Craig Verm stars in "film noir" version of Don Giovanni

Craig Verm and Rachelle Durkin (Photo: David Bachman)

The Pittsburgh Opera is kicking off its new season on October 12 with barihunk Craig Verm in the title role of Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Director Kristine McIntyre has reinvisioned the opera in the style of film noir. Film noir was popular in the 1940s and 1950s and explored dark stories of crime, sexual motives and deceit. What could be darker and more deceitful than the noted Lothario Don Giovanni, the charming sexual predator who preys on women of all social classes, including the vengeful Donna Anna, leading to a fight that results in her father’s death?

Some of the greatest film noir movies included Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity, Otto Preminger's Laura, Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep, Charles Vidor's Gilda and Orson Welles' Touch of Evil. Film noir was a response to World War II and at the dawn of the Cold War, which generated stories of espionage and betrayals.

Verm will be joined by Musa Ngqungwana as Leporello, Tyler Zimmerman as Masetto, Brian Kontes as the Commendatore, Rachelle Durkin as Donna Anna, Corrie Stallings as Donna Elvira, Kang Wang as Don Ottavio and Antonia Botti-Lodovico as Zerlina. Performances are on October 12, 15, 18 and 20. Tickets are available online.

Craig Verm to take over remaining Don Giovanni's from Mariusz Kwiecien

Craig Verm as Don Giovanni

The Dallas Opera has announced that American barihunk Craig Verm will take over the title role in the remaining performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, after having replaced Mariusz Kwiecien to great acclaim on opening night. Verm will sing the final three performances, beginning with today's performance and running through April 29. Tickets are available online.  
Verm was originally scheduled to sing the role of Masetto, which will be sung by barihunk André Courville, who is making his Dallas Opera debut. Leporello will be sung by Kyle Ketelsen, who has made the role of Don Giovanni's sidekick a signature role.

Kyle Ketelsen in concert in Russia:

The all-star cast also includes Laura Claycomb, Katie Van Kooten, David Portillo, and Virginie Verrez with Emmanuel Villaume conducting.

Upcoming performances for Verm this year include Haly in Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri at the Santa Fe Opera, Lieutenant Gordon in Kevin Puts' Silent Night with the Austin Lyric Opera and Marcello in Puccini's La bohème at the Pittsburgh Opera.

In October, Kyle Ketelsen will sing another signature role, when he reprises his highly acclaimed portrayal of Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera.

Craig Verm makes unexpected and stunning role debut as Don Giovanni

Craig Verm as Don Giovanni at Dallas Opera (Photo: Karen Almond)

Craig Verm, who was slated to sing Masetto in the current run of Mozart's classic opera Don Giovanni at the Dallas Opera, stepped in for an ailing Mariusz Kwiecien to make his role debut as the title character. Verm was replaced by fellow barihunk Andre Courville as Masetto and fellow barihunk, Kyle Ketelsen, sang Leporello.

Kyle Ketelsen and Craig Verm (Photo: Karen Almond)

The all-star cast also included Morris Robinson as the Commendatore, David Portillo as Don Ottavio, Laura Claycomb as Donna Anna, Katie van Kooten as Donna Elvira and Virginie Verrez as Zerlina. Performances run through April 29th.

Barihunks Craig Verm and Michael Adams alternate Guglielmo in Seattle

Craig Verm (as Billy Budd) and Michael Adams

Barihunks Craig Verm and Michael Adams will alternate the role of Guglielmo in Jonathan Miller’s production of Mozart's Così fan tutte at the Seattle Opera. They'll be joined by Kevin Burdette as Don Alfonso and Laura Tatulescu as Despina for all performances, while Ginger Costa-Jackson and Hanna Hipp will alternate as Dorabella, Marina Costa-Jackson and Marjukka Tepponen alternate as Fiordiligi, and Tuomas Katajala and Ben Bliss alternate as Ferrando. 

Verm will perform on January 13, 17, 24 and 27, while Adams will perform on January 14, 20 and 26. Tickets are available online. 

