Dreamy Ryan Kuster

The dreamy barihunk Ryan Kuster is currently singing Dikoj the drunkard in "Katya Kabanova" with the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. If he sings more Janacek in the future, I'd recommend "From the House of the Dead" [see the blog posting below and tell me if you agree].

Ryan is a 2007 Metropolitan Opera New England Regional Finalist, whose only barihunk opera so far has been "A Midsummer's Night Dream." He has sung Masetto in "Don Giovanni," but barihunks thinks he should sing the title role a la Kwiecien or Schrott. That would be hot!

This summer he covered Don Pedro in "Béatrice et Bénédict" and Samuel Ramey in "Bluebeard's Castle" at the Chicago Opera Theater.

Lucas Meachem

Lucas Meachem is in recital today in San Francisco, so I thought that I'd add him to the Barihunks blogs. He's not the best looking baritone singing in opera, but he has that "little something extra" that makes him sexy on stage and in person. Of course, he's an Adler Fellow graduate, as well, so he gets some extra love from me.

The 29-year-old has been taking the opera world by storm on some major stages. He performed Prokofiev's "War and Peace" at The Met his year and the barihunk favorite role of Oreste in Gluck's "Iphigenie en Tauride" in Chicago with the amazing Susan Graham.

Pictured with Meachem are two hunkentenors, William Burden in Pearl Fishers (top photo) and the sensational Thomas Glenn in a Barber of Seville, which I had the joy of seeing (center photo).

Ales Jenis

[Top Photo: Don Giovanni - Bottom Photo: From the House of the Dead]

The 30-year-old Slovakian barihunk Ales Jenis seems to enjoy singing in limits degrees of undress. He sings a number of barihunk roles including Don Giovanni and Papageno.

Other recent performances include his debute at the Wexford Festival (Die drei Pintos) and subsequently at the Teatro Lirico Cagliari (Alfonso and Estrella), the Grand Théâtre de Genève (House of the Dead), the Oper St. Gallen (Onegin), the Teatro Municipal Santiago de Chile (Lohengrin), the National Theatre Bratislava (Onegin, Lucia), the Opéra d’Avignon (Werther), the Wiener Volksoper (Butterfly) and the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin (Butterfly).

Gabriel Bermúdez

Spanish barihunk Gabriel Bermúdez studied with his mother and then with the great mezzo Teresa Berganza. He is a regular in Zurich, where he has performed a number of smaller roles and a few leading roles. His barihunk roles include Papageno and Oreste in "Iphignie en Tauride," the opera in which the above photo was taken.

Hangin' to the Right

Is that a pistol in your pocket, Senor Schrott?

Piittsburgh Opera Looking for Some Buff Men

I couldn't help but notice that the Pittsburgh Opera was looking for a few buff men. Clearly, after their successful run of "Billy Budd" with Nathan Gunn (pictured) and Greer Grimsley, they've learned that a little skin still sells tickets. Barihunks is looking forward to the pictures of the "Egyptian soldiers, priests, attendants and slaves" from Aida.

Gabriele Nani - Finally another Italian Barihunk!

This 29-year-old barihunk was "discovered" by my favorite Abigaile in Nabucco, Mara Zampieri. She guided his training, which led to his debut as Don Giovanni at the Rosetum Theater in Milan in 2002, where he went on to perform Schaunard, Figaro, Silvio (Pagliacci) and Don Alfonso (Cosi). He's had particular success singing Rossini's "Viaggio a Reims" [see video]. His career has expanded into France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He is not scheduled to sing in the U.S. as of this date.

Gabriele Nani hamming it up in "Viaggio a Reims"

A Semi-Nude Martin Achrainer

Thanks to one of our faithful readers, I have these video snapshots of Martin Achrainer from the Linz performance of Don Giovanni where he was stripped nude on stage. If anyone has a slightly more revealing picture PLEASE forward it to barihunks!

David Wannen - "He is the very model of a modern major, uh, model."

I'm sure some opera purists will object to the inclusion of a barihunk who sings mostly musicals and Gilbert & Sullivan. However, who can argue with these pictures?

Wannen has performed with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan players since 2004, singing in Iolanthe, Pirates of Penzance, Rose of Persia, Mikado and Yeoman of the Guard. He's toured with some Broadway musicals and performed with the Ohio Light Opera.

When Wannen isn't singing he works as a model.

Barihunk Saves Lucia at ENO

This was on the AP wire today:

Lip-Synching Saves `Lucia' Performance

LONDON (AP) — Lip-synching has come to the opera.

English National Opera singer Clive Bayley was midway through the first act of Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" when he started losing his voice.

Searching for a stand-in, the show's directors grabbed understudy Paul Whelan from his seat in the audience.

He had no time to change into costume. Instead, he sang from the side of the stage while Bayley mouthed the words during Saturday's performance.

