Barihunk Trio in Boston's Rape of Lucretia

Brandon Cedel, Duncan Rock and David McFerrin (Photos from artist's websites)

Boston Lyric Opera’s season of rebels, dissenters and tales of strong women continues with Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, The entire series of operas is being led by women directors.

The Rape of Lucretia will feature a trio of barihunks, led by Duncan Rock as Tarquinius, Brandon Cedel as Collatinus and David McFerrin as Junius. They'll be joined by Kelley O’Connor as Lucretia, Margaret Lattimore as Bianca, Sara Womble as Lucia, and Jesse Darden and Antonia Tamer as the Male Chorus and Female Chorus. The opera runs from March 11-17 at the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter in Boston's Fort Point Neighborhood. Tickets are available online.

Brandon Cedel  & Duncan Rock rehearsing (Photo: BLO)

Duncan Rock created a sensation when he performed the role of Tarquinius with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera in a performance that was broadcast worldwide. He also performed the role at the Deutsche Oper Berlin to great acclaim. Rock made his U.S. stage debut the Boston Lyric Opera in the title role of Mozart's Don Giovanni in 2015.

The opera tells the story of Lucretia, who is raped by the tyrant Tarquinius Superbus, ruler of Rome. Unable to live with the shame, Lucretia  commits suicide. The action of the opera is commented on throughout by a Male and Female Chorus who occupy another dimension, at times narrating the story and at times voicing the thoughts of the different characters.  The opera was not particularly well received by audiences or critics at the time, but the chamber opera has grown in popularity in recent years.

Duncan Rock rehearsing Tarquinius (Photo courtesy BLO)

Brandon Cedel is making his role debut as Collatinus. David McFerrin has been a regular at the Boston Lyric Opera, appearing as Ferguson in Burke & Hare, an Officer in Glass' In The Penal Colony, Kuligin in Katya Kabanova, Captain McFarlane in Lizzie Borden and Yamadori in Madam Butterfly.

Did you know that Duncan Rock started his musical career playing the bagpipes, and that he also played basketball as well as the bass?

Barihunk quartet in Boston Lyric Opera's killer world premiere

Jesse Blumberg and Craig Colclough (Photo: Liza Voll)

The world premiere of Boston Lyric Opera's The Nefarious, Immoral but Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke & Mr. Hare may be about missing cadavers, but it's certainly not missing its fair share of barihunks. Jesse Blumberg and Craig Colclough portray the title characters Mr. Burke and Mr. Hare, while David McFerrin sings Ferguson and David Cushing is Donald, one of the unfortunate victims of the duo.

Set in 1820s Scotland – when the city’s famed schools of anatomy faced a severe shortage of fresh cadavers for their lectures – the opera follows William Burke, William Hare and their accomplices who discover a money-making opportunity by murdering disenfranchised citizens and selling their corpses to Dr. Robert Knox at his renowned medical academy.

David McFerrin and David Cushing

The chamber opera will be the first full-length piece in Boston Lyric Opera's New Works series. Performances will be staged at the Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama, an historic building whose neoclassical Victorian style reflects the story’s 19th century time period, and whose circular interior recalls early operating theaters where observers watched medical procedures.

We also hear that Jesse Blumberg performs the climactic scene in nothing but skivvies. 

The cast also includes tenors William Burden and Michael Slattery, sopranos Marie McLaughlin, Michelle Trainor and Antonia Tamer, as well as mezzo-sopranos Emma Sorenson and Heather Gallagher. Performances are on November 8, 9 and 12 (matinee and evening) and tickets are available online.

Brad Baron from Barihunks Calendar and Book

Our 2018 Barihunks Calendar, which includes 20 of opera's sexiest men is now available for purchase HERE. In response to reader demand, we've also added a Barihunks Photo Book this year, which includes additional photos that don't appear in the calendar. You can purchase that HERE. The New Year is approaching faster than you think!

Barihunk duo in new opera at Boston Lyric Opera

Jesse Blumberg & David McFerrin

Barihunks Jesse Blumberg and David McFerrin will be featured in the world premiere of composer Julian Grant and librettist Mark Campbell’s The Nefarious, Immoral but Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke & Mr. Hare. The opera will be the first full-length piece in Boston Lyric Opera's New Works series.

