Three Barihunks regroup for holiday concert and CD

Nate Stark, Brian James Myer and Gabriel Preisser

Back in August, we featured barihunks Nathan Stark, Gabriel Preisser and Brian James Myer who were performing "The Three Baritones" concert for Opera Orlando's annual "Opera in the Park" concert. Now they're back for a "Three Baritone Christmas" concert and a new CD of holiday favorites. The CD will be out by Nov 21st and available for purchase on CD Baby, iTunes and Amazon.

They will be performing on the other side of the country in Bellevue, Washington at Resonance in the SOMA Towers on December 1st and 3rd. Tickets are available HERE for the first show and HERE for the second performance. They will also be performing music from opera and Broadway.

Brian James Myer will be appearing with Opera San José as Figaro in Rossini's Barber of Seville from November 12-22 and Ponchel in Kevin Puts' Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night from February 11-24. Fellow barihunk Colin Ramsey will be singing Basilio in the Barber of Seville, while the cast of Silent Night includes a veritable feast of barihunks and hunkentenors, including Kirk Dougherty as Nikolaus Sprink, Ricardo Rivera as Lt. Audebert, Matthew Hanscom as Lt. Gordon, Kyle Albertson as Lt. Horstmayer, Colin Ramsey as Father Palmer, John Lindsey as Jonathan Dale, Nathan Stark as General Audebert, Christopher Bengochea as Kronprinz, Branch Fields as William Dale and Vitali Rozynko as the British Major.

The Barihunks in Bed calendar, which celebrates our 10th Anniversary is now on sale. Get your copy before the holiday rush by clicking on the lulu button.

Barihunk duo alternating Raimondo at Opera San José

Colin Ramsey (left) and Kian Freitas (right)

Bass-barihunk Colin Ramsey, who has been featured regularly on this site, will relinquish the final performance of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at Opera San José to Kian Freitas, who is new to this site. Ramsey will perform the role on September 18 and 23, while Freitas will perform on closing night, September 25. The cast also includes Sylvia Lee as Lucia and Kirk Dougherty as Edgardo. Additional information and tickets are available online.

Other roles Freitas has performed include Ferrando in Il Trovatore with Opera Forza, Angelotti in Tosca at the Martha Cardona Opera Theater, Schaunard in La bohème, both Figaro and Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Escamillo in Carmen at NY Opera Exchange, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte, as well as Raimondo with the NY Opera Exchange. He created the role of Stefano in the world premiere of La Tempesta, an operatic adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest presented in Italy.

He is also covering the role of the British Major in the West Coast premiere of Kevin Puts's Silent Night for Opera San José. On January 28th, he'll join the South Dakota Symphony as  Leporello in their semi-staged performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni. Freitas was a participant in the 2015-16 Venture Opera Young Artist Program.

Colin Ramsey will perform Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville with Opera San José beginning on November 12. He then sings Father Palmer in Silent Night with the company, which runs from February 11-26, 2017.

Calgary Opera highlights barihunk Vasil Garvanliev

 THE FOLLOWING WAS POSTED BY THE CALGARY OPERA:

Vasil Garvanliev

Ladies and gentlemen, we don’t want to alarm you, but we have some deliciously shocking news from the cast of Silent Night. You might not be aware, but there is famous BARIHUNK amongst our cast! Vasil Garvanliev is known for many notable attributes, he was a child star in his home country, Macedonia, a talented opera baritone and a hunk-tastic image that is easy on the eyes who has attracted the attention of opera fans far and wide since a risqué photo was captured with Opera Atelier in 2012.

Vasil Garvanliev

When first confronted with his Barihunk status, Vasil said he was confused and flattered. “A picture of me during my performance where I was topless all of a sudden was posted online and boom! It went everywhere, I was shocked and flattered.”

We spoke with Vasil about the reactions his fellow cast members have, and true to form, the rehearsal hall mirrors the locker room, with a lot of poking fun.

“People make fun of me, they yell 'Take your shirt off!' It’s just a joke. I’m the young guy on stage with this group of baritones, so that’s my role.”

