The Fort Worth Opera has announced that the barihunk duo of Efrain Solis and Donovan Singletary will perform in the first of two spring concerts on Sunday, March 29th. They'll be joined by fellow cast members from Puccini's La bohème, soprano Talise Trevigne, tenor Giordano Lucà and soprano Tracy Cantin. The performance will be at the Kimbell Art Museum's Renzo Piano Pavilion as part of the company's Pops at the Pavilion.
Efrain Solis sings Sondheim's Johanna:
A second concert on Wednesday, April 22th will feature soprano Talise Trevigne at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Tickets can be purchased online.
Efrain Solis will be singing Schaunard and Donovan Singletary will take on Colline in La bohème in both performances, which are on April 17 and 19. Tickets are available online.
The English National Opera is presenting its first staging of Porgy and Bess in the company’s history opening on October 11th. Barihunk Nmon Ford will also be making his company debut as Crown. Also featured will be barihunk Donovan Singletary as Jake.
The cast will also include Eric Greene as Porgy, Nicole Cabell as Bess, Latonia Moore and Gweneth-Ann Rand alternating the role of Serena, Nadine Benjamin as Clara, and Frederick Ballentine as Sportin' Life.
The 1935 “folk opera” will be presented anew in a realistic and hard-hitting account of life in the African-American communities of the 20th century Deep South. Porgy and Bess tells the story of disabled beggar Porgy and his love for Bess as he tries to rescue her from the influence of her abusive lover Crown. With songs including “Summertime” and “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin” and “I Loves You Porgy”, material from the opera has been reinterpreted by jazz and popular singers for decades.
Performances run through November 14th and tickets and additional cast information is available online.
Donovan Singletary and Leontyne Price (from the National Portrait Gallery)
Barihunk Donovan Singletary will perform a concert in honor of Leontyne Price's 90th birthday on February 9th at the International House in Manhattan.
Leontyne Price, who became one of the first African Americans to perform
in a lead at the Metropolitan Opera, is one of opera's most beloved and acclaimed singers in recent times. A lirico spinto soprano, she was considered especially well suited to the roles of Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Wolfgang Mozart and premiered Samuel Barber's Antony & Cleopatra at the newly built Met. After her retirement from the opera stage in 1985, she continued to appear in recitals and orchestral concerts until 1997. Price, who won 19 Grammy Awards, is also a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Leontyne Price sings Ritorna vincitor! from Verdi's Aida:
Other African-Americans had preceded Price in leading roles at the Met. However, Price was the first African American to build a star career on both sides of the Atlantic, the first to return to the Met in multiple leading roles, and the first to earn the Met's top fee. In 1964, according to the Met archives, Leontyne Price was paid $2,750 per performance, on par with Joan Sutherland, Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi. At the time, Birgit Nilsson, who was unique in singing Italian and Wagnerian roles, earned the Met's highest fee, $3,000 a performance. Price was briefly married to bass-baritone William Warfield.
Price had a long relationship with the International House, having lived and worked there in the 1950s, as well as serving on the Board of Trustees for
more than 30 years. She gave a benefit concert at the International House in 1992
to support resident programs. Donovan Singletary was also a recent resident of the International House.
Singletary will be joined by current International House residents in program that will include selections from “Porgy and Bess” and “Aida,” as well as such personal favorites as the spiritual “I Will Overcome,” “The Boy Next Door” from “Meet Me in St. Louis” (which Price enjoyed performing at resident recitals), and Samuel Barber’s “Sure on This Shining Light.” Tickets for the concert are available HERE.
Singletary has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in Macbeth, Don Carlo, Salome, Pelleas and Melisande and The Bartered Bride. He recently performed as Zuniga in Carmen and Jake in Porgy and Bess with the Seattle Opera and Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro and Achilla in Giulio Cesare with Fort Worth Opera. Donovan is also a Certified Personal Trainer, a recently signed fitness model, and a health and fitness enthusiast with more than 15 years of sports, fitness, and wellness experience under his belt. He received his NCCA-accredited personal training certification from the National Academy of Science and Medicine and will be a new addition on the SMART Model Management roster.
Barihunk Donovan Singletary is opening up in Boito's Mefistofele tonight with the Knoxville Opera, which will mark the first professional performance of the opera in Tennessee. There will also be a matinee performance on October 11th. Tickets are available online.