Set in 1820s Scotland – when the city’s famed schools of anatomy faced a severe shortage of fresh cadavers for their lectures – the opera follows William Burke, William Hare and their accomplices who discover a money-making opportunity by murdering disenfranchised citizens and selling their corpses to Dr. Robert Knox at his renowned medical academy.

The opera will be staged at the Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama, an historic building whose neoclassical Victorian style reflects the story’s 19th century time period, and whose circular interior recalls early operating theaters where observers watched medical procedures.

The cast also includes tenor William Burden and soprano Marie McLaughlin. 

The upcoming season will also include Puccini's Tosca, Kurt Weill's Three Penny Opera and Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of his birth. Tickets and additional cast information is available online.

Introducing Hungarian barihunk Attila Dobak

Attila Dobak in The Merry Widow (left) at Boston Lyric Opera

Jesse Blumberg and David McFerrin, two barihunks who we've frequently featured on this site, just performed in Lehar's The Merry Widow with the Boston Lyric Opera. Not featured in the credits was another barihunk, Attila Dobak, who was in a minor role, but has major barihunk chops.

Dobak was born in Budapest, Hungary and studied clarinet when he was seven and piano when he was twelve. He was inspired to study voice after watching the 3 Tenors Concert with Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo. He started studying voice at age sixteen and eventually was accepted into the Béla Bartok Conservatory of Music in Budapest, where he majored in Classic Voice and Opera. He also has a Masters Degree in Marketing & Communications from Corvinus University in Budapest.

He went on to study at the Longy School of Music at Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At Longy and Opera North (where he was a young artist), he performed Bartolo and Figaro in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Raimondo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, and Gideon March in Mark Adamo's Little Women.

In 2014, Dobak was invited to perform at the Miami Summer Music Festival by Michael Rossi, the conductor of the Washington National Opera, where he sang Figaro in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. He also appeared on NBC giving a solo opera performance with the Miami Summer Music Festival Orchestra.

He is currently based in Boston, where he is a member of the Boston Lyric Opera. In addition to The Merry Widow, he appeared in their production of Puccini's La boheme.

His goal in life is to become an opera/crossover singer and you can find examples of him singing opera on his YouTube page, as well as covers of Bruno Mars, Josh Groban and Broadway musicals.

David McFerrin interviewed on public radio for Medieval Holiday Concert

David McFerrin and Medieval Christmas tapestry

David McFerrin, who we last featured singing in Philip Glass' The Penal Colony with Boston Lyric Opera, is going back a few centuries to perform "Christmas in Medieval England" with the Blue Heron music ensemble. They opened last night in Cambridge, Massachusetts and will perform two more show there today and an additional show in Providence on Sunday, December 20. Tickets are available online.

David McFerrin and Blue Heron perform Leonel Power's Gloria OH 21:

Blue Heron has been performing vocal music of the Renaissance and medieval periods for over 15 years and McFerrin has performed and traveled with the ensemble. The current concert includes music for Advent and Christmas from 15th-century England, including motets by Leonel Power and John Dunstaple, English carols, and Sarum plainchant.

Eric Westerfelt of public radio's Here & Now show recently interviewed McFerrin and Scott Metcalfe, the music director of Blue Heron, which you can listen to below.



In March 2016, McFerrin will return to the Boston Lyric Opera to perform in Massenet's Werther and then the following month in Lehàr's The Merry Widow with fellow barihunk Jesse Blumberg. He'll also be performing a concert of Broadway hits with the Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota.

ONLY 12 DAYS UNTIL THE NEW YEAR! Time is running out to order your 2016 Barihunks Charity Calendar, featuring 18 of the sexiest men in opera. ORDER TODAY by clicking HERE (you won't regret it!).

Marco Vassalli and Malte Roesner

David McFerrin in Philip Glass rarity in Boston

David McFerrin

Barihunk David McFerrin will play The Officer in Boston Lyric Opera's performance of Philip Glass’ In the Penal Colony at the Cyclorama at Boston Center for the Arts from November 11-15, 2015. The production will be directed by the innovative R. B. Schlather and also features tenor Neal Ferreira as the The Visitor and Yury Yanowsky as The Soldier.