Vasil Garvanliev

What can Barihunk fans look forward to most about Vasil’s character in Silent Night? “I’m the comic relief that is also going to break your heart in this story.” Vasil said. “This is my third time performing in Calgary. I consider this city home as I studied with Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program here. I always love coming back and performing for the Calgary audience.”

Look for Vasil as a hunky French man in uniform in the upcoming Canadian Premiere of Silent Night. Tickets are available Nov. 8, 12 & 14 by going online at www.calgaryopera.com or calling the box office at 403.262.7286
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Daniel Okulitch as Lt. Horstmayer

We should also mention that the opera features another popular barihunk, Daniel Okulitch, who portrays Lt. Horstmayer. 
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Don't forget to order your 2015 Barihunks Charity Calendar now that our link is working! Click HERE to order now.


 

Wexford sells out for European premiere of Silent Night

Matt Worth

Kevin Puts' Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night got its long-awaited European debut today at the Wexford Opera Festival. Opening night was completely sold out and tickets are going fast for the remaining performances through November 2.

The cast is a mix of Europeans and Americans and is loaded with barihunks. Wexford has cast Matthew Worth as Lieutenant Audebart, Quirijn de Lang as the lovable Poncel, Ian Beadle as William Dale and Jamie Rock as Gueusselin.

Tickets are available online.

Commissioned by the Minnesota Opera and first performed in 2011, the opera was inspired by the 2005 film Joyeux Noël about the spontaneous Christmas truce between enemy combatants during the First World War. Its core message is that war is not sustainable when you come to know your enemy as a person.

Opening night of Silent Night at Wexford

On October 25th, composer Kevin Puts and librettist Mark Campbell will present a talk about the work at 11 AM. The film Joyeux Noël will be screened in the Jerome Hynes Theatre in Wexford Opera House at 10:30 am on the days of the Silent Night performances. There is no charge but tickets must be booked through the Box Office.

The current production is presented with the support of the American Friends of Wexford Opera with the support of the French Embassy in Ireland.

HOT OFF THE PRESSES!!! Don't forget to buy the sexy new Barihunks Charity Calendar: VIVA, ITALIA! It features 19 of the sexiest men from the world of opera. Click on the LULU button below to order your copy now.

Silent Night to make European debut at Wexford; Canadian debut in Montreal; Continues in U.S. in Cincinnati

Ian Beadle (right)

Kevin Puts' Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night is getting its long-awaited European debut at the Wexford Opera Festival from October 24-November 2. The cast is a mix of Europeans and Americans, with two singers who have been featured on this site, Matthew Worth as Lieutenant Audebart and Quirijn de Lang as the lovable Poncel. There are also a few singers in the cast new to this site. 

Ian Beadle, a graduate from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, performs William Dale on the Scottish side of the war. He recently finished a year in the English National Opera’s Opera Works program and performed as part of The Big Barber Bash at the London Coliseum.

His operatic roles have includes Belcore in Donizetti's Elisir d’amore at the Wexford Festival Opera, the Imperial Commissioner in Puccini's Madama Butterfly at Opera Holland Park, Crébillon in Puccini's La Rondine at Go Opera, Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni with Sinfonia D’amici, Guccio in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi at Opera Holland Park and Morales in Bizet's Carmen with Co-Opera Co.

Jamie Rock

Irish baritone Jamie Rock sings the role of Gueusselin on the French side of the war. He has performed the roles of Figaro in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Sid in Britten's Albert Herring, Papageno in Mozart's The Magic Flute, Schaunard in Puccini's La Boheme, Dancaire in Bizet's Carmen, Tarquinius in Britten's Rape of Lucretia and General Belliard in the world premiere of the original version of Prokofiev's epic masterpiece War and Peace. He has performed with the Wexford Festival Opera, Opera Theatre Company, Opera Ireland, Opera North, Grange Park Opera, Opera de Bauge and British Youth Opera.

