             James Auer      Milwaukee Journal

Vaughan-Williams Five Mystical Songs  Beaumont SO  1990

"The highlight of the Beaumont Symphony Orchestra concert

Thursday night in Julie Rogers Theatre came in the form of two

arias sung by baritone Philip Kraus...it was as satisfying as an

evening at the Metropolitan.  The most exciting from both singer

and orchestra was Behold then, the Dreadful City from Massenet's

opera Thais....Kraus' clear diction and resonant tones added brilliance

to the work....Kraus presented Five Mystical Songs by Vaughan

Williams.  They were delightful and diverse, calling as much upon the

orchestra as on the singer."

                                                 Lela Davis    Beaumont News

Mendelssohn: Elijah           New Oratorio Singers           1996

"From the first notes of Philip Kraus's powerful bass to the final

"amen" from the more than 100 voice chorus, the work was splendid,

presented with conviction and flourish...There was a bonus in the

performance- the discovery of Kraus' powerful, expressive voice. 

The bass takes comic roles so frequently that his musical abilities have

been eclipsed.  Elijah gave him ample room to show us the full

range of his talents, and the audience rewarded him and Heatherington

with sustained and well-deserved applause."

                                                 Dorothy Andries  Pioneer Press

Berlioz: Lelio    Grant Park SO   Zdenek Macal(c)       1990

"The vocal soloists were quite good....Song of the Brigands, typically

Berliozan in its rhythmic swagger, was lustily sung by baritone Philip

Kraus..."

                                                   John Van Rhein      Chicago Tribune

Handel: Messiah               Margaret Hillis (c)               1978

"...while bass Philip Kraus had a wonderfully imperious command of

diction and phrasing."

                                                   Valerie Scher    Chicago Sun Times

Durufle: Requiem    Grant Park SO   James Paul(c)      1996

"Baritone Philip Kraus and soprano Barbara Pearson were ardent and

full-throated in their solos."

                                                  Wynne Delacoma  Chicago Sun Times

Opera Night Pops   Milwaukee SO   Neal Gittleman(c)     1990

"Brown and Kraus showed off their acting ability as well as their voices

in La ci darem la mano from Mozart's Don Giovanni.  The comic

undertones to their performance made the lack of scenery or costumes

irrelevant...Kraus gave an affectionate account of Di Provenza il mar

from La Traviata...All three singers collaborated in the prison scene

from Gounod's Faust.  The excerpt...gave the vocalists their finest

moment of the evening..."

                                                   John F. Eiche  Milwaukee Sentinel 

Bach: Mass in b    Winter Park Back Festival                  1994

"Baritone Philip Kraus sang the Quoniam with breadth and resonance"

                                                  Steve Brown    Orlando Sentinel