The company is touting that the production will include over 200 on the stage, inlcuding a 50-member onstage orchestra and over 100 choristers. The already fit 32-year-old Singletary, clearly hit the gym to tone up, as the director has him showing off his magnificent torso in the show. The cast also includes Cody Austin as Fauts, Julia Lima as Margherita, Ryan Ford as Wagner and Allison Deady as Marta.
The opera, which is based on Johann von Goethe adaptation of the Faustian legend was written in 1868, but only found success in the repertory after the composer made revisions to the opera.
Make sure to check out this great profile on Donovan Singletary from the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
IF YOU LOVE BEAUTIFUL BARITONES, MAKE SURE TO ORDER YOUR
Donovan Singletary, Christopher Temporelli and Keith Miller
Sterling, Colorado probably doesn't get many Metropolitan Opera stars performing in their town of 18,000 people. The city, which was a stop on the Overland Trail during the mass migration to California after the Gold Rush is a good two hour drive northeast of Denver on the way to rural Nebraska. But fortunately for the good citizens of Sterling, Met star Keith Miller grew up a little further down the road in Ovid, Colorado.
On Saturday, November 22, he will perform at First
Presbyterian Church in Sterling at 2 PM. The concert is free with a suggested offering to the church. He
will be joined by soprano Melissa Zapin and pianist Konstantin
Soukhovetski in a program of holiday standards, as well as music from Gounod's Faust, Puccini's La boheme and Gianni Schicchi, and Mozart's Don Giovanni and Le nozze de Figaro.
Miller, has deep roots in the area, having played fullback for the University of Colorado and being drafted into the NFL. It's also no coincidence that Sterling would want someone with his background in sports and music, as the Valley School District has won awards for having some of the best music and athletic programs in Colorado.
Miller is featured in our Barihunk calendar for the second year in a row. This year as part of our Viva, Italia! theme, he was part of a photo shoot in New York City's Little Italy with fellow barihunks Donovan Singletary and Christopher Temporelli. You can order you calendar by clicking below.
Now that we've wrapped up our Sexiest Photo Submission, which resulted in a virtual tie between Ernesto Petti and Kasey Yeargain, we've off to the best Italian Themed Photo.
Our calendar this year is titled "VIVA, ITALIA!" and we asked singers to submit photos that fit that theme. Our five judges couldn't narrow it down to just five singers, so we have six to choose from. We're also reducing the voting period from seven days to three days, so cast those votes. We'll also let you vote for multiple singers. The winning singer will receive $250 in prize money.
Here are the selections (and vote in the right sidebar, not in the comments section):
Donovan Singletary: Italian Ice Cream
David Adam Moore: Mozart's Guglielmo
Doug Carpenter: Italian Cooking
L'Oiseleur des Longchamps: Monteverdi's Orfeo
Richard Alexandre Rittlemann: Pizza Delivery
Xavier Rivera: Rossini's Barber
You can order your own calendar by clicking below. You'll enjoy 19 of opera's hottest men for the entire year.
MAC spokesmodel RuPaul and Donovan Singletary, who we think would "represent!"
Playbill has a listing that certainly caught our eye (well, actually the eye of one of our readers). MAC Cosmetics posted a notice that they are looking for a "classically trained male opera singer that has a young, hip, edgy appearance...Theatrical flair encouraged. Acting ability a plus." We of course translate that as, "MAC Cosmetics seeks barihunk."
The singer who is chosen will perform at two premiere events for their Fall Collection and must fit a size 40 jacket.
According to the listing, "The singer will need to memorize three songs that will be performed with a backing tracking and must be willing to travel. Performer must be available on all of the following days 8/23-8/25 and 8/31-9/2. MAC will cover travel expenses in addition to compensation of $1000/day. MAC will supply costuming, hair, and makeup."
Nmon Ford: Future MAC model?
Interested applicants may audition with a selection (approx. 32 to 64 bars) from one of the three arias: "Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre" from Bizet's Carmen, "Fin ch’han dal vino" from Mozart's Don Giovanni or "Largo al factotum" from Rossini's Il barbiere de Siviglia.
Singers who are interested to schedule an audition time on July 23rd should email a headshot, resume, and any relevant links to clmiller@maccosmetics.com.