After the run, Verm will stay with the Seattle Opera to perform Claudio in Mozart's Beatrice & Benedict, which runs from February 24-March 10. 

Michael Adams will open tomorrow as the Pilot in Rachel Portman's The Little Prince at the Washington National Opera, which runs from December 14-17. Tickets and additional cast information is available online. The opera is directed by Francesca Zambello.

Derek Chester and Marco Vassalli in the 2018 Barihunks Calendar/Photo Book

ONLY 18 DAYS LEFT TO ORDER our 2018 Barihunks Calendar, which includes 20 of opera's sexiest men is now available for purchase HERE. In response to reader demand, we've also added a Barihunks Photo Book this year, which includes additional photos that don't appear in the calendar. You can purchase that HERE. The New Year is approaching faster than you think.

Iowa Public Television to broadcast "Billy Budd" with Craig Verm

Craig Verm as Billy Budd (photos: Des Moines Metro Opera)

On September 29th, Iowa Public Television will broadcast the world premiere of the newly orchestrated version of Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd. The opera features barihunk Craig Verm, whose promo photo from this production were featured in our 2017 Barihunks Calendar. The episode will be available online.

The production, which was filmed in July, features a number of other singers familiar to readers, including Zachary James as the evil John Claggart, Michael Adams as Donald, Emmett O'Hanlon as the Novice's Friend and barihunk turned hunkentenor Chris Carr as Maintop. The all-male cast included 70 singers and was the largest ensemble in the 45 year history of the Des Moines Metro Opera. [Zachary James is slated to appear in our 2018 calendar].

The Iowa Public Television coverage includes behind-the-scenes footage and perspectives on the making of Billy Budd, the stage experience, the opera’s complex emotional themes, as well as interviews with Des Moines Metro Opera General and Artistic Director Michael Egel, conductor David Neely, stage director Kristine McIntyre and principal cast members.

Craig Verm as Billy Budd (photos: Des Moines Metro Opera)

“'Billy Budd' is a true masterpiece,” said Craig Verm, the baritone featured in the title role. “It’s epic in its scope of onstage forces of orchestration, of story, of morality, and of good and evil. It’s gripping. It’s magical.”

In 2007, Verm first appeared in the opera as the Novice's Friend in Pittsburgh opposite the Billy Budd of Nathan Gunn and the thrilling Claggart of Greer Grimsley. The production was directed by the woman who inspired Barihunks, Francesca Zambello.

Billy Budd had its world premier at London’s Royal Opera House on December 1, 1951 conducted by the composer with the role of Captain Vere sung by Britten’s partner Peter Pears. Billy Budd received its United States premiere in 1952 at the Indiana University Opera Company with Jack Gillaspy in the title role.

A number of famous barihunks have sung the role of Billy Budd, who many believe was secretly desired by the evil Claggart. Famous barihunk Billy Budd's include John Chest, Simon Keenlyside, Richard Stilwell, Nathan Gunn, Rod Gilfry, Bo Skovhus, Thomas Hampson, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Peter Mattei, Lauri Vasar, Lucas Meachem, Jacques Imbrailo, Daniel Belcher, Roderick Williams, Iurii Samoilov and Liam Bonner. 

Craig Verm heads cast of barihunks as "Billy Budd" in Des Moines

Craig Verm as Billy Budd (photo courtesy of Des Moines Metro Opera)

American barihunk Craig Verm is returning to the role of Billy Budd at the Des Moines Metro Opera on July 1, 9, 11 and 14. Verm has become a popular singer of Benjamin Britten's title character. Verm performed Billy to great acclaim at the Teatro Municipal de Santiago in 2013.

The production will feature a number of other singers familiar to readers, including Zachary James as the evil John Claggart, Michael Adams as Donald, Emmett O'Hanlon as the Novice's Friend and barihunk turned hunkentenor Chris Carr as Maintop. 

In 2007, Verm first appeared in the opera as the Novice's Friend in Pittsburgh opposite the Billy Budd of Nathan Gunn and the thrilling Claggart of Greer Grimsley. The production was directed by the woman who inspired Barihunks, Francesca Zambello.

