Wes Mason as leather-clad Achilla at Opera Roanoke

Wes Mason as Achilla with Pompeo's head

Virginia native Wes Mason is returning to his home state to perform the scheming Egyptian general Achilla in Handel's Giulio Cesare with Opera Roanoke. We heard that he was clad in a sexy leather outfit, so we asked for some pictures from the dress rehearsals, which we're thrilled to share with our readers.

The cast also includes Teresa Buccholz as Giulio Cesare, Amy Cofield Williamson as Cleopatra, Eric Brenner as Tolomeo, Toby Newman as Sesto and Carla Dirlikov as Cornelia.

Performances are on March 21 and 23 at the Jefferson Center's Shaftman Performance Hall in Roanoke. Tickets are available by calling (540) 345-2550.

You can also watch an interview with Wes Mason from WDBJ-TV Channel 7 where he discussed the opera and the role of Achilla.

In addition to Achilla, Wes Mason's current season is filled with role debuts this year, including Escamillo in La tragédie de Carmen with Syracuse Opera, Zurga in Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles with both Baltimore Concert Opera and Delaware Opera, Masetto in Mozart's Don Giovanni with Opera Philadelphia, and both Curly in Oklahoma! and the Bishop in Les Misérables with Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre.

Reader Submission: Seán Kroll

Sean Kroll

Our latest reader submission is bass-barihunk Seán Kroll, who recently toured China with the South Shore Orchestra and wrapped up a run as Achilla in Handel’s Cesare in Egitto with Dramma Per Musica in New York City.

Kroll is an alumnus of the Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Santa Barbara and Saint Petersburg Opera artist development programs. He received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University and trained at the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy. He performed Poulenc’s rarity Le Bestiaire with the Chicago Opera Theater.

Last Spring he made his New York City debut as Placido Quesara/Escamillo in the off-Broadway performances of Roboff & Newman’s Carmen’s Place: A Fantasy.

Kroll has performed throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. His roles have included Don Giovanni, Escamillo and Zuniga in Carmen,  Colline and Marcello in La bohème, Papageno ,  Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte, Dulcamara, Ewald in Lehár’s Springtime, Melchior  in Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors and Sam in Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti.

He can next be seen in Rameau's Pygmalion at Madame Tussaud's in New York from June 17-21 with On Site Opera.

Hottest cast in opera assembled in Omaha for Handel's Agrippina

Doug Williams (photo:Kevin McDermott)

Perhaps the best looking cast currently assembled for any opera performance worldwide is in Omaha. The Nebraska company is located about seven hours from the nearest major opera company in Chicago, but that hasn't stopped them from creating some major buzz in the opera world. The cast of their upcoming performances of Handel's Agrippina includes not only some of the best young baroque singers in the world today, but some of the best looking singers across the entire range of voices.

Agrippina, written in 1710,  is considered Handel's first operatic masterpiece and a surprising comic gem.  The Opera Omaha production premieres an original edition of the opera prepared by conductor and early music specialist Stephen Stubbs.

Agrippina cast: Hadleigh Adams, Peabody Southwell, Nathan Medley, Jamie-Rose Guarrine, Jennifer Rivera, Zachary Wilder and Douglas Williams (left to right)

There are two bass-baritone roles in the opera, the larger role of Claudio the emperor and Pallante, one of two men that Agrippina pledges to marry. Both roles are being sung by two of the sexiest men in opera.

Claudio is sung by former model and rising superstar Hadleigh Adams. He established himself as a Handel singer to be reckoned with at the 2012 Merola Grand Finale when he performed “Somnus awake! ... Leave me loathsome light … More sweet is that name”  from Handel's Semele with Suzanne Rigden and Erin Johnson. Later that year, Adams wowed critics and audiences in another early music piece when he portrayed Pollux in Rameu's Castor & Pollux with Pinchgut Opera in Australia. He also showed off some seriously gym-toned arms [see below].

The role of Claudio includes the great bass aria "Vieni, oh cara."  

