Hot tickets in London and NY; Introducing Gregory Jebaily

Peter Brathwaite

Peter Brathwaite will join Phoebus Cart and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in the annual tradition of Sonnet Walks. Started by English actor and former Globe Artistic Director Mark Rylance, the group of singers and actors will lead folks on a stroll through historic London to the Globe Theatre, charming you along the way with Shakespeare sonnets and speeches. Brathwaite will be singing "Sweet Love Remember'd."

The walk is this Saturday. April 20th, beginning at 10 AM. The walks set off every 15 minutes from 10am until 12.45pm. One walk from the East (Shoreditch) and one walk from the West (Westminster).  The walks are so popular that both walks are sold out, however you can call +44 (0)20 7401 9919 to check on returns. Ticket are  £18.

Michael Kelly

On May 5th, SongFusion presents the Voxare String Quartet and baritone Michael Kelly in a special benefit performance of Ricky Ian Gordon's Green Sneakers, held at New York’s LGBT Community Center with stage direction by Jeanne Slater.   Tickets are $20 and seating is limited, so go online and buy your tickets today.

Jesse Blumberg in Green Sneakers in San Francisco

Green Sneakers has received premieres on both coast in recent months. Jesse Blumberg performed the piece at Lincoln Center on April 6th with the Voxare Quartet and also with the Del Sol Quartet in San Francisco on February 19th in an acclaimed production by director John De Los Santos. Rumors have it that the De Los Santos production will soon receive it's premiere in Texas. More on that in a future post.

Gregory Jebaily

Our favorite thing about posting gym photos like the recent ones from Scott Beasley, is that it inevitably begets more photos of barihunks in gym shots. The most recent were of Florence, South Carolina native Gregory Jebaily, who is new to this site. He's part of the Operaticus group of singers who are getting their voices AND their bodies in shape for a professional career.      

Jebaily made his operatic debut as Wagner in Dayton Opera’s April 2010 production of Gonoud’s Faust. He returned the next year as a Dayton Opera Artist in Residence and performed the role of Hortensius in Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment. For the past two years he's also been a studio artist with Kentucky Opera where he sang Dancaïro in Carmen, Hermann in Enemies: a love story by Ben Moore, and covered the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro and Danilo in The Merry Widow. He also performed The Elder Son in Britten's Prodigal Son.  

Gregory Jebaily singing "Look! Through the port..." from Billy Budd:

He recently completed his Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with bass-baritone Kenneth Shaw. At CCM, Jebaily performed the role of Junius in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia and the title role of Dr. Falke in Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus. He is currently a Des Moines Metro Opera Apprentice Artist, where he is covering the role of Mercutio in Gounod's Romeo and Juliet.