American barihunk Edward Nelson won the Glyndebourne Opera Cup today, taking home the top prize of £15,000 and the guarantee of a professional role at a top international opera house. He is the second consecutive American to win the prize, following mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey's win in 2018.
Nelson sang "La fatigue alourdit mes pes… Comme une pâle fleur" and "Ô vin, dissipe la tristesse" from Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet during the first half and followed it up with Rossini's crowd pleasing "Largo al factotum" from Il barbiere di Siviglia. Nelson just wrapped up an acclaimed run as the Barber with the Vancouver Opera on February 23.
He recently made his European debut at the Norwegian National Opera as Pelléas in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, a role he later sang with Ópera de Oviedo and covered at the Glyndebourne Festival. He is graduate of the Adler Fellowship at the San Francisco Opera, where he has made seventy main stage appearances, including as Malatesta in Donizetti's Don Pasquale, Bosun in Britten's Billy Budd, Yamadori in Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Morales in Bizet's Carmen.
From May 30 to June 28, he can be heard as Dr. Falke in Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus at the Opera Theatre of St Louis .
Christian Pursell at the Partners for the Vocal Arts Vocal Competition
American barihunk Christian Pursell won the 6th Annual Partners for the Arts Vocal Competition today in Alexandria, Virginia. Second Place went to tenor Brandon Scott Russell and Third Place to soprano Robin Steitz.
The 2016 Metropolitan Opera semi-finalist performed "Aprite un po queli' occhi" from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro and "O du mein holder abendstern" from Wagner's Tannhauser.
Pursell is a first year Adler Fellow at the San Francisco Opera. This season he'll be performing a number of roles with the company, including Walter Raleigh in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, the Jailer in Puccini's Tosca, Count Lamoral in Richard Strauss' Arabella, and a fourth of the Angel Quartet in Jake Heggie's It's a Wonderful Life.
On November 21, San Francisco Opera will present the world premiere
of American composer John Adams' Girls of the Golden West, which will feature the barihunk trio of Davóne Tines as the fugitive slave Ned Peters, Elliot Madore as Ramón and Ryan McKinny as Clarence. The opera will run from November 21-December 10 and ticket and additional cast information is available online.
Bass-barihunk Davóne Tines, who is new to this site, makes his first local appearance in a fully
staged opera as Ned Peters, an African-American cowboy and fugitive
slave who is drawn to the promise of the frontier. At age 30, Tines has
had three operas composed with his voice in mind: Matthew Aucoin's
Crossing at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Kaija Saariaho's Only the Sound Remains at the Dutch National Opera, as well as Adams' Girls of the
Golden West. Last year, he performed John Adams' El Niño at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Davóne Tines sings 'True Fire" by Kaija Saariaho:
This is Ryan McKinny's debut with the San Francisco Opera. He recently performed the role of Richard Nixon in Adams’ Nixon in China with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Elliot Madore returns after his successful debut with the San Francisco Opera as Anthony Hope in Sondheim's Sweeney Todd in 2015.
With a libretto drawn from historical sources by director Peter Sellars, Girls of the Golden West explores the true stories of pioneers on California's Gold Rush frontier during the 1850s. The collaboration between San Francisco Opera and John Adams
began with the 1992 West Coast premiere of The Death of Klinghoffer, followed by the acclaimed world premiere
of Doctor Atomic in 2005.
Part of the cast of Girls of the Golden West
Girls of the Golden West takes place in the historic mining camps of Rich
Bar and Downieville during California's transition from territory to
American statehood, a period which coincided with the Gold Rush and its
unprecedented migration of people from around the world attracted by the
prospect of striking it rich in the region's gold fields.
Sellars'
libretto draws from sources illuminating multiple perspectives of this
global event, including the California history classic The Shirley
Letters, a collection of 23 letters by Louise Clappe penned under the
name "Dame Shirley" describing the rugged conditions and clash of
cultures in the gold mining camps from 1851 to 1852; the diary of
Chilean miner Ramón Gil Navarro; memoirs of fugitive slaves; poems of
Chinese immigrants; the Argentine poet Alfonsina Storni; Frederick Douglass' speech "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"; gold miner songs; and Mark Twain's Roughing It.
2018 Barihunks Calendar/Photo Book
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!
Bass-barihunk Anthony Reed, who wrapped up his successful Opera Pop-Up Operatronica last night, has launched his own YouTube channel called My BASSic Life. He also just finished two runs at the San Francisco Opera where he sang Orest's tutor in Richard Strauss' Elektra and is currently singing Doctor Grenvil in Verdi's La traviata, which runs through October 17th.
My BASSic Life runs every Tuesday and he's already ran episodes where you can watch him roller blading in Golden Gate Park, getting his costume fitting, hiking shirtless in Yosemite, seeking out a translation of Turandot, getting a haircut in Philly and even singing to deer (as well as just singing -both pop and opera!).
Upcoming performances include Haydn's Creation with the Nashville Symphony on November 3rd and 4th, as well as the Adler Gala Concert at San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House on December 8th. Tickets for the Gala are available online.
