Christopher Bolduc takes on Don Giovanni in new concept

Christopher Bolduc (right) as Don Giovanni in Wiesbaden

Christopher Bolduc continues to make his mark at the Staatstheater Wiesbaden in Germany, where he has performed Belcore in Donizetti's L’elisir d’amore, Lescaut in Massenet's Manon, Wolfram von Eschenbach in Wagner's Tannhäuser, Marcello in Puccini's La Bohème and Guglielmo in Mozart's Così fan tutte.

His latest performance will be in the title role of Mozart's Don Giovanni in Nicholas Brieger's new concept where the Don's conflict is as much with growing older, as it is with women. The current run goes from June 17-29 and includes Netta Or as Donna Anna, Ioan Hotea as Don Ottavio, Young Doo Park as the Commedatore, Heather Engebretson as Donna Elvira, Shavleg Armasi as Leporello, Benjamin Russell as Masetto and Katharina Konradi as Zerlina. The production returns later this year in September and October, as well next year from January 30-February 23. Tickets are available online.

Christopher Bolduc sings Britten's "O Waly, Waly":

Bolduc will take a break from playing Mozart's most famous seducer in November to sing the title role in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin opening on November 10th.

Regular readers will remember his recent sexy debut at the National Theatre (Národní divaldo) in Prague in the title role of Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd. The photos are worth checking out HERE.

John Chest simultaneously singing two English language operas in Germany

John Chest as Billy Budd in Berlin

American barihunk John Chest, who just finished a successful run as Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Philadelphia, is back in his home base of Germany where he's pulling off an amazing feat of operatic stamina: He'll be singing two English language operas in Germany simultaneously!

Chest opened on May 26th in the title character of Britten's Billy Budd at the Deutsche Oper Berlin before heading off to the Semperoper Dresden to sing the role of the wealthy stockbroker Nick Carraway in John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby tonight, tomorrow and on June 1st. Hunkentenor Peter Lodahl is singing jay Gatsby and tickets are available online. He then heads back to Berlin for Billy Budd (where the Barihunks team will be in attendance!). To top it off, he also became a father for the first time this year along with his wife soprano Layla Claire.

Chest originally started working on Billy Budd back in 2008 as an apprentice artist and chorus member at the Santa Fe Opera. He made his role debut in 2014 in Berlin in a highly-acclaimed performance, which was the first performance of the piece at the Deutsche Oper. The current production features Gidon Saks as John Claggert, Richard Croft as Edward Vere, Simon Pauly as Donald and fellow barihunk Seth Carico as Mr. Redburn. Tickets are available online.

John Chest at Billy Budd and Gidon Saks as the evil John Claggert

After he wraps us Billy Budd, the jet-setting baritone heads off to the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. Chest, where he'll represent the U.S. along with baritone Anthony Clark Evans. He'll be singing more American music, as he plans on performing Aaron Copland’s “Old America Songs.”

Other barihunks in the competition include bass Dominic Barberi representing England, bass Roberto Lorenzi representing Italy and calendar model Iurii Samoilov reprenting the Ukraine.

The Song Prize rounds will be broadcast in the BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert (June13 -16) with the song prize final live on Radio 3 In Concert (Friday, June 16) and on BBC Four presented by Petroc Trelawny and American soprano Angel Blue (Saturday, June 17).The four concerts at St David’s Hall, Cardiff will be broadcast on BBC Four (June13 - 16). The Grand Final will be broadcast live on both BBC Four and BBC Radio 3 on Sunday, June 18. 

American barihunk Edward Nelson to make European debut

Edward Nelson and Ingeborg Gillebo

American barihunk Edward Nelson will make his European debut at the Norwegian National Opera on April 7th in the title role of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande.

Pelléas et Mélisande was the composer’s only opera and is based on the Nobel Prize winner Maurice Maeterlinck’s play of the same name. The story is about lost love and forbidden relationships.

Remarkably, this will be the first time that the opera has ever been performed at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet. The new production will be directed by Australian Simon Stone, who takes the audience into a closed, tightly-controlled world of dark family secrets, deep chasms, and light, young love.

