Mariusz Kwiecien cancellations continue

Mariusz Kwiecien in Pearl Fishers and Don Giovanni

Barihunk Mariusz Kwiecien continues to cancel performances, including a third cancellation with the Dallas Opera. The company announced that he has withdrawn as Rodrigo in their upcoming production of Verdi’s Don Carlo. He will be replaced by fellow barihunk Lucas Meachem. Kwiecien withdrew from the title role in their production of Mozart's Don Giovanni in April 2018 and Bizet's Pearl Fishers in January. Kwiecien is scheduled to sing Rodrigo at Covent Garden this summer.

Meachem will join an all-star cast in Dallas that includes Jamie Barton, Leah Crocetto, Robert Watson, Morris Robinson, Andrea Silvestrelli and David Leigh. Performances run from March 20-28 and tickets are available online. Tickets are available online. 

Kwiecien's notable recent cancellations also include withdrawing from the The Met's Pearl Fishers and as the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro, Dr. Malatesta in Donizetti's Don Pasquale at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden and the Count in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro at the Bavarian State Opera.

Repeated attempts to get a get a comment from his US and European agents have gone unanswered. We wish him a speedy and healthy recovery to the opera stage.

Barihunk switch in Lyric Opera of Chicago's Don Giovanni

Lucas Meachem as Don Giovanni

Lucas Meachem will replace Ildar Abdrazakov in the Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Mozart's Don Giovanni from November 14 - 30. He has previously performed the role with the Semperoper Dresden, Cincinnati Opera and Santa Fe Opera.

The Lyric Opera of Chicag production was recently featured on this site and you can read about it HERE.

Meachem will return to Lyric in February to portray Yeletsky in Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades. He is no stranger to Lyric audiences, having perfomed Oreste in Gluck's Iphigenée en Tauride, Valentin in Gounod's Faust, Demetrius in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream , Marcello in Puccini's La bohème and most Chorebus and the Ghost of Chorebus  in Berlioz's Les Troyens.

LA Opera's Ghosts of Versailles wins 2 GRAMMY® Awards

Christopher Maltman as Beaumarchais

The Los Angeles Opera's critically-acclaimed recording of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles walked away with both GRAMMY® Awards that it was nominated for: "Best Opera Recording" and "Best Engineered Recording, Classical."

The cast includes two barihunks, led by Christopher Maltman’s Beaumarchais and Lucas Meachem as Figaro. The cast also includes Patricia Racette as Marie Antoinette, Renée Rapier, Guanqun Yu, Joshua Guerrero, Lucy Schaufer and conductor James Conlon and the LA Opera Chorus & Orchestra.

Also winning was classical music producer David Frost, whose many recording included Ildar Abdrazakov's recording of Shostakovich's Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti.  

Barihunks dominate Grammy® nominees for "BEST OPERA RECORDING"

Luca Pisaroni, Mariusz Kwiecien and Lucas Meachem

The odds are pretty good that a barihunk will be placing a Grammy award on his shelf, since every recording that was nominated features at least one. The Grammy® Awards will be held on February 12, 2017 at 8:00 PM PST.

The nominees are:

John Corigliano: The Ghosts Of Versailles from the Los Angeles Opera conducted by James Conlon, featuring barihunks Christopher Maltman and Lucas Meachem along with Patricia Racette, Lucy Schaufer and Guanqun Yu.

George Freidrich Handel: Giulio Cesare with Il Giardino Armonico under the baton of Giovanni Antonini, featuring bass Ruben Drole,  Cecilia Bartoli, Philippe Jaroussky, Andreas Scholl and Anne-Sofie von Otter.

Jennifer Higdon: Cold Mountain from the Santa Fe Opera under the baton of Miguel Harth-Bedoya with barihunks Nathan Gunn and Kevin Burdette, joined by Isabel Leonard, Jay Hunter Morris and the Santa Fe Opera apprentice artists.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro performed by the Chamber Orchestra Of Europe and conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, featuring barihunks Thomas Hampson and Luca Pisaroni, joined by Christiane Karg and Sonya Yoncheva.

