Albert Herring - Florida Grand Opera
"Graf, in front of the small orchestra remained in control, thus achieving an adequate interpretation of the harmonic complexities of Britten, who is characterized for using styles, texture and techniques with a liberty that is not often used in the musical composition environment. But Graf was able to squeeze the juice of these complexities by bringing out the structural base that served to score the singers an indisputable success."
Daniel Fernandez, el Nuevo Herald, 7 April 1998 - translation
Ariadne auf Naxos - Florida Grand Opera
"Still, however he felt about tenors, he wrote intoxicating music, and Mark Graf, in his debut conducting a major production here, turned out to be a true Straussian, unfolding the long, creamy line with great assurance, authority and deep feeling for the poetic beauty of the score. He coaxed the Florida Philharmonic into sounding warmly resonant in the big house."
James Roos, The Miami Herald, 13 January 1996
Il barbiere di Siviglia - Augusta Opera
"Beginning with the opera's famous overture and continuing throughout the production, music director Mark Graf and the Augusta Opera Orchestra sounded Rossini's score playfully and artistically, full of life and energy. Under Maestro Graf's leadership, the orchestra skillfully mastered the bubbly score. Packed with famous arias, including Largo al factotum ('Figaro! Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, Figaro Figaro!') and Una voce poco fa, Il barbiere di Siviglia creates the most excitement, musically, with its ensembles, and Maestro Graf and the cast deliver."
Donna Branch, The Augusta Chronicle, 6 October 2000
Il barbiere di Siviglia - New York City Opera National Company
"Marked by fine singing and comic, though not manic, stage direction, the production galloped along under the quick baton of conductor Mark C. Graf."
Mark Morris, Kansas City Star, 14 March 2000
"Also of note is the beautiful playing of the 20-plus-piece orchestra led by Mark C. Graf."
Jan Biles, Lawrence Journal-World, 13 March 2000
"Indeed the orchestra, conducted by Mark C. Graf, performed beautifully throughout the evening."
Jane Girdham, Midland (MI) Daily News, 28 February 2000
Il barbiere di Siviglia - Washington Summer Opera
"Conductor Mark Graf drew a striking performance from the student orchestra and paced and balanced the performance well."
Joseph McLellan, The Washington Post, 17 June 2003
La bohème - Ashlawn Opera
"The sharp conducting of Mark Graf at the Ash Lawn Opera Festival provided support as he led the orchestra to sounds of sweeping lyricism, passionate melodies and emotional directness. This is not an easy score to conduct, as there are numerous musical shifts and breaths to feel with every singer. However, Graf led a rhythmically graceful performance, allowing singers flexibility to be expressive."
Melissa Sumner, Daily Progress, 26 July 2007
La bohème - Florida Grand Opera
"Under the direction of Mark C. Graf, former artistic director of the company's Young Artist Studio, the surgingly romantic Puccini score ebbed and flowed with passionate warmth."
James Roos, The Miami Herald, 13 March 1999
"Under the youthful baton of conductor Mark Graf the Florida Philharmonic helped reprise his melodies in the brain with splendid playing in the pit. The brass were beautifully controlled in the familiar death knell scene as Mimi lay dying. And kudos to the string section whose sweet singing sound gets fuller with each performance."
Rex Alan Hearn, Coral Gables Gazette, 17-23 March 1999
"With such a balanced group of voices, the ensembles caused big impact. The children and adult choruses were an active element in the total brilliance, as well as the orchestra, led by Mark C. Graf, who performed his job taking much in consideration the singers."
Ariel Remos, Diario las Americas, 12 March 1999 - translation
Carmen - Augusta Opera
"In his first performance with Augusta Opera, Musical Director Mark Graf managed to control the dynamic level of the ever gung-ho opera orchestra extremely well - something no other conductor this season has been able to do. Mr. Graf brought considerable intensity and passion to Bizet's score, which is filled with rhythmic and melodic vitality. There seemed to be tight coordination between the stage and the pit.... The hope of an intoxicating performance filled with passion and fury is fulfilled with the Augusta Opera's Carmen, thanks especially to the tremendous work of Ms. Sparrow and Mr. Locke. Their intense performances compensate for the shortcomings in the staging of the piece as a whole, as does the excellent musicianship of conductor Graf."
