Lee Poulis

I may need to ask blog diva La Cieca to amend the definition of "barihunk" to include baritones who were accepted into the San Francisco Opera's Merola program. Lee Poulis is one more looker out of that prestigious program. Word is that he's even smarter than he is good looking, which means he's pretty darn smart.

Poulis recently won First Prize in the Chester Ludgin International Verdi Baritone Competition (Junior Division) and was previously a finalist in Placido Domingo’s Operalia Competition and winner of the Washington Vocal Arts Society’s Discovery Recital Series. He has already performed at the SF Opera, Washington Opera, LA Opera, Berlin and Bilbao, despite still being in his twenties.

He's performed in a number of barihunk operas including Don Giovanni, Zauberflote, Midsummer Night's Dream and Billy Budd (regrettably, not in the lead). Like Nathan Gunn, he is another barihunk who makes this site on the sole fact that he can look sexy playing Papageno (check out the photo!).

Lee Poulis' career took a huge leap when fellow Merola graduate and mezzo superstar Dolora Zajick encountered him in a master class. Dolora, good eye!