In the Penal Colony is a one-act, three-character chamber opera, which Glass dubbed a “pocket opera” for its small cast and musical ensemble. In the Penal Colony is in English and plays out in 16 scenes and features a libretto by Rudy Wurlitzer.

The opera is based on the 1914 Franz Kafka short story: a pitch-black fable about crime and a very unusual punishment.  In the Penal Colony tells the story of The Officer and The Visitor -- and an ominous machine designed to punish prisoners for their crimes. The opera debuted in 2000 at ACT Theater in San Francisco in a co-production with Chicago’s Court Theater. It premiered in New York City the following year and has subsequently had several productions in Europe and Australia, but hasn’t been seen in the U.S. for 14 years.

This isn't Boston Lyric Opera's first foray into Glass' operas, as they produced a highly popular version of his Akhnaten in 1999.

Tickets and additional information are available online.

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

 

Two barihunks in Lizzie Borden world premiere

David McFerrin & Daniel Mobbs

We can't think of a better opera to promote on Halloween than Jack Beeson's Lizzie Borden. The Boston Lyric Opera is presenting a new chamber version of the piece at their Opera Annex on November 20, 22, 23 and 24.

Of course, we all remember the basic synopsis from the children's rope-skipping rhyme: "Lizzie Borden took an axe, And gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one."

For those of you who don't know the story, Lizzie Borden was tried and acquitted in the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. There has been controversy ever since about her guilt or innocence.

Boston Lyric Opera has commissioned a new chamber version of the work, which premiered in its full-length, three act version at the New York City Opera on March 25, 1965. The revised piece is in seven scenes and stars two singers who have appeared on this site, Daniel Mobbs as the father and David McFerrin as Captain Jason McFarlane.

For additional information or to purchase tickets call 617.542.6772 or email boxoffice@blo.org.

Boston Herald Features Barihunks

The Boston Herald is running a feature on Barihunks in today's paper. The article focuses on three singers from the region: Douglas Williams, David McFerrin and Andrew Garland. We particularly like their subheader, "Verdi Verdi Hot." You can read the entire article on their website.

The Herald also featured the following photo of Douglas Williams that somehow escaped us.

Douglas Williams

David McFerrin to sing Kurt Weill program

David McFerrin

Yesterday's Walt Whitman post included a selection by Kurt Weill, which reminded us that barihunk David McFerrin is performing the composers work on June 3 and 5 as part of the Artist Series Concerts of Saratoga. He'll be joined by soprano Stella Zambalis and pianist Joseph Holt. Tickets are available online. Unfortunately, the website doesn't list the program.

We first featured McFerrin when he was scheduled to sing Weill's "Berlin" with the New York Festival of Song in San Francisco.

David McFerrin singing Libby Larsen's "Before Loving You":

Make sure to check out the video of McFerrin singing Libby Larsen's "Before Loving You" above. The Fort Worth Opera just announced that it will produce the world premiere of the composer's new opera "A Wrinkle in Time," based on the science-fiction novel by Madeleine L'Engle. Learn more here.

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Barihunk Chart Topper; Great Gatsby in SF; Andrew Garland for Valentine's Day: Meikle Takes Marcello to Italy

David McFerrin (Top L), David Adam Moore (Bottom L) & Jesse Blumberg (R)

A little over two weeks ago we mentioned the CD release party and concert for the Five Borough Music Festival's songbook of works by twenty composers. Each song was inspired by places, themes, and poetry from every corner of New York City. We're thrilled to announce that the CD has shot up the Classical Billboard charts to #12 ahead of the Metropolitan Opera and Sir Paul McCartney. Barihunks David Adam Moore, Jesse Blumberg and David McFerrin are all featured on the CD.

Composers include Lisa Bielawa, Tom Cipullo, Mohammed Fairouz, Ricky Ian Gordon, Daron Hagen, Gabriel Kahane, Jorge Martin, Russell Platt, Matt Schickele and more. Click HERE to buy your copy today.

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone involved!

Jason Detwiler & Susannah Biller (photo by Steve DiBartolomeo)

Last February, we featured Ensemble Parallèle’s production of Philip Glass' "Orphée" with barihunks Eugene Brancoveanu and Austin Kness. The innovative young company is back with another barihunk, Jason Detwiler, in their production of John Harbison’s "The Great Gatsby." The soprano is Susannah Biller Kness who, you guessed it, is married to barihunk Austin Kness.