Karol Szymanowski: Król Roger at the Royal Opera House conducted by Antonio Pappano, featuring barihunk Mariusz Kwiecień, Saimir Pirgu and Georgia Jarman.

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How a plant-based diet transformed Lucas Meachem

Lucas Meachem (Photo: Natasha Sadikin, 2016)

We recently had the opportunity to see Lucas Meachem as Doctor Malatesta in the San Francisco Opera's hilarious production of Donizetti's Don Pasquale directed by Laurent Pelly. We instantly noticed that Meachem not only sounded the best that we'd heard him in years, but he looked imposing and statuesque with his new physique.  We later learned that he'd lost 45 pounds (20.4 kilos).

Meachem has two more performances of the opera on October 12 and 15 (tonight's performance will be sung by fellow barihunk Edward Nelson). The cast also includes the brilliant Maurizio Muraro in the title role, Lawrence Brownlee as Ernesto, Heidi Stober as his lover Norina and Bojan Knežvić as the Notary. Tickets are available online. 

We decided to ask him about his new physique and here is what he had to say.

Maurizio Muraro and Lucas Meachem in Don Pasquale (Photo: SF Opera)

1. What prompted the weight loss?

This past January, my doctor discovered that I had high cholesterol and he advised me to do something about it. Searching for solutions, my wife introduced me to some documentaries on health and the environment that had a lasting impact on me. It opened my eyes. Alternatively, with the advent of the Met HD and various opera publications, I had to accept that opera has become more visually intensive than in the past. I felt like I was missing out on roles, even losing some roles because of my looks or size. For whatever the reason, I was left out of casting decisions because I didn't look the part. I wanted to make a change and eliminate that factor for any casting director or company. I felt like I deserved more for the voice I had and the body I didn't.

"The fact is it's easier to change yourself than the system. So instead of resisting, I decided to change myself." 

- Lucas Meachem

I don't like any of the discrimination shown towards larger singers, men and women alike. It is a conversation I've had with opera singers around the world and I sympathize with them. I know this can be a disheartening thought but in this competitive industry, body image ends up being a deciding factor sometimes rather than one's true talent. I've been a Barihunk and I've been a Barichunk but the thing that's always been there is my voice.

I used to rail against the system for it's unfairness that weight is even an issue when it came to my voice. For me vocal prowess should be the main determining factor of an opera singer but I realized that I couldn't play by those rules anymore. The fact is it's easier to change yourself than the system. So instead of resisting, I decided to change myself.

2. How did you do it.I became a vegan.

As a vegan, I eat a plant-based diet. I center my meals around vegetables and go from there. I cut out dairy, meat, eggs, sugar, and alcohol. I also cut out carbs after 4pm and try to eat an early dinner. That's tough with a performing schedule where I'm done with a show at 11pm. With how strict I normally eat, it's ok to cheat once in a while when I go out. I know that everything I eat is a choice, not a confinement.

I've tried so many diets through the years. My weight has been up and down like a roller coaster.  Finally, I've found a moral implication in my diet. Living a life of compassion motivates me and inspires me to be a better person for myself and the world.

Lucas Meachem as Dr. Malatesta (Photo: SF Opera)

  
3. Tell us about singing Dr. Malatesta

Malatesta is more difficult than your average opera role because you have to have many different faces--it's a real "faccia doppia". Those faces seem to change with each production. The acting is a challenge, but vocally it's straightforward bel canto. This role is suited to a lyric baritone with solid coloratura. Although it's not an overwhelmingly gratifying role, I enjoy singing it because it's a real team effort. It's an ensemble piece and you end up becoming very close with your colleagues, out of art and necessity.

4. What does the San Francisco Opera mean to you, having come through the Merola young artist program and the Adler Fellowship Program at the San Francisco Opera?