He is also a member of the vocal ensemble Quartet. The group, under the patronage of Malcolm Martineau, is made up of graduates from the Alexander Gibson Opera School who draw on years of conservatoire training to explore a range of music and look for new ways of presenting the vocal repertoire.

Jamie began his studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama . He is an alumnus of the OTC Young Artist Programme (Dublin), Wexford Festival Opera Young Artist Programme, Leeds Lieder+ Young Artists, Oxford Lieder Young Artists and Josephine Baker Trust. 

Tickets are available online.

Daniel Okulitch (left) and Joseph Lattanzi (right)

Silent Night, which has been performed to great acclaim in Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Fort Worth, now heads to the Cincinnati Opera and north of the border for its Canadian debut.

The Cincinnati cast includes many singers familiar to the piece, including the powerful voice of Craig Irvin as Lt. Horstmayer, Gabriel Preisser as Lt. Gordon and Andrew Wilkowske as Ponchel. New to the cast are Joseph Lattanzi as Gueusselin and Phillip Addis as Lt. Audebert. There are only two performances of the opera on July 10 and July 12. Tickets are available online.

Addis also will be performing Lt. Audebert in the Canadian premiere from May 16-23 at the Opéra de Montréal. The cast includes a barihunk favorite in the Lieutenant Horstmayer of Canadian Daniel Okulitch. Tickets go on sale in August 2014, so mark your calendars.

Gueusselin

Gueusselin and Phil

Barihunk Feast in Fort Worth: Pearl Fishers and Silent Night

Photos by Rachel Parker

The Fort Worth Opera Festival, one of our favorite stops on the opera circuit, kicked off the season with a stunning production of Bizet's Pearl Fishers featuring barihunks Lee Poulis as Zurga and Justin Hopkins as Nourabad. We should also mention that hunkentenor Sean Panikkar, of Forte fame, adds to the beefcake fest AND sings Nadir's beautiful aria "Je crois entendre encore."

Any opera directed by John de los Santos promises to be entertaining and an oft-static work like Pearl Fishers needs the touch of someone who can direct AND choreograph. De los Santos' non-stop action in the Mikado at the Festival in 2011 had audiences rolling in the aisles. We've heard that his dance scenes are magnificent. Throw in a shirtless Lee Poulis with his pants hanging low on his torso and you have an operatic feast for the eyes and the ears.

Justin Hopkins and the dancers from Fort Worth Opera's Pearl Fishers

The opera is the story of two men who fight over the same woman, make up and then fight over her again when she reappears. In between there is one of the most famous duets in all of opera and a beautiful aria for the girl Leïla. One of the men gives up his life to save Leïla and his friend. This was reality TV before reality TV.

There are additional performances on April 27 and May 2 and tickets are available online.

Dan Kempson, Lt. Gordon in Fort Worth's Silent Night

If two barihunks isn't enough for you, then you'll enjoy the next opera at the Fort Worth Opera Festival, which has four bariunks.  Kevin Puts' Silent Night will be performed on May 4 and 10 with barihunks Dan Kempson as Lt. Gordon, Aaron Sørensen as the French General, Craig Irvin as Lt. Horstmayer and Morgan Smith as Lt. Audebert.

Aaron Sørensen, the French General in Silent Night: "Il est mignon!"

The opera is based on the screenplay Joyeux Noël by Christian Carion and recounts a miraculous moment of peace during one of the bloodiest wars in human history. On WWI’s western front, Scottish, French and German officers defy their superiors and negotiate a Christmas Eve truce. Enemies become brothers as they share Christmas and bury their dead.
 
You can listen to the entire opera online at composer Kevin Puts' website. 

Dan Kempson & Matthew Morris together in La bohème

Dan Kempson & Matthew Morris from previous Barihunks calendars

Two of the most popular guys to ever appear in our annual Barihunks Charity Calendar will be appearing together on stage together. Dan Kempson and Matthew Morris will be performing scenes from Puccini's La bohème with the Savannah Symphony at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts on January 31st.