The Great Gatsby will run from February 10-12 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Performing Arts in San Francisco.  Jason Detwiler is performing the role of Nick Carraway.  Visit the Ensemble Parallèle website for additional cast and performance information.   

Andrew Garland: Our Favorite Valentine

Back in July we mentioned the New York Festival Of Song's upcoming season and we've been following each concert throughout the season. We're particularly excited  about the February 14th concert for Valentine's Day entitled "A MODERN PERSON’S GUIDE TO HOOKING UP AND BREAKING UP." The concert will examine the full range of modern love with affection and humor through songs of Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, The Bobs, Noël Coward, Jason Robert Brown, Ed Kleban, and others. Subjects range from voyeurism, S&M, and ménages à trois, to good old-fashioned heart-to-heart love. The concert also repeats on February 16 at 8:00PM at Merkin Concert Hall.

Most importantly, the concert includes our favorite Valentine's Day barihunk, Andrew Garland.  Click HERE to spent your Valentine's Day with the hottest redhead in opera.

Laurence Meikle

Laurence Meikle debuts as Marcello in Puccini’s "La Boheme" tonight at the Teatro Guiditta Pasta in Saronno, Italy. There will be an additional performance at the Teatro dell’Opera di Milano in Varese on February 4th.

Regular readers might remember Meikle from our "Hottest Aussie Barihunks" or our feature on his performance of Marcello at a Soho restaurant in London.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

New Yorkers, Don't Miss This: Five Borough Songbook Concert and CD Release on Thursday

Don't miss the Five Borough Songbook concert and CD release party

We've been covering the Five Boroughs Music Festival as it has moved around New York, but the January 12th concert in Manhattan promises to be extra special. In addition to the concert they wil be releasing their first recording that day, a stunning 2-disc set of the Songbook. We've had the privilege of previewing the recording and it is a must for any lover of art songs or opera.

We can't think of a better evening out than hearing a concert and then heading home with a CD of the all the great music that you just heard. The Songbook is a collection of newly commissioned vocal works by many of the leading composers working today. It celebrates New York City through its history, poetry, and geography. Some of the titles will certainly evoke distinct images or memories to New Yorkers past and present. They include "F From Dumbo," "G Is For Grimy: An Ode To The G Train," and "Coney Island Avenue."

Barihunk David McFerrin will sing Martin Hennessy's "The City's Love"

Did you ever wish that you could have spoken to Bach, Schubert, Verdi or Puccini? Unless you're Shirley MacLaine, you missed your chance. But you'll have a chance to talk to many of the composers on the program on Thursday night, as quite a few of them have agreed to appear for a "Composer Chat" beginning an hour before the 7:30 PM concert.


The concert will be at Engleman Recital Hall at the Baruch Performing Arts Center 55 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. Click HERE for tickets or HERE to purchase a CD.

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David McFerrin in Opera and Song

Opera Boston does Berlioz with David McFerrin

We've followed the career of David McFerrin from Boston to Seattle to Germany and now back to Boston. The Massachusetts native returns to his home turf this week to perform Claudio in Berlioz's "Beatrice et Benedict" with Opera Boston. The opera will be performed on October 21, 23 and 25 at the Cutler Majestic Theater in Boston. The production will be updated from the 16th century to Sicily of the 1950s.

David McFerrin Adds His Voice to the Five Borough Festival

Second chances don't come along often, so if you missed the first performance of the Five Borough Songbook, you'll want to grab their follow up show in Queens at at the Flushing Town Hall on November 12. If you can't make it out to Queens, there are performance left in the remaining three boroughs. as the Songbook comes to Manhattan on January 12, the Bronx in May 2012 and finally to Staten Island in June 2012.

David McFerrin, who relishes singing song recitals, is reason enough to spend an afternoon in Queens. He will be singing Glen Roven's "F from DUMBO," John Glover's "8:46 AM, Five Years Later," their new 20th song, Martin Hennessy's "The City's Love," as well as Ricky Ian Gordon's duet "O City of Ships."