The San Francisco Opera is my home. I walk in that house and shake hands with 20 people before I hit the rehearsal room. I feel well-respected and well-loved, and it's a two-way street. I couldn't be happier that Matthew Shilvock and Greg Hinkel are working there, since they're both dear friends of mine. One of my most cherished accomplishments in San Francisco was singing "Barber of Seville" as a Merolini in 2003 and then returning ten years later to sing it on the main stage.

The SF Opera is one of those gold standard opera house. It's the kind of opera house you wish other opera houses could be. It's when all of the elements come together to make a truly fulfilling artistic experience. From the general director to the stage management team, from the security guards to the orchestra members, each factor is world-class. Artists leave knowing that they have participated in something truly outstanding.

Our 10th Anniversary "Barihunks in Bed" calendar is now on sale and available by clicking on the Lulu button below. 

Lucas Meachem wins San Francisco Opera's Emerging Artist Award

Lucas Meachem in Marriage of Figaro (left) and showing off his "guns" in Dresden

Barihunk Lucas Meachem has won the San Francisco Opera inaugural "Emerging Star of the Year" competition. The competition was made possible by The Emerging Stars Fund, established through a three-year, multi-million dollar gift from San Francisco Opera sponsors Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem. Meachem will be awarded $10,000.

The goal of the Emerging Stars Fund is to engage the community in the thrill of experiencing artists on the cusp of greatness, and to build awareness among the broader opera-going public of San Francisco Opera's leadership in nurturing and showcasing new talent.

Meachem is a former participant in the Merola Opera Program and Adler Fellows, both programs associated closely with the development of young artists at the company. He has appeared with San Francisco Opera in the title role of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Mozart's Don Giovanni, Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, Mozart's Papageno in Die Zauberflöte,  Mozart's Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro and Fritz/Frank in Korngold’s Die tote Stadt.

Lucas Meachem sings "Sois immobile" from Rossini's William Tell:

He returns to the company this year as Doctor Malatesta in Donizetti's Don Pasquale, which he performs on September 28 and October 2, 12, and 15. He will rotate the role with another emerging artist from the company, barihunk Edward Nelson, who also has been part of the Merola Opera Program and is a current Adler Fellow. Nelson performs on October 4 and 7. Tickets and cast information is available online.

The voting was conducted online and through social media. Other singers who were considered included soprano Malin Byström, mezzo Sasha Cooke, soprano Leah Crocetto, tenor Michael Fabiano, tenor Brian Jagde, mezzo Daniela Mack, baritone Brian Mulligan, tenor Alek Shrader and soprano Heidi Stober.

Barihunk Trio in Dresden Don Giovanni

Evan Hughes (photo Leela Rose) and with Guido Loconsolo in Don Giovanni

The Semperoper Dresden just opened Mozart's Don Giovanni with the barihunk trio of Lucas Meachem as the Don, Guido Loconsolo as Leporello and Evan Hughes as Masetto. The production runs through July 3rd and the cast includes Maria Bengtsson as Donna Anna, Aga Mikolaj as Donna Elvira, Peter Sonn as Don Ottavio, Christina Bock as Elvira and Michael Eder as the Commendatore. Tickets are available online.

Guido Loconsolo sings the Catalog Aria from Don Giovanni:

Lucas Meachem can next be seen at the San Francisco Opera as Dr Malatesta in Donizetti's Don Pasquale, Chorèbe in Berlioz's Les Troyens at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Sharpless in Puccini's Madama Butterfly at the Dallas Opera.

Evan Hughes is now a member of the ensemble at the Semperoper Dresden and can be seen in upcoming performances as Schaunard in Puccini's La bohème, Cesare Angelotti in Puccini's Tosca and Guglielmo in Mozart's Così fan tutte.

Guido Loconsolo can next be seen as Publio in Mozart's La clemenza di Tito at the Teatro Real de Madrid. He also appears on an new CD of Don Giovanni on Sony Classics with Andrei Bondarenko in the title role.

Upcoming broadcasts from the San Francisco Opera

Ildar Abdrazakov & Greer Grimsley

Mark your calendars, as the San Francisco Opera is broadcasting two performances featuring two of our favorite barihunks.