A page from the Barihunks Photo Book
Our 2018 Barihunks Calendar, which includes 20 of opera's sexiest men is now available for purchaseHERE.
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 thatHERE. The New Year is approaching faster than you think!
Ildebrando d’Arcangelo will appear on the Jumbotron as Don Giovanni at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. The live telecast is part of the San Francisco Opera's successful Opera at the Ballpark series.
Up to 30,000 are expected to attend the June 30th live broadcast from the War Memorial Opera
House. Audience members can picnic on the field while watching the
opera or watch from
the stands. The event is free, but attendees will have to register online.
Ildebrando d’Arcangelo sings Deh vieni alla finestra from Don Giovanni:
The
Opera in the Ballpark experience is one of the many ways the San
Francisco Opera has used to broaden the reach of opera. Ildebrando d’Arcangelo, will be joined in the cast by Erin Wall, Ana María
Martinez, Stanislas de Barbeyrac and Marco Vinco. The opera will be
conducted by Marc Minkowski in his San Francisco Opera debut and will be
directed Jacopo Spirei in his San Francisco debut.
The San Francisco Opera summer season will also include Puccini’s La
Bohème and Verdi’s Rigoletto with Quinn Kelsey in the title role.
Barihunks Régis Mengus and Edward Nelson will be making their role debuts as Hamlet on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean in 2017.
Mengus will perform the role with Opéra de Lausanne from February 5-12 with Lisette Oropesa as his Ophelia. Amazingly, this will be the first time that the masterpiece by the French composer Ambroise Thomas will be performed in Lausanne. The opera was co-produced with the Opéra de Marseille, who presented this production last Fall with Jean-François Lapointe in the title role.
Mengus, who came from a blue collar family with little exposure to the
arts, was drawn to music as a young boy. He started piano lesson at the
age of six, but joined the boys choir Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois two years later after realizing that
singing was his true passion. Shortly after joining the group, he rose
to the coveted role of soloist with the boys choir (and became an internet sensation).
In October 2013, he won both the First Prize and the Audience
Award at the International Competition of Singing in Vivonne. In March
2014, he won First Prize, the Audience Award, and a Special Award at the
International Competition of Bordeaux.
From December 24-31, one can hear Mengus at the Opéra de Tours as Gustave de Pottenstein in Franz Lehàr's Das Land des Lächelns (Le Pays du Sourire).
Géraldine Chauvet & Jean Francois Lapointe perform Hamlet
Mengus, who came from a blue collar family with little exposure to the
arts, was drawn to music as a young boy. He started piano lesson at the
age of six, but joined the boys choir Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois two years later after realizing that
singing was his true passion. Shortly after joining the group, he rose
to the coveted role of soloist with the boys choir (and became an internet sensation).
In October 2013, he won both the First Prize and the Audience
Award at the International Competition of Singing in Vivonne. In March
2014, he won First Prize, the Audience Award, and a Special Award at the
International Competition of Bordeaux.
From December 24-31, one can hear Mengus at the Opéra de Tours as Gustave de Pottenstein in Franz Lehàr's Das Land des Lächelns (Le Pays du Sourire).
Edward Nelson (left) and Régis Mengus(right)
Edward Nelson, who just finished his two-year stint at the prestigious
Adler Fellow Program under the auspices of the San Francisco Opera, will
perform the role of Hamlet with West Edge Opera across
the San Francisco Bay. His Ophelia will be Emma McNairy, who created a
sensation with her Lulu with the company. The opera will be performed at
the abandoned train station in West Oakland, which has become a popular
destination for opera goers. Parts of the movie RENT were filmed at the
site. Performances will be part of their August festival, which also
includes Vicente Martin y Soler's The Chastity Tree and Libby Larsen's Frankenstein. Rumor has it that a major U.S. debut by a barihunk will be part of the festival. Details coming!
Nelson received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He was a national semifinalist in the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the 2014 Naumburg International Voice Competition, First Prize winner of the 2014 Corbett Opera Competition at CCM, and a winner in the 2013 Opera Columbus and 2014 Mildred Miller International Voice Competition.
Nelson sang a number of roles this season at the San Francisco Opera, including Fleville in Giordano's Andrea Chénier, Eunuch/Stone in Dream of the Red Chamber,
Dr. Malatesta in Donizetti's Don Pasquale, and Yamadori in Puccini's Madama Butterfly.
On February 4th, Nelson will perform the world premiere of a new arrangement of Clint Borzoni's aria "Two Nooses" from his opera When Adonis Calls, arrangedfor baritone, viola, cello and piano. Tickets are now on sale. On April 21 and 23, he will perform the Steward in Jonathan Dove's Flight with Opera Omaha, and from June 15-24, Schaunard in Puccini's La boheme at the Cincinnati Opera.
ORDER YOUR 2017 BARIHUNKS IN BED CALENDAR TODAY TO ENSURE THAT IT ARRIVES BEFORE THE NEW YEAR!!!
