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.

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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.

Chris Carr to perform concert in honor of WWI centenary

Chris Carr

After a successful run as Billy Bigelow in Carousel at the Glimmerglass Festival, Iowa native Chris Carr returns to his home state for a recital called "Remembering WWI and its Meaning in Music." 2014 marks the centenary of the outbreak of WWI, where over 16 million people across the globe lost their lives.  It was the first real instance of total war, where entire nations were pitted against each other; millions of men fought on land, at sea and in the air; modern weaponry caused mass casualties and civilian populations suffered hardships and came under threat of enemy attack.

The recital will be held on September 14th at the University Center in Quasqueton, Iowa.

In the first half he will be performing George Butterworth's A Shropshire Lad, Alban Berg's 4 Gesänge, Op.2, Britten's War Requiem arias, 3 French poplar songs, Korngold's Pierrots Tanzlied and the Soliloquy. After intermission, he will perform Léo Chauliac & Charles Trenet Que reste-t-il de nos amours, Les Feuilles mortes (Autumn Leaves) and Sous le ciel de Paris, made famous by Edith Piaf and Yves Montand.

Upcoming performances include The Polar Express with the Phoenix Symphony on November 30th, The Pilot in The Little Prince at the Washington National Opera in December, and Eugene Onegin with the Arizona Opera in February 2015.

Chris Carr awarded Igor Gorin Memorial Award

Chris Carr & Ryan Kuster

The coveted Igor Gorin Memorial Award is being awarded to a barihunk for the second consecutive year, as Chris Carr will be the 2014 recipient. Last year's winner was Ryan Kuster. Mary Gorin created the Igor Gorin Memorial Award to honor her husband, the late Russian baritone Igor Gorin, by financially assisting talented young vocalists at the beginning of their careers.

Chris Carr is the baritone studio artist at Arizona Opera for the 2013-2014 season.  Chris attended Simpson College and the University of Missouri-Kansas City where he studied with and continues to study with renowned tenor Vinson Cole.  He was a district winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in both 2011 and 2012 and is a 2013 alumnus of the San Francisco Opera Center Merola Program. He will be using the award to support his next audition season as he attempts to move from young artist work to professional work.

Chris Carr will be performing Baron Douphol in Verdi's La traviata from February 28-March 9 and Malatesta in Donizetti's Don Pasquale with the Arizona Opera from April 12-27.

Ryan Kuster will perform Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen at the Virginia Opera from March 21 to April 13 and again with Opera Colorado from May 3-11.

Kasey Yeargain: Another inspirational BariChunk to BariHunk story

Kasey Yeargain

We've featured some amazing stories about singers getting in shape, something that we've dubbed "BariChunk to BariHunk" for the lower voiced men in opera. Perhaps none was as dramatic as Michael Mayes' losing 50 pounds to perform Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, which we featured almost two years ago. That story generated an unbelievable amount of traffic to the site and continues to get frequent hits to this day. It also generated a basket full of emails from singers who were inspired by Mayes' story, including one from an Eastern Europe soprano who claims that it saved her life and gave her new found hope.

Chris Carr toned up. He looks and sounds better than ever!

Michael Mayes became a much ballyhooed operatic sex symbol after his weight loss

Now we've come across the story of another emerging young singer, whose story touched us and we felt needed to be shared with the world. Meet Oklahoma native Kasey Yeargain, who was an apprentice artist at the Des Moines Metro Opera where he performed scenes from Moby Dick, Silent Night, Cosi fan Tutte, and Billy Budd and performed in the mainstage performances of Peter Grimes, Elektra, and Romeo and Juilette. Des Moines Metro Opera seems to be where a lot of singers get in shape. It's no coincidence that Michael Mayes regularly performs there and drags unwitting singers to the gym willingly or by force!  

On May 2nd, Yeargain will make his professional debut as Zuniga in Carmen with Tulsa Opera.

Here's his story of personal transformation in his own words:

"So, in March of 2013 I had just broken up with my girlfriend, I had an absolutely horrible audition season, and the reality of the struggles of being a professional opera singer were really hitting me hard. At this point in my life I was anywhere between 270 to 300lbs, very overweight, depressed, and so insecure about every aspect of my life that it was starting to effect my personal relationships. So, one day, I woke up and said "I'm tired of being a schmuck." That's when I began the change. I did as much bro-science/Youtube research that I could and decided to start cutting my calories and begin Intermittent Fasting. I combined this with weight lifting and hour long walks. The weight practically fell off. I was losing between 3-5lbs a week. At this point I would fill my calories with whatever, but trying to stay clean.

