Jeremy Kleeman takes "Albert the Pudding" on the road

Jeremy Kleeman in The Magic Pudding (Photos: Charlie Kinross)

Celebrating the centenary of Norman Lindsay’s children story The Magic Pudding, the Victorian Opera is taking its much-loved adaptation to regional Victoria, with performances on April 5th at The Cube in Wodonga and April 27th at the Ulumbarra Theatre in Bendigo.

Barihunk Jeremy Kleeman, who created the role of Albert the Pudding at the premier in 2016 and recently performed it in Victoria, returns for the two city tour. Kleeman's character is joined by the walking, talking, never-ending Pudding, the penguin Sam Sawnoff, sailor Bill Barnacle and koala Bunyip Bluegum.

Following the scent of pudding, Bunyip Bluegum, the koala, comes across Bill Barnacle, the sailor, and Sam Sawnoff, the penguin. They are the owners of a rather ill-tempered Puddin’ called Albert, who magically replenishes no matter how many slices are cut. Bill and Sam are being followed by Possum and Watkin Wombat who want to steal the Puddin’ for themselves. The young audience finds out if the three friends are able to thwart the thieves and hold onto their magic Puddin’.

Jeremy Kleeman sings Papageno's Suicide Aria from The Magic Flute:

Jeremy Kleeman, is a graduate of Victorian Opera's Developing Artist Program and holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance and a Bachelor of Music from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. He has been a regular on the Victorian Opera stage since his debut with the company in 2008. He has performed Rapunzel’s Prince in Into the Woods, Marquis D’Obiginy in La traviata, Badger and Parson in The Cunning Little Vixen, Lord Valton in I puritani, Magus in the world premiere of Voyage to the Moon, as well as Albert the Pudding.

Last year Kleeman made his company debuts with Sydney Chamber Opera as Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia and with Pinchgut Opera in The Coronation of Poppea. On June 23, he'll be the baritone soloist in Nielsen's Symphony No.3, "Sinfonia Espansiva," with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. Tickets are available online.

Reader Submission: Aussie Barihunk Nathan Lay

Baritone Nathan Lay (Photo on right by Leesa Needham)

Australian barihunk Nathan Lay is currently singing Mr Mayor in Richard Mills' opera The Pied Piper at the Victorian Opera in Melbourne. The children's opera is based on Robert Browning’s classic poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin. There are performances on July 28, 29 and 30 and tickets and additional cast information is available online.

He has been a regular at the Victorian Opera where he recently completed his second year in their young artist program. During his time with the company, he has performed Baron Douphol in Verdi's La traviata, the Father in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Sir Riccardo Forth in Bellini's I Puritani and the quartet in Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins.

Lay recently won the 2016 Australian International Opera Award Scholarship, which is valued at $54,000. The prize includes all of the expenses for one year of full time academic study at the Wales International Academy of Voice under the guidance of its internationally tenor and director Dennis O’Neil CBE. He will commence his studies in September 2016.

Nathan Lay sings Britten's "Look! Through the port..." from Billy Budd:

Nathan completed his Bachelor of Music at the Melba Conservatorium of Music in 2008. He has since established his career in the Melbourne opera and oratorio scene. In 2010, Nathan won the National Liederfest, and Australian Music Events’ “Opera Scholar of the Year”. In 2013, he won the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Aria competition, and also received 3rd Place in the prestigious Herald Sun Aria competition at Hamer Hall.
In 2013, he made his first appearances with Opera Australia in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera and Aida. He also played Guglielmo in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte for Melbourne Opera.

Reader Submission: Australian barihunk Jeremy Kleeman

Jeremy Kleeman as Magus (right)

A reader introduced us to Jeremy Kleeman, a graduate of Victorian Opera's Developing Artist Program, who is performing Magus in the world premiere of Voyage to the Moon. The piece was inspired by the epic poem Orlando furioso using a pastiche of music by Handel, Vivaldi, Telemann and Gluck, with new words by Michael Gow.

Kleeman has a Master of Music in Opera Performance and a Bachelor of Music from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. He has been a regular on the Victorian Opera stage since his debut with the company in 2008. He has performed Rapunzel’s Prince in Into the Woods, Marquis D’Obiginy in La traviata, Lord Valton in I puritani, and Albert the Pudding in the Green Room Award-winning world premiere The Magic Pudding – The Opera. 

Jeremy Kleeman sings "Aprite un po’quegli occhi" from Marriage of Figaro:

<iframe width="422" height="237" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dVVThsZb7Zw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Kleeman previously sung in another baroque opera when he performed Teobaldo in Handel's Faramondo for the Brisbane Baroque Festival, which won five Helpmann Awards including Best Opera. He has twice been a finalist at the IFAC Australian Singing Competition and was as a finalist at the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Aria, Australia's premiere oratorio competition, placing as the joint runner-up and winning the People's Choice Award. In 2014 Jeremy won the Welsh Male Choir Singer of the Year.

