Critical Acclaim
"I'm not sure I've ever before heard a young cellist with such potential. Everything that is basic to cello playing she already has, plus a natural stage presence that you rarely find... she's unbelievable."
— Frans Helmerson (jury member of the Rostropovich Competition) quoted in The New York Times
"...This piece (Shostakovich Concerto No.1) does not call for the sort of broad lyricism that brings out the ham in so many very young artists. It is full of knotty technical challenges, phrases that demand attention to delicate details, careful shaping and a sure sense of direction. Warner managed it all with authority and poise and concentration and drew a standing ovation
."
— The Washington Post
"Cellist Wendy Warner played the first movement of the Dvorak Cello Concerto with flawless technique and with a naturalness of expression that was honored by the appreciative applause of not only the congenial audience but also the musicians of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra." "One couldn't hear enough of the thoroughly vital, yet never wearying, brilliant playing of Wendy Warner"...
"accurate in the highest positions, lyrical, virtuosic".
— Berlin Tagesspiegel, Westphalian News, Koln Review (translated)
"Wendy Warner depicted the beauty of Brahms' imagination with a lyrically tender high register and sonorous tone-picture. A special magic lay over the scene: the air of a great artist's soul penetrated her warm-hearted playing"...
" revealed unbelievably clearly her gift to speak with the instrument, but also her absolutely individual interpretation of the work."
— Die Glocke, New Westphalian (translated)
" This youthful artist presented a mature performance, demonstrating technical knowledge, unbelievable power and vivid concentration...Her tone was ravishing, exhibiting a high degree of emotional intensity. Her stylish presentation exuded self assurance and total control at all times."
— Cedar Rapids Gazette
"Her playing is urbane, delicately nuanced - even exquisite would not be too poetic a word."
— The New York Post
"She offers intonation of such dead-on purity it brings a lump to the throat."
— San Francisco Examiner
"Remarkably expressive and emotional interpretation within the purely classical structure of the piece (Haydn)
.glowed with warmth and lyricism."
— Baltimore Sun
"It seems inevitable that (comparisons) will be drawn between Ms. Warner and the late, magnificent Jacqueline Du Pre. And the resemblances are both physical and musical. Ms Du Pre had a healthy, big-boned, well-scrubbed look and played with a sound, a subtlety, a facility and a security that ranged far beyond her years and most of her colleagues. The same descriptions fit Ms Warner's appearance and gifts, and in at least one instance - the question of facility - she seems Ms. Du Pre's superior."
— Dallas Morning News
"Wendy Warner of Chicago was perhaps the most sensational hit of the entire week. Her youthful, surging playing, natural stage presence, and almost frightening technique reminded me of Joshua Bell..."
— Strings Magazine
"...The weekend's main drama came from Wendy Warner of Chicago. Remember the name. This girl has fire.... After the Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante in E minor the audience cheered, stomped and brought Warner back for four bows... She is an exceptional, mature artist."
— Door County Advocate
" If there was a truly prodigious performance during the evening, this was it. Warner's Dvorak was personal and heartfelt, avoiding the bombast one often encounters in readings of this work. The interpretation was persuasive of tone, beautifully shaped and graced with an altogether professional sheen."
— Chicago Tribune
"Guest cellist Wendy Warner of Chicago, an exquisite musician with expressive style reserved usually for metropolitan venues, graced the stage at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. She masterfully executed her featured role in "Antonin Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B Minor, Opus 104.""
— Post Crescent
"From the moment her Francois Xavier Tourte (circa 1815) bow stroked the strings, it seemed as though artist and instrument were one. Unafraid and animated, Warner gave life to the music even Johannes Brahms found astounding."
— Post Crescent
"Ms. Warner’s expressive playing and glowing tone were everywhere a pleasure, particularly in the Andante of the Opus 63 Trio."
— The New York Times