There are six performances, which run until April. 30th. Ingeborg Gillebo will sing Mélisande every night except opening night, when the role will be sung by Susanna Hurrell. Paul Gay will sing Golaud. Tickets are available online.

Nelson, who just finished his two-year stint at the prestigious Adler Fellow Program under the auspices of the San Francisco Opera, will perform the title role of Hamlet with West Edge Opera in Ambroise Thomas' opera from August 5-19. Fellow barihunk Kenneth Kellogg will appear as the ghost.

Four barihunks take prizes at George London Competition

(Clockwise top left) Will Liverman, Brian Vu, Cody Quattlebaum and Shea Owens

Four barihunks walked away with awards at the 46th annual George London Foundation Awards Competition for young American and Canadian opera singers at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City.

After three days of preliminary auditions, 18 were selected as finalists and a total of $75,000 was given in awards. Five were selected as winners of George London Awards of $10,000, including Will Liverman. Three singers received $5,000 awards, including Cody Quattlebaum and the remainder received $1,000 each, including Shea Owens and Brian Vu.

Barihunk Richard Stilwell in his singing days

his year's panel of judges included soprano Harolyn Blackwell, mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias, former Metropolitan Opera administrator Alfred F. Hubay, George London Foundation President Nora London, mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer, tenor and voice professor George Shirley, and barihunk Richard Stilwell (who won a George London Award at the first competition in 1971). The competition pianist was renowned collaborative pianist Craig Rutenberg.

Other $10,000 prize winners included tenor Aaron Blake, soprano Michelle Bradley, tenor Errin Duane Brooks and soprano Lara Secord-Haid.

Updated Cosi's in Florence and Wiesbaden (and shirtless men!)

Omar Montanari, Juan Francisco Gatell and Simone Alberghini

Così fan tutte at Opera di Firenze

We introduced Italian barihunk Omar Montanari back in 2011. He specializes in comic roles, such as Dandini and Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola and Dulcamara in L'elisir d'amore, and is currently singing Don Alfonso in Mozart's Così fan tutte at the Opera di Firenze through October 27. The popular new production directed by Lorenzo Mariani was sold out on opening night. It updates the action and features lots of shirtless men, as you can see from the pictures above.

The cast also includes Anna Goryachova as Dorabella, Juan Francisco Gatell as Ferrando, barihunk Simone Alberghini as Guglielmo and Giulia Semenzato as Depsina.

Omar Montanari sings Strangers in the Night in Italian (Solo piu' che mai):

Upcoming peformances for Montanari include Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia in Rome and Venice, Taddeo in Rossini's L'italiana in Algieri and Dulcamara in Venice. 

Another new production, directed by Uwe Eric Laufenberg, will open in Wiesbaden on November 1st and feature American barihunk Christopher Bolduc as Guglielmo. The production is offering limited seating on a special rostrum at the back area of the stage,  allowing audiences to get close to the action with the beautiful theater as the backdrop.

Christopher Bolduc and Silvia Hauer (Dorabella) in Wiesbaden

The cast includes Heather Engebretson as Fiodiligi, Silvia Hauer as Dorabella, Ioan Hotea as Ferrando, Gloria Rehm as Despina and Wolf Matthias Friedrich as Don Alfonso.

This season in Wiesbaden, Bolduc can also be seen as Belcore in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore and Sharpless in Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

MAKE SURE TO ORDER YOUR 2016 BARIHUNKS CALENDAR BEFORE THE HOLIDAY RUSH; 18 OF THE WORLD'S HOTTEST SINGER FROM 9 COUNTRIES.

 

Andrew Lovato returns to Minnesota for role debut as Harlequin

Andrew Lovato as Harlequin at Minnesota Opera

Andrew Lovato is returning to the Minnesota Opera to make his role debut as Harlequin in Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos. He made his Minnesota Opera debut as Sonora in Puccini's La fanciulla del West and subsequently performed Young Raymond in the world premiere of Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell's The Manchurian Candidate and Le Dancaïre in Bizet's Carmen.