Hadleigh Adams in Castor & Pollux

Since his debut with the Boston Early Music Festival in 2003, Doug Williams has gone on to  establish himself as one of the most compelling low voices in early music. The Omaha production reunites him with conductor Stephen Stubbs, who led him in performances of Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria in Seattle with the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa.

His list of successful early music performances includes Purcell’s King Arthur with Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques, Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato with Tafelmusik, Aeneas in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Polyphemus in Handel's Acis and Galatea and Jesus in the recoring of Bach’s Johannes-Passion with the Yale Schola Cantorum.  He can also be heard on the recording of Lully’s Psyché with the Boston Early Music Festival, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording of 2008.   

 

The remainder of the cast includes the brilliant and gorgeous young mezzo Jennifer Rivera as Nerone, who is married to the prematurely retired barihunk Michael Rice. She'll be joined by Nathan Medley as Ottone,  Zachary Wilder as Narciso, Jamie-Rose Guarrine as Poppea and Peabody Southwell in the title role of Agrippina.

Performances are February 14 and 16 and tickets are available online.

Gianluca Margheri performs Handel's Aci, Galatea e Polifemo

Gianluca Margheri

Gianluca Margheri, who will be featured in our 2014 Barihunks calendar, can be seen on August 24th in Handel's Aci, Galatea e Polifemo. The dramatic cantata, with an Italian libretto by Nicola Giuvo, has a plot almost identical to Handel's later English-language pastoral opera Acis and Galatea.

The performances will be with La Rocca Barocca in the coastal town of Giulianova in Italy. 

Morgan Pearse's "Crack" Performance in Handel's Imeneo

Morgan Pearse and Louise Alder

Barihunk Morgan Pearse showed a little crack in his performance in the title role of Handel's Imeneo with the London Handel Festival. After receiving a tip form a reader, we introduced the Aussie hunk to readers in November 2011. We recently featured him again when he continued the barihunk winning streak by taking the top prize at the Royal Over-Seas League competition.

The production opens tonight at the Britten Theatre at the Royal College of Music in London with three additional performances. Pearse will perform tonight and on March 13th, with Luke D. Williams alternating on March 12th and 14th. The role of Argenio is being alternated between Timothy Nelson and Bradley Travis, two attractive singers who we need to start keeping an eye on. Tickets and additional information are available online.

Australian Barihunk Morgan Pearse in Imeneo

The Italian-language libretto of Imeneo was adapted from poet Silvio Stampiglia's text. Handel had begun composition in September 1738, but did not complete the score until 1740. The opera received its first performance at the Lincoln's Inn Fields in London on November 22, 1740, and received another performance on December 13th. Handel then revised the score, and this revised version received concert performances in Dublin, on 24 and 31 March 1742. The first modern production was at the Halle Opera House on 13 March 1960, conducted by Horst-Tanu Margraf.

Listen to Imeneo in its entirety with John Ostendorf, bass-baritone. Rosmene, Julianne Baird, soprano. Tirinto, D'Anna Fortunati, mezzo-soprano. Clomiri, Beverly Hoch, soprano. Argenio, Jan Opalach, bass. Brewer Chamber Orchestra & Chorus, Rudolph Palmer.:

Barihunk Messiahs Abound

John Brancy

There are a ton of baritones making some extra holiday cash by singing Handel's Messiah over the next week. We would love to be in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina to hear John Brancy with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. There are four performances beginning tonight and ending on Friday, December 21st. The Tuesday night performance is already sold out, so get your tickets now. 

Curtis Sullivan as Neptune at Opera Atelier

A thousand miles north of Charleston, Curtis Sullivan will join the 100-member Peterborough Singers for the Messiah today and tomorrow at the George Street United Church. Tickets are available online.

Jesse Blumberg

San Franciscans are welcoming back Jesse Blumberg who is repeating his successful performances of the Messiah with the American Bach Soloists. Performance are on December 20. 21 and 22 and tickets are available online. Blumberg will return to the Bay Area on February 19th for the West Coast premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's "Green Sneakers." Tickets are now on sale.

