Barihunk duo in Chicago Summer Opera's Albert Herring

Gabriel Di Gennaro (Photos: Kirsten Miccoli and Elliot Mandel)

It's rare that we get a barihunk submission for singers appearing in the same show, especially singing the same role. But that's what happened just two days apart when readers submitted both Alessio Tranchell and Gabriel Di Gennaro who are rotating the role of Mr. Gedge in Britten's Albert Herring with the Chicago Summer Opera on June 16 and 19.

Gabriel Di Gennaro is returning to the opera Albert Herring, in which he previously sang the bass role of Superintendent Budd with the University of Delaware Opera Theatre. Recently, Chicago audiences have seen Di Gennaro as Florian in Princess Ida with The Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, Schaunard in Puccini's La bohème with Opera Ouvert, and Antonio in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with /kor/ productions.

He has been a  young artist with Opera Theater of Pittsburgh's SummerFest, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, where he covered the role of Leporello in Don Giovanni, and OperaWorks. A collaboration with the VOX 3 Collective has added two unique experiences to his résumé: Golaud in a lecture recital of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande presented by Richard Stilwell, and The Dance Master/Mars in the Chicago premiere of Carl Nielsen’s Maskarade. He has performed the world premiere of Scott Wasserman's song cycle Even for Wars and his The Giving Tree. both by composer Scott Wasserman.

Alessio Tranchell

Alessio Tranchell started his singing career performing with pop punk bands before embarking on a classically trained career as a choral conductor and baritone. He has a BA in Voice from Gordon College and is getting his MM in Voice and Conducting from Houghton College.

This summer he joined the Russian Opera Workshop at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia as Orlik in Tchaikovsky’s Mazeppa. At Houghton Lyric Theater he has sung Belcore in Donizetti's L’Elisir D’Amore, M. Reyer in The Phantom of the Opera and the title role in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. Tranchell joined Finger Lakes Opera (NY) in the summer of 2015 as a Young Artist performing in L’Elisir D’Amore. He recently conducted the premiere recording of Sarah Hutchings’ opera Rodman in North Korea, which was a finalist for the American Prize in Opera Composition.