Brent Michael Smith, Jerome Varnier and Brad Baron
The 2016 Class of the Adler Fellows in San Francisco
The Adler Fellowship Program, which operates under the auspices of the San Francisco Opera, has turned out some of the greatest singers in the world, including Patricia Racette, Ruth Ann Swenson, Dolora Zajic, Deborah Voigt, Heidi Melton, Brian Asawa and Stuart Skelton. The program is a two-year fellowship that provides gifted singers to develop their craft with the best coaches in the world and to perform on the main stage of the San Francisco Opera.
It's also turned out a number of barihunks who have gone on to world-class careers, including John Relyea, Hadleigh Adams, Philippe Sly, Ryan Kuster, Efraín Solís, Mel Ulrich, Lucas Meachem, Joshua Bloom, Kenneth Kellogg, Austin Kness, Daniel Sumegi and Eugene Brancoveanu. The 2016 class featured some amazing low voices and some favorites of Barihunks readers, including baritone Edward Nelson, bass Anthony Reed, bass-baritone Brad Walker and bass-baritone Matthew Stump.
Julie Adams and Brad Walker in a selection from Carlisle Floyd's "Susannah":
On December 2nd, the latter four joined soprano Julie Adams, soprano Amina Edris, mezzo Zanda Švēde, soprano Toni Marie Palmertree, mezzo Nian Wang and tenor Pene Pete for the Adler Fellows annual showcase called "The Future is Now" at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco. We thought that we'd share some of the highlights with readers.
Baritone Edward Nelson sings Billy Budd's "Look, through the port...":
This season at the San Francisco opera, Edward Nelson performed Prince Yamadori in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Dr. Malatesta in Donizetti's comedy Don Pasquale, Fléville in Giordano's Andrea Chenier and the Eunuch/Stone in the world premiere of Dream of the Red Chamber. The previous season, he created the role of John Buckley in Marco Tutino's Two Women with the company. His 2017 engagements include the Steward in Jonathan Dove's Flight with Opera Omaha, Schaunard in Puccini's La bohème at Cincinnati Opera and the title role in Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet with West Edge Opera.
Anthony Reed sings "Wie schön ist doch die Musik" from Die schweigsame Frau:
Bass Anthony Reed, who has appeared in our Barihunks charity calendar, is currently singing the King in the San Francisco Opera's production of Verdi's Aida. Other roles with the company include various roles in Hector Berlioz's epic Les Troyens, the Speaker in Mozart's The Magic Flute, Hans Schwartz in Wagner's Die Miestersinger von Nürnberg, Doctor Primus in Gordon Getty's Usher House, the Mayor in Janacek's Jenufa and Schmidt in Giordano's Andrea Chenier. You can check out his website HERE.
Brad Walker sings Hai già vinta la causa!":
Bass-baritone Brad Walker made his debut with the San Francisco Opera this summer as Zuniga in Bizet's Carmen. At the Yale Opera, he sang the title role in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Colline in Puccini's La bohème and Don Magnifico in Rossini's La Cenerentola. On December 16, he'll be giving a free concert at the Peace Lutheran Church in Lake Zurich, Illinois, performing opera, lieder, jazz and musical theater. You can check out his website HERE.
Matthew Stump sings "Die Frist ist um" from The Flying Dutchman:
Bass-baritone Matthew Stump made his San Francisco Opera debut as a Trojan Soldier in Hector Berlioz's Les Troyensin 2015. He has appeared with the company as Hans Folz in Wagner's Die Miestersinger von Nürnberg, the Monk in Verdi's Don Carlo and the Foreman in Janacek's Jenufa.
Time is running out to order your 2017 Barihunks in Bed calendar.
Bass-barihunk Brad Walker will return to the San Francisco Opera's successful SF Opera Lab pop-up on Halloween eve. The last pop-up was held at a mortuary turned night club and the latest will be hosted by legendary drag diva Heklina at the OASIS night club.
Walker will be joined by soprano Julie Adams and tenor Brenton Ryan, who he is appearing with at the San Francisco Opera in Janacek's Makropulos Case. Also performing will be mezzo-soprano Renée Rapier and pianist Jennifer Szeto.
Walker is a first-year San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow and graduate of the 2015 Merola Opera Program, where he appeared as Betto in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. He has been an apprentice with Des Moines Metro Opera, Chautauqua Opera Company and Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and received an award in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Attendees to the SF Opera Lab are encouraged to come in costume or visit the costume booth provided by the San Francisco Opera Costume Shop for a chance to win SF Opera Lab swag and tickets. The performance begins at 8pm (doors open at 7pm) and the party continues after the show with a live DJ. This event is 21+ only with valid photo ID.
Tickets are $25 advance at sfoperalab.com and you must be older than 21 years of age.
We recently had the opportunity to see Lucas Meachem as Doctor Malatesta in the San Francisco Opera's hilarious production of Donizetti's Don Pasquale directed by Laurent Pelly. We instantly noticed that Meachem not only sounded the best that we'd heard him in years, but he looked imposing and statuesque with his new physique. We later learned that he'd lost 45 pounds (20.4 kilos).
Meachem has two more performances of the opera on October 12 and 15 (tonight's performance will be sung by fellow barihunk Edward Nelson). The cast also includes the brilliant Maurizio Muraro in the title role, Lawrence Brownlee as Ernesto, Heidi Stober as his lover Norina and Bojan Knežvić as the Notary. Tickets are available online.
