"What brought these disparate 20th-century materials together was Mr. Ollmann’s clear, eloquent baritone, negotiating every stylistic turn with the utmost grace. Few other singers could sing Ives’ "Autumn," Poulenc’s "Chansons villageoises," and Rodger’s "Way Out West (On West End Avenue)" with equal conviction." --Andrew Porter, The New York Times
	"Kurt Ollmann, in a recital of French song, showed the true lieder or mélodie singer’s ability to give each song its particular setting, atmosphere, character, characters--to conjure up a scene, a mood, a drama in a small space. Exquisite French and a very beautiful voice." --Financial Times (London)
	"Mary Dibbern showed from the beginning of the concert a rich, colla voce tone and an unbelievable variety of touch and nuance in her accompaniment." --Zurichsee-Zeitung (Zurich)
	"Mary Dibbern is not simply an accompanist, but a marvelous companion-pianist with an elegant and subtle style, and a clear and supple touch which joins in an infinite number of ways with the vocal line." --Gérard Courneloup, Journal Rhone-Alps (France).

	"Mr. Ollmann, whose stylistic versatility ranges from recording Bernstein’s West Side Story to Pélleas at La Scala to the recently released complete mélodies of Albert Roussel, sings with textual awareness, elegant line, and beautiful French. Pianist Dibbern provides consistent vitality throughout the two programs, supporting the singers with accompaniments of color and nuance which reflect the elegance and subtlety of the texts." --Carol Kimball, The NATS Journal
	"The major discovery on this set of discs was the suave, expressive singing of Kurt Ollmann. It was no surprise to read that Ollmann was a student of Souzay’s, for everything he does is marked by the same sort of expressive care and vocal caress. In particular, Ollmann’s command and use of French is poetic and sensitive, and he seems a born recitalist. Dibbern is a polished partner, not only expressive but obviously a performer charged with conviction." --John Ardoin, The Dallas Morning News"
	Ollmann is the revelation of this album. His burning and tortured Epipalinodie, one of the most beautiful French mélodies of our century, reveals a somber and incisive timbre. Remarkable accompaniment of Mary Dibbern." --Diapason-Harmonie (Paris)

Radio Interview concerning the research for her book The Tales of Hoffmann: A Performance Guide (Pendragon Press) with Cincinnati Opera's Artistic Director Evans Mirageas:

Hi Mary, Just a quick note to say that I heard your interview with Evans last  night on WVXU. And I have to say brava, nicely done! You made me want to see Hoffmann even more! Merci pour vos mots d'inspiration. Chris --Christopher Milligan, Director of Marketing and Audience Development Cincinnati Opera

Journal Sentinel
From baritone Ollmann, poise, presence and a splendid voice 
By ELAINE SCHMIDT
Special to the Journal Sentinel
Posted: March 3, 2007
Giving a vocal recital requires a great deal more than just a voice.

Baritone Kurt Ollmann certainly has the voice to carry a recital program, but there's obviously more to him than just that voice.

He sang a superb concert at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday evening, mixing a well-balanced, fascinating program with engaging, animated performances, all of which were delivered with impeccable elocution and diction.

His program followed the tried-and-true format, opening with a set of four English art songs written around 1600 and moving through a Schumann song cycle and on to sets of chansons by Ravel and Poulenc.

Ollmann has a warm, versatile voice. He sings with an effortless control that allows him to make big, emphatic statements and small, barely there sighs without ever showing the audience that he is working. 

His manner on the stage is also without effort. He immerses himself in each selection, becoming a conduit for the song rather than a singer in the spotlight - which is an art. Ollmann delivers each song with the drama and expression it deserves and needs, but does so with subtlety and nuance. 

He began with English songs by Thomas Ford, Phillip Rossetter, John Dowland and the ubiquitous Anonymous, accompanied on the harpsichord by Martha Stiehl. Each of the songs became a vignette, Rossetter's "If She Forsakes Me" winning laughter from the audience.

Schumann's "Dichterliebe" (A Poet's Love) is a monument to the music and poetry of the Romantic era. Artfully accompanied by pianist Jeffry Peterson, Ollmann created vivid stories with the 16 related songs. Taking just the briefest of pauses between numbers, the two gave the pieces an urgency and immediacy that added to the poetry's emotional power.

Ravel's "Histoires naturelles" is a collection of five song settings of rather unconventional poems about a peacock, a cricket, a swan, a kingfisher and a guinea-fowl. Ollmann approached them with a perfect balance of wit and sincerity, charming the audience along the way.

Ollmann and Peterson closed the program by bringing that same wit and sincerity to five colorful chansons by Poulenc, including the two "Parisiana." 

Ollmann offered two encores: Benjamin Britten's sweetly humorous "The Foggy, Foggy Dew," and the touching "Once Upon a Time" from Strouse and Adams' musical "All American."