Barihunk duo in Kentucky Opera's "A Woman in Morocco"

Joseph Flaxman and Brent Michael Smith

Two barihunks participating in the Kentucky Opera's Studio Artist Program will be featured in Daron Hagen's socially poignant opera A Woman in Morocco. Joseph Flaxman sings the dissolute English expat Teddy Forsythe and Brent Michael Smith sings the American businessman Harry Hopkins.

The opera, which is based on the play by Barbara Grecki, confronts the issues of human trafficking and sexual violence and its effect on all of us. Set in a small run-down hotel in Morocco in the mid-1950s, the opera tells the story of a young, wide-eyed writer, Lizzy, whose involvement with Ahmed, a worker at the hotel, sets in motion a series of events which ripple out and impact all the characters in the opera.

On May 6th, you can listen to the composer, the artists and General Director David Roth discuss the opera on WUOL-FM at 11:30 AM CST. The opera will premiere Tuesday, May 12 in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the Festival of Faiths

Flaxman's 2014-2015 season includes, Bello in La Fanciulla del West at the Munich Philharmonic and the Kentucky Opera, his Wagnerian debut as Donner in Das Rheingold with the Hartford Wagner Festival, Germont in La Traviata with Bronx Opera, and “all male roles” in Smashed! at the NY Fringe Festival with Opera on Tap. 

Brent Michael Smith was at the Central City Opera last year where he performed Antonio in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. His other roles with the Kentucky Opera include the Marquis and Doctor in Verdi's La Traviata and Larkens in Puccini's La Fanciulla del West. This summer he'll perform Billy Jackrabbit in La Fanciulla del West Des Moines Metro Opera.

Barihunk Feast in Kentucky Opera's "Girl of the Golden West"

Franco Pomponi in Hamlet (left) and Joseph Flaxman in Cosi (right)

Forget about the "Girl" of the Golden West, "them thar hills" are filled with some hot guys! Puccini isn't exactly known for his great barihunk roles, although we do see the occasionally hot Scarpia, which makes us wonder if Tosca isn't choosing the wrong guy (who doesn't like a Bad Boy once in awhile?).

The one exception is his opera La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West), which features ten roles for baritone, bass-baritone or bass. Since they're all ambitious young miners, it's the perfect opera for some barihunk casting and the Kentucky Opera doesn't disappoint. Franco Pomponi is cast as Jack Rance, the main baritone role, and Joe Flaxman sings the appropriately named Handsome (a.k.a Bello). Both singers have appeared on this site. Add to that Michael Preacely as Sonora, Zach Owen as Ashby, Jeffrey Gates as Happy and Brent Michael Smith as Jim Larkens and you have a feast of low voices.

Brent Michael Smith (photos by Courtney Charles)

We're not quite sure how Brent Michael Smith has escape the eyes of our barihunk scouts, but we're more that pleased to add him to the bass-barihunk family. 

Smith is a recent graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and a Studio Artist at the Kentucky Opera. He was an Apprentice Artist at the Central City Opera this year where he sang Antonio in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and covered Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. In 2012, Smith  took the top prize at both the Grand Rapids Opera Competition and the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition: Great Lakes Region. In addition to Jim Larkens, he will perform the roles of the Marquis/Doctor in Verdi's La Traviata and Harry Hopkins in Daron Hagen’s A Woman in Morocco.

Flaxman is also a Studio Artist with the Kentucky Opera this season. He will perform Teddy Forsythe in A Woman in Morocco and the Baron in La Traviata.

You can read an interview with Zach Owen HERE.

Performances of La fanciulla del West are on November 14 and 16. For additional cast information and tickets, visit their website.

If you want to enjoy 19 more barihunks, make sure to buy our new 2015 Barihunks Charity Calendar. It's available by clicking on the LULU button below and every penny goes to support young artists.