Emmett O'Hanlon, Zachary James as Claggart and Michael Adams

Billy Budd had its world premier at London’s Royal Opera House on December 1, 1951 conducted by the composer with the role of Captain Vere sung by Britten’s partner Peter Pears. In 1966, in preparation for a television broadcast, Britten cut the score from four acts to two with a prologue and epilogue, which has become the standard version for the opera.

The libretto was written by the English novelist E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier, and is based on the short novel Billy Budd by Herman Melville. The book was first published posthumously in London in 1924. Melville began writing the work in November 1888, but left it unfinished at his death in 1891. The novella was discovered in manuscript form in 1919 by Raymond M. Weaver, who was studying Melville's papers as his first biographer.

Craig Verm as Billy Budd (photos courtesy of Des Moines Metro Opera)

The first production of the opera Billy Budd in Russia occurred 100 years after the birth of Britten at St. Petersburg’s Mikhailovsky Theatre in 2013. Billy Budd received its United States premiere in 1952 at the Indiana University Opera Company with Jack Gillaspy in the title role.

Britten originally intended the title role for Sir Geraint Evans, but he felt that the role sat to high for his voice, so he switched to the role of Mr. Flint. Britten then opted for barihunk Theodor Uppman to replace Evans in the title role. The performance launched Uppman's international career and he went on to become one of the definitive Billy Budd's off all-time. Uppman sang in an acclaimed performance in 1970 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, which included Sir Geraint Evans as Claggart and Richard Lewis as Vere.

A number of famous barihunks have sung the role of Billy Budd, who many believe was secretly desired by the evil Claggart. Famous barihunk Billy Budd's include John Chest, Simon Keenlyside, Richard Stilwell, Nathan Gunn, Rod Gilfry, Bo Skovhus, Thomas Hampson, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Peter Mattei, Lauri Vasar, Lucas Meachem, Jacques Imbrailo, Daniel Belcher, Roderick Williams, Iurii Samoilov and Liam Bonner.

Craig Verm in free recital at Dallas Museum of Art

Craig Verm's photo from the 2015 Barihunks Calendar

Barihunk Criag Verm, who was featured in our 2015 Barihunks Calendar, will perform a free recital on May 23 at the Dallas Museum of Art.

The recital is sponsored by the Dallas Opera, where he starred as Doug Hansen in the Dallas Opera’s world premiere of Joby Talbot's Everest. He’ll perform works by Mahler, Richard Strauss and Korngold. Both recitals, planned to coincide with the Dallas Opera’s Soluna festival, will be at the DMA’s Horchow Auditorium. He'll be accompanied by his wife Karen Roethlisberger Verm at the piano. Call 214-443-1000 for tickets or additional information.

Next season, the Dallas Opera will present the world premiere of Jake Heggie's Great Scott, Puccini's Tosca, Mark Adamo's Becoming Santa Claus, Massenet's Manon and Show Boat. Manon will feature the exciting US stage debut of Edwin Crossley-Mercer as Lescaut.

NPR features segment on Dallas Opera world premiere

Andrew Bidlack (left) & Craig Verm (right) in Everest

The Dallas Opera just wrapped up the world premier of composer Joby Talbot and librettist Gene Scheer's Everest at the Dallas Opera.  The opera confronts the tragic events surrounding an ill-fated Everest expedition and features actual climber and barihunk Craig Verm, who made his debut with the company. NPR recently ran a segment on the production, which you can listen to online.

Gene Scheer was fascinated by the infamous 1996 expeditions. He wrote the libretto for Everest after traveling around the world to interview survivors of that doomed climb. Everest is British composer Joby Talbot's first opera, after a career that has has included writing for film, television and ballet. Talbot tells NPR that he was especially eager to create a sound world around the peak.

Boehrihunk: John David Boehr

The cast included hunkentenor Andrew Bidlack, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, bass Kevin, barihunk John David Boehr and was conducted by the Nicole Paiement.