Selected candidates will receive a confirmation with a specific time and room number for July 23rd.
We have a bunch of singers in mind, although some of them might not be able to squeeze into a size 40 jacket.
Mozart's Don Giovanni is a key ingredient in the delectable dessert we call Barihunks. It has dominated our pages more than any other opera and for good reason. The story of a sexy, irresistible, sexual predator and his love starved sidekick just seems to invite the casting of some of the hottest singers in the business.
The Kentucky Opera has stuck to that noble tradition by casting AVA graduate Ben Wager as Don Giovanni and former Lindemann Young Artist Program favorite and Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Finals winner Donovan Singletary as Leporello. Singletary, an avid fitness buff, is living proof that you can take care of your body and your voice simultaneously. The Florida native has won numerous vocal competitions in addition to the Med Auditions, including the 2011 Vienna Prize by the George London Foundation, 2011 Vienna Prize by the George London Foundation Award, First Prize in the 2010 George London Foundation Competition and First Prize in the Heinz Rehfuss Singing Actors Competition.
Donovan Singletary sings "Deh!...ti ferma..ti placa" from Rosini's Semiramide:
Ben Wager was a 2009 graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, where he sang Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Enrico in Anna Bolena and the title role in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, In 2009, he joined the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he sang Zuniga in Carmen, Angelotti in Tosca and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte. In 2011, he portrayed General Audebert in the world premiere of Kevin Putz' Silent Night at Minnesota Opera, which we covered extensively.
Ben Wager
The Kentucky Opera will have two performances of the Mozart classic on February 15 and 17. A couple of other young singers of note in the cast whose careers we've been watching are tenor Taylor Stayton as Don Ottavio and soprano Jan Cornelius as Donna Anna. Tickets are available online.
The Seattle Opera announced its 2013-14 season which includes two operas not generally thought of as barihunk operas, Menotti's The Consul and Verdi's Rigoletto.
The Consul includes three of the hottest singers on the scene, led by Seattle resident Michael Todd Simpson in the major role of John Sorel. Also in the cast are Steven LaBrie as the Police Agent and Joseph Lattanzi as Assan. LaBrie is making his Seattle Opera debut. Performances run from February 22nd to March 7, 2014. The Consul won the Pulitzer Prize in 1950.
Marco Vratogna
This year is the big 200th anniversary of Verdi's birth, so we're getting an ample supply of the Italian's operas. Usually it's Attila that features two barihunks and rarely is it Rigoletto. Seattle has cast the amazing Marco Vratogna as the hunchbacked jester and this is a portrayal that is not to be missed. We caught him at the San Francisco Opera and it was one nothing short of a masterful performance both vocally and dramatically. In the smaller, but important role of the Count Monterone is fitness guru Donovan Singletary. Gilda and the Duke will be performed by Davinia
Rodríguez and Francesco Demuro respectively. The opera is being transported to 1930s Italy and performances run from January 11-25, 2014.
Michael Todd Simpson and Joseph Lattanzi
Speaking of anniversary seasons, the Seattle Opera seems to be marking a bunch of them this season, including their 50th anniversary, their 10th
year at McCaw Hall and general director Speight Jenkins' 30th year leading the company.
Other operas for the upcoming season include Donizetti'sDaughter of the Regiment from October 19-November 2, 2013 with tenor
Lawrence Brownlee and Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffman from May 3-17, 2014 with tenor William Burden and
the brilliant mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey. Visit the Seattle Opera website for additional information and don't miss their upcoming Ring Cycle featuring Greer Grimsley as Wotan.
We have a lot of people ask us if the focus on looking good physically is good for opera. That question almost presumes that it's a voice vs. physical appearance, when both are important to a long, successful career.
Here are our Top 10 reasons that an opera singers should stay in shape:
1. HEALTH - Good health will allow you to endure the stress and physicality of the business. Out of shape singers often have shortened careers and obesity can take years off of a singers life.
2. COMPETITIVENESS - Opera directors and companies are making increasing demands on singers. If two singers come in to audition with equal vocal gifts and one is fit and appears to have the endurance for a demanding role, who do you think is more likely to get cast?
3. HIGH DEFINITION BROADCASTS - More people will see opera on TV and in movie houses than will see live performances in the theater. Opera is competing with television and the movies for audiences. Are you ready for your closeup?