Kempson will perform Marcello and Morris will take on Schaunard. The duo will be joined by Meechot Marrero as Mimi, Amy Shoremount-Obra as Musetta, Cooper Nolan as Rodolfo and Scott Russell as Colline. Tickets range from $16 to $70 and are available online.

Dan Kempson in Sweeney Todd

Upcoming performances for Kempson include a reprisal of his critically acclaimed performance in Philip Glass' Hydrogen Jukebox with the Skylight Music Theater from March 14-30. He then takes on the role of Lieutenant Gordon in Kevin Puts' Silent Night at the Fort Worth Opera Festival. The cast also includes fellow barihunks Morgan Smith and Craig Irvin. Performances are on May 4 and 10 and tickets are available online.

We also suggest you check out Kempson's sound files on his website, which includes one of the most beautiful performances of Johanna from Sondheim's Sweeney Todd that we've ever heard.

Matthew Morris performing in Santa Fe (Photo by Barihunks)

Upcoming performances for Matthew Morris include Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem from February 19-23 with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. On April 10 and 12 he sings the complete role of Schaunard in Puccini's La bohème with the El Paso Opera. Tickets are available online.

Silent Night to air on PBS

Liam Bonner in Silent Night

The barihunk-laden production of Kevin Puts’ Silent Night from the Minnesota Opera will be broadcast nationally on PBS on Friday, December 13 at 9pm ET (check local listings). The opera was the first commission of Minnesota Opera’s New Works Initiative, a landmark program designed to invigorate the operatic repertoire with an infusion of contemporary works.

The Minnesota Opera presented the world premiere of Silent Night in November 2011 with a cast that included barihunks Craig Irvin as Lieutenant Horstmayer, Gabriel Preisser as Lieutenant Gordon,  Mike Nyby as William Dale, Liam Bonner as Lieutenant Audebert, Troy Cook as Father Palmer, Joseph Beutel as the British Major, Ben Wager as the General and Andrew Wilkowske as Ponchel.

Silent Night is conducted by Minnesota Opera’s Music Director Michael Christie and staged by Academy Award-winning director Eric Simonson. The opera was recently honored with a regional Emmy nomination.

Quartet from Silent Night:

Silent Night was co-produced with Opera Philadelphia, who presented the work in February of this year. It now travels to the Fort Worth Opera Festival on May 4 and 10 with barihunks Dan Kempson, Craig Irvin and Morgan Smith.

The opera is based on the screenplay Joyeux Noël by Christian Carion and recounts a miraculous moment of peace during one of the bloodiest wars in human history. On WWI’s western front, Scottish, French and German officers defy their superiors and negotiate a Christmas Eve truce. Enemies become brothers as they share Christmas and bury their dead.
 
You can listen to the entire opera online at composer Kevin Puts' website. 

Barihunks lunch in New York City

Dan Kempson, Jonathan Estabrooks and Chris Herbert

We hosted another Barihunks Lunch in New York City this week. Although the Met rehearsal schedule prevented a number of singers from attending, three of our favorite young singers joined a table that included a composer, an accompanist, the executive director of an opera organization, a photographer...and even a hunkentenor!

We featured Dan Kempson in our last post, but we should let you know about his upcoming schedule. He's currently covering the role of Jake in Nico Muhly's Two Boys at the Metropolitan Opera, which opens on October 21st. In the Spring, he returns to the Fort Worth Opera to portray Lt. Gordon in Kevin Puts' Silent Night. Fans on the West Coast can catch him in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana with the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra.

Jonathan Estabrooks sings Soliloquy from Carousel:

Jonathan Estabrooks will be singing two supporting roles in the American Debut production of Felipe Padilla De Leon's Noli Me Tangere based on the famous Filipino novel by Dr. Jose Rizal. The opera will be performed on October 4, 5 and 6 at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College. Keep an eye on our site for updates about his upcoming classical/crossover debut album, which was funded through Kickstarter.  