On Jan. 5, they will broadcast Boito's Mefistofele with Ildar Abdrazakov, Patricia Racette, and Ramón Vargas. On Feb. 2, you can hear Wagner's Flying Dutchman with Greer Grimsley, Lise Lindstrom, Ian Storey, Kristinn Sigmundsson and conducted by Patrick Summers. Tune in to KDFC.comhttp://www.kdfc.com, which is available online.

Later broadcast include Bellini's Norma on March 2 in a 1982 performance featuring Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne and Ezio Flagello.

Last season's performance of Verdi's Falstaff with Bryn Terfel on April 6th, followed by Lucas Meachem in Rossini's Barber of Seville on May 4th alongside the Rosina of Isabel Leonard.

On June 1st, they will feature the incredible Leonie Rysanek from a 1976 performance of Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten conducted by Karl Böhm.

It's exactly two weeks until Christmas, have you bought the best stocking stuffer ever? Order your 2014 Barihunks Charity Calendar today. You won't regret it!

Doug Carpenter wins Lotte Lenya Competition

Doug Carpenter from the 2012 Barihunks Calendar

Barihunk Doug Carpenter, who created quite a sensation in our 2012 calendar with his "cupcakes" photo, has won the prestigious 2013 Lotte Lenya Competition. He was the only baritone in the finals, so his victory is especially sweet to us. He walks away with $15,000 in prize money to further his career.

Contestants were required to prepare four selections: an aria from the opera or operetta repertoire; two songs from the American musical theater repertoire (one from the pre-1968 "Golden Age" and one from 1968 or later); and a theatrical selection by Kurt Weill.

Doug Carpenter sporting his Barihunk tee (and some impressive guns!)

Held annually by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music and celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the Lotte Lenya Competition is an international theater singing contest that recognizes talented young singer-actors, ages 19-32, who are dramatically and musically convincing in a wide range of repertoire, and emphasizes the acting of songs and arias within a dramatic context.

Soprano Patricia Racette, British opera and musical theater conductor James Holmes, and Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization President and American Theater Wing Vice-Chairman Theodore S. Chapin served as judges.  

Doug Carpenter: Career is taking off

Next week, Carpenter will be doing a reading backed by Sony Music called Beautiful. He can next be seen at Pennsylvania Shakespeare doing Oklahoma from June 12-30, and then Life Could be a Dream at New York Musical Theater Festival.

Previous winners of the Lotte Lenya competition will be familiar to our readers, including barihunks Lucas Meachem, Liam Bonner and Jonathan Michie, as well as tenor Noah Stewart (who appeared in our year end feature as a tenor who we adore!).

Opera returns to San Antonio; Hot Masetto spotted in Vienna (watch his complete La boheme)

Lucas Meachem to participate in gala for the San Antonio Opera

Earlier this year, we were saddened to report the very sudden demise of the San Antonio Opera. Just as we were preparing a post about their upcoming Don Giovanni, we learned that the Board of Directors had shut the doors due to a lack of cash flow.

We are pleased to announce that representatives for the company have announced that they have raised $500,000 to reopen the doors, scheduled a gala fundraising concert on May 23, 2013 and will announce a new 2014 season shortly. 

The $500,000 raised to date includes $228,000 from the city of San Antonio, contributions from the nine Opera Theater San Antonio board members and challenge grants from the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation and the Tobin Endowment.

The gala concert will include barihunk Lucas Meachem along with Patricia Racette, Susannah Biller, Dolora Zajick, Daniela Mack, Jay Hunter Morris, Alex Shrader and Eric Owens

Alessio Arduini

Thanks to one of our loyal readers, we have learned of a new barihunk singing at the Vienna State Opera. Alessio Arduini, a native of Desenzano del Garda, Italy has joined the roster of the company and is currently singing Masetto opposite fellow barihunk Peter Mattei in Mozart's Don Giovanni. 