In Voyage to the Moon, the great warrior Orlando has fallen into a deep madness. His friend Astolfo travels to the heavens with the mysterious Magus to find a cure and discovers the moon is home to many lost things including Orlando’s sanity. But first he must convince the all-powerful Guardian of the Moon, Selena, that Orlando is worth saving.

Performances of Voyage to the Moon at the Victorian Opera remain on February 18 and 19 and tickets are available online. 

READER SUBMISSION: Brett Carter

Brett Carter in Rape of Lucretia (left) and L'heure espagnole (right)

Our latest Reader Submission is Australian Barihunk Brett Carter who is currently starring as Mercurio in Cavalli's Calisto at the Hessischen Staatstheaters in Wiesbaden.

He studied Classical Guitar and Voice at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. He then became a member of the Australian Opera Studio where his roles included Mozart’s Conte Almaviva, Don Giovanni and Britten’s Tarquinius in Rape of Lucretia. After receiving a Scholarship to participate in the Cincinnati Music Festival in Lucca, Italy, he then went on to become a Young Artist with Opera Queensland. During this time he received first prize in the German Australian Opera Grant and since 2007 is a member of the Hessischen Staatstheater in Wiesbaden.

Brett Carter sings L'heure espagnole:

His roles with the company include Papageno, Guglielmo, Masetto, Rossini’s Figaro, Malatesta, Puccini’s Schaunard and Ping, Falke, Harlekin, Kurt Weill’s Bill (The Rise and Fall of the City Mahagonny), Monteverdi’s Ulisse (Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria) and Ravel’s Ramiro (L’Heure Espagnole). In 2008 he made his debut with Staatsoper Stuttgart as Allazim in Mozart’s Zaïde and in 2010 in a new production of Pizzetti’s Murder in the Cathedral with Oper Frankfurt.

In Summer 2012 Brett made his debut with Victorian Opera in a new production of Le nozze di Figaro as Conte Almaviva. Further highlights for the 2013/14 season include Ford in Verdi's Falstaff, Leander in Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges, and Mercurio  in the aforementioned Calisto at the Staatstheater in Wiesbaden. There are additional performances of Calisto on March 17 and 30 and April 4. Tickets are available online.

Byron Watson nominated for Helpmann Award

Byron Watson

Sydney-based barihunk Byron Watson, who is new to this site, has been nominated for a Helpmann Award for his performance in composer Gordon Kerry and librettist Louis Nowra’s chamber opera Midnight Son at the Victorian Opera. The award is the Australian equivalent of Broadway's Tony Awards and London's Laurence Olivier Awards. They recognise distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in live performances in Australia, including musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, cabaret, opera, classical music, theatre, dance and physical theatre.

Byron Watson sings Ralph Vaughan-Williams' "Bright is the ring of words":

Watson was nominated as Best Male Performer in an Opera. Also nominated is Italian barihunk Giorgio Caoduro for his performance in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at Opera Australia, Dmytro Popov for his performance in Carmen on Sydney Harbour with Opera Australia and John Wegner for his performance in Salome at Opera Australia. Barihunk Teddy Tahu Rhodes won a Helpmann Award in 2004 for Best Male Operatic Performer for Dead Man Walking at the State Opera of South Australia. Other famous Helpmann Award winners include Kylie Minogue, Cate Blanchett and Tim Minchin. The Helpmann Awards will be on July 29 at the Sydney Opera House.

Byron Watson sings Duparc's "Le manoir de rosemonde":

Watson dreamed of a career in music at age 17, when he auditioned for the Schools Spectacular. He completed an Honours Music degree at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD), and the Opera School of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD), both on full international scholarship.

Other roles in 2013 have included Chou En-lai in Nixon in China for Victorian Opera, the French premiere of Sweeney Todd at Le Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Stubb in Moby Dick and Moralès in Carmen for the State Opera of South Australia.

A Hot Don Down Under: Sam Dundas

One of the best things about this site is the enthusiasm of the readers for certain singers. Everyone seems to have a favorite Don Giovanni, but Scott in Australia sent us this picture of Sam Dundas who is singing the role at the Victorian Opera in Melbourne through March 14 (www.victorianopera.com.au).

He's worth sharing despite the Bee Gees hairdo that he's been subjected to.

Don't forget to vote in our Sexiest Don Giovanni poll.

This site can be contacted at barihunks@gmail.com

Subscribe to Barihunks by Email
___________________________________________________