Performances of Ariadne auf Naxos will run from September 26-October 4 and tickets are available online. Lovato will be joined by Amber Wagner as Ariadne, Brian Jagde as Bacchus, Erin Morley as Zerbinetta and Hanna Hipp as The Composer. 

This summer, Lovato premiered the role of Harry Engel in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Morning Star in his Cincinnati Opera debut. He will be singing the role of Slim in Of Mice and Men with Austin Opera in January 2016. In March 2016, he returns to the Minnesota Opera to perform Angelotti in Puccini's Tosca.

NOW ON SALE: The 2016 Barihunks Charity Calendar

Reader Submission: Jacob Scharfman

Jacob Scharfman (Photos by Scott Bump, left, and Alex Weick, right)

We love that the Reader Submissions are pouring in and the latest is American barihunk Jacob Scharfman, who was spotted by a reader at this last month's 2015 Handel Aria Competition in Madison, Wisconsin. Here's Scharfman's unedited, lighthearted bio:

Baritone Jacob Scharfman is making a splash in Boston, his home city, where he began singing in church-basement children’s operas at age seven. Though he loathed soccer, he loved frilly outfits, and the proscenium offered the only natural outlet for such “originality.” Selected for a Bohème children’s chorus at age ten, he famously told the conductor to “fix his downbeat.” Red (rainbow?) flags were everywhere.

Now taller, lankier, bearded, but still utterly tactless, he’s elbowing his way to stardom. The Boston Musical Intelligencer deems his voice “certain to gain popularity […] well-rounded and rich, maintaining clarity and precision throughout his entire range.” In June, the Boston Classical Review acclaimed his “rich, ringing” performance of Mr. Webb in Ned Rorem’s Our Town with the Boston Opera Collaborative. Other 2015 roles included Rugby in Vaughan William’s Sir John in Love with Odyssey Opera, Prince Yeletsky in Queen of Spades with Harvard’s Lowell House, and the Pilot (cover) in Rachel Portman’s Little Prince with Opera Fayetteville.

Honoring his type-A Jewish overachiever lineage, he’s got a packed concert season ahead. Upcoming engagements include the Henry Purcell Society of Boston, Boston Baroque, Exsultemus, and Schola Cantorum of Boston, in addition to several personal recitals and tapings in preparation for grad school auditions. Wish him luck. For further updates, find him at www.facebook.com/jacobscharfmanmusic or the perennially incomplete jacobscharfman.com.

Barihunks star in Atlanta Opera's new season

David Adam Moore in Winterreise at the Anchorage Opera

Some of the most popular barihunks in the world will be headlining in a number of performances in the just announced 2015-16 Atlanta Opera season.

David Adam Moore, who is currently performing the title role in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin at the Arizona Opera, will bring his critically-acclaimed semi-staged production of Schubert's Winterreise. The production was designed by GLMMR with costumes by Moore's partner Vita Tzykun.

Eugene Opera runs through February 8th at the Arizona Opera and the cast also features barihunk Nicholas Masters as Prince Gremin. Barihunk Chris Carr takes over the title role for one performance on February 7th. Additional information is availabel online.

    .

Matthew Worth will take on David T. Little's Soldier Songs, which David Adam Moore had a critical success with in 2008 when it was presented by Beth Morrison Projects in New York. Worth is currently preparing the role of Sergeant Raymond Shaw in the world premiere of Kevin Puts' The Manchurian Candidate at the Minnesota Opera. The opera opens on March 7 and runs through March 15.

Matthew Worth (left) and Theo Hoffman (right)

Soldier Songs is an evening-length multimedia event that combines elements of theater, opera, rock-infused-concert music, and animation to explore the perceptions versus the realities of the Soldier, the exploration of loss and exploitation of innocence, and the difficulty of expressing the truth of war. The libretto was adapted from recorded interviews with veterans of five wars.

