Belgian barihunk Fabio Lesuisse, who will turn 27 on February 17th, is our newest addition to Barihunks. He is a graduate of the Cologne University of Music and First Prize winner at the 2015 Bach Competition in Barcelona, Spain.
He is currently a guest artist at the Theater Aachen in Germany, where he singing Mercutio in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette and Junior in Bernstein's A Quiet Place, which is part of a double-bill with Trouble in Tahiti.
He has performed the title role in T.J. Hermann's Hamlet at the Theater Dortmund, as well as numerous roles at Oper Bonn, including Morales in Bizet's Carmen, Ned Keene in Britten's Peter Grimes, Marco in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and Ramiro in Ravel's L'heure Espagnole.
Performances of A Quiet Place continue on February 16, 24 and 27, as well as March 10 and April 11. Performances of Roméo et Juliette are on February 17, March 9 and 24, as well as April 4, 13 and 22.
Upcoming performances include Killian in Weber's Der Freischütz, which opens on March 3rd and Aeneas in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, opening this summer.
Belgian-Kiwi barihunk Jarvis Dams is one of six singers chosen to take part in The Kiri Programme, which is a young artist development program under the auspices of the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation. The singers were chosen for thier potential to progress to successful international careers after participating in the one-year program. In addition to singing, they will learn key business skills and communication tips to further their career.
Originally from Belgium, Jarvis has lived in New Zealand for 16 years and now resides in Hamilton. He holds a Master of Music with First Class Honours from The University of Waikato. He completed a vocal apprenticeship program at Astoria Music Festival in Oregon and was a recipient of the University of Waikato Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship. Jarvis placed third in the 2015 New Zealand Aria competition and in 2016 he was selected as both a semifinalist in the Lexus song quest and as a finalist in the IFAC Australian Singing Competition in Sydney.
He will be joined by soprano Eliza Boom, tenor Felipe Manu, soprano Katherine McIndoe, soprano Madison Nonoa and soprano Natahsa Wilson.
The first of five training modules begins at the end of August, with the singers gathering in Auckland under the direction of program head Kathryn Harries, who is Director of the National Opera Studio in London. Harries was a senior judge for the Lexus Song Quest in New Zealand in 2014.
The always inventive and interesting Belgian barihunk and artistic director Romain Dayez has put together a new show called "De Profundis" featuring the music of Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt and Solange Labbe. The show will also include contemporary dance. Dayez who adminsters and performs with the ALLIAGE Art Project will be presenting the performance on September 22 at Eglise Royale Sainte-Marie Church in Brussels, Belgium.
ALLIAGE is a multi-arts performance group that performs traditional to contemporary works while marrying various art forms. The group is committed to honoring authentic musical styles while creating an original artistic vision, usually around one single project.
ALLIAGE brings together all kinds of
artists - including artists, dancers, architects, actors, writers and singers - into unexpected with the goal of reaching a wider audience. This collaborative process is intended to expand artistic boundaries and create new and exciting musical experiences.
The 24-year old singer studied at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles and later at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. He has performed the ancient music and baroque repertory extensively with some of the leading early music conductors in Europe. This includes concerts, oratorios and operas. He has been seen in many standard repertory operas at the Opéra de Metz and Théâtre du Châtelet, and is a regular soloist at the Cathédrale de Bruxelles.
Artistic shot of Romain Dayez
Having grown up in a family of artists, he loves experimenting with new collaborations, having even performed with the Parisian rap group Milk Coffee & Sugar. He should also add "model" to his résumé, as we find his posters featuring his image as eye-catching as any in classical music.
For tickets to De Profundis email alliageartproject@gmail.com or call +33 6 74 35 84 90.
Romain Dayez as Leporello (Photo by Pierre Yellal)
Belgian barihunk Romain Dayez has been on our list of singers to post for over a year. In fact, we tried to get him into this year's Barihunks calendar, but couldn't get a high resolution photo in time. When we saw this photo of him as Leporello from the Festival du Haut Limousin in France we decided that we just couldn't keep him from our readers any longer.
The photo that didn't make the Barihunks calendar
The 22-year-old, who hails from a family of artists, entered the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles in Belgium in 2007 before continuing his music studies at the Conservatoire Supérieur National de Musique in Paris three years later. Much of his early career has been focused on oratorios and baroque repertoire. He seems to have a particular affinity for Mozart, having had success as Nardo in La Finta Giardiniera and Leporello in Don Giovanni. He has a particular passion for French chansons, which he has included in recitals at numerous festivals.
Long-term, he may have a future as an artistic administrator, as he's promoted music from the baroque, as founder of L'Olimpiade, to new music collaborations with groups like the Parisian rappers Milk Coffee & Sugar.
Romain Dayez with Milk Coffee & Sugar performing "Chanter Déchanter"
(at the 1:32, 2:45 & 4:03 marks):
He is currently performing the Phillippe Boesmans/Luc Bondy opera Reigen at the Salle d'art Lyrique at the Paris Conservatoire. On March 17th, he'll sing the role of Christ in Bach's St. Matthew's Passion at the Basiliek van Hulst in Holland. On March 30th, his group L'Olimpiade will perform music by Charpentier and Couperin at the Hôtel de Soubise.
Further down the road he will sing and direct a project about composers Arvo Pärt and Philip Glass with his Alliage Art Project. We will post more about that in the Fall.