Andrew Garland bikes to improve his cardio
4. TRAVEL - Not only can travel take an increased toll on your body, but it can effect your voice. It's also easy to slip into the routine of vegging out in a hotel room and getting out of shape. A disciplined workout routine can help a singer overcome the challenges of life on the road.
5. ACTING - Being limber and fit enhances not just endurance but what you can do as an actor. It also creates stamina to sing as well at the end of Act 4 as in your opening aria.
6. UNDERSTUDIES - These guys are just waiting for you to cancel and score their own success. Singers like Renata Scotto and Leonie Rysanek shot to stardom after taking advantage of an indisposed singer.
Michael Mayes is so into his Spartacus workout, he'll use a rock when there are no barbells
7. BROADWAY - Many opera singers are now being cast on Broadway and in touring shows. Imagine singing eight shows in seven days (even with a microphone!).
8. MEMORY - Singers are asked to learn a lot of music and research has shown that fitness increases memory function. Don't take a chance that your prompter might have dozed off.
9. SLEEP - A successful opera singer will travel a lot and change time zones regularly. Exercise promotes healthy sleep patterns. You'll be better rested, your mood will be enhanced and you'll perform better.
10. BARIHUNKS - You won't have to write us one of those emails that starts, "What do I have to do to get on Barihunks...? If you sound good and look good, we'll find you.
Keith Miller trains fellow opera singers
One opera singer has even developed his own training program for opera singers. Former football player Keith Miller offers Puissance training to keep singers in top shape. Check it out at http://www.puissancetraining.com.
We've always maintained that the Fort Worth Opera Festival is one of the best opera festivals in the United States. The quality of their productions combined with excellent musicians and singers always makes for great week of music. They also have their fair share of barihunks on the roster, but even we were shocked when we saw barihunks Michael Mayes and Seth Mease Carico show up to a promotional event for Mark Adamo's "Lysistrata" looking like a cross between a Ukranian mezzo-soprano and a Wal-Mart shopper from Nacogdoches, Texas.
The Fort Worth Opera hosted a Tug-of-War between the women and the men to kick-off the opening night of Lysistrata which features Seth Mease Carico as the Spartan General Leonidas and Michael Mayes as the Athenian Kinesias. Mayes and Carico thought that they would lend some muscle to the women's team, but it was to no avail, as the men won all three sets (that mus mean sex for everyone!).
The comic opera is about the battle of the sexes, where the Athenian and Spartan women are tired of their battle happy husbands refusing to lay down their weapons. They band together and refuse to have sex with the men until peace is declared.
Michael Mayes plants a kiss on fellow barihunk Matthew Worth
There are performances of Lysistrata today and on June 3rd. Other remaining performances at the Festival include Jake Heggie's "Three Decembers" with barihunk Matthew Worth on May 26, 31 and June 2nd, Tosca with the amazing and sexy Scarpia of Michael Chioldi on June 2nd and The Marriage of Figaro with barihunks Donovan Singletary as Figaro and Jonathan Beyer as Count Almaviva. Tickets are available on the Fort Worth Opera website.
If you can't make it this year, make sure to add it to your travel plans next year when the Festival performs La Boheme, Daughter of the Regiment, sAriadne auf Naxos and Tom Cipullo's Glory Denied.
Baritones and basses continue to dominate vocal competitions, as bass Scott Conner took away the top prize at the Loren L. Zachary Vocal Competition over the weekend. Earlier this year, Conner won the Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition. A District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Conner has been a finalist in the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition, and was named a Gold Winner in Voice by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA).
He is an Artist in Residence at the Academy of Vocal Arts where he has performed the title role in Don Giovanni, Colline in La bohème, La Roche in Capriccio, Oroveso in Norma, First Man in the world premiere of Scarlet Letter. the Four Villains in Les contes d'Hoffmann, the title role in Verdi's Oberto, and Dulcamara in L'elsir d'amore.
Two other barihunks walked away with top prizes, as Eugene Brancoveanu and Wes Mason also won prizes. Brandon Cedel, who was an early favorite to win the competition, had to withdraw due to illness. Other winners this year included, mezzo Olivia Vote, soprano Chloe Moore, soprano Anush Avetisyan, tenor Viktor Antipenko, tenor Benjamin Bliss and soprano Anna-Lisa Hackett.