Craig Verm and Kevin Burdette team up again on March 13 and 15 at the Florentine Opera in Milwaukee  for Robert Aldridge's Elmer Gantry. Tickets and additional information are available online. John David Boehr (aka Boehrihunk) can next be seen on February 11th performing scenes and arias in Opera Viva! with Minnesota Opera at the Covenant Village of Golden Valley.

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.

Dallas Opera's Upcoming Barihunky Season

Craig Verm

The Dallas Opera is under new leadership this season, but fortunately some of our favorite barihunks are still on the roster.

The season is kicking off with one of Italy's best exports, bass-barihunk Mirco Palazzi who debuted with the company in 2010 as Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni. That performance was also his U.S. debut and the cast for that John Pascoe production featured three barihunks, with Paulo Szot as the Don and Ben Wager as Masetto.

We're thrilled that Dallas is bring him back to sing Figaro in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro in an all-star cast that features Joshua Hopkins, Nicole Car,  Emily Fons, Diana Montague and Kevin Langan. Performances will run from October 24 through November 9th.

On October 30th, bass-barihunk Greer Grimsley will make his company debut opposite the Salome of Deborah Voigt in Richard Strauss' masterpiece. The production in being directed by the queen mother of barihunks, Francesca Zambello.

That production will be followed by a double-bill of Catalani's rarely performed opera La Wally and the world premiere of Joby Talbot's Everest. We did an extensive feature on Everest, which featured barihunk calendar model Craig Verm.

Jonathan Beyer, Steven LaBrie and Alexander Vinogradov (L-R)

In March, the company brings another barihunk trio to the stage, when they present Puccini's La boheme with Alexander Vinogradov, Jonathan Beyer and Steven LaBrie.  We featured Alexander Vinogradov back in 2009 when we identified him as an emerging talent to watch.

The season wraps up with Tchaikovsky's Iolanta. Tickets and additional cast information is available on the Dallas Opera website. 

Gotham Chamber Opera new season features three barihunks

Jarrett Ott (Photo Steve Riskind) & Joseph Beutel (Photo Kelly Kruse)

Gotham Chamber Opera has announced their new season, which includes the 2014/2015 season, which includes the Bohuslav Martinu double-bill Alexandre bis/Comedy on the Bridge, as well as a revival of their popular El gato con botas (Puss in Boots) by Xavier Montsalvatge.

The Martinu pieces are short comic operas that will star barihunks Jarrett Ott as Alexandre/Sykos and Joseph Beutel as Portrait/Bedron. 

Alexandre bis (Alexander Twice) is a surrealist comic opera in one act composed in 1937 to an original libretto written in French by André Wurmser.  The opera was intended for performance at the Paris World Exhibition of 1937. However, various delays, including World War II, prevented its performance during the composer's lifetime. The opera is subtitled 'The Tragedy of a Man who Had His Beard Cut', and the surrealist libretto is set in Paris about 1900. Although Martinů had asked Wurmser for a libretto including a singing cat, he compromised on Wurmser's suggestion of a singing portrait, which acts as narrator to a tale of bourgeois infidelity.

Comedy on the Bridge tells the story of two rival principalities separated by a river. A woman returning from one side gets caught in the middle by a bureaucratic snafu; soon she's joined in this absurdist limbo by a letch, a fiancé, a vengeful wife, and a schoolmaster with a riddle. Everyone has a secret, but no one has a clue - except the composer, who gets them all happily sorted by the end.

Also in the cast are Jenna Siladie, Abigail Fischer, Cassandra Velasco and Jason Slayden. Performances run from October 14 - 18, 2014 and tickets are available online or by calling 212-279-4200.

Craig Verm

Check out our previous post about Xavier Montsalvatge's El gato con botas (Puss in Boots), which was a huge success for Gotham Opera. They are bringing back barihunk Craig Verm for the revival, in a cast that includes Andrea Carroll, Ginger Costa-Jackson, Karin Mushegain, Craig Verm, and Kevin Burdette.

The work is an operatic version of the classic children’s tale in which a charismatic and cunning cat promises a poor miller everlasting love and fortune. All he needs to pull off his ruse are a hat, a cape, a pair of boots, and his wits.