 

Upcoming performances include Schaunard in Puccini's La boheme at Covent Garden in December and Silvano in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera at Milan's La scala in July 2013.

There are three performance left of Don Giovanni on October 14, 17 and 20, with additional performances in March 2013. Visit the Vienna State Opera website for additional information.

You can watch Arduini as Schaunard opposite Piotr Beczala as Rodolfo and Anna Netrebko as Mimi in a performance from the Salzburg below (complete opera):

3 Barihunks Named as Finalists in 2012 Lotte Lenya Competition

Doug Carpenter as he appeared in the Barihunks calendar

Three barihunks, including two of our calendar models, are among the twelve finalists in the 2012 Lotte Lenya Competition. Douglas Carpenter, Justin Hopkins and Nicky Wuchinger have all advanced in the competition. The participants will compete for prizes of $15,000, $10,000 and $7,500 in the finals, which will be held on April 21, 2012, at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

Three-time Tony Award nominee and Broadway diva Rebecca Luker will serve as a judge along with Encores! music director Rob Berman and Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization President Theodore S. Chapin.  Held annually by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, the Lotte Lenya Competition is an international theater singing contest that recognizes talented young singer-actors, ages 19-30, who are dramatically and musically convincing in a wide range of repertoire, and emphasizes the acting of songs within a dramatic context. 

Justin Hokins as he appeared in the Barihunks calendar

The competition has attracted numerous barihunks, many of whom have gone on to win the competition. Barihunk winners include Lucas Meachem, Liam Bonner, Zachary James, Cooper Grodin and Justin Lee Miller.

Liam Bonner performs Weill at a recent concert at the Gershwin Hotel:

Other 2012 finalists include mezzos Megan Marino, Cecelia Tickton and Christine Amon; sopranos Briana Elyse Hunter, Mollie Vogt-Welch, Natalie Ballenger and Maria Failla; tenors Matthew Grills and Jacob Keith Watson. The competition will culminate in an evening concert featuring all of the finalists, followed by the announcement of the winners. Both the daytime finals and evening concert are free and open to the public, and will take place in Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music.  The Kurt Weill Foundation will award special prizes in addition to the top prizes, and has already presented an Emerging Talent Award to tenor Robert Ariza and the Grace Keagy Award for Outstanding Vocal Promise to mezzo Kate Tombaugh.

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Major Barihunk Cast Changes Announced in London, Munich and New York

There is nothing like a cast change announcement to get the online opera world abuzz. Three recent announcements involved barihunks at major houses.

Lucas Meachem (L) & Simon Keenlyside (R)

London opera bloggers seem to be taking sides in the recent announcement that American barihunk Lucas Meachem will replace British barihunk Simon Keenlyside for all performances of Le nozze di Figaro due to the latter's illness. The Brits love the ageless Simon Keenlyside and the raw sexuality and swagger he brings to his Mozart portrayals. We've seen Meachem many times and he's a very different performer, but a solid replacement.

Meachem has sung the role of Count Almaviva at Munich’s Bavarian State Opera and the San Francisco Opera. His repertoire also includes the role of Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini’s prequel to Le nozze di Figaro.  Lucas made his Royal Opera debut as Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, most recently performing in the UK as the titular character in Glyndebourne’s Don Giovanni last summer.

Luca Pisaroni: Sexy whether he's "groomed," or not

Baritone Thomas Quasthoff announced his retirement on January 11th due to unspecified health reasons. Theaters have been scrambling to replace the German singer around the globe. At New York's Lincoln Center it was announces that Italian barihunk Luca Pisaroni will step in for Quasthoff in his joint recital with tenor Michael Schade at Alice Tully Hall on March 25.

Luca Pisaroni sings Mozart, Schubert, Tosti + Interview:

Pisaroni, who is currently appearing in the Metropolitan Opera's production of The Enchanted Island, has previously performed alongside Schade on the opera stage.  Pisaroni will present selections by Schubert and Brahms. Schade and Pisaroni will also perform duets by Mendelssohn, Schumann and others.