Scott Conner sings "Fin ch'han dal vino" from Don Giovanni:
A number of barihunks have walked away with top prizes at the Loren L. Zachary competition in past years, including Zachary Nelson and Brandon Cedel in 2011, Donovan Singletary and Jonathan Beter in 2010, Kelly Markgraf in 2009 and Matt Trevino in 2007.
Donovan Singletary takes on the title role in the Marriage of Figaro
The local NBC affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth ran a feature on the upcoming opera festival, which included a nice mention of Barihunks.
Barihunk Donovan Singletary, who is singing the title role in the Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" is prominently featured on the news segment. The cast includes fellow barihunk Jonathan Beyer as Count Almaviva, Andrea Carroll as Susanna, Jan Cornelius as Countess Almaviva, Rod Nelman as Dr. Bartolo, Kathryn Cowdrick as Marcellina and Wallis Giunta as Cherubino. The opera will be performed on May 19, 27 and June 1st.
Visit the Fort Worth Opera Festival website for additional information and tickets. They are also performing Mark Adamo's Lysistrata, Puccini's Tosca and Jake Heggie's Three Decembers.
The winners of the 2012 McCammon Voice Competition have just been announced and two of the award winners were barihunks who have been featured on our site. Congratulations to Norman Garrett who won 3rd Prize and to Andrew Garland who won the coveted Audience Favorite Award.
Since its debut in 1985, the McCammon Voice Competition has grown into
one of the world's most important operatic events. Every two years, the
contest showcases the most compelling young singers of our time. After
several rounds of reviews and eliminations, the McCammon finalists
engage in two days of intense competition. Many of the winners are catapulted onto major opera stages.
Previous barihunk winners include Jonathan Beyer and Donovan Singletary. Both men are appearing at the upcoming Ft. Worth Opera Festival in Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro."
Donovan Singletary
Andrew Garland can next be seen as Mercutio in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at the Annapolis Opera.
It's not often that we feature Tosca and it's not that we don't love the opera. It's just that Scarpia hasn't been the quintessential barihunk role. Fort Worth Opera performed Tosca with the dashing Michael Chioldi in 2005, which brought a whole different tension to the rape scene. For a moment, one wondered, "Well, maybe Scarpia wouldn't be such a bad hook-up." Of course, then Puccini's music said otherwise. Fort Worth is bringing Chioldi back to reprise his successful portrayal of the evil police chief.
But who really caught our eye was Angelotti, who will be sung by the gifted young baritone Tom Forde, who we first discovered as a Santa Fe Apprentice Young Artist and who we featured in our charity calendar. Forde has taken his fitness routine as serious as his singing...and it shows. Forde, who has always had a great face for the stage - expressive, with big features - now has the body to match.
We are kind of wondering if Tosca will dump Mario and run off with Angelotti.
Donovan Singletary
Forde, will have a little of barihunk competition at the Fort Worth Opera Festival, as Donovan Singletary is returning to take on Figaro in Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" opposite fellow barihunk Jonathan Beyer, who is singing Count Almaviva. Singletary, a rising vocal talent who excelled in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program in New York, also happens to have one of the greatest bodies in opera.
We hate to rewrite Mozart, but if we were the Countess, we'd turn the tables on the philandering Count and run off into the garden with Figaro.
Seth Mease Carico (L) & Michael Mayes (R)
If you haven't hadn't enough beefcake after Tosca and Figaro, make sure to grab a ticket for Mark Adamo's comic, yet racy Lysistrata. Another singer who has recently hit the gym, Michael Mayes, will be performing Kinesias. His new abs went viral on the internet when we posted his picture performing in Jake Heggie's "Dead Man Walking" at the Tulsa Opera.
Patrons who last saw Seth Mease Carico in Fort Worth's "Before Night Falls" may not recognize the singer, who has a body and new look that makes him look more like Adam Levine than Leonard Warren. Carico and Mayes are both great singers AND actors, which makes us think that Lysistrata could be the surprise hit of the festival. Few opera companies perform non-standard repertory as well as Fort Worth. Last season, Philip Glass' "Hydrogen Jukebox" played to enthusiastic, sold out houses. In fact, we named it our "Best Opera of 2011" in our annual year end feature.