Performances are from December 6 - 14. For more information, visit www.gothamchamberopera.org.

Craig Verm to sing "CIVIL warS" at Minimalist Jukebox

Craig Verm

Barihunk Craig Verm will be appearing in Philip Glass' CIVIL warS at the Minimalist Jukebox series in Los Angeles, which was inspired by Matthew Brady's Civil War photographs and commissioned for the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Arts Festival.

Glass was one of six different composers from six different countries who compose dsections of director Robert Wilson's text. Verm will be performing the "Rome Section" of the piece, which is an operatic multi-part cantata that ruminates on war and the disruption of the moral order through such characters as the Lincolns, Garibaldi, Robert E. Lee, Hercules, and others. He'll be joined Jessica Rivera, Sasha Cooke, Andrew Staples and Steve Pence.

Glass’ the CIVIL warS will be performed at Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 17th and April 19th. Tickets are available online for the entire Minimalist Jukebox series, which also includes eight Kraftwerk 3-D concerts, Minimalist Dreamhouse with pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque, oraganist Cameron Carpenter playing music by Michael Gordon, Terry Riley and John Adams, as well a number of other minimalist gems. The entire series runs from March 16-May 4.

Craig Verm in Gotham Opera double-bill at Metropolitan Museum

Craig Verm in Il combattimento (Photo by Richard Termine) and from the Barihunks calendar

The Gotham Chamber Opera is presenting a double bill of Monteverdi's  Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda along with a newly commissioned work, I Have No Stories to Tell You, by  Lembit Beecher. Performances are on Wednesday, February 26 and Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 7pm at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, who co-commissioned the production.

The performances will be staged in two locations in the Museum: Monteverdi’s opera will be performed in the Museum’s Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Arms and Armor Court, and Beecher’s new work will be performed in the Medieval Sculpture Hall.

Barihunk Craig Verm stars in the production along with mezzo-soprano Beth Clayton.  They will be joined by tenor Samuel Levine, mezzo-soprano Abigail Fischer, soprano Sarah Tucker, and mezzo-soprano Rachel Calloway. 

 Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda from the Netherlands Opera:

Monteverdi’s Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda was published in 1638 in the composer’s Eighth Book of Madrigals. This operatic scena tells the story of the Christian soldier Tancredi who battles with a Muslim soldier, unknown to Tancredi as his lover Clorinda because she is disguised in armor. When Clorinda is mortally wounded, Tancredi discovers her identity. As she lies dying, she asks to be baptized. The instrumentation for the scena is string quartet and continuo.

 I Have No Stories To Tell You, turns from the battlefield to domestic life to tell the story of a soldier’s return home after extended assignment in the Middle East. Haunted by her experiences and reluctant to discuss them with a husband who no longer seems to understand her, she struggles to readjust to home. As we see glimpses into her life over the course of a year, we begin to understand the burden of guilt she carries, her inability to communicate it with her husband, and the way in which her husband's need to know will drive their relationship to the brink. Scored for a period instrument ensemble and inspired by interviews with soldiers and army psychologists, I Have No Stories To Tell You explores the effects of war on one's identity and sense of home. The instrumentation for the opera is string quartet, theorbo, harpsichord, Baroque oboe, and electronics.  

Craig Verm to premiere mountain climbing opera in Dallas

Craig Verm

Barihunk Craig Verm will star in British composer Joby Talbot first opera, Everest, which will premiere at the Dallas Opera during the 2014/15 season. Verm is been a popular model in our Barihunks Charity Calendar whose career has been on a steady ascent the last few years. This role appears to be a major breakthrough for the Texas native, who has been a regular with the Pittsburgh Opera.

It's the fifth opera that the Dallas Opera has commissioned in recent years, which also includes  Tobias Picker's Thérèse Raquin, Jake Heggie's Moby-Dick, Jake Heggie's A Question of Light and Jake Heggie's Great Scott, which is scheduled to premiere in October 2015. (We're particularly excited about Great Scott, due to Jake Heggie's propensity to write baritone leading roles).