Moving into the standard repertory, rising star Theo Hoffman will sing the role of Schaunard in Puccini's La bohème in a cast that also features Trevor Scheunemann and Leah Partridge. The remainder of their season included Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance and Gounod's Romeo & Juliet. Visit their website for additional information.

Barihunk Kevin Greenlaw proposes to girlfriend mid-duet

Kevin Greenlaw and Marjukka Tepponen

American barihunk Kevin Greenlaw pulled a quick one on his girlfriend soprano Marjukka Tepponen during a New Year's Eve gala in Jyväskylän, Finland. Tepponen walked on stage to sing  the duet "La ci darem da mano" from Mozart's Don Giovanni. On the other side of the stage, she was expecting baritone Mika Pohjonen. However, Greenlaw walked out singing the duet, pulled out a ring, knelt before her and proposed marriage (she accepted, much to the audience's delight).

Marjukka Tepponen and Kevin Greenlaw met last year while singing Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro in Turussa (Turku), Finland. The couple will perform Siblelius' fiendishly difficult Kullervo Symphony with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra on April 17th. 

Much to his delight, she accepted, making them the second operatic couple to get engaged on stage in a week after tenor Pene Pati proposed to Amina Edris during the Christmas holiday. Greenlaw isn't the first barihunk to pop the question on stage. In 2009, Jason Hardy proposed to girlfriend Carrie Kahl after a performance of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at Opera Birmingham (she also accepted).

She was about to sing La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni when, instead of her intended duet partner coming on stage, up popped her boyfriend on bended knee.
She is Finnish soprano, Marjukka Tepponen. He is British baritone, Kevin Greenlawn.
Well, what could she say?
The pop-up happened during a New Year’s gala concert in Jyväskylä, a small Finnish town with its own opera and symphony orchestra.
- See more at: http://slippedisc.com/2015/01/true-romance-soprano-is-bowled-over-by-stage-proposal/#sthash.bWYATgu9.dpuf

She was about to sing La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni when, instead of her intended duet partner coming on stage, up popped her boyfriend on bended knee.
She is Finnish soprano, Marjukka Tepponen. He is British baritone, Kevin Greenlawn.
Well, what could she say?
The pop-up happened during a New Year’s gala concert in Jyväskylä, a small Finnish town with its own opera and symphony orchestra.
- See more at: http://slippedisc.com/2015/01/true-romance-soprano-is-bowled-over-by-stage-proposal/#sthash.bWYATgu9.dpuf

She was about to sing La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni when, instead of her intended duet partner coming on stage, up popped her boyfriend on bended knee.
She is Finnish soprano, Marjukka Tepponen. He is British baritone, Kevin Greenlawn.
Well, what could she say?
The pop-up happened during a New Year’s gala concert in Jyväskylä, a small Finnish town with its own opera and symphony orchestra.
- See more at: http://slippedisc.com/2015/01/true-romance-soprano-is-bowled-over-by-stage-proposal/#sthash.bWYATgu9.dpuf

She was about to sing La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni when, instead of her intended duet partner coming on stage, up popped her boyfriend on bended knee.
She is Finnish soprano, Marjukka Tepponen. He is British baritone, Kevin Greenlawn.
Well, what could she say?
The pop-up happened during a New Year’s gala concert in Jyväskylä, a small Finnish town with its own opera and symphony orchestra.
- See more at: http://slippedisc.com/2015/01/true-romance-soprano-is-bowled-over-by-stage-proposal/#sthash.bWYATgu9.dpuf

She was about to sing La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni when, instead of her intended duet partner coming on stage, up popped her boyfriend on bended knee.
She is Finnish soprano, Marjukka Tepponen. He is British baritone, Kevin Greenlawn.
Well, what could she say?
The pop-up happened during a New Year’s gala concert in Jyväskylä, a small Finnish town with its own opera and symphony orchestra.
- See more at: http://slippedisc.com/2015/01/true-romance-soprano-is-bowled-over-by-stage-proposal/#sthash.bWYATgu9.dpuf