Matt Worth
Last on the agenda, is Jake Heggie's amazingly moving opera "Three Decembers," which will feature one of our favorite singers, Matthew Worth.
Worth sang the role of Charlie with the Chicago Opera Theater in 2010 to great critical acclaim. Mark Thomas Ketterson wrote in Opera News, "Matthew Worth's warmly youthful baritone is intrinsically appealing, and he shaded Charlie's music with intelligence and great sensitivity."
Jake Heggie talks about his opera:
The Fort Worth Opera Festival should be a stop on any opera lover's travel calendar. This year's festival runs from May 12-June 3 and tickets can be purchased online.
Barihunks hosted a luncheon for eight of the hottest singers in New York at Candle 79 today. From left to right are Michael Rice, Jonathan Estabrooks, Randal Turner, Christopher Temporelli, Michael Kelly, Malcolm Merriweather, Ricardo Rivera and Donovan Singletary.
Randal Turner had closed a successful run in Rufus Wainwright's the night before. His "mad scene" in Act 1 was a tour de force performance that will be long-remembered by opera aficionados. The Zurich-based singer will return to the U.S. in May to perform Mendelsohn's "Elijah" with the Spring Choral Festival in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Barihunks hamming it up before the group photo
Michael Rice has given up singing to work at an executive recruiting firm, support his wife Jennifer Rivera's skyrocketing career and devote time to his OperaNow! podcast. He taped some audio at the Barihunks luncheon for his next podcast, so make sure to tune in.
Jonathan Estabrooks is currently filming Schaunard in Puccini's La boheme. We'll have more details closer to the release date. Make sure to check out his vlog, "A Singer's Life." He also taped some footage at the luncheon so check him out on YouTube.
Christopher Temporelli & Donovan Singletary
Christopher Temporelli, who just wrapped up a run as the Judge in Philip Glass's Orphée with Virginia Opera, now heads to Korea for a recording project. Keep an eye out for additional release news on this site.
Michael Kelly just wrapped up another recital at Trinity Wall Street. We'll provide you with the stream as soon as it's available. You can watch his December 2010 recital HERE.
Malcolm Merriweather keeps a busy schedule around New York as a baritone, choirmaster, teacher and conductor with the New York Choral Society.
In March, Ricardo Rivera will perform in the Semi-Finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In May, he will perform the title role in Mozart's "Don Giovanni" with the Mannes Opera and Orchestra.
From May 19-June 1, Donovan Singletary will perform Figaro in Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" at the Ft. Worth Opera Festival. In March and April, he can be seen as the Murderer in Verdi's "Macbeth" opposite barihunks Thomas Hampson and Gunther Groissböck.
Anita Rachvelishvili as Carmen & Michael Todd Simpson as Escamillo in rehearsal; (Bill Mohn, photo)
Michael Todd Simpson brought his swaggering Escamillo to Seattle Opera for their performances of Bizet's "Carmen." In a performance that included the riveting Carmen of Anita Rachvelishvili and a host of other hot men, the American barihunk managed to catch the attention of reviewer Jackson Holtz at the Everett Herald.
"Seattle Opera veteran Michael Todd Simpson was sexy and charming as the matador."
You can read the entire review at the Everett HeraldNet website.
Bernard Jacobson of the Seattle Times wrote:
"Don José...projected just the nebbish air of indecision that makes José putty in Carmen's hands — no competition for the sexy Escamillo and Zuniga of Michael Todd Simpson and Donovan Singletary."
Donovan Singletary in his Barihunks tee shirt
Performances run through October 29th and tickets can be purchased online. Simpson next heads down the coast to California, where he will perform Handel's "Messiah" with the amazing San Francisco Symphony. Performances are on December 16, 17 & 18. Visit the San Francisco Symphony website for tickets and additional performance information.
By the way, if you haven't seen the Seattle Opera's "If Carmen and her friends were on Facebook...," then you missed one of the funniest and creative things that we've ever seen from an Opera Company (that was meant to be funny!). You can see the entire post on their wonderful blog.
Kudos to the Seattle Opera, which continues to be one of the most creative opera companies in the world.
Cirque du Soleil performers and Marian Pop combine forces in Detroit
The Michigan Opera Theater hired some Cirque du Soleil acrobats to add an erotic touch to Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana." The piece was part of a double-bill with Menotti's "The Medium." Barihunk Marian Pop, a regular fixture with the opera company, was singled out for his performance by the local press.