Diogenes Randes (L) & Thorsten Grümbel (R)

At the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Diogenes Randes announced that due to health reasons, he will be unable to sing the role of Fasolt in the performances of Richard Wagner's Das Rheingold on February 4, 8 and 12, 2012. Taking his place will be Thorsten Grümbel.

Fasolt and Fafner fight in the famous Met production under James Levine:

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Teddy Bare to Make Chicago Debut: Craig Verm Heads Barihunk Casting in Windy City

Teddy Bare aka Teddy Tahu Rhodes

The Lyric Opera of Chicago has released its 2012-13 schedule and two of the sexiest men in all of opera have been cast. Teddy Tahu Rhodes will make his Lyric debut as Stanley in a semi-staged version Andre Previn's "Streetcar Named Desire." There will be four performances, which will be made available to subscribers first before being sold individually. Renee Fleming will sing the role of Blanche Dubois. There will also be a single students-only performance with an understudy cast.

Fans of Teddy Bare will have other opportunities to see him in 2012. In the United States, he will perform Guglielmo in Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" at the Washington National Opera and will also return to the Metropolitan Opera. On the other side of the Equator, he will tackle his first Scarpia with the West Australian Opera and return in his signature role of Don Giovanni with both Opera Australia and Opera de Bordeaux.

Craig Verm as Aeneas

Craig Verm, who unquestionably has one of the nicest chests in opera, is one of the numerous barihunks cast next season. Verm, who has bared his torso as much as Teddy Bare, will be performing the unsexy role of Albert in Massenet's " Werther." However, with Verm playing Albert, we can certainly understand why Charlotte's mother wanted her to marry him and not the suicidal tenor.

For those who want to see Verm in some of his sexier fare, you'll have to travel to the Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile. He'll be performing in both Bizet's "Carmen" and the title role in Britten's "Billy Budd."

Ildebrando d'Arcangelo (L) & Bo Skovhus (R)

Although they've cast a good number of barihunks, none of them will be in roles that show off their non-vocal assets.  For those of you who like "more mature" barihunks, Lyric is rolling out some of the hotter over-40 singers around in some Verdi and Wagner.  

Craig Verm as Zurge and Sean Panikkar as Nadir in the famous Pearl Fishers duet:

Other barihunks appearing with Lyric next year include Bo Skovhus as Beckmesser in Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg," Thomas Hampson as the title character in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo in the title role of Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" and Lucas Meachem as Marcello in Puccini's "La boheme." Visit the Lyric website for tickets and additional performance information.

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San Francisco Opera Delivers Another Great "Don Giovanni"

Ryan Kuster: What was Zerlina thinking?

There has been so much attention paid to the Met's "Don Giovanni" with the last minute cancellation and then probable return of Mariusz Kwiecien, that the opera world has almost forgotten about the Mozart classic opening on the Left Coast.

Regular readers of this site will know that Mariusz Kwiecien's performance of Don Giovanni at the San Francisco Opera was one of the inspirations for this website. In a world of competitive Don Giovanni's, including Teddy Tahu Rhodes' return to the role at Opera Australia, it's nice to see that the San Francisco Opera continues to deliver solid, well-cast performances of the opera.  To top it off, the performances are being led by their extremely popular music director Nicola Luisotti.

Lucas Meachem

The San Francisco Opera's "Don Giovanni" opened on Saturday night with a trio of men that would be the envy of any opera company: The vocally thrilling Lucas Meachem as the Don, Marco Vinco in his U.S. debut at Leporello and future superstar and certified barihunk Ryan Kuster as Masetto. In a bit of fantasy casting, the amazingly talented Kate Lindsey is Zerlina.

Ryan Kuster is a first-year Adler Fellow, recent graduate of the 2010 Merola Opera Program and a former participant in Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts. He is performing a number of roles at the San Francisco Opera this season, including a Mandarin (Turandot), Astolfo (Lucrezia Borgia), Masetto (Don Giovanni), and Escamillo (Carmen).



Performances run through November 10th and tickets and additional cast information are available at the San Francisco Opera website.