 Craig Verm and Sean Pannikar sing the Pearl Fishers duet:

Based on a harrowing 1996 expedition to summit the world’s tallest mountain peak.  Everest will blend documented facts and contemporary recollections of the transformative journey experienced by Everest survivors, with flights of the imagination designed to keep audience members transfixed in this harshly beautiful place at the top of the world. The story has been the subject of two films and at least five books to date. 

This project will mark composer Joby Talbot’s first foray into opera, after establishing himself as a significant composer of original works for the recording studio, stage and screen.  Among his best-known composition are the rapturously received ballet Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2011) commissioned by the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden and the National Ballet of Canada, and original film and British television scores including The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, based on the iconic science fiction of the late Douglas Adams, who also contributed the screenplay for the 2005 release.

CRAIG VERM ON STARRING IN EVEREST:
"This assignment is extremely exciting for me- it is the merging of two great passions of mine: opera and mountaineering. I would never have guessed they would ever intersect on stage! I've sung arias on top of quite a few mountaintops in Colorado to many unsuspecting climbers and various marmots & chipmunks. Never thought I'd get to bring my own crampons and ice axe to an opera rehearsal!! Also the source material for the opera, Into thin Air, by Jon Krakauer, is one of my favorite books. I read it as soon as it came out in the late 90's, and it inspired me to become a backpacking and rock climbing guide during my college summers. "

Nashville Opera's self-proclaimed HUNKFEST

Craig Verm in Nashville Opera's The Pearl Fishers

We couldn't agree more with Nashville Opera's artistic director John Hoomes that Craig Verm and Ben Wager are "aural candy as much as they are eye candy." He should know, as he's cast the two singers in Bizet's The Pearl Fishers that still has performances tonight and Saturday.

Although both singers are well known as two of the sexiest men in opera, they have some serious vocal credentials, as well. Verm received his Master of Music from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music and graduated cum laude from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He was also a 2006 national semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and is also a former member of the young artist programs of Santa Fe Opera and Cincinnati Opera.

Wager was a 2008 as a member of the prestigious Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera and a 2009 graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. In 2009, he became a member of the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he has sung Panthus in Les Troyens, Doctor Grenvil in La traviata, Angelotti in Tosca, and Escamillo in Carmen.

They both are rapidly emerging as major talents on the international stage, who we'll want to keep our eyes and ears on in the coming years.

Craig Verm, who may have the most perfect chest in opera, just wrapped up another role where he is cast shirtless - Britten's Billy Budd in Chile. So being cast in Nashville in a role that takes place on the beach makes perfect sense.

We love that the Nashville Scene picked up on the sexy production with the headline, "Buff baritones spice up Nashville Opera's production of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers: Raiders of the Lost Hunks." They go on to state that The Pearl Fishers might be the first "ladies night out" not unlike a trip to see the Chippendales. We've always maintained the belief at Barihunks that a sexy body will get them in the door, but great singing will bring them back.

We think that the Nashville Opera has it right on both accounts.

Craig Verm is also featured in the month of August in our new charity calendar. He appears along with Michael Mayes, Aaron Sorensen and Timothy McDevitt. You purchase your copy today by clicking HERE. Buy one for a friend, too, and join us in helping out the next generation of great singers.

Barihunks on the air from Lyric Opera of Chicago

Thomas Hampson

If you love great baritone singing, make sure to tune in your radio or go online to WFMT, Chicago's public radio station. The next three Saturday's will feature a bevvy of our favorite singers including three in this week's broadcast of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra. The opera will feature the ageless barihunk Thomas Hampson in the title role alongside the riveting Ferruccio Furlanetto as Fiesco and rising superstar Quinn Kelsey as Paolo. Amelia will be sung by Krassimira Stoyanova and Adorno by Frank Lopardo.

Hampson is currently starring in Verdi's La traviata at the Wiener Staatsoper. 

Craig Verm

The following week barihunk Craig Verm can be heard as Albert in Massenet's Werther, in a cast that includes tenor sensation Matthew Polenzani in the title role and Sophie Koch as Charlotte. Verm opens as Ned Keene in Britten's Peter Grimes at the Des Moines Metro Opera on June 22nd.

