Reader Submission: Model turned Barihunk Oleg Loza

Oleg Loza

Our latest Reader Submission is the Moscow bass-barihunk Oleg Loza. We hear numerous barihunks described as having "model looks," but Loza actually was a model at the Slava Zaitsev Model Agency. He modeled while completing his Master's Degree in Voice at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow.

Loza reminds many of his fellow compatriot Dmitri Hvorostovsky, who shares his flowing long hair that gives them both a pop star vibe. Like Hvorostovsky, he is a serious classical singer, who originally studied voice and choral conducting before pursuing a career as a singer. In 2009, he won the prestigious Feodor Chaliapin Singing Competition in Yalta.

Oleg Loza sings Valentin's aria from Gounod's Faust:

After graduating from the Conservatory in 2012, he made his professional debut as Norton in Rossini's La cambiale di matrimonio at the Wiener Kammeroper in Austria. He followed that up with a run as Schaunard in Puccini's La boheme at both the Wiener Kammeroper and Amsterdam's Het Companientheater.

Since that time, he's been a young artist with the Zürich Opera, where he has performed Usciere in Verdi's Rigoletto and Deputato in Verdi's Don Carlo. He is currently singing Happy in Puccini's La fanciulla del West, which runs through July 13th and will run again September 24-October 10.

Our best material comes from our readers, so send your submissions to Barihunks@gmail.com

Barihunk trio in Zurich Faust (and a hunkentenor!)

Kyle Ketelsen, Jose van Dam and Pavol Breslik

We're not sure if the devil made 'em do it, but the Zurich Opera has cast four of the hottest men in opera in one production of Jan Philipp Gloger’s new production of Gounod's Faust. The hotter-than-hell cast is led by barihunks Kyle Ketelsen as Méphistophélès, Elliot Madore as Valentin and Erik Anstine as Wagner. They will be joined by hunkentenor Pavol Breslik as Faust.

The premiere is on November 3rd and runs through December 11th.

Elliot Madore & Erik Anstine

Madore and Anstine are both members of the Opernhaus Zürich ensemble. Madore will also be seen in revivals of Mozart's Così fan tutte as Guglielmo and Schaunard in Puccini's La bohème. On April 25, 2014, he returns to the U.S. in the title role of Mozart's Don Giovanni at Opera Philadelphia, a role that he will reprise in June at the Glyndebourne Festival. Anstine can be seen in upcoming performances of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Handel's Alcina.

We also recommend that you LIKE Elliot Madore's Facebook fan page where you can follow the career of this rising superstar.

Alex Lawrence debuting at Glimmerglass; Debuts new website

Alex Lawrence backstage in Zürich in Carmen and from his new website homepage

Our features on Wes Mason and John Brancy have prompted readers to point us to other new websites from barihunks around the world. The latest is Alex Lawrence, who is currently a member of the ensemble at Opernhaus Zürich. In 2011, Lawrence completed his studies at Philadelphia’s prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts and went on to appear at the Lucerne Festival, Theater Basel, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Tanglewood. He made his European professional debut this past year in the in Berg’s Wozzeck.

On May 23, he'll be appearing as Sam in Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti at Opernhaus Zürich. Later this summer, he'll make his major role debut at the Glimmerglass Festival as Cavaliere Belfiore who becomes king for the day in Verdi's Un Giorno di Regno. Performances will run from July 21-August 24 and the cast also includes two other singers who have appeared on this site, Jason Hardy as Baron Kelbar and Andrew Wilkowske as La Rocca. Glimmerglass is run by director Francesca Zambello, who is credited with coining the phrase "barihunk," so this casting comes as no surprise.

Alex Lawrence sings "Fin ch' han dal vino" from Don Giovanni

Other performances at Glimmerglass this season include über-barihunk Nathan Gunn as Lancelot in Camelot and Ryan McKinny as the title character in Wagner's Flying Dutchman in a cast that includes Jay Hunter Morris as Erik and the amazing Melody Moore as Senta. Check out the Glimmerglass website for additional information.

Make sure to check out Alex Lawrence's new website where you can follow his career, enjoy production photos and view videos. You can also follow him on Twitter @LawrenceBariton.

Erik Anstine spotted skiing in the Alps in a Barihunk tee shirt

Eric Anstine

Check out who was seen in the Swiss Alps sporting his Barihunk tee shirt! None other that former Los Angeles Opera Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program and Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program participant Erik Anstine. The bass-barihunk in now on the roster of the Opernhaus Zürich where he was cast this season as  Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, Biterolf in Tannhäuser, the Second Solier in Salome, Anfisa in the premiere of Eötvös’ Drei Schwestern, and Hausknecht/Wächter in a new production of Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtensk.

He opens tomorrow as one of the Knights of the Holy Grail in Wagner's Parsifal in a cast that includes Angela Denoke as Kundry, Evgeny Nikitin as Amfortas, Stuart Skelton as Parsifal and Jan-Hendrik Rootering as Gurnemanz. Performances run through April 1st and tickets are available online.

Eric Anstine

In the upcoming season, he can be seen as Masetto in Zurich's new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni with fellow barihunk Peter Mattei in the title role, Ruben Drole as Leporello, and hunkentenor Pavol Breslik as Don Ottavio. He'll also be joining two other barihunks in a new production of Gounod's Faust. Anstine will be singing the role of Wagner alongside Elliot Madore and Kyle Ketelson. We can't wait to get a backstage picture of that trio!

Next season he can also be seen alongside the great mezzo Cecilia Bartoli in a Christof Loy production of Handel's Alcina.  Check out the entire 2013/2014 season at the Opernhaus Zürich website.