Whelan wasn't scheduled to sing the role of the tutor, Raimondo, until next month and hadn't rehearsed onstage.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Of course, I was curious to see who this replacement singer was and found his website at www.paulwhelan.co.uk. The two photos above come from his website, one his publicity shot and one him performing Jesus in the St. John's Passion. There are pleny of other hot shots of Whelan at his site, including a number of them from Don Giovanni.

Sébastien Lemoine

Sébastien Lemoine is a former aviator who gave up his career to pursue music. He sings opera, musical theater and performs contemporary music, especially Jacques Brel. He is knows for his fierce dedication to his acting. Anything he sings is automatically a barihunk role!

Almost Bare Barihunk

Swiss Soprano Marina Lodygensky and French Baritone Sébastien Lemoine in Messager's Fortunio love duet from the Fribourg Opera in January 2008.

Another Hot Pole; Lukasz Rosiak

Let's keep up the Polish theme after Daniel Borowski with 26-year-old barihunk Lukasz Rosiak. He's been singing small roles at the Teatr Wielki in Poland after performing well in a series of vocal competitions in Europe. Here he is sing "Solovej" by Peter Tchaikovsky.

Daniel Borowski & Minnesota Opera's "Norma"

One doesn't think of Bellini's "Norma" as a barihunk opera, but the folks in Minnesota got out of the cold and out of their clothes for this production. Daniel Borowski is probably about as attractive an Oroveso as one will see on an opera stage. Of course, what Barihunks really loves is the eye candy surrounding him on stage.

Borowski is a Polish bass who worked with the great soprano Teresa Żylis-Gara. In 1995, he won First Prize in the male vocal category at the Third International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition in Warsaw. He went on to study at the National Opera Studio in London. He was a regular with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin for three years and has also sung with the New York City Opera.

Only in Germany!

This is from a production of Die Zauberflote in Berlin. Can anyone figure out what she's holding?

Aaron Agulay

Canadian barihunk Aaron Agulay is a member of the Central City Young Artists Program. Although he's at the beginning of his career, he has already sung the title role in "Le Nozze di Figaro" with Eve Queler. He's also performed in Benjamin Britten's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," so let's hope that there is a "Billy Budd" in his future.

Martin Achrainer as Don Giovanni

Thanks to La Cieca at www.parterre.com who found this photo of Martin Achrainer singing Don Giovanni at the Landestheater Linz. Barihunks appreciates the mention on his wonderful blog. Check out our earlier post of the hunky Martin.

Can you name the baritone or the opera?

Why I love the Lyric Opera of Chicago

Clearly the Lyric Opera of Chicago understands marketing. I went to their website tonight and found this under "Pearl Fishers."

Along with Nathan Gunn, Chicago is also hosting Barihunks favorites Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Mariusz Kwiecien. It's gonna be hot in Chicago!

Simon Keenlyside

Everyone should look as good at 48 as British baritone Simon Keenlyside. The son of two musicians, he studied singing at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

His professional debut was in 1987 as Count Almaviva in Hamburg Opera's "Marriage of Figaro".

In 1989, Keenlyside joined the roster of Scottish Opera, where he stayed until 1994, performing the barihunk roles of Billy Budd and Papageno, as well as Marcello (La Boheme), Danilo (The Merry Widow), Harlequin (Ariadne auf Naxos), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Figaro (Barber of Seville) and Belcore (L'elisir d'amore).

He has sung in virtually every major opera house and is known for his intensity on stage.

Nathan Gunn in "An American Tragedy" with Patricia Racette

Can you blame her?

[CBS News] Anna Netrebko, one of the darlings of the international opera world, has announced she is pregnant.

The Russian soprano, 36, says she will marry her fiancé, Uruguayan baritone Erwin Schrott.

She has cancelled that engagement as the baby is due in the autumn, her management company said.

However, Netrebko is expected to continue singing as long as doctors permit it, her manager said, adding that an April performance of Manon in Vienna will proceed as scheduled.

She and Schrott, 35, became engaged last year in New York. The couple met in 2003 and have performed together several times.

Shower Scene from Janacek's "From the House of the Dead"

Denis Sedov sings "Voli colla sua tromba" from Handel's "Ariodante"

Denis Sedov: Watch out Dmitri!

I can't figure out why the San Francisco Opera doesn't have Denis Sedov on their roster after his stunning performances in Carmen and Giolio Cesare. Up the coast in Seattle, he's singing in Puritani.

This is a guy who can be sexy in the low range roles like Colline in Boheme, King Henry the Eighth in Anna Bolena and Leporello in Don Giovanni. It would be nice to see him in the lead role in Don Giovanni. He'll be singing Nourabad in Pearl Fishers at the Washington Opera later this year alongside Hunkentenor Charles Castronovo.

Sedov has what I call a beautiful, rolling bass voice. It is absolutely soothing to listen to and he's not too bad to look at either.