Romain Dayez in French operetta rarity

Romain Dayez

French barihunk Romain Dayez will sing Gérard Cardoval in Raoul Moretti's rarely performed operetta Un Soir de Réveillon. The piece was originally performed on stage of the Moulin de la Galette in Paris for broadcast on French television. The piece is performed in 10 vignettes written by Paul Armont et Marcel Gerbidon.

The story revolves around Viviane, the mistress of a wealthy Englishman named Bob, who is hosting a dinner a dinner party. Among the guests is Dayez's character Gérard Cardoval, a cheerful young man who has just inherited a huge sum of money and plans on spending it on beautiful women. He also has no plans to ever marry any of them. That same evening, Monique Lepage, a smart young woman, comes to visit her old friend Viviane and hatched a plot to be disguised as a young woman from the country.

There will be two performances at the Cabaret La Nouvelle Eve between November 6-December 26. Tickets are available online.  

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!

Watch Romain Dayez's stunning Gregorian Chant/Electronic Music video

Romain Dayez in

French barihunk Romain Dayez has created an innovative new project called Le Rapt Invisible, which intersperses Gregorian Chant, harmonics and electronic music with dance. The requiem aerternam composition was written by Dayez and Baptiste Lagrave, inspired by ancient sacred music. Dayez performs the vocals.

Enjoy...

Romain Dayez in "second world premiere" of Cavalli's L'Oristeo

Romain Dayez

Barihunk Romain Dayez will be performing the title role in Cavalli's L’Oristeo, which has been all but forgotten to time. The performance is being dubbed the opera's "second world premiere."

The performances at Opera Marseilles with the members of Concerto Soave will  directed by Olivier Lexa, who has updated the production with video projections while staying true to the period. The musicians of Concerto Soave will be arranged on either side of the stage, strings and winds facing each accompanied by a continuo.

The opera was reconstructed by Lexa from a manuscript that appeared to be hastily scribbled by Cavalli and deemed almost illegible. The opera is notable for containing one of the first examples of a da capo aria, Udite amanti, sung by Corinta (sung by Lucie Roche in this production).

Watch a recital with Romain Dayez: 

The opera was written with a prologue and three acts and was designated as a dramma per musica. Cavalli and Faustini, his favorite librettist, collaborated on eight operas in the 1640s. However, Faustini's untimely death in 1651 ended the collaboration that gave birth in a year and a half to L’Oristeo, La Rosinda, L’Eritrea and La Calisto. It premiered at theTeatro Sant 'Apollinare on February 9, 1651, just four decades after Monteverdi's Orfeo, which is often considered the first opera.

Performances are on March 11 and 13th. 

Other cast members include Aurora Tirotta as Diomeda and Amore, Maïlys de Villoutreys as Ermino and Nemeo, Pascal Bertin as Oresde, Zachary Wilder as Trasimede and Lis Viricel as Euralio.

Romain Dayez gets biblical and whimsical

Romain Dayez (photo © Pierre Bongert)

Barihunks calendar model Romain Dayez a few interesting performances coming up on his calendar. On November 28 and 29, he'll perform in Handel's Judas Maccabaues at the Collège Don Bosco in Brussels, Belgium with the vocal ensemble Cantus Firmus and the Brussels Chamber Orchestra.

Gerald Finley sings "Arm, arm ye brave" from Judas Maccabeaus:

From December 2-February 2, he plays the King in Graciane Finzi's new opera Peau D’âne, based on an incestuous fairy tale by 17^th century author Charles Perrault. Performances will be at the Espace Paris-Plaine, Carrè Belle-feuille in Boulogne-Billancourt and the Théâtre de la Lanterne in Rambouillet

In the opera, the king promises his dying wife only to remarry a woman as beautiful as herself. He decides that the only woman who can meet that standard is his daughter, Horrified, the daughter seek the advice of her fairy godmother, who tells her to create marital demands so extreme that they can't be met. She demands that she be given three dresses made of immaterial materials. The first is to be made of the “sky” and should be as light and airy as the clouds. The second is to be made of “moonbeams” and should reflect the same lyrical intensity as the moon at night. The third, and last, is to be made of “sunlight” and should be as blinding and warm as the sun above. The opera also involved a donkey that poops gold and a prince who saves the day.

On January 17, he'll join accompanist Charles Mignot for a recital of music by Fauré, Franck, Chausson, Saint-Saëns, Ravel, Caplet, Boulanger and Poulenc. The performance will be at the Musée des Instruments de Musique and tickets will be available at the door.

You can enjoy Romain Dayez in the 2016 Barihunks calendar along with 17 more of opera's hottest men. You can order before the holiday rush HERE. Proceeds will fund a song prize for baritones/basses, as well as commissions for new music.

Romain Dayez and Jason Duika

You can also enjoy the Marco Vassalli calendar by clicking HERE. Proceeds from the sale will go to fund his US debut in January. 

