Christiaan Smith-Kotarek making NYC solo debut

Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek from his new video "Unusual Way"

Barihunk Chritiaan Smith-Kotlarek will be making his New York City solo recital debut at SubCulture on March 31st.  Accompanied by a jazz combo or with him at the guitar, the repertoire will steer away from opera. Music director Ben Rauhala has arranged a night of Broadway showstoppers to current chart-toppers, with songs by Josh Groban, Aloe Blacc, John Mayer, Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber and the original rock star, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

You can sample Smith-Kotlarek's sexy new video "Unusual Way" here, which will give you a flavor of the evening. Tickets are only $25 and the $40 VIP ticket includes a meet an greet with the singer after the show. Tickets are available online.

In June, Smith-Kotlarek returns to the stage as Billy Bigelow in Carousel at Opera on the Avalon.

Who submitted the sexiest photo?

This year much of the money raised from our Barihunks Charity Calendar is going directly to the singers who participated. Our first prize is for the Sexiest Photo. We had an expert panel of five people from the music industry pick the top five for you to vote for.

The nominees are #1 Craig Verm in his Italian countryside pose, #2 Christian Smith-Kotlarek in his Rome themed photo, #3 Ernesto Petti swimming off the coast of Italy, #4 Zachary Gordin in his Tribute to Verdi and #5 Kasey Yeargain in his Tribute to Michelangelo.

You can vote to the left of this post. The winner will receive $100. Upcoming prizes will be for Best Photo ($500) and Best Italian Theme ($250).

You can order you own calendar by clicking below.

Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek featured in Bleep magazine

Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek in Bleep magazine

Christiaan Smith Kotlarek, who is our Mr. December in the Barihunks charity calendar, is featured in the latest issue of Bleep magazine (he's on page 31). Bleep describes itself as, "The internationally-read online creative culture magazine about people who are creating the future of art."

He's currently appearing as Dancaïre in Carmen with the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. There is a performance tonight and on Sunday, August 3. In the Fall, he returns to New York to perform in his own solo cabaret night with Live Band featuring songs of John Mayer, Jason Mraz, and others. We'll have more details as the performance nears. 

Barihunk Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek to join Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli & Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek

Barihunk Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek will join four-time Tony Award-winning legend Liza Minnelli at New York's Joe's Pub at The Public Theater as part of an all-star tribute concert and benefit celebrating the music of incomparable multi-award-winning composer Jule Styne. Proceeds from the concert will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The May 11th benefit will also feature Marissa Mulder, Anita Gillette, Leslie Uggams, David Burtka, Carolee Carmello, Jennifer Diamond, Mandy Gonzalez, Randy Graff, Dee Hoty, Rita McKenzie, Alice Ripley and 1998 Miss America Kate Shindle.

Jule Styne is a Tony Award- and Academy Award-winning composer known for writing over 1500 songs over the course of his career, including scores for such notable Broadway musicals as Gypsy, Funny Girl, Gentlemen Prefer Blonds, Peter Pan, Bells Are Ringing, Do Re Mi, Sugar and Hallelujah Baby! Teaming with lyricist Sammy Cahn in the 1940s, he also created a string of Hit Parade leaders and chart-topping hits, including the Oscar-winning "Three Coins In The Fountain."

David Burtka

Styne's illustrious collaborators include Stephen Sondheim, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Bob Merrill, Leo Robin and E.Y. Harburg, with their combined efforts over the years having produced such unforgettable showstopping standards as "Everything's Coming Up Roses," "Don't Rain On My Parade," "Let Me Entertain You," "The Party's Over," "People," "Never Never Land," "Just In Time," and "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend."

Tickets are $35 and are available HERE.

Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek can currently be seen as Joseph DeRocher in Dead Man Walking at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater in Chicago on April 27th. Tickets are available online. From May 30-June 15, he sings Count Almaviva in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro at the Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma, California.

Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek & Matthew Anchel star in "Grease" parody

"Summer Nights" leads Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta and Matthew Anchel & Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek

A video resurfaced last week of a bunch of students at the 2013 Music Academy of the West (MAW) in Santa Barbara, California performing a parody of "Summer Loving" from Grease. The video was created and produced by one of the funniest people in all of opera, bass Matthew Anchel. He plays the Olivia Newton-John role of Sandy Olsson, while barihunk Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek cranks up the hotness knob on John Travolta in the Danny Zuko role. The video is actually part of a 24-minute video called "Real Housewives of MAW."

The Music Academy of the West is a well-respected summer music festival for young artists, which has been under the direction of the legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne since 1997.

 Watch the MAW and original version of "Summer Nights":

You can also catch Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek onstage as Schaunard in Puccini's La bohème with the Townsend Opera in Modesto, California. The production, which is directed by Mark Streshinsky, will be performed on January 30 and February 1. Also in the cast is barihunk Eric Downs as Colline. Visit their website for ticket and performance information. He recently performed Schaunard with the Kentucky Opera.

Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek

In July, Smith-Kotlarek will be returning to Music Academy of the West to sing Dancaïre in Bizet's Carmen. The performance is in honor of Marilyn Horne's 80th birthday.

You should also check out his personal trainer website.

Watch the entire video "Real Housewives of MAW":

Also appearing in the video are barihunk John Brancy, Diana Newman, Claire DeSevigny, Ashley Dannewitz, Julie Adams, Quinto Ott, Mingjie Lei, David Leigh, Emily Siar, John Churchwell, Jonathan MacArthur, Keith Colclough, J. Warren Mitchell, Alex Raszkazoff, Emma McNairy, Sara Couden, John Kapusta, Christina Giuca and Helen Becqué

Reader Submission: Snowboarding Barihunk Christiaan Smith Kotlarek

Christiaan Smith Kotlarek

Our latest Reader Submission is the second one by a very fortunate soprano, who seems to get cast opposite some of the hottest men in opera. She was as surprised as us that no one had ever submitted Christiaan Smith Kotlarek.

Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek studied at the Boston University Opera Institute where he was a Phyllis Curtin Artist. His professional credits include roles with the Madison Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Ash Lawn Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera, where he was also an apprentice artist. In 2007, Christiaan toured the Marche region of Italy singing the role of Marco in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.

Christiaan Smith Kotlarek

On January 31st he performed in Opera Louisiane's “The Best of Opera and Broadway” hosted by Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne at the Old State Capitol. In October, he was Christiano in Madison Opera's production of Verdi's Un ballo in maschera which included fellow barihunk Thomas Forde as Count Ribbing. He is currently at the Music Academy of the West where he is covering the role of Papageno in Mozart's The Magic Flute. 

Christiann Smith Kotlarek sings "That Moment On" from the song cycle  

Pieces of 9/11 by Jake Heggie:

While at Boston University, he met composer Jake Heggie, who invited him to sing his song cycle Pieces of 9/11. The composer must have been impressed, as he'll be singing the barihunk role of Joseph DeRocher in Dead Man Walking with the Modern American Music Project in Asheville, North Carolina on April 26 and 27.

His great body is the result of his penchant for snowboarding and extreme sports in his spare time. In fact, he has been a snowboard instructor for about a decade at Norway Mountain in Michigan.

You can read an extensive interview with him on the Madison Opera blog. He also has a blog called OutsideTheOperaBox where he discusses music and fitness.