"Baritone soloist Marian Pop's expressive singing was the musical highlight of "Carmina."
You can read the entire review at the Detroit Free Press website.
Jérôme Varnier
Jérôme Varnier is wrapping up a run as Palémon in Massenet's "Thaïs" tonight at the Opéra de Tours. He now heads to the Opéra-Théâtre de Metz to perform Guido in Ambroise Thomas' "Francesca da Rimini," which opens on November 18. Tickets and additional performance information are available online.
Donovan Singletary as Zuniga and Joseph Lattanzi as Moralès (Alan Alabastro, photo)
The Seattle Opera is going to be putting on one hot Carmen, which will be running from October 15 to October 29. Although most opera goers think of the sultry, seductive protagonist Carmen when they think of the opera, we've always thought that the toreador Escamillo was the sexiest character.
Michael Todd Simpson rehearses as Escamillo while Donovan Singletary observes (Bill Mohn, photo)
Not only has the Seattle Opera given us a sexy Escamillo in barihunk Michael Todd Simpson, but they've cast the other baritone roles with certified barihunks. Joseph Lattanzi will sing Moralès, David Krohn will sing Dancaïre and Donovan Singletary, who looks as good as anyone in a BARIHUNK tee shirt, will sing Zuniga. Simpson should have the role firmly under his belt, as he just wrapped up a run as Escamillo on the opposite coast at the Glimmerglass Festival, which is thriving under Francesca Zambello (who many credit with coining the term "barihunk"). One of the Carmen's will be Daniel Barenbom discovery Anita Rachvelishvili, who in 2009 took La Scala by storm in the role and generated an international press sensation.
David Krohn as Dancaïre works with Director Bernard Uzan and tenor Andrew Stenson as Remendado (Alan Alabastro, photo)
You can watch a number of preview videos about Seattle's "Carmen" at the opera company's wonderful YouTube channel. Here is General Director Speight Jenkins talking about his Carmen, Don Jose and director for the production.
Tickets and additional performance information are available at the Seattle Opera website. If you haven't visited the Seattle Opera, which has to be considered among the top tier companies in America, we highly recommend heading to the Pacific Northwest for this production, which promised to be sexy, well-sung and entertaining.
Malcolm MacKenzie in Trovatore; Dan Kempson & Justin Hopkins in Hydrogen Jukebox
The Ft. Worth Opera Festival continues to establish itself as a major force among summer opera festivals internationally. The company continues to showcase some of the best emerging talent in the business today, as well as mixing standard repertory with operas that both challenge audiences and appeal to a new generation of opera goer.
Among the "second tier" of opera companies, Ft. Worth practically stands alone in terms of both innovation and quality of performance. Next season is no exception, when they will feature two standard repertory operas, Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" and Puccini's "Tosca," with two contemporary operas, Mark Adamo's "Lysistrata" and Jake Heggie's "Three Decembers."
This year's surprise hit is Philip Glass "Hydrogen Jukebox," which has been completely sold out for weeks. It also happens to feature two emerging barihunks, Dan Kempson and Justin Hopkins. The show also features them baring a bit of skin, so warn your grandma. It's no secret that we're huge Glass fans on this site where you can watch his opera "Kepler" in its entirety, so we're thrilled that Glass is being performed deep in the heart of Texas.
Emerging Barihunk Jesse Enderle and Director John de los Santos
This year's Fort Worth Opera Festival is also featuring a critically acclaimed production of Verdi's "Il Trovatore" with baritone Malcolm MacKenzie. Also on the program is an updated version of Gilbert & Sullivan's "Mikado" directed by our favorite young director/choreographer John de los Santos, who choreographed last year's hit "Before Night Falls." Fans of countertenors will be delighted with the production of Handel's "Giulio Cesare," which features two countertenors and a male soprano. Despite the high male voices, barihunk fans will be delighted to know that Achillas will sung by the stunning and gifted young singer Donovan Singletary, who was a standout in the Lindeman Young Artists program.
Donovan Singletary
Here is Singletary performing some Rachmaninov songs:
The festival runs through June 5. Check out the Ft. Worth Opera website for performance times and additional cast information.