The Songbook, a collection of 20 brand new songs by 20 unique composers, celebrates New York City through its history, poetry, and geography – and its most promising musical talent. Composers who wrotes works for the Five Borough Songbook include Glen Roven, Daron Hagen, Renée Favand-See,  John Glover,  Ricky Ian Gordon,  Yotam Haber,  Martin Hennessy,  Gabriel Kahane,  Gilda Lyons,  Jorge Martín,  Russell Platt,  Matt Schickele,  Richard Pearson Thomas,  Christopher Tignor,  Scott Wheeler  and Mohammed Fairouz.

Visit the Five Borough Songbook website for additional cast and performance information.

For those of you in Texas, McFerrin will be joining the San Antonio Symphony for Handel's Messiah on December 2 & 4. Visit their website for additional information. 

Here is David McFerrin singing Libby Larsen's "Before Loving You:"



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Barihunks in Boston

David McFerrin (Far Left) and Christian van Horn (R) (Photos by Jeffrey Dunn for Boston Lyric Opera © 2011)

The Boston Lyric Opera's performance of Handel's "Agrippina" is opening on Friday, March 11 with barihunks Christian Van Horn and David McFerrin (and lots of countertenors). For additional cast and performance information visit the BLO website. 

David McFerrin: Rising Star

McFerrin has been featured on this site before as one of the alternating leads in the Seattle Opera's premiere of Daron Hagen's "Amelia" (the other lead was Nathan Gunn). He was also a standout in Steven Blier's "New York Festival of Song" singing some of the more provocative songs on the program. McFerrin was also a Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions finalist and we encourage anyone in the Boston area to check out this rising star.

Here is a clip of Christian Van Horn performing in Lucretia Borgia at the Bavarian State Opera.

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David McFerrin

[Photo by © Alan Alabastro]


We found this photo of David McFerrin at the Seattle Opera's blog and felt that it was worth posting. McFerrin is alternating the role of Paul in Daron Aric Hagen's "Amelia" with fellow barihunk Nathan Gunn. There are five performances left with McFerrin set to take the stage for the final time on May 16th.

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Amelia Premieres in Seattle With Two Barihunks

[Kate Lindsey & David McFerrin; Photo by Rosarii Lynch]


We've given a lot of coverage to the two world premieres in Texas, Jake Heggie's "Moby Dick" in Dallas and Jorge Martín's "Before Night Falls" in Ft. Worth. With all of the excitement surrounding those two premieres, we almost forgot about Barihunks favorite Nathan Gunn who is starring in the world premiere of Daron Aric Hagen's "Amelia" at the Seattle Opera. The opera also features David McFerrin as Paul. We featured the young baritone on this site about a year ago as an emerging barihunk who we were watching. We're thrilled that the Seattle Opera gave him this opportunity and wish him luck with his career.

One of our favorite reviewers, Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times, wrote a thoughtful review that covers the music and story of Amelia in great detail.

[Nicholas Coppolo as Icarus, Kate Lindsey as Amelia, and Nathan Gunn as Paul; Photo by Rosarii Lynch]


The opera runs through May 22 and you can click HERE for ticket and performance information. Here is a preview video of the opera.



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Emerging Barihunk David McFerrin

Emerging barihunk David McFerrin is currently studying in Augsburg, Germany at the Hochscule für Musik. He recently was part of Caramoor’s pilot program for “vocal rising stars.” Caramoor partnered with Steven Blier's wonderful "Festival of Song" where he sang Russell Platt's sexually charged songs "Cuba" and "Bran." McFerrin had studied with Blier at Julliard and it was nice that Blier used McFerrin for this song series.

In 2008, Mr. McFerrin was awarded a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation, given annually to promising young American opera singers. He has also been a regional finalist the past two years in the Metropolitan Opera National Council competition, recently placing 2nd in the New England Region. The Massachusetts native is a former member of the barihunk breeding ground known as the Santa Fe Apprentice Artist program.

West Coast fans of Steven Blier can catch him on Sunday, April 5 at San Francisco's Temple Emanu-El at 5:30 pm. He's bringing his NY Festival of Song to the Left Coast, performing Kurt Weill's Berlin. There are no barihunks scheduled, but a lovely hunkentenor named Andrew Bidlack. (Why are there no new posts on that site?).

This site can be contacted at barihunks@gmail.com

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