Vanessa with Seattle Opera
"Ultimately the focus of the evening fell on the Erika, Kimberly Barber, whose cool Nordic beauty and warm lyric mezzo made her an enchanting, enigmatic figure. Her Erika was all frigid reserve in public, barely able to bend physically or emotionally. In private she erotically, guiltily caressed herself in remembrance of her fleeting night of passion with Anatol. It was an uncomfortable scene to watch, but spoke volumes about Erika's neuroses."Theodore Deacon, Opera, July 1999
"Kimberly is beautiful as the idealistic Erika, who seduced the rakish Anatol, but renounces him because he doesn't really love her. Barber cannily portrays Erika's vulnerability, and the steely character beneath it, in a portrayal of real depth; vocally she's right on target. Her Must the winter come so soon, the opera's most famous aria, was downright lovely."
Melinda Bargreen, The Seattle Times, March 1, 1999
"I loved Kimberly Barber's Erika. She is first a marvelous singer, one of musical breadth, firm voice and shining timbre. She also fits into the role of the anguished young woman with surprising depth and feeling."
R. M. Campbell, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 1, 1999