BARIHUNK CAST SWITCH: Barihunk James Newby replaces Jonathan McGovern as Mercurio

Barihunk James Newby (©Ben McKee Photography)

La Nuova Musica will be swapping barihunks in the role of Mercutio for their performance of Cavalli's La Calisto tonight at Wigmore Hall. James Newby will be filling in for Jonathan McGovern in a cast that also includes two of the sexiest countertenors in opera, Jake Arditti as Satirino and Tim Mead as Endomione. Bass-barihunk Edward Grint also appears as Silvano in a cast headed by early music specialist Lucy Crowe as Calisto. Tickets are available online.

Francesco Cavalli’s La Calisto, first performed in Venice in 1651, blends comedy and tragedy with music of sensuous beauty and irresistible charm.  The opera’s libretto is based on the ancient Greek myth of the nymph Callisto as related by Ovid in his Metamorphoses.

At the age of 22, Newby was awarded Third Prize overall at the Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation International Song Competition in 2015 and won the Richard Tauber Prize for the  the best interpretation of Schubert Lieder. Previous winners of the prize include Jonathan Lemalu and Simon Keenlyside.

James Newby sings Finzi's "Come away, come away death":

In September, Newby performed on the last night of the BBC Proms in a concert that featured international operatic superstar Juan Diego Flórez.

In the summer of 2016, Newby joined the Glyndebourne Festival Chorus and is currently  continuing his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

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