Donna Branch, The Augusta Chronicle, 30 April 1999
Carmen - Edmonton Opera
"The night's best work came from the pit, with Mark Graf leading a crisply paced Edmonton Symphony."
D.T. Baker, The Edmonton Journal, 2 April 2001
Così fan tutte - Lyric Opera of Kansas City
"Conductor Mark C. Graf is a real singer's conductor, with a wonderfully flexible pulse and sprightly tempos. The Opera Orchestra was on its best behavior for him."
Mickey Coalwell, Kansas City Star, 1 November 1999
Don Giovanni - Florida Grand Opera
"Maestro Mark Graf directed the orchestra and the chamber group that takes to the stage with a sure, sensitive touch."
Lynn Roberson, Entertainment News and Views, 4 December 1997
Die Fledermaus - Toledo Opera
"The orchestra was convincingly led by Mark Graf, who found a comfortable balance between the waltz's aristocratic and sensual extremes."
Steven Cornelius, The Toledo Blade, 4 May 2002
Jenufa - Washington Summer Opera
"Conductor Mark C. Graf clearly knows what "Jenufa" is all about. His reading is rhythmically alert, with wind color maximized."
Joe Banno, The Washington Post, 17 July 2001
Lucia di Lammermoor - Florida Grand Opera
"Mark Graf, however, did a highly creditable job of conducting the Florida Philharmonic in the pit, with affection for the music and a fine sense of momentum and drama."
James Roos, The Miami Herald, 15 March 1997
"Mark Graf conducted the Florida Philharmonic with a thorough knowledge and understanding of Donizetti's score."
Buddy Clark, The Digest, 20 March 1997
Madame Butterfly - Ashlawn Opera
"...and the orchestra, led by Mark Graf, played with nuance and at the neccesary moments both forcefully, and with great passion. "
Carrington Ewell, Daily Progress, 14 July 2005
Madama Butterfly - Shreveport Opera
"Conductor Mark C. Graf and the Shreveport Symphony were solid. Graf pulled out every bit of lyricism and emotion the score had to offer. The long second-act musical interlude as Butterfly peers out of the house waiting for Pinkerton was quite effective."
Lane Crockett, The Shreveport Times, 12 November 2000
Madama Butterfly - Washington Summer Opera
"And the smaller orchestra (conducted persuasively by Mark C. Graf) reveals all the supple beauty of Puccini's wind and brass scoring."
Joe Banno, The Washington Post, 12 June 2000
Norma - Washington Summer Opera
"Conductor Mark Graf treated the score with affection and imagination, allowing Bellini's guitarlike orchestration to both lead and support the voices, as it must."
Joe Banno, Washington City Paper, 16-22 July 1999
The Pirates of Penzance - Nashville Opera
"Members of the Nashville Symphony, directed by Mark Graf, performed the musical score so flawlessly and with seamless transition, that it was easy to forget that the accompaniment is live and not a smooth soundtrack"
Jill Clendening, Nashville City Paper, 5 February 2004
The Student Prince - OperaDelaware
"Romberg's lush, sentimental music - in the extremely competent hands of conductor Mark Graf and his orchestra - sets the romantic mood and sustains it throughout, from the bouncy melody of the students' lively "Drinking Song" to the lyric strains of "Deep in My Heart," the love duet sung repeatedly by Kathie and Karl Franz."
Rick Mulrooney, The News Journal, 7 May 1997
Die tote Stadt - Washington Summer Opera
"...but conductor Mark C. Graf grandly produced the opera's best feature - Korngold's (1897-1957) eminently romantic music."Kelly Jordan, The Review, August 1998
"Conductor Mark Graf's skillfully reduced orchestra fits the Hartke pit and sounds suitably lush."Joe Banno, Washington City Paper, 17 July 1998
La traviata - Opera Birmingham
"Mark Graf led the Alabama Symphony Orchestra in fine fashion and at a good clip."
Michael Huebner, The Birmingham News, 27 January 2002
La traviata - Shreveport Opera
"The Shreveport Orchestra sounded great under the strong direction of Mark Graf."
Lane Crockett, The Shreveport Times, 29 October 2001
The Merry Widow - Ashlawn Opera
"The orchestra, under conductor Mark Graf, captured the free spirit of Lehar’s score, with intoxicating waltzes and the overture, which was not composed until 1940."
Melissa Sumner, Daily Progress, 30 July 2006