On June 1st, Italian sex symbol Ildebrando D'Arcangelo takes on the very un-barihunk title role in Donizetti's Don Pasquale opposite the Norina of Marlis Petersen. D'Arcangelo is currently performing the role of Selim in Rossini's comic masterpiece Il turco in Italia at Barcelona's beautiful Gran Theatre del Liceu.

Ildebrando D'Arcangelo

Future broadcasts include Richard Strauss' Elektra, Humperdinck's Hansel & Gretel, Puccini's La boheme, Wagner's Die Meistersinger, Verdi's Rigoletto and Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire with an all-star cast featuring barihunk Teddy Tahu Rhodes, tenor Anthony Dean Griffey and soprano Renée Fleming. 

Gotham Chamber Opera's innovate new season stars two barihunks

Michael Mayes in Portland's "Dead Man Walking"

New York City's Gotham Chamber Opera announced its 2013-2014 season, which we found to be one of the most innovative and interesting programs that we've seen for the coming year. It aslo happens to feature two of our favorite barihunk calendar models, Michael Mayes and Craig Verm.

The season begins with Michael Mayes in Baden-Baden 1927, a staged evening of four one-act operas that appeared together at the Baden-Baden Festival in 1927. Those operas are Kurt Weill's Mahagonny Songspiel, Paul Hindemith's Hin und zurück (There and Back), Darius Milhaud's L'enlèvement d'Europe (The Abduction of Europa), and Ernst Toch's Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse (The Princess and the Pea).

Joining Mayes in the all-star cast will be legendary soprano Helen Donath, soprano Maeve Höglund, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Rivera (wife of barihunk Michael Rice), tenors Daniel Montenegro and Matthew Tuell and bass John Cheek.

Craig Verm from the 2013 Barihunks calendar

Next up is Craig Verm, who will be featured in an opera double-bill of Claudio Monteverdi's Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and the world premiere of I Have No Stories to Tell You, a newly-commissioned work from Gotham's Composer-in-Residence, Lembit Beecher. Monteverdi's Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda was published in 1638 in the composer's Eight Book of Madrigals. I Have No Stories To Tell You, tells the story of a photojournalist's return home after extended assignment in the Middle East.

Other operas scheduled are Toshio Hosakawa's The Raven, a monodrama for mezzo-soprano and twelve instrumentalists and Charpentier's La descente d'Orphée aux enfers.

For more information on the season visit the Gotham Chamber Opera website.

Lots of Beefcake in Cheesecake Country

Cheesecake and Beefcake in Wisconsin

For those of you outside of the United States, the state of Wisconsin is known for its cheese. The natives are sometimes disparagingly called "cheeseheads," although if you're a Green Bay Packers fan being a cheesehead is an honor. One thing is certain, you can get anything made with cheese in Wisconsin, we've even seen sausages stuffed with cheese and donuts topped with melted cheese.

But over the next few weeks the state may become known for its beef, more specifically its beefcake, than its cheesecake. Five barihunks who have appeared on this site will be singing Mozart at the state's two major opera companies.

Matt Boehler at NYCO in Powder Her Face

First up is Don Giovanni with Kelly Markgraf in the title role, Matt Boehler as Leporello and John Arnold as Masetto. Performances are on April 26 and 28 and tickets are available online. The production also includes two spectacular young sopranos, Elizabeth Caballero as Donna Anna and Caitlyn Lynch as Donna Elvira.

Readers of this site will recall that Markgraf sang Masetto in the sexy Don Giovanni at New York City Opera in 2009 that put the company back on the road to recovery after a severe financial crisis. Markgraf next heads to the Aspen Music Festival in July 2013 to sing Swallow in a semi-staged performance of Britten's Peter Grimes.

Matt Boehler also made headlines at the New York City Opera in Thomas Ades' Powder Her Face where he shared the stage with 22 naked men [Google it!]. On May 10th, Boehler creates the role of the celebrated French author, Voltaire, in a workshop of composer Scott Wheeler’s The Sorrows of Frederick.. The workshop is run under the auspices of the Metropolitan Opera and Lincoln Theater Center's Opera/Theater Commissions program. Tickets are available at the Met website.