She was about to sing La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni when, instead of her intended duet partner coming on stage, up popped her boyfriend on bended knee.
She is Finnish soprano, Marjukka Tepponen. He is British baritone, Kevin Greenlawn.
Well, what could she say?
The pop-up happened during a New Year’s gala concert in Jyväskylä, a small Finnish town with its own opera and symphony orchestra.
- See more at: http://slippedisc.com/2015/01/true-romance-soprano-is-bowled-over-by-stage-proposal/#sthash.bWYATgu9.dpuf

She was about to sing La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni when, instead of her intended duet partner coming on stage, up popped her boyfriend on bended knee.
She is Finnish soprano, Marjukka Tepponen. He is British baritone, Kevin Greenlawn.
Well, what could she say?
The pop-up happened during a New Year’s gala concert in Jyväskylä, a small Finnish town with its own opera and symphony orchestra.
- See more at: http://slippedisc.com/2015/01/true-romance-soprano-is-bowled-over-by-stage-proposal/#sthash.bWYATgu9.dpuf

Operatic Angels in America premieres in Poland

Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk and David Adam Moore

Barihunks David Adam Moore and Craig Verm created a sensation in 2008 at the Fort Worth Opera in Péter Eötvös' Angels in America as Prior Walter and Joe Pitt respectively. David Adam Moore is back singing the piece with Opera Wrocławsa with Maurice Lenard as Joe Pitt. Moore has also performed the piece with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the BBC Symphony Orchestra to great acclaim. This is the opera's first production in Poland.

The opera will be back in the U.S. from February 19-22 at the Boston University Theatre with a different cast.

Tenor Gyula Rab and baritones David Adam Moore and Maurice Lenhard

Lenhard, a native of Gelnhausen, Germany,  is new to this site. He studied voice at the Hochschule für Musik and the Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main. He originally studied piano and was good enough to take top prizes at the Gründauer Kultursommers and the Willy-Bissing Klavierwettbewerbs Hanau competitions. Like Moore, he is a proponent of contemporary music and performed in the 2013 premiere of the chamber opera Out at SEA with the Péter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation and the Ulysses Network in Budapest.

You can catch Moore again in the United States at the Utah Opera in March when he takes on Guglielmo in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte.

Four baritones in today's 1st round of Mirjam Helin Competition

There are four baritones performing in the preliminary round of the Mirjam Helin International singing competition, including one of our favorites, American John Brancy. He'll be joined by
Hansung Yoo of Korea, Shi Zong of China and Björn Bürger of Germany.

Brancy, who was joined by Ilmari Räikkönen at the piano sang J.S. Bach's Mache dich mein Herze rein from the St. Matthew Passion, Schubert's Nachtstück, Rachmaninov's V moltšani notši tainoi and Thomas' Ô vin, dissipe la tristesse from Hamlet. You can watch his performance HERE.

Korean Hansung Yoo, who was joined by Imari Räikkönen at the piano sang Duparc's Chanson triste, J.S. Bach's Großer Herr und starker König from the Christmas Oratorio, Schumann's Schöne Wiege meiner Leiden and Gounod's Oh sainte médaille... Avant de quitter ces lieux from Faust. You can watch his performance HERE.

Björn Bürger, of Germany was joined by Ilmo Ranta at the piano, and performed Mozart's Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen from the Magic Flute, Schubert's Auf der Bruck, Händel's Why do the nations from the Messiah and Schumann's Ich grolle nicht. You can watch his performance HERE.

Chinese bass Shi Zong was accompanied by Ilmari Räikkönen at the piano and sang J.S. Bach's Quia fecit mihi magna from the Magnificat, Verdi's Di due figli vivea padre beato from Il trovatore, Schubert's Erstarrung and Saint-Saëns' Danse macabre. You can watch his performance HERE.

The preliminary round continues through August 7th with 46 singers competing to get into the semi-finals on August 9-10. The finals will be held on August 13 with the prizewinners performing on August 15th. Tickets for all rounds are available online or at the Lippupiste ticket shop.