Finally, here is a classic version of "The Trumpet Shall Sound" sung by Samuel Ramey.

Barihunks calendars are selling fast, so order yours today before the last minute shoppers get online. 

Randal Turner sings Messiah in Birmingham

Randal Turner's CD cover

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we begin our annual posts on Messiahs around the world. One that we're particularly excited about is in Birmingham, Alabama with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Randal Turner will be singing the baritone part and will be joined by two other amazing male voices: countertenor Ryan Belongie and tenor Colin Ainsworth. Kimberly McCord will take on the soprano part. Performances are on December 15 and 16 and tickets are available online.

Last year, the Indianapolis Performing Arts Examiner wrote of his Messiah:

Of all the special moments (and there were many) provided by each singer, there was one that stood out. With his deeply rich and imposing voice, Turner was commanding when he sang the familiar, "The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 

Turner has shown himself to be adept at singing everything from early music to modern music. We've featured him in another Handel role, Siroe, as well as last year's Messiah in Indianapolis. His range of roles has taken him into Mozart, Donizetti and Rossini, as well as contemporary composers like Benjamin Britten, John Cage, Andre Previn and Rufus Wainwright. His CD of "Living American Composers" remains one of our favorite song recitals and is still available at CD Baby.

Randal Turner sings "Gelido inogni vena from Handels' Siroe:

Of course, you can enjoy Randal Turner in our 2013 Barihunks Charity Calendar. He's appearing for the second year in a row and has an entire month dedicated to him:

Watch Michael Weyandt in Almira with operamission

Michael Weyandt in Almira

Every so often we regret having missed telling our readers about a barihunk appearance. Michael Weyandt's appearance as Fernando in Handel's Almira with operamission at the Gershwin Hotel was a prime example. New York Times classical music critic Anthony Tommaini wrote glowingly about the performance and wrote that the role of Fernando was "...movingly performed here by the virile, ardent baritone Michael Weyandt." You can read the entire review on the NY Times website. 


We wanted to share a bit of the performance for those of you who missed this wonderful talent. 

Händel's ALMIRA - Act III, "Edele Sinnen," "Was ist des Hofes Gunst?" from operamission on Vimeo.


In the first part of the video you'll hear Weyandt sing "Edele Sinnen schaffen von hinnen" followed by the arioso "Was ist des Hofes Gunst? ein Dunst." The rough translations are:

"Noble thoughts soothe away whatever causes annoyance and harm. And on the contrary strive by all means to become on earth delighted in sweetest repose."

--and--

"What is the favor of the court? A mist, that swiftly disperses; a labyrinth of the times, that invariably takes us from crown and throne to prison."


We've featured numerous operamission concerts on our website and they are a must for anyone in the New York area. You can follow them on Facebook or Twitter at @operamission.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Listen to the "Three Barihunks" from Montreal; Barihunks Sly and Brancy take 1st & 3rd

Sidney Outlaw, Philippe Sly and John Brancy

As a follow up to our post on Sunday about the Concours vocal competition in Montreal, we'd like to let readers know that the performances by the three barihunks who advanced to the finals are now available online. In fact, Sidney Outlaw, Philippe Sly and John Brancy perform one after another, providing an amazing opportunity to compare these three amazing artists.

We admit to being biased towards lower voices, but these three men are truly some of the best opera singers emerging on the scene today. The depth of their artistry and the quality of their voices is remarkable, especially considering that the youngest, Phillippe Sly and John Brancy, are just 23!

The winners will be officially revealed on Friday, but we've heard that Sly took away the top prize, shortly after having won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. The three top singers will appear in the Winners’ Gala Concert this Friday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Maison symphonique de Montréal. Under the direction of Alain Trudel, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal will accompany the winners. Tickets are available at 514 842-2112. The winners are:

FIRST PRIZE – $30,000

PHILIPPE SLY, BASS-BARITONE, CANADA

Added to the First Prize is the Career development programme, valued at $20,000.