Mezzo Mary Beth Nelson and Kasey Yeargain looking good!

My greatest obstacle: One of the only good things that came from my auditions last year was earning a position as an apprentice artist at Des Moines Metro Opera. But, I knew that summer programs tend to do two things: increase your daily drinking and make you gain weight. I was determined to drink very little and LOSE weight. I was tempted by scotch and snacks EVERY night. That combined with after show parties, group dinners, and the never ending treats, I was constantly tested! My secret: Epic cheat days. Every Saturday I ate anything and everything I wanted. My fellow apprentice artists called it Faturday. It satiated my taste for junk food and gave me something to look forward to. I ran and lifted weights every day, and I was constantly looking for pick up games of basketball to play with the other apprentice artists. (I kept them in shape!!!!)

My weight loss continued throughout the program and after I left. However, I was an idiot and let my calories get cut down to 1600. That combined with the amount of exercise I was doing, I was in full blown starvation mode. My weight loss stalled completely. I did some more research and began reverse dieting "Slowly adding in calories," still indulging in my cheat days. My weight loss picked up again. I got down to 203lbs and began focusing hard on increasing the weight on my big lifts. Bench, dead lift, squat, pull ups and dips. I also began to track my macros, making sure I got efficient amounts of protein. I bulked back up to 211lbs and began a small cut to get the lean, scrappy look I wanted for Frank Maurrant in Street Scene. I stopped looking at the scale and focused on the mirror. I got lean enough where I even had a (brief) shirtless scene.

After completing Street Scene and my recital, I finally weighed myself again. I weighed 196lbs. I had lost anything between 80-100lbs. I went from a 40inch waist to a 34. AND, I got stronger. But, more than anything, I now have a sense of confidence that I've never had before. I know that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. If anybody has any questions, please feel free to hit me up."

Merola Opera to present The Rape of Lucretia

Chris Carr and Kate Allen

The Merola Opera program in San Francisco will be presenting Britten's "The Rape of Lucretia" on July 11 and 13. Performing the critical role of Tarquinius will be Chris Carr, who we've featured on this site for his amazing physical transformation after taking up the Sparticus workout. He was also featured in our "Top 25 of 2012" for his transformation.

Of course, "The Rape of Lucretia" is one of our favorite operas, since it features three major baritone roles. In this performance, directed by Peter Kazaras, Carr will be joined by Efrain Solís as Junius and David Weigel as Collatinus. Solís was as a finalist in the most recent Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions as well as this year's Eleanor McCollum Competition. Weigel was recently a member of the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center, where he sang Colline in Puccini's La bohème and Don Basilio in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia.

The cast of "The Rape of Lucretia" also includes tenor Robert Watson as the Male Chorus, soprano Linda Barnett as the Female Chorus, mezzo Kate Hannigan as Bianca and soprano Alisa Jordheim as Lucia. Tickets are available online.

Don't forget to check out our popular Rape of Lucretia photo tribute.

NY Post: "He's bari-toned!" - Opera and Fitness

Ildar Abdrazakov

Today' New York Post features an article called "He's bari-toned!," about the new obsession that some opera singers have for fitness. First of all, we love the word "bari-toned" as a term for an opera singer getting fit. (Urban Dictionary, are you listening?). The article also features a "before and after" gallery of soprano Maria Callas, baritone Stan Lacy, tenor Michael Fabiano and soprano Deborah Voight.

With the advent of HD broadcast and YouTube, the issue of a singer's appearance is gaining more attention. Savvy singers are realizing that they're competing with movies and television, as much as the rival singer auditioning for the Met. Singers are also realizing that a healthy diet and a good fitness regimen is lengthening careers in an era of increasing competition. There's a reason that a buff 50-year Dmitri Hvorostovsky is busier than ever or the active 63-year old Ferruccio Furlanetto is playing roles like Attila, a plum leading role sought by singers half his age.

The amazing transformation of emerging talent Chris Carr

It's also refreshing to see someone like Met General Manager Peter Gelb admit that HD broadcasts play into the equation when casting, but also acknowledging that no-one is going to pass up a great voice. What gets lost in this article is the nuance of casting a Brunnhilde or casting a La boheme for international HD broadcast. Also, the old assumption that Maria Callas' voice faded solely because of her weight loss is a huge canard. In 1952, after director Luchino Visconti suggested that she lose weight, the singer swallowed doses of iodine which adversely affected her voice. It wasn't the weight loss, it was how she chose to lose weight.

