Reader Submission: Franco Cerri

Franco Cerri

This has been a busy week for Reader Submissions and the latest is Italian barihunk Franco Cerri. He may be our first submission who is an opera singer, dancer AND jazz pianist.

Born in Genoa, Italy, Cerri  began his studies with piano, drama and ballet dancing. While at the Conservatory, he studied singing with the great Italian baritone Silvano Carroli. In 2012, he won the Città di Alcamo International Singing Competition. 

He made his professional debut as a bass, singing the Bonze in the Puccini's Madame Butterfly and the title role in Rossini's Mosè in Genoa. His debut as baritone was with the role of Marcello in Puccini's La boheme followed by the role of Silvio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.

He has performed Riccardo in Bellini's I Puritani in Licata, Madama Butterfly and The Barber of Seville at the Arena Alpe Adria of Lignano, Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata at the Trentino Opera Festival and sang in Manzitti’s Les Invisibles at the Great Palazzo Ducale in Genoa.

On August 8th, he'll perform Belcore in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore at the Festival Illica Castell'Arquato directed by the great Rolando Panerai, who sang both Belcore and Dulcamara during his career. On August 20th, he'll appear at the Puccini Festival in Torre del lago as Guccio in Gianni Schicchi.

Michael Mayes to make role debut as Sharpless; Broadcast live!

Michael Mayes

Michael Mayes has become so associated for his brilliant portrayals in contemporary opera, that we sometimes forget that he's a compelling presence in the standard repertory, as well. Mayes, who has been dubbed the definitive Joseph de Rocher in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, a role he'll reprise in Opera Parallèle's upcoming season, will be making his role debut as Sharpless in Puccini's operatic classic Madame Butterfly next month.

Mayes will sing the role with the Michigan Opera Theatre from November 15-23 alongside hunkentenor Noah Stewart. Joining them in the cast will be Moldavian soprano Inna Los and Italian soprano Donata D'Annunzio Lombardi who will alternate in the role of Cio-Cio San.

If you can't make it to Detroit, opening night of the opera on November 15th will be broadcast live on WRCJ 90.9 FM. Tickets may be purchased online.

Dead Man Walking will be performed in San Francisco and Santa Monica and tickets are now on sale. This show will sell out fast, so visit the Opera Parallèle website today if you plan on attending.

Make sure to order our new 2015 Barihunks Charity Calendar featuring 19 of the hottest men in opera. Michael Mayes was one of the stars of our 2014 calendar. Click on the LULU button below to order now.

"Madama Butterfly" Simulcast in Seattle Tonight

Brett Polegato (Sharpless) at Seattle Opera  (Elise Bakketun, photo

 

Fresh on the heals of Dallas Opera's successful simulcast of Mozart's "Magic Flute," the Seattle Opera will be featuring Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" in a broadcast at KeyArena tonight (Saturday, May 5th).

Doors open for those who have preregistered at 6 p.m., and for the general public at 6:30 p.m. Anyone without a ticket will be allowed into KeyArena until the capacity is met. The opera begins at 7:30 p.m. This is the first time the Seattle Opera has hosted a simulcast of one of its productions.

Seattle Opera's production stars Brett Polegato as Sharpless,  Patricia Racette as Cio-Cio-San and Stefano Secco as Pinkerton.

Live performances of "Madama Butterfly" continue through May 19 at McCaw Hall. Visit the Seattle Opera website for more information. 

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com

Upcoming FREE Barihunk Concerts of Interest

Southern Heat: Tennessee native John Brandon

Barihunk John Brandon will be part of a free afternoon of opera at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga on Sunday, April 15, at 3 p.m. in the Roland Hayes Hall.

An Afternoon of Opera sponsored by the Connor Society will be held on , UTC Fine Arts Center, located at the intersection of Vine and Palmetto Streets.  He will be joined by soprano Cherry Brendel, tenor Ron Brendel and mezzo Rosella Ewing in selections from Carmen, Rigoletto, La traviata, Lakme, The Pearl Fishers, Samson & Delilah, The Elixir of Love, and The Magic Flute.
 
For more information, call 425-4627 or email verbie-prevost@utc.edu.

Apple of our eye: Christopher Dylan Herbert

Christopher Dylan Herbert is breaking away from his role as the baritone/bass member of New York Polyphony to perform a free concert on Monday, April 16 at 1pm at St. Paul's Chapel near Ground Zero. Herbert will be performing Johann Sebastian Bach's Cantata 56, "Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen," one of only two solo cantatas for baritone written by the German baroque master.

Also on the program is mezzo Luthen Brackett performing Bach's Cantata 54, and organist Renée Louprette performing Bach's Fugue in Eb Major (BWV 551b). Click HERE for additional information. The concert will be broadcast live on WWFM.

Seattle's Best: Joseph Lattanzi & David Krohn

Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" is generally not a barihunk opera, but the Seattle Opera is featuring two of its hottest young artists in a free simulcast on Saturday, May 5th. David Krohn will sing Prince Yamadori and Joseph Lattanzi will sing the Registrar in the opening night performance that includes the Cio-Cio-San of Patricia Racette.

The live HD simulcast from McCaw Hall will be broadcast onto a 50' x 80' screen at KeyArena. Tickets are free, but are expected to go fast, so reserve your tickets by clicking HERE.  Door will open at 6:00 PM and the broadcast will begin at 7:30 PM.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Nick Nelson: The Singing Bong

Check out the abs on Nicholas Nelson, who is singing the Bonze in Madame Butterfly at the Central City Opera.

Central City Opera has a long reputation for showcasing young talent long before they become superstars (i.e. - Denyce Graves, Mary Dunleavy and Lucas Meachem). However, the local press apparently isn't quite as skilled in their knowledge of opera. The Weekly Register-Call/ Gilpin County News referred to him portraying "the Bong," rather than the Bonze. Perhaps it's the local culture where people like Hunter S. Thompson and a few other drug loving celebrities lived.

The 28-year-old Minnesota native is also a part of the Portland Opera Studio where he'll be performing a recital with them on November 14, 2010. Next season he'll be covering Tonio in Pagliacci and Peter in Hansel and Gretel, as well as singing several roles in L'heure Espagnole and L'enfant et les Sortilèges.

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