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"Johnny Depp of Opera" Takes Over at San Francisco Opera

Kostas Smoriginas & Luca Pisaroni

One would never know that the San Francisco Opera faced budget cuts like every other opera company, as they have opened their season with critically acclaimed performances of Aida, Werther and Le Nozze di Figaro. The first cast of Nozze just wrapped up with the stunning Susanna of Danielle de Niese, barihunk Lucas Meachem as Count Almaviva and Figaro of Luca Pisaroni. The second cast looks just as promising with barihunk Kostas Smoriginas replacing Pisaroni.

The Lithuanian singer is known as the "Johnny Depp of Opera" and he promises to match, if not exceed Pisaroni's, sexy portrayal of Figaro.

Kostas Smoriginas: "Johnny Depp of Opera"

Smoriginas recently wowed audiences at Covent Garden with his Colline and debuted his searingly hot Escamillo at the Israeli Opera. Although this is his debut with the San Francisco Opera, he has previously sung Figaro in the U.S. with the Washington National Opera.

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Lyric Opera of Chicago: Listen To Faust Today

[Rene Pape and Lucas Meachem]


Listen to the Lyric Opera of Chicago's stunning performance of Gounod's Faust today at 1 PM CST. The cast features barihunks Rene Pape as Méphistophélès and Lucas Meachem as Valentin. For additional cast information visit the Lyric Opera of Chicago website. Click HERE to listen to the broadcast.


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Meachem in Paris "Billy Budd"

[Paul Gay and Lucas Meachem]


The much anticipted Billy Budd at the Opéra national de Paris directed by Francesca Zambello has opened. The cast also includes barihunk Paul Gay as Mr. Flint.

The performance runs through May 15 and you can get more information HERE.

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Barihunk Caoduro to Replace Raimondi in L.A.; More Hunks on the Way

Good news for Barihunks fans on the West Coast. It was just announced that barihunk Giorgio Caoduro will replace the legendary Ruggero Raimondi in the Los Angeles Opera production of L'Elisir d'Amore. The adorable Caoduro will take on the role of Dr. Dulcamara.

L.A. Opera favorite and barihunk Nathan Gunn will play the role of Belcore. By the way, Gunn will be singing the Barber of Seville at the LA Opera in November and December of this year with Joyce di Donato and hunkentenor Juan Diego Florez. Gunn will be alternating the title role with fellow barihunk Lucas Meachem, whose cast also includes barihunk prospect Ryan McKinny as Don Basilio. [If we have one criticism of the otherwise wonderful LA Opera, it's that they have a penchant for casting barihunks in the unsexiest roles imaginable!].

RYAN MCKINNY



We love the legendary 67-year-old bass-baritone Ruggero Raimondi, but we think that Caoduro is a casting improvement. He's an amazing comic actor who is just hitting his stride as a major operatic talent. The role of Dr. Dulcamara is perfectly suited to his talents. If you can get to L.A., this should be a "can't miss" performance.

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Kyle Ketelsen's (Almost) Birthday Suit

We're going to celebrate Kyle Ketelsen's birthday with the closest image we have of him in his birthday suit. The world's hottest Méphistophélès will be performing the role again this fall at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He'll be sharing the stage with the amazing young tenor Joseph Kaiser and fellow barihunk Lucas Meachem as Valentin.

We're looking to many more years of Kyle Ketelsen, who is just hitting his prime as a singer.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, you hot devil.

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Meachem Makes Debut as Don Giovanni

Lucas Meachem is in Santa Fe making his debut as Don Giovanni. It looks like Meachem has slimmed down a little and appears to be joining a long list of modern day hunks taking on the title role. The bottom two pictures are from the current production.

Meachem will be performing a few other barihunk roles in the near future, including Billy Budd at the Paris Opera, which also includes barihunk Paul Gay as Mr. Fink. Before he heads off to Paris, he will be performing Valentin in Faust at the Lyric Opera of Chicago with barihunk Kyle Ketelsen as Méphistophélès.

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