Seth Carico: Before and After

Singers today, are losing weight through proper diet, exercise and yoga. Many singers like Seth Carico used the Spartacus workout routine to shed a few dozen pounds. Facebook even has a Spartacus site for opera singers called Operaticus where tenors, mezzos, baritones and sopranos share stories and photos about getting in shape. Singers use the site to find others in the area who want to work out together, suggest workout music, ask questions and kvetch about having to get through a routine.

Michael Mayes: Bari-Chunk to Bari-Hunk"

We've seen some amazing physical transformations on this site, including Michael Mayes, whose career took off after an amazing physical transformation allowed him to embody the role of Joseph De Roucher in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, and Chris Carr, who suddenly stood out in a group of emerging young singers as a believable physical and vocal artist. In fact, Michael Mayes' feature "Bari-Chunk to Bari-Hunk" has remained one of our most visited posts and has been cited to us by numerous singers of all vocal types as an inspiration to live a healthier life and work on their appearance. And who can forget William Berger's amazing transformation that made him an operatic pinup boy overnight?

We'll leave you with the words of Peter Gelb from the New York Post's article:

The Met’s general manager, Peter Gelb, says that while larger singers aren’t overlooked, appearance is often a consideration. “We don’t pass on any great singers,” insists Gelb, “but we’re also looking for people who are believable in the world they play.” So does the Met cherry-pick its stars with its eyes more than its ears? “We audition with both,” Gelb says, adding: “If you can’t sing on the stage of the Met, it doesn’t matter what you look like.”

If you want to enjoy an entire year of buff baritones, make sure to order you Barihunks calendar today! It's just over two weeks until 2013 arrives and you won't want to miss one day of these hot guys.

Click below for the standard size calendar:

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Michael Mayes: Rockabilly Cowboy or Flexin' Texan?

Michael Mayes rehearses “Die Fledermaus” with the Opera on the James

Michael Mayes was not only one of our most popular singers featured in last  year's calendar, but he became an inspiration for other singers after he appeared in our "BariChunk to BariHunk" feature. The Texas baritone lost fifty pounds and buffed up to play the role of Joseph de Rocher in Jake Heggie's "Dead Man Walking." The post has become one of our ten most visited posts of all-time.

Chris Carr's transformation was inspired by Michael Mayes

His workout routine consisted mostly of a fierce dedication to the Spartacus workout program. While at the Des Moines Opera earlier this year, he inspired countless singers, especially fellow baritone Chris Carr, who went through an amazing transformation.

Mayes also started a Facebook site called Operaticus where singers can go and post their progress with the Spartacus workout, ask questions or post workout tips.

Michael Mayes using a rock for his workout when there were no barbells

Mayes is curently preparing to open as Gabriel Eisenstein in Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus with Opera on the James in  Lynchburg, Virginia. The cast also includes fellow barihunk and 2012 calendar model Jordan Shanahan as Dr. Falke. There is one performance on Sunday, November 11th. Tickets are available online.

A recent feature article on Mayes in the Lynchburg Burg newspaper referred to Mayes as the "Rockabilly Cowboy" (or as we'll call him, Rockabilly Baritone). However, he's also been dubbed the "Flexin' Texan." We want readers to decide which is the best nickname for Mayes. You can vote in the sidebar to the right.

Buy your Barihunks calendar here:

Free Barihunk Concerts in Iowa & New York

Cedar Rapids, Iowa is probably best known for corn, Quaker Oats and for being the home of actor Ashton Kutcher and NFL quarterback Kurt Warner. It's also a surprisingly cultural city, with a thriving arts scene deeply rooted in Eastern European immigration. So we weren't surprised when we learned that two Iowa natives were coming to Mount Mercy University for a free concert.

On Sunday, April 29, at 3:30 p.m. soprano Katharine Goeldner will join emerging barihunk Chris Carr for the program "A Path to the Future: Music of Discovery" in the University Center Commons. The performance is free and open to the public. The duo will perform Gustav Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer and Rückert Lieder, and arias by Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Korngold, Barber, and more. The concert is the first musical performance held in Mount Mercy's new University Center.

Carr will be appearing next season with Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Yamadori in Butterfly and Pish-Tush in Mikado!

In October, he will take on the daunting baritone role in the Carmina Burana with the Kansas City Ballet.

Matthew Morris

We adore the multi-talented Matthew Morris, who seems destined for an amazing career. If you're near the bucolic Hudson River valley, don't miss the chance to see Morris in his graduate vocal recital on Saturday, April 21, 2012, 3:00 pm at the Bard College Conservatory of Music. Tickets are free and can be obtained by calling (845) 758-7196.