New York Polyphony sings "Times go by turns"

Christopher Herbert continues to perform recitals in addition to his work with New York Polyphony. The talented vocal quartet resumes touring on October 6th with stops in Alabama, New Hampshire, Virginia and California. Check out their complete schedule online. Their latest album Times go by Turns is available for purchase and download. The program features masses by Thomas Tallis and William Byrd, a three-voice religious setting by medieval English composer John Plummer, and three new works written for New York Polyphony by composers Gabriel Jackson, Andrew Smith and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett.

Gabriel Preisser's new CD and upcoming performances

Gabriel Preisser

We first started following Gabriel Preisser three years ago when an opera insider wrote us and told us to keep an eye on the then 26-year-old singer. At the time, he was headed off to be a studio artist in his native state of Florida. The buzz about this gifted young singer really picked up steam as he scored a series of critical successes in regional houses. His big break came when the Minnesota Opera and Opera Company of Philadelphia cast him as Lieutenant Gordon in the world premiere of Kevin Putz’s Pulitzer Prize winning opera Silent Night, which he'll be reprising at the Cincinnati Opera on July 10th and 12th, 2014. 

He's gone on to make quite a name for himself in contemporary opera, singing the title role in Robert Aldridge’s Elmer Gantry, Tom Joad in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, and Riolobo in Daniel Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas all at the Moores Opera Center; Antonio in Daron Hagen’s New York Stories at Kentucky Opera; John Brooke in Mark Adamo’s Little Women and the Shoe Salesman/Puppet role in Dominick Argento’s Postcard from Morocco both at Pensacola Opera.

Gabriel Preisser

We also just learned that he'll be singing in the double bill of Francis Poulenc's Les Mamelles de Tiresias and Kurt Weill's Mahagonny Songspiel with America's hottest new company, Opera Parallèle in San Francisco. The photo at the top of the page was taken at the recent photo shoot for the production.

Gabriel Preisser sings Soliloquy from Carousel:

If you can't make it to San Francisco or any of his upcoming performances [check out his schedule], you can listen to this hot new talent on his new CD "Being Alive," which features arias, lieder, Italian songs and the best baritone music from Broadway. You can listen to samples, but the CD or download the music at CD Baby.

Popular barihunks lead upcoming Cincinnati Opera season

Andrew Garland working out in his Barihunk tee-shirt

The Cincinnati Opera has announced its casting for next season and it is delightfully laden with some of opera's most popular barihunks. Fans of Daniel Okultich can see him twice, as the former Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music graduate appears as Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen and as Giove in Cavalli's La Calisto. Andrew Garland will also appear in La Calisto as Mercurio.

La Calisto will run from July 17-27, 2014 at the Corbett Theater in the School for Creative and Performing Arts near Music Hall. The cast also includes male soprano Michael Maniaci as Endimione, Jennifer Johnson Cano as Diana/Destino, Alexandra Deshorties as Giunone, Aaron Blake is Pane/Natura and bass Nathan Stark as Sylvano.

Fans of Andrew Garland can purchase his amazing CD American Portraits at the GPR Records website. It includes songs by Stephen Paulus, Jake Heggie, Lori Laitman and Tom Cipullo. You won't be disappointed!

Andrew Garland

Okulitch will be opening the season in Bizet’s Carmen on June 12th and the cast includes Stacey Rishoi in the title role, William Burden as Don José, Jessica Rivera as Micaela and Nathan Stark as Zuniga.

Gabriel Preisser backstage in Philadelphia for Silent Night

July 10 and 12 they will be presenting the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera by Kevin Puts, Silent Night, which is filled with baritones. The performances will take place near the 100th anniversary of the outset of World War I. A number of baritones are reprising roles from the productions in Minnesota and Philadelphia, including Gabriel Preisser as Lt. Gordon, Craig Irvin as Lt. Horstman and Andrew Wilkowske as Ponchel.

Also in the cast are Thomas Blondelle as Nikolaus Sprink, Erin Wall as Anna Sorensen, barihunk Phillip Addis as Lt. Audebert and the gifted young tenor Thomas Glenn as Jonathan Dale.