SECOND PRIZE – $15,000

OLGA KINDLER, SOPRANO, SWITZERLAND

THIRD PRIZE – $10,000

JOHN BRANCY, BARITONE, UNITED STATES

For the finals, John Brancy kicked it off with Wagner's "O su mein holder Abendstern" from Tannhäuser,  Tchaikovsky's "Postoite na odno mgnovenye!" from Pique Dame, Mendelssohn's "Es ist genug" from Elijah and Rossini's "Largo al factotum" from the Barber of Seville. Phillipe Sly then follows with Stravinsky's "Come, master" from the Rake's Progress, Handel's "Invida sorte avara" from Ariodante, Mozart's "Hai già vinta la causa!" from Marriage of Figaro and Bach's "Mache dich, mein Herze, rein" fo from the St. Matthew Passion. Sidney Outlaw finishes up this amazing run of baritone music with Mendelssohn's "Draw near ye people....Lord God of Abraham" from Eljah, Handel's "Sibilar gli angui d'Aletto" from Rinaldo, Korngold's Tanzlied from Die tote stadt and Verdi's "Death of Rodrigo" from Don Carlo.  

Click here to listen to the performance. The barihunk run starts at about the 27 minute mark and is worth the listen.

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com

Philip Cutlip Returns to Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra

Philip Cutlip

San Francisco Bay area residents are in for a treat as the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra is once again teaming up barihunk Philip Cutlip with early music conductor extraordinaire Nicholas McGegan.  The two have performed together in highly acclaimed performances of Haydn's The Creation, Handel's Messiah, Handel's Atalanta and Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. Anyone who has heard these two perform together knows it's always a special evening of music making. Cutlip and McGegan are now teaming up for Handel's Alexander Feast with a cast that includes soprano Dominique Labelle and tenor Dann Coakwell. Visit the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra website for additional information.

William Berger sings "Revenge, Timotheus cries" from Alexander's Feast:

Cutlip has been a regular on this site  in repertoire ranging from the Handel, Mozart and Donizetti to Britten, Heggie and Philip Glass. We're eagerly looking forward to his Eugene Onegin with the Edmonton Opera in May 2013. His recording of Joseph De Rocher in Heggie's Dead Man Walking will be released on Virgin Classics on April 24th.

Philip Cutlip as Joseph De Rocher

Frequently heard in performances with New York Festival of Song, Cutlip gave the world premiere of American Love Songs - a set of 10 commissioned pieces for vocal quartet - at the Tisch Center for the Arts and at the 92nd Street Y; appeared in a program of commissioned works at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall; and also toured with NYFOS to Louisville for Rorem's Evidence of Things Not Seen.

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com

Barihunk Baroque: Pisaroni's Rinaldo from the BBC Proms

Luca Pisaroni after a recent performance of Rinaldo

We have three clips of Luca Pisaroni singing selections from Handel's "Rinaldo," which was broadcast live on the BBC on August 25, 2011.

Luca Pisaroni sings the thrilling Act 1 aria "Sibillar gli angui d'Aletto"from Handel's Rinaldo:

 

Luca Pisaroni sings the Act 2 aria "Basta che sol tu chieda" from Handel's Rinaldo:



Luca Pisaroni and Brenda Rae sing the Act 3 duet "Al trionfo del nostro furore" 

Also, don't forget that for the next two weeks we'll be taking submissions for our first-ever charity Barihunks calendar. Send High Res photos and bio to Barihunks@gmail.com.

New Yorkers are gearing up for Pisaroni's return as Leporello in the Met's "Don Giovanni" with fellow barihunks Mariusz Kwiecien as the Don and Joshua Bloom as Masetto. Here is Kwiecien singing the Champagne Aria at the Met in 2009. Click HERE for tickets and additional cast and performance information.

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Reader Submission: Lisandro Abadie

Lisandro Abadie

When we received an email touting a barihunk who excels at early music, it immediately caught our attention. We had not heard of Argentinian born barihunk Lisandro Abadie, but we were instantly impressed with his singing. Abadie was a finalist in the 2008 Handel Singing Competition and won the Edwin Fischer Genedkpreis two years earlier.