Morris will be accompanied on the piano by Milena Gligic in a program that includes Charles Ives'
Down East, Charlie Rutlage and General William Booth Enters into Heaven; Franz Schubert's Fischerweise and Des Fischers Liebesglück; Peter Warlock's My Own Country; Claude Debussy's
Troi Ballades de François Villon; Tom Cipullo's "A Death in the Family" (from The Land of Nod); Irving Gifford Fine's "Lenny the Leopard" (from Childhood Fables for Grownups); and, Gabriel Fauré's En Sourdine.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Free Masterclass with Chris Carr and Joyce DiDonato

If you're in the Kansas City area on Wednesday, March 21, 2012, you can hear emerging barihunk Chris Carr for free. He'll be performing a masterclass with world-renowned mezzo Joyce DiDonato and the Kansas City Symphony at 7 p.m.

DiDonato recently won a Grammy for best classical vocal solo for her album “Diva Divo.” She will give her first Kauffman Center performance at 8 p.m. March 23-24 and at 2 p.m. March 25 with the Kansas City Symphony.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/17/3493204/songs-link-womens-passion.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/17/3493204/songs-link-womens-passion.html#storylink=cpy

The masterclass features three Kansas City-area vocal students, including University of Missouri/Kansas City student Chris Carr, who studies with famed tenor Vinson Cole. Carr was a Lyric Opera of Kansas City Artist Apprentice in the 2011–12 season. Carr will perform "Largo al factotum" from Rossini's Barber of Seville.

Listen to Chris Carr performing the Tanzlied from Korngold's 

Die Tote Stadt at a Des Moines Opera masterclass:

   

Here's a more recent recording of Chris Carr singing Largo al factotum:

The event is free, but register HERE to ensure seating.

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com 

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Potential Barihunks in Met Opera Midwest Regional Auditions in Tulsa, Oklahoma

The field is set for the Midwest Regional Auditions in Tulsa, Oklahoma for Saturday, February 11th. There will be eleven singers competing, including three mezzos, five tenors and three baritones, who we think might have some barihunk potential.

Adam Hendrickson

Adam Lance Hendrickson began his vocal studies under the direction of Japanese-American soprano, Yoko Shimazaki-Kilburn at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.  After performing in many operas including Die Zauberflöte, Madama Butterfly, and Giulio Cesare in Egitto, he starred in the title role of Don Giovanni in Ball State Opera Theatre’s 2009 production.  He graduated with a B.M. in Vocal Performance in May of 2009.  In the fall of 2009, Adam began his graduate studies at Northwestern University.  He was the recipient of the Bienen School of Music’s Eckstein Scholarship which granted him a full-tuition scholarship.  Adam began studying voice with Bruce Hall, who remains his voice teacher to this very day.

Hendrickson performing Mozart in 2009:

Operatic credits at Northwestern include: Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, Papageno in The Magic Flute, and Frank Maurrant in Street Scene.  Adam was also the featured baritone soloist in the 2011, Northwestern Symphony Orchestra’s performance of the Brahms Requiem under the baton of Robert Harris.

Hendrickson is currently under contract with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Chicago Opera Theatre.

Chris Carr

Chris Carr is a 2011-2012 apprentice artist with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. He graduated from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa where he performed in the Marriage of Figaro. Simpson  is currently a graduate student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City where he has performed in Don Giovanni. 

Carr performing Korngold's Tanzlied:

He has also performed in Tosca and  Cosi fan tutte with the Cedar Rapids Opera, as well as in La boheme, Les Mamelles de Tirésias with the Des Moines Metro Opera.
 

Alex DeSocio, Baritone

Wichita native Alex DeSocio received his BM in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University in 2010. DeSocio was a former division 1 college football prospect until a severe injury ruined his chances of a college career.

During his undergraduate program, he performed the roles of Assan/The Consul, Antonio/The Marriage of Figaro and Figaro/The Ghosts of Versailles. DeSocio attended the Aspen Music Festival in summer 2009. Last January, he performed the role of Silvio in the In Series Theater’s production of I Pagliacci by Leoncavallo. Over the summer, DeSocio performed the role of L’horloge comtoise/L’enfant et les sortilèges (Castleton Festival) under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel. DeSocio is a student of Dominic Cossa. This spring, DeSocio will sing Pip/Miss Havisham’s Fire and Man with a Shoe Sample Kit/Postcard from Morocco.

WE WISH ALL THREE THE BEST OF LUCK!!!

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com