We decided to ask him about his new physique and here is what he had to say.
Maurizio Muraro and Lucas Meachem in Don Pasquale(Photo: SF Opera)
1. What prompted the weight loss?
This past January, my doctor discovered that I had high cholesterol and
he advised me to do something about it. Searching for solutions, my wife
introduced me to some documentaries on health and the environment that
had a lasting impact on me. It opened my eyes. Alternatively, with the
advent of the Met HD and various opera publications, I had to accept
that opera has become more visually intensive than in the past. I felt
like I was missing out on roles, even losing some roles because of my
looks or size. For whatever the reason, I was left out of casting
decisions because I didn't look the part. I wanted to make a change and
eliminate that factor for any casting director or company. I felt like I
deserved more for the voice I had and the body I didn't.
"The fact is
it's easier to change yourself than the system. So instead of resisting, I decided to change myself."
- Lucas Meachem
I don't
like any of the discrimination shown towards larger singers, men and
women alike. It is a conversation I've had with opera singers around the
world and I sympathize with them. I know this can be a disheartening
thought but in this competitive industry, body image ends up being a
deciding factor sometimes rather than one's true talent. I've been a
Barihunk and I've been a Barichunk but the thing that's always been
there is my voice.
I used to rail against the system for it's
unfairness that weight is even an issue when it came to my voice. For me
vocal prowess should be the main determining factor of an opera singer
but I realized that I couldn't play by those rules anymore. The fact is
it's easier to change yourself than the system. So instead of resisting,
I decided to change myself.
2. How did you do it.I became a vegan.
As a
vegan, I eat a plant-based diet. I center my meals around vegetables and
go from there. I cut out dairy, meat, eggs, sugar, and alcohol. I also
cut out carbs after 4pm and try to eat an early dinner. That's tough
with a performing schedule where I'm done with a show at 11pm. With how
strict I normally eat, it's ok to cheat once in a while when I go out. I
know that everything I eat is a choice, not a confinement.
I've
tried so many diets through the years. My weight has been up and down
like a roller coaster. Finally, I've found a moral implication in my
diet. Living a life of compassion motivates me and inspires me to be a
better person for myself and the world.
Lucas Meachem as Dr. Malatesta (Photo: SF Opera)
3. Tell us about singing Dr. Malatesta
Malatesta is more difficult than your average opera role because you have to have many different faces--it's a real "faccia doppia". Those faces seem to change with each production. The acting is a challenge, but vocally it's straightforward bel canto. This role is suited to a lyric baritone with solid coloratura. Although it's not an overwhelmingly gratifying role, I enjoy singing it because it's a real team effort. It's an ensemble piece and you end up becoming very close with your colleagues, out of art and necessity. 4. What does the San Francisco Opera mean to you, having come through the Merola young artist program and the Adler Fellowship Program at the San Francisco Opera?
The San Francisco Opera is my home. I walk in that house and shake hands with 20 people before I hit the rehearsal room. I feel well-respected and well-loved, and it's a two-way street. I couldn't be happier that Matthew Shilvock and Greg Hinkel are working there, since they're both dear friends of mine. One of my most cherished accomplishments in San Francisco was singing "Barber of Seville" as a Merolini in 2003 and then returning ten years later to sing it on the main stage.
The SF Opera is one of those gold standard opera house. It's the kind of opera house you wish other opera houses could be. It's when all of the elements come together to make a truly fulfilling artistic experience. From the general director to the stage management team, from the security guards to the orchestra members, each factor is world-class. Artists leave knowing that they have participated in something truly outstanding.
Our 10th Anniversary "Barihunks in Bed" calendar is now on sale and available by clicking on the Lulu button below.
American barihunk David Pershall will make his belated San Francisco Opera debut on September 9th as Roucher in Giordano's Andrea Chénier. Pershall returns to San Francisco, where is was a 2008 participant in the Merola Opera program, which has had a long association with the company. While at Merola, Pershall sang Dr. Malatesta in Act 2 of Donizetti's Don Pasquale for the Schwabacher Summer Concert, Zurga in scenes from Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles and Falke in scenes from Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus for their Grand Finale Concert.
Pershall will be joined by a barihunk quintet, which is unusual for one of the verismo standards of the repertory. Joining him are Edward Nelson as Pietro Fléville, Brad Walker as Dumas, Anthony Reed as Schmidt and Anders Fröhlich as the Major-Domo. Performances run from September 9-30 and Maddelena will be sung by Anna Pirozzi, Chenier by Younghoon Lee and Gerard by George Gagnidze. Tickets are available online.
Edward Nelson, Anders Fröhlich, Anthony Reed and Brad Walker (l-r)
Pershall has recently appeared at the Vienna State Opera as Figaro in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Belcore in Donizetti's L’Elisir d’Amore, Sharpless in Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Sebastian in Adès' The Tempest. He has performed Figaro in an abridged, English version of Rossini's The Barber of Seville at the Metropolitan Opera and also appeared there in the roles of Schaunard in La Bohème and Lord Cecil in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda.
Pershall also has a close partnership with the Beethoven Easter Festival and the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra with whom he participated in three live performance albums, featuring performances as Don Pedro in Donizetti's Maria Padilla, Manfredo in Montemezzi's L’Amore dei Tre Re, and Orestes in Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride.
He has won many prestigious vocal competitions, most recently the top prize in the annual George London Competition.
Lucas Meachem in Marriage of Figaro (left) and showing off his "guns" in Dresden
Barihunk Lucas Meachem has won the San Francisco Opera inaugural "Emerging Star of the Year" competition. The competition was made possible
by The Emerging Stars Fund, established through a three-year,
multi-million dollar gift from San Francisco Opera sponsors Jan Shrem and Maria
Manetti Shrem. Meachem will be awarded $10,000. The goal of the Emerging Stars Fund is to engage the community in
the thrill of experiencing artists on the cusp of greatness, and to
build awareness among the broader opera-going public of San Francisco
Opera's leadership in nurturing and showcasing new talent.
Meachem is a former participant in the Merola Opera Program and Adler Fellows, both programs associated closely with the development of young artists at the company. He has appeared with San Francisco Opera in the title role of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Mozart's Don Giovanni, Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, Mozart's Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Mozart's Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro and Fritz/Frank in Korngold’s Die tote Stadt.
Lucas Meachem sings "Sois immobile" from Rossini's William Tell:
He returns to the company this year as Doctor Malatesta in Donizetti's Don Pasquale, which he performs on September 28 and October 2, 12, and 15. He will rotate the role with another emerging artist from the company, barihunk Edward Nelson, who also has been part of the Merola Opera Program and is a current Adler Fellow. Nelson performs on October 4 and 7. Tickets and cast information is available online. The voting was conducted online and through social media. Other singers who were considered included soprano Malin Byström, mezzo Sasha Cooke, soprano Leah
Crocetto, tenor Michael Fabiano, tenor Brian Jagde,
mezzo Daniela Mack, baritone Brian Mulligan, tenor Alek Shrader and soprano Heidi Stober.
Hadleigh Adams at SF Opera's Lab Pop-Up Opera in San Francisco
For years, opera companies have been trying innovative ways to attract younger audiences to the artform. The San Francisco Opera may have figured out the formula, as their Pop-Up concert at The Chapel, an old mortuary converted into a 1914 nightclub, drew a packed audience of 500 rowdy attendees to the heart of San Francisco's hip Mission District.
Hadleigh Adams sings "Come un'ape ne'giorni d'aprile" from La Cenerentola:
Barihunk Hadleigh Adams was the perfect emcee, eliciting shouts from men
and women to take off his shirt (which he didn't do!). He was joined by
fellow barihunks Anthony Reed and Brad Walker, tenor Pene Pati, mezzo
Laura Krumm and soprano Amina Edris. All are alums of the prestigious
Merola Opera Program, who went on to become Adler Fellows with the San
Francisco Opera. They were joined by Ronny Michael Greenberg at the
piano, who recently accompanied barihunk Marco Vassalli for his U.S.
debut recital.
The SF Opera Lab explores innovative programming that celebrates the
power of the human voice theatrically in intimate spaces beyond the War
Memorial Opera House. They are also intended to be informal and drinks
are allowed at the performance.
Hadleigh Adams & Laura Krumm sing "Dunque io son" from The Barber of Seville:
The next SF Opera Lab production opens tonight with seven performances
running through APril 10th. Michael Cavanagh will direct Ana Sokolović's
Svadba-Wedding and audience members will be part of the action with
actual champagne served at the wedding. Additional information is
available online.
Hadleigh Adams will be performing Falke in Die Fledermaus with the Cincinnati Opera in June. Anthony Reed can be seen this season at the San Francisco Opera in Jenufa, Andrea Chenier, Aida and Madama Butterfly. Brad Walker will be appearing with the San Francisco Opera this season in Carmen, Andrea Chenier and The Makropulos Case.
Hadleigh Adams(Photo: Scott Wall/San Francisco Opera)
The innovative SF Opera Lab will be presenting their next Pop-Up concert on April Fool's Day with performances by barihunks Hadleigh Adams, Anthony Reed and Brad Walker. All three are alums of the prestigious Merola Opera Program who went on to become Adler Fellows with the San Francisco Opera.
The SF Opera Lab explores innovative programming that celebrates the
power
of the human voice theatrically in intimate spaces beyond the War
Memorial Opera House. They are also intended to be informal and drinks
are allowed at the performance. The concert will be performed at The
Chapel, a converted mortuary that was built in 1914 and has been renovated into a live music venue.
Bass-barihunks Anthony Reed and Brad Walker
The concert is on Friday, April 1st (doors at 8:15pm/show at 9pm) and there will be an after-party with a live DJ. Adams will perform and emcee the concert. Tickets are $20 advance and $25 at the door. Seating is limited, so order tickets in advance.
Hadleigh Adams will be performing Falke in Die Fledermaus with the Cincinnati Opera in June. Anthony Reed can be seen this season at the San Francisco Opera in Jenufa, Andrea Chenier, Aida and Madama Butterfly. Brad Walker will be appearing with the San Francisco Opera this season in Carmen, Andrea Chenier and The Makropulos Case.
Philippe Sly and Lisette Oropesa in SF Opera's Le nozze di Figaro
Philippe Sly, who is one of our favorite young artists in the world, was recently featured in his hometown newspaper, which you can read HERE. Our favorite quote from the article comes from conductor Patrick Summer, who captures Sly's artistry perfectly:
“Philippe has a great and rare gift,” notes Patrick Summer, one of the
world’s eminent opera conductors, who is on the podium for the SFO
Figaro. “And that is his ability to be a storyteller, to illuminate the
text and make the music pulsate off the page. He gives me great hope for
the future of opera, which is in a vulnerable position. I can’t wait,
in fact I hope I have the privilege and the good fortune, to conduct him
in (Figaro) in 10 years, in 20 years, and see what he does.”
Performances run through July 5th and tickets and additional cast information is available online.
The San Francisco Opera kicks off one of its most exciting summer season's this weekend in decade. First up is Hector Berlioz's epic 5 1/2 hour masterpiece Les Troyens with Anna Caterina Antonacci as Cassandra. She is perhaps the most exciting singing actress in opera since Leonie Rysanek.
The opera has not been performed in San Francisco in 47
years, where the U.S. stage premiere took place two years earlier in 1956 with Regine Crespin and Jon Vickers. The five-act opera is set to Virgil’s classical poem The Aeneid and is performed in
two parts: “The Capture of Troy,” the Greek siege of ancient Troy
including the famed Trojan Horse, and “The Trojans at Carthage,” the
escape of the Trojans to the North African Mediterranean city of
Carthage.
Christian Van Horn as Narbal (left)
Bass-Barihunk Christian Van Horn takes on the role of the queen's adviser Narbal, in an all-star cast that also includes Susan Graham as Dido, Bryan Hymel as Aeneas and Sasha Cooke as Anna. The production is the largest physical production ever
to be presented as the War Memorial Opera House, requiring 134
artists on stage and 95 musicians in the orchestra pit and backstage.
The production first opened in 2012 at London’s the Royal Opera and later at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. Following the San
Francisco Opera performances, the production will be seen at the Vienna
State Opera. Performances run from June 7–July 1 and tickets are available online.
Two of the most beloved and gifted barihunks in the world head the cast of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, with Philippe Sly as Figaro and Luca Pisaroni as the lecherous Count. They'll be joined by Nadine Sierra as his Countess, Lisette Oropesa as Susanna, Kate Lindsey/Angela Brower as Cherubino, John Del Carlo as Bartolo and Catherine Cook as Marcellina. Performances run from June 14-July 5.
Christian Van Horn with fellow barihunk Andrè Schuen and hunkentenor Jonas Kaufmann
Van Horn also appears as the Field Marshall in the world premiere of Italian composer Marco Tutino’s Two Women (La Ciociara), with a libretto by the composer and Fabio Ceresa. Anna Caterina Antonacci is also back as the mother Cesira. Her daughter will be played by Sarah Shafer. It is the first time in the history of San Francisco Opera that an Italian composer has been commissioned to write a new opera for the company.
The
opera is based on 20th-century Italian author Alberto Moravia’s novel of
the same name. Moravia’s critically-acclaimed 1958 work was adapted in
1960 by noted Italian film producer Carlo Ponti into a film directed by
Vittorio De Sica starring Sophia Loren. Loren won the 1962 Academy Award
for Best Actress for the performance—the first artist to win an Oscar
for a foreign language film. Performances run from June 13-30.
Van Horn next appears as Zaccaria in Verdi's Nabucco at the Seattle Opera from August 8-22.
Barihunk Philippe Sly is prominently featured in a one hour documentary filmed during the rehearsal period and performance of the world premiere of British composer Jonathan Dove's "Who Wrote the Book of Love." The piece was written for bass-baritone and string quartet with Phillippe Sly in mind as the soloist.
Who Wrote the Book of Love? is a 45-minute cycle with words by British playwright and librettist Alasdair Middleton. The text explores the path of love and passion.
The first performance of the piece took place in March 2014 in a London gallery and Philippe's brother Mathieu Sly camera filmed the whole creative process, including some private moments. Sly calls the piece the most beautiful composition that the composer has written for him. Dove also wrote Three Tennyson Songs for the singer.
Sly will perform Figaro in the San Francisco Opera's Summer Season production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, which runs from June 14-July 5. He'll be joined by the Count of Luca Pisaroni.
Hadleigh Adams at Pinchgut Opera in Castor & Pollux and Bajazet
Kiwi barihunk Hadleigh Adams has written a 90-minute show that combines songs and arias he has sung throughout
his life, along with anecdotes (both PG and R rated) to illustrate why he
chose this most absurd of careers and why he knows he'll never leave. Adams traces his journey from small town New Zealand to the San
Francisco Opera, the oh-so-garish lights of San Francisco's Castro District, and the
thrilling and frightening experience of starting a major international
career.
We saw a private performance of the program and it's an absolute "must see" for any fan of opera.
Adams is going to perform the show publicly at San Francisco's Martuni's bar on Wednesday, March 4th at 7
pm.
Tickets are $10 each and support the Merola Opera Program, from which he graduated before becoming a San
Francisco Opera Adler Fellow and beginning his international career. Seating is very limited. To order tickets, call Merola at (415) 565-6427, visit Merola.org or click here for tickets.
Adams has become a fan favorite in the Bay Area, where he has been acclaimed for his roles in San Francisco Opera's Les Contes
d'Hoffmann, Dolores Claiborne, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Madama
Butterfly, and Schaunard in last winter's La Bohème. He will perform in Vivaldi's Bajazet this summer with Pinchgut Opera in Australia.
There is a lot of buzz coming out of San Francisco, where the opera just announced their new season and they are embarking on a worldwide search for a new General Director to replace the legendary David Gockley. The frontrunner is rumored to be director Francesca Zambello, who regular readers know coined the phrase "Barihunk" and is revered by the operators of this site.
As for the newly announced 2015–16 season, it is loaded with barihunks! The big news is Greer Grimsley in the San Francisco premiere of David McVicar’s production of Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,
co-starring hunkentenor Brandon Jovanovich
and rising Wagnerian sensation Rachel Willis-Sørensen. Performances will run from November 18–December 6, 2015.
Tongues are atwitter about the US debut of opera bad boy Calixto Bieito, whose provocative version of Bizet's Carmen is being presented to the occasionally stodgy War Memorial audience with Zachary Nelson as Escamillo. The opera is infamous for a scene involving oral sex behind a car. Nelson will rotate the role with Michael Sumuel.
Mariusz Kwiecien and René Pape
If our email box is any indication, our readers seem to be most excited about the prospect of seeing two of the greatest barihunks in the world sharing the stage for Verdi's Don Carlo. Polish über-barihunk Mariusz Kwiecień will sing Rodrigo and bass-barihunk René Pape as Philip II. They will be joined by the amazing tenor Michael Fabiano making his role debut as Don Carlo, soprano Krassimira Stoyanova as Elisabetta and Nadia Krasteva is Princess Eboli. Performances are June 12-29, 2016.
Also on the docket will be Thomas Hampson in Verdi's Luisa Miller; the barihunk trio of Elliot Madore, Gerald Finley and Wayne Tigges in Sondheim's Sweeney Todd; rising superstar Philippe Sly as Papageno in Mozart's The Magic Flute; Lucas Meachem in Rossini's The Barber of Seville; and, Nicolas Testé as Raimondo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.
Other operas being performed are Leoš Janáček's Jenůfa and the American premiere of The Fall of the House of Usher—a double bill presentation of Gordon Getty’s Usher House and Robert Orledge’s reconstruction of Claude Debussy’s La Chute de la Maison Usher.
Subscriptions are on sale beginning January 12, 2015 and single tickets will go on sale beginning June 29, 2015.
Vanessa Bousay, a drag character created by classically-trained baritone Erik Chalfant will appear in a cabaret show at San Francisco's famed Martuni's on Sunday, January 11th at 7 PM.
Her set will include "I'll Be Seeing You," "Three Queens In A Fountain," "Spring Came Back To Vienna," "Copacabana," "Good Morning Baltimore" and many more.
Chalfant, who studied with the legendary operatic soprano Phyllis Curtin, created the character of Vanessa Bousay as a tribute to the woman he dubs his "teacher, mentor and friend." He holds a Master of Music degree in Voice Performance from Boston University, School For The Arts. He is an alumnus of the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, and the Britten-Pears School For Advanced Musical Studies in Aldeburgh, England.
On July 5th, she performed the National Anthem before 26,000 people at AT&T Park for the San Francisco Opera's annual "Opera at the Ballpark." Chalfant beat out 70 other contestants who had submitted videos to classical radio station KDFC's "Star-Spangled Sing-Off.”
Australia's Pinchgut Opera just announced that they will be presenting the Southern Hemisphere premiere of Vivaldi's Bajazet. Starring in the title role will be barihunk Hadleigh Adams, who is wrapping up his second season as a San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow. Adams is returning to Pinchgut after a successful run as Pollux in their production of Rameau's Castor & Pollux in 2012.
Bajazet, a rarely performed operatic tragedy, premiered in Verona in 1735 and is a pastiche of Vivaldi's own arias, as well as those by Johann Adolph Hasse,
Geminiano Giacomelli, Nicola Porpora and Riccardo Broschi. The opera is also known as Il Tamerlano and the story was also successfully set to music by Handel.
Vivaldi’s
Bajazet, a rarely performed operatic tragedy, premiered in Verona in
1735. An opera of romantic entanglement and love triangles, Bajazet
tells the tale of a struggle for power between Bajazet, ruler of the
Turks, and Tamerlano, ruler of the Tartars. When Bajazet’s daughter
Asteria is threatened with marriage to the invading ruler, she conspires
to murder him. The plot thickens after Tamerlano’s former betrothed,
Irene, turns up to reveal the scheme, having taken issue with being
pushed aside onto Tamerlano’s Greek ally (Andronico) who, unfairly, is
also in love with Asteria />
Vivaldi’s
Bajazet, a rarely performed operatic tragedy, premiered in Verona in
1735. An opera of romantic entanglement and love triangles, Bajazet
tells the tale of a struggle for power between Bajazet, ruler of the
Turks, and Tamerlano, ruler of the Tartars. When Bajazet’s daughter
Asteria is threatened with marriage to the invading ruler, she conspires
to murder him. The plot thickens after Tamerlano’s former betrothed,
Irene, turns up to reveal the scheme, having taken issue with being
pushed aside onto Tamerlano’s Greek ally (Andronico) who, unfairly, is
also in love with Asteria />
Vivaldi’s
Bajazet, a rarely performed operatic tragedy, premiered in Verona in
1735. An opera of romantic entanglement and love triangles, Bajazet
tells the tale of a struggle for power between Bajazet, ruler of the
Turks, and Tamerlano, ruler of the Tartars. When Bajazet’s daughter
Asteria is threatened with marriage to the invading ruler, she conspires
to murder him. The plot thickens after Tamerlano’s former betrothed,
Irene, turns up to reveal the scheme, having taken issue with being
pushed aside onto Tamerlano’s Greek ally (Andronico) who, unfairly, is
also in love with Asteria - See more at:
http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/pinchgut-opera-launches-2015-season#sthash.jSqY461i.dpuf
Vivaldi’s
Bajazet, a rarely performed operatic tragedy, premiered in Verona in
1735. An opera of romantic entanglement and love triangles, Bajazet
tells the tale of a struggle for power between Bajazet, ruler of the
Turks, and Tamerlano, ruler of the Tartars. When Bajazet’s daughter
Asteria is threatened with marriage to the invading ruler, she conspires
to murder him. The plot thickens after Tamerlano’s former betrothed,
Irene, turns up to reveal the scheme, having taken issue with being
pushed aside onto Tamerlano’s Greek ally (Andronico) who, unfairly, is
also in love with Asteria - See more at:
http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/pinchgut-opera-launches-2015-season#sthash.jSqY461i.dpuf
The libretto revolves around romantic entanglements and love triangles and the struggle for power between Bajazet, ruler of the Turks, and Tamerlano, ruler of the Tartars. When Bajazet’s daughter Asteria is threatened with marriage to the invading ruler, she conspires to murder him. The plot thickens after Tamerlano’s former betrothed, Irene, turns up to reveal the scheme, having taken issue with being pushed aside onto Andronico, Tamerlano’s Greek ally, who is also in love with Asteria.
Hadleigh Adams as the Marquis in San Francisco Opera'sLa traviata (left)
Vivaldi wove into the opera an underlying tale of power struggles and invasion, reflective of the ones going on at the time, when Neopolitan operas were trouncing their local Venetian counterparts in popularity. Music associated with Neapolitan composers is thus cleverly designated to the invaders Tamerlano, Irene and Andronico.
Vivaldi’s
Bajazet, a rarely performed operatic tragedy, premiered in Verona in
1735. An opera of romantic entanglement and love triangles, Bajazet
tells the tale of a struggle for power between Bajazet, ruler of the
Turks, and Tamerlano, ruler of the Tartars. When Bajazet’s daughter
Asteria is threatened with marriage to the invading ruler, she conspires
to murder him. The plot thickens after Tamerlano’s former betrothed,
Irene, turns up to reveal the scheme, having taken issue with being
pushed aside onto Tamerlano’s Greek ally (Andronico) who, unfairly, is
also in love with Asteria - See more at:
http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/pinchgut-opera-launches-2015-season#sthash.jSqY461i.dpuf
Vivaldi’s
Bajazet, a rarely performed operatic tragedy, premiered in Verona in
1735. An opera of romantic entanglement and love triangles, Bajazet
tells the tale of a struggle for power between Bajazet, ruler of the
Turks, and Tamerlano, ruler of the Tartars. When Bajazet’s daughter
Asteria is threatened with marriage to the invading ruler, she conspires
to murder him. The plot thickens after Tamerlano’s former betrothed,
Irene, turns up to reveal the scheme, having taken issue with being
pushed aside onto Tamerlano’s Greek ally (Andronico) who, unfairly, is
also in love with Asteria - See more at:
http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/pinchgut-opera-launches-2015-season#sthash.jSqY461i.dpuf
Performances of Vivaldi’s Bajazet will be on July 4, 5, 7 and 8 at City Recital Hall Angel Place in Sydney. Also in the cast is Christopher Lowrey as Tamerlano, Helen Sherman as Irene, Emily Edmonds as Asteria and Russell Harcourt as Andronicus.
Adams has maintained a busy schedule this season while a San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow, having sung the Marquis in La Traviata, Grand commissioner in Madame Butterfly and Jailer in Tosca. He also performed Gendarme inPoulenc’s Les mamelles de Tirésias with San Francisco's innovative young company Opera Parallèle.
