An interview with Sam Roberts-Smith

Sam Roberts-Smith

We've been following Sam Robert-Smith's career since he was a finalist in the 2009 Mathy Awards. In 2011, he broke our hearts with the news that he was now singing tenor and healed the wounds with the news that he was back in the barihunk realm. We asked him a few questions about his interesting career path in his young career.

1. What drew you to a career in opera?

For as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to sing. However, It wasn’t until a knee injury sidelined me from playing school sport that I subsequently had the available time to start singing lessons. I went to an all boy school in Western