John Arnold in Dead Man Walking

In January 2013, John Arnold made his debut with Madison Opera in Philip Glass’s Galileo Galilei, singing the role of the younger Galileo. He recently performed Joseph de Roucher in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking in Boston, part of three simultaneous productions of the modern masterpiece in North America. He'll be joining the prestigious Merola Opera Program in San Francisco this summer.


On May 10 and 12, cheeseheads can drive 80 minutes to the west where Florentine Opera will be performing Le nozze di Figaro with barihunks Craig Verm as Count Almaviva an Daniel Belcher as Figaro. Tickets are available online. If you're in the area, you can meet the artists on April 23 at the company's annual luncheon. Call 414-421-3005 for more information.

After Milwaukee, Daniel Belcher will head to the Central City Opera House to sing the other Figaro in Rossini's Barber of Seville. The run begins on June 29th and tickets are available online. You also won't want to miss the Almaviva of tenor Javier Abreu.

Craig Verm in Venus and Adonis at Florentine Opera (Photos by Kathy Wittman)

Readers may remember that Craig Verm created a vocal and visual sensation with his performance in John Blow's Venus and Adonis at Florentine Opera in 2011. We loved the photos so much that we used them in our 2012 Barihunks calendar. Of course, Verm was our coverboy for our 2013 calendar and remains one of the most popular singers on the site. On June 22, Verm heads to the Des Moines Metro Opera to perform Ned Keene in Britten's Peter Grimes.

Listen to Michael Mayes & Edward Hanlon in Don Giovanni on Iowa Public Radio

Edward Hanlon at Seagle Music Colony

If you're like us and can't wait to see and hear Michael Mayes in Glory Denied at the Fort Worth Opera Festival then you can catch him online on Saturday, April 6th. Mayes and fellow barihunk Edward Hanlon performed the opera during the Des Moines Metro Opera’s 40th Anniversary season last year. The performance will be at 7 PM CST on Iowa Public Radio.

Michael Mayes as Don Giovanni in Des Moines

The broadcast is part of Iowa Public Radio's Arias in April series opens. Don Giovanni will be followed by two other broadcasts from the Des Moines Metro Opera, Puccini’s La Rondine on April 13th and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin on April 20th.

Craig Verm

This season, the Des Moines Metro Opera will feature barihunk calendar model Craig Verm, who will be performing Mercutio in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette and Ned Keene in Britten's Peter Grimes. Their other opera is Richard Strauss' Elektra. Visit their website for additional information.

Craig Verm up to bat in Reno and West Virginia

Craig Verm in uniform for "Casey at the Bat"

We may have to start following accompanist Karen Roethlisberger Verm's career more closely. She appears to be the accompanist of choice for barihunks. Yesterday we posted about her upcoming recital with Daniel Teadt in Pittsburgh, only to learn that on Thursday she'll be accompanying her barihunk husband Craig Verm in a program of Quilter, Finzi, Britten, and Grainger.

The free recital will be at Elbin Auditorium on the West Liberty University campus at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 21. The school is located near Wheeling, West Virginia.

Verm is currently with the Reno Philharmonic performing William Schuman's cantata "Casey at the Bat." It opened last night and there is one additional performance on Tuesday, March 19 at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are available online. We're not sure how the Pittsburgh Pirates fan will feel about him sporting a uniform from the rival San Francisco Giants, but folks in Northern California and Nevada will undoubtedly love it. We think he looks good enough in that uniform to try out for their back up middle infielder spot. On off days, he could sing the National Anthem.

Upcoming operatic appearances include Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with Florentine Opera in May, Ned Keene in Britten's Peter Grimes with Des Moines Metro Opera in June as well as Mercutio in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette also with the Des Moines Metro Opera in June.

Verm, who has appeared in our last two charity calendars,  earned his Master of Arts in Music degree from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music and was a 2006 national semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.