Acis and Galatea - Waterperry Opera Festival 2023
“Ellie Neate’s effortless, wonderfully elegant soprano is the still centre of this nicely witty production. But she’s balanced in every way by tenor Thando Mjandana. It’s not just the blending of their winning vocal assurance and ideally matched vibratos that make you nod in agreement as they sing Happy We, it’s the delight they conjure in one another”. The Stage
Il Re Pastore - Buxton International Festival 2023
“It was soprano Ellie Neate, as the shepherdess (and Aminta’s beloved) Elisa who made the strongest impression, however, wringing every drop of expression out of recitative and aria alike and radiating a Susanna-esque mix of ebullience and self-assuredness.” Bachtrack
“…They treat every tearful sigh, courtly bow and anguished gasp as if the emotion is absolutely real. The result is as refreshing as it is touching, with the characters’ sorrows and joys silhouetted crisply (but not harshly) against the gentle absurdity of the whole set-up. Amid a loveable cast, Coventry and Neate stood out for the tenderness and clarity of their singing” The Spectator
The five-strong cast again boasts Ellie Neate performing delightfully in a key role, making this year’s festival very much her showcase… delivered with passion and resource” The Arts Desk
La Sonnambula - Buxton International Festival 2023
“Ellie Neate, though, has a different voice quality from her love rival, varied and incisive, which gives her characterization musical distinction, combining with her comic acting skill. She has her big vocal moment near the end and carries it off with aplomb, dressing herself at the same time.” The Arts Desk
“Ellie Neate sings Rodolfo’s former flame Lisa – a role that is, at times, almost as challenging as Amina – with complete authority, also adding a sharp sense of humour.” The Stage
“Ellie Neate almost steals the show as canteen assistant Lisa, despondent at being forced to watch Elvino, her ex, slipping out of her hands, flirty, and then some, in her encounter with Rodolfo, son of the local landowner.” Classical Music Daily
Candide - Blackheath Halls Opera 2022
“rising star Ellie Neate (tender and persuasive as Cunegonde)” - The Guardian
“Ellie Neate’s Cunegonde was on an equal level. She was not quite as dementedly self-centred as usual and besides a dazzling account of ‘Glitter and be gay’ there were plenty of other musical moments to admire. The final duet with Pritchard was touching indeed, as the two characters came back from rock bottom… This was a wonderfully vivid evening, the performers’ sheer exuberance never overwhelming the work. At the centre was Nick Pritchard’s touching Candide and Ellie Neate’s glittering Cunegonde...” - Opera Today
Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra - Buxton International Festival 2023
“Ellie Neate’s bright, controlled Cleopatra (her ornamentation ferociously virtuosic) – both persuasive stage presences in this intense two-hander” - The Guardian
“Her placing of the passage-work was pin-sharp and she brilliantly captured Cleopatra's changeability, her contrariness, fascination and ultimately her determination” - Opera Today