Emmett O'Hanlon to tour with Celtic Thunder

We have mentioned Irish-American barihunk Emmett O’Hanlon twice on our blog, but have never featured him individually.  The New York native is going to be touring with the popular all-guy group Celtic Thunder. First up is his solo show on the Celtic Thunder Cruise, which sails from Miami on Nov 8th-12th stopping at Nassau in the Bahamas and at the secluded private island of Thunder Bay. He'll be performing songs from Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles, as well as performing arrangements of Melody Gardot, Michael Buble and Zac Brown Band.  

O'Hanlon is classically trained and received his Bachelors Degree in Voice from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where he also performed as a soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He continued on to Julliard, where he is currently completing a Masters Degree in Voice. Last season, he performed in both productions in  Julliard Opera’s double bill of Britten’s Curlew River and Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea, as well as in this season’s Metropolitan Opera workshop production of The Sorrows of Frederick. At present, he is preparing for the role of Onegin in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. He was also in the Bel Canto Young Artist Mentoring Program at Caramoor.

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Emmett first met Celtic Thunder producer Sharon Browne in New York City, where she invited him to audition for the show. 

The Very Best of Celtic Thunder Tour” kicks off in Orlando, Florida in February 2015 and features an eclectic collection of the group’s best-loved and most popular songs. The tour will take them throughout the U.S. and Canada. Check their website for a concert near you.

Edward Nelson to sing title role in Don Giovanni

Edward Nelson (Photo by James Darrah)

The Merola Opera Program has cast barihunk Edward Nelson in their upcoming performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni. The opera is being directed by James Darrah and conducted by Martin Katz.

The California native studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and took 1st Place at the 2013 Mid-South Region Metropolitan Opera Auditions. He has performed the title role in Britten's Owen Wingrave, Dandini in Rossini's La Cenerentola, the Forester in Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixen and Le Podestat in Bizet's Le docteur Miracle.

Edward Nelson with Yujin Kim

Edward Nelson

The remainder of the cast includes Szymon Wach as Leporello, Rhys Lloyd Talbot as Masetto, Scott Russell  as the Commendatore, Amanda Woodbury as Donna Anna, Yujin Kim as Zerlina, Benjamin Werley as Don Ottavio and Karen Chia-Ling Ho as Donna Elvira.

Performances are on Thursday, July 31 and August 2 at the Everett Auditorium in San Francisco. Tickets are available at the San Francisco Opera website.

You can follow Edward Nelson on YouTube or Facebook.

Reader Submission: Luis Alejandro Orozco

Luis Alejandro Orozco

Our latest reader submission is Mexican-American baritone Luis Alejandro Orozco. The emerging barihunk was born in El Paso Texas, and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico. Orozco is currently an artist diploma candidate at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He will be performing in Astor Piazzolla's "María de Buenos Aires" at the Cincinnati Opera on July 25 and 27 under Jose Maria Condemi’s direction. Visit their website for tickets and additional performance information. He will reprise the performance with the Lexington Philharmonic in February 2013.

Orozco appeared as the baritone soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Also at the Conservatory Orozco has done the roles of Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, and Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia.  He has performed with such companies as Lake George Opera (Saratoga Opera), Des Moines Metro Opera, and El Paso Opera and Cincinnati Opera. He has performed the roles of Marcello in La boheme, Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, and le Dancaïre in Carmen.

 Luis Alejandro Orozco sings Mozart's "Deh, vieni alla finestra" at CCM:

Orozco has performed the role of Papageno in Mozart’s Magic Flute, in The Seoul International Opera Festival in South Korea. Also overseas he has performed with CCM Spoleto’s summer festival in the roles of Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia, and the title role in Rossini’s Il Signor Bruschino.

In 2010 he was the winner of the Metropolitan Opera Tri State district, and obtained an encouragement award in 2011 in the Metropolitan Opera Four City District. He obtained a Bachelor of Music degree at The University of Texas at El Paso, and Master of Music degree from Cincinnati Conservatory of music, where he studies under the vocal instruction of William McGraw.

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