 

After studying in Luzerne, he has forged a successful career singing music primarily by Bach, Handel, Rameau, Mozart, Pergolesi, Purcell, but also by a handful of contemporary composers. 

Here is an amazing performance of Lucifero's rousing aria "Caddi, e ver" from Handel's "Le Resurrezione":

 

You can also hear him sing Henry Purcell's "Let Each Gallant Heart" by clicking HERE. 

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com

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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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Blumberg Back in Bay Area

Jesse Blumberg

Barihunk Jesse Blumberg makes his much anticipated return to the San Francisco Bay Area next week in a program of early music with the American Bach Soloists. Blumberg joins countertenors Clifton Massey and Ian Howell, tenor Aaron Sheehan and soprano Elizabeth Weigle in a program that includes Purcell's "Come, ye Sons of Art" and "Now Does the Glorious Day Appear," as well as Handel's "Te Deum in D Major" and "Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne."


For additional concert information visit the American Bach Soloists website. 


Readers of this site will recall that Blumberg performed the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's heartfelt and emotional song cycle "Green Sneakers." The American baritone is also the founder of the Five Buroughs Music Festival in New York. 


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Johannes Weisser sings "Why do the Nations so furiously rage?" from Messiah

Johannes Weisser's Grieg Album

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Giorgio Caoduro Shake, Shake, Shaking His Booty to Rossini

Giorgio Caoduro: Barihunk & Dog Lover

When we get an email saying that someone found another video of Giorgio Caoduro shaking his booty, you know that we're going to be all over it. The word "another" is deliberate, as almost a year ago to the day, someone sent us this video of Caoduro shaking his stuff in Rossini's "Il signor Bruschino."

Here he is working his greatest asset again in another Rossini opera, "La Cenerentola."



For those of you who are more serious minded, here is a performance of the Italian barihunk singing "Sorge infausta una procella" from Handel's "Orlando."



Rossini continues to dominate his schedule next year with performances of "Il barbiere di Siviglia" scheduled in both Toulouse and Sydney.

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com

Todd SImpson's Messiah

Michael Todd Simpson

The National Arts Centre Orchestra will perform Handel’s Messiah on Tuesday, December 14 and Wednesday, December 15 with barihunk Michael Todd Simpson. The concerts are at 7 p.m. in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre.

Simpson will be joined by soprano Ann Monoyios, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Turnbull and tenor James Charles Taylor. Visit the National Arts Centre website for additional information and tickets.


Please send your Messiah listings to Barihunks@gmail.com

John Relyea's Messiah

John Relyea will perform Handel's Messiah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra on December 16, 18, 19, 20, and 21. For additional concert infornation and tickets visit the TSO website.

Barihunks will be posting concert information for upcoming Messiah's throughout the holiday season. If you know of a barihunk performing the Messiah, please send your listing to Barihunks@gmail.com.

Upcoming Messiah's

Jesse Blumberg

• The University Musical Society Choral Union will perform the Messiah on December 4, 5 and 8 at the Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor with Jesse Blumberg. Visit the UMS website for details and tickets. 

Keith Phares

• TONIGHT Keith Phares performs the Messiah on Saturday, November 27 with the Kansas City Symphony at the Community of Christ Auditorium in Independence, Missouri. Visit the Kansas City Symphony website for details and tickets. 

Randal Turner

• The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performs the Messiah on December 18 at Clowes Memorial Hall with Randal Turner. Visit their website for tickets and performance information. 

Tyler Duncan

• If you want to hear a Messiah the way Handel wrote it and performed it, then check out the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, which is featuring Tyler Duncan. Performances are December 3, 4, 5 and 7 throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit their website for performance and ticket information.

Send Us Your Listing of Handel's Messiah

George Frederick Handel

We would like to do a posting of upcoming Messiah's featuring barihunks. Send us your listing to Barihunks@gmail.com.