 

2016 Barihunks Calendar now on sale

Romain Dayez, Jason Chandler Duika, Marco Vassalli and Malte Roesner

The 2016 Barihunks Charity Calendar is now available for purchase. Now in its fifth edition, the calendar features eighteen of the hottest singers in opera and musical theater hailing from nine different countries.

For each of the last four years, the charity calendar has donated all of the profits to young artists, young artist programs and projects featuring baritones. Some of the previous beneficiaries have included the Portland Resident Young Artist Program, Seagle Music Colony, the production of the West Coast Premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's Green Sneakers featuring Jesse Blumberg, and a concert featuring bass Aaron Sørensen and tenor Jonathan Blalock.

This year the proceeds will be used to fund the creation of the Foundation for the Advancement of Baritones (F.A.B.), which will fund baritone and bass cash prizes at song competitions, commission music for baritones and basses, and be used to fund other projects featuring low male voices. New York-based composer Clint Borzoni has already been commissioned to write two songs for string quartet and baritone, which will be performed by Marco Vassalli in January.

The singers this year include Cyril Rovery and Romain Dayez from France; Malte Roesner, Eric Stokloßa and Marco Vassalli from Germany; Iurii Samoilov from the Ukraine; Tristan Hambleton from England; Duncan Rock from Australia; Patrick Egersborg from Norway; Jason Forbach, John Paul Huckle, David Adam Moore, Seth Mease Carico and Edward Miskie from the United States; Gianluca Margheri and Vittorio Prato from Italy; and, Iosu Yeregui from Spain. All of the singers are baritones or lower voices, except for Eric Stokloßa, who is the first tenor featured in the calendar (in a photo with baritone David Adam Moore from Peter Eötvös' Paradise reloaded.

Four of the singers were photographed this Summer in the Loire Valley in an official Barihunks photo shoot. 

The calendar is available at LULU.com.

Romain Dayez performing in innovative new show

Romain Dayez

The always inventive and interesting Belgian barihunk and artistic director Romain Dayez has put together a new show called "De Profundis" featuring the music of Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt and Solange Labbe. The show will also include contemporary dance. Dayez who adminsters and performs with the ALLIAGE Art Project will be presenting the performance on September 22 at Eglise Royale Sainte-Marie Church in Brussels, Belgium.

ALLIAGE is a multi-arts performance group that performs traditional to contemporary works while marrying various art forms. The group is committed to honoring authentic musical styles while creating an original artistic vision, usually around one single project.

ALLIAGE brings together all kinds of artists - including artists, dancers, architects, actors, writers and singers - into unexpected with the goal of reaching a wider audience. This collaborative process is intended to expand artistic boundaries and create new and exciting musical experiences.

The 24-year old singer studied at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles and later at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. He has performed the ancient music and baroque repertory extensively with some of the leading early music conductors in Europe. This includes concerts, oratorios and operas. He has been seen in many standard repertory operas at the Opéra de Metz and Théâtre du Châtelet, and is a regular soloist at the Cathédrale de Bruxelles.

Artistic shot of Romain Dayez

Having grown up in a family of artists, he loves experimenting with new collaborations, having even performed with the Parisian rap group Milk Coffee & Sugar. He should also add "model" to his résumé, as we find his posters featuring his image as eye-catching as any in classical music.

For tickets to De Profundis email alliageartproject@gmail.com or call +33 6 74 35 84 90.

Introducing sexy Belgian barihunk Romain Dayez

Romain Dayez as Leporello (Photo by Pierre Yellal)

Belgian barihunk Romain Dayez has been on our list of singers to post for over a year. In fact, we tried to get him into this year's Barihunks calendar, but couldn't get a high resolution photo in time. When we saw this photo of him as Leporello from the Festival du Haut Limousin in France we decided that we just couldn't keep him from our readers any longer.

The photo that didn't make the Barihunks calendar

The 22-year-old, who hails from a family of artists, entered the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles in Belgium in 2007 before continuing his music studies at the Conservatoire Supérieur National de Musique in Paris three years later. Much of his early career has been focused on oratorios and baroque repertoire. He seems to have a particular affinity for Mozart, having had success as Nardo in La Finta Giardiniera and Leporello in Don Giovanni. He has a particular passion for French chansons, which he has included in recitals at numerous festivals.

Long-term, he may have a future as an artistic administrator, as he's promoted music from the baroque, as founder of L'Olimpiade, to new music collaborations with groups like the Parisian rappers Milk Coffee & Sugar.

Romain Dayez with Milk Coffee & Sugar performing "Chanter Déchanter" 

(at the 1:32, 2:45 & 4:03 marks):

He is currently performing the Phillippe Boesmans/Luc Bondy opera Reigen at the Salle d'art Lyrique at the Paris Conservatoire. On March 17th, he'll sing the role of Christ in Bach's St. Matthew's Passion at the Basiliek van Hulst in Holland. On March 30th, his group L'Olimpiade will perform music by Charpentier and Couperin at the Hôtel de Soubise.

Further down the road he will sing and direct a project about composers Arvo Pärt and Philip Glass with his Alliage Art Project. We will post more about that in the Fall.

Dayez sings Schubert's Der Wegweiser: