Xavier Rivera to make two debuts

Xavier Rivera

Budding talent Xavier Rivera, who will make a return appearance in our 2015 Barihunks Charity Calendar, is slated to make his role debut as Schaunard in Puccini's La bohème. The 24-year-old singer, who is currently based in San Francisco, will return to his native country for two performances of the piece with the Teatro de la Opera de Puerto Rico.

The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Kamal Khan and the cast features soprano Anaís Mejías as Mimi, José Daniel Mojica as Rodolfo, Elizabeth Rodríguez as Musetta, César Menendez as Marcello and César Torruela as Colline. Performances are on November 13 and 15.

Before heading to Puerto Rico, he'll make his official West Coast debut in Mozart's Requiem with the Oakland Youth Orchestra in Walnut Creek, California. He'll be joined by soprano Shawnette Sulker, mezzo Lisa Chavez and tenor Gabriel Liboiron-Cohen. Omid Zoufonoun, the Youth Orchestra’s new Principal Conductor will be making his debut in this concert in a program that includes Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite and Bruch's Violin Concerto with Jessica Cao. Tickets are just $15 and are available online.

Earlier this year, Rivera sang the Requiem with the Orquestra Sinfònica de Puerto Rico in a cast that also featured José Daniel Mojica, who will join him in the La bohème performances.

Gay Boheme With Barihunk Romance

Bohemian Lovers: Bryce Smith & Robert Maril

Opera Manhattan is performing Puccini's "La Boheme" with a gay subplot. Purists need not get too concerned, as they haven't transformed Mimi into Bruce. In this production Colline and Schaunard have eyes for each other, which certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility.

Considering that two barihunks, Robert Maril and Bryce Smith, are the two singers in the romance, it makes sense that they'd want to snuggle up together in a cold Bohemian garret. Who could resist either of these guys?

Certainly after RENT, it only makes sense that "La Boheme" now gets an updated treatment. Smith has appeared on this site before and we welcome Robert Maril, whose name sounds suspiciously similar to a famed baritone of the 1950s and 1960s.

There are still two performances left on November 19 and 20 and tickets can be purchased at the Opera Manhattan website. Smith is also one of the co-founders of the company along with Rebecca Greenstein. We always encourage readers to support singers who promote opera in ways other than singing.

For New Yorkers who want a traditional La Boheme, the Metropolitan Opera next run of the classic begins on December 1st with barihunk Gunther Groissböck as Colline.

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