Reviews

Delightful Music of Symphony ... Under conductor Janna Hymes's direction, the musicians captured the essence of the work, breathing into it requisite drama, lightness, lyricism, and energy.
The Virginia Gazette, 2007


The music making is the best it has ever been, and there seems to be an earnest sense of cohesion, collaboration, and compatibility, all of which bode well for an exciting future of first class music.
The Virginia Gazette, 2004


The orchestra, led by Janna Hymes, delivered an amazing performance that filled the hall and complimented the singers with a delivery that was even, full and spirited. Ms. Hymes showed easy control and sensitivity to the score and the range of the singers and the roles they were singing. It was a wonderful orchestral performance which lacked nothing.
OperaOnline. USA 2005


Musically it was a breath of fresh air. The playing was markedly concise, nuanced, blended and technically savvy. It was as if the time had arrived finally for the Symphonia to strut its stuff. An overall impression of conducting style suggests a blend of appropriately placed elegance, drive and control. Whether in the sprightly Overture to the Magic Flute, the impressionist colorings of the Ravel, the sheer tunefulness and spirit of Bartok's Rumanian Dances or the grandeur of Beethoven's Symphony No.1, Hymes and company connected. Based on this first performance, it seems and sounds as if Hymes and the Williamsburg Symphonia are on the right track, moving in the right direction, with the right conductor at just the right time.
Season Opening, The Virginia Gazette, 2004


Sunday's Bangor Symphony concert turned out to be a triumph for musicians, conductor and audience alike. Ms. Hymes used it to explore subtleties of the Classical and Romantic periods of composition in a way seldom heard in this or many other orchestras. Phrases were curved, not flat, bowing was precise- delicate when it needed to be - and intonation blessedly correct. The nuances of playing... always in balance, always together, were superbly led and executed. Brahms Symphony No. 4 completed the evening's program. Hymes not only rose to the occasion, she created it. What a gift for a conductor to bring, the gift of allowing the innate musicianship of the orchestra to be developed and shared.
Ellsworth American, Bangor, Maine 2002


From the confident, personable charm that warmed her preconcert "classical conversation" through a challenging two-hours of stylish, powerful, no-nonsense music making, Ms. Hymes was master of the situation.
Springfield (MA) Union-News, 2001


Ravel's 'Tombeau de Couperin' let Hymes shape some unusual sonorities, and the orchestra rose to the challenge, bringing to life colorful splashes of sound.... She led the Dvorak Symphony No.9 like it was the world premiere, putting everything she had into all four movements. The New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra responded with playing that matched the high drama of the music. With Hymes on the podium the symphony was a living, breathing event - truly worth attending and hearing.
Manchester (NH) Hippo Press, 2001


The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra associate conductor turned in splendid work with music by Kabalevsky and Shostakovich at last week's Pops series, but she topped that in her debut on the Classical Series. Each time Hymes conducts, I come away impressed and never more so than after her concert Friday evening. She is an architect, a builder in sound, a conductor with an overall view who never misses details. She brought out the orchestra's finest feathery qualities. Hymes knows when to put the music on a leash and when to let it run unleashed.
The Indianapolis Star, 1998


Ms. Hymes elicited a robust, energetic sound from the orchestra members, who responded with precise, fresh playing. ....clear technique and easy rapport.
The Cincinnati Enquirer, 1998


Hymes led the orchestra in a seamless collaboration. In Sibelius' Third Symphony, Hymes had her strings negotiating those continuous and intricate figurations ... beautiful precision...the pensive slow-movement showed the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra associate in full command, bringing out all the dynamic nuances.
Nuvo Newsweekly (IN), 1999


The big event turned out to be the Prelude and Love-Death from Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. From the first yearning notes through all the aching, arching lines of both pieces, the performance made of the music... something almost mystical.
Indianapolis Star, 1998


Her precise, flowing beat brought the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra together, eliciting unified, vibrant playing unusual for a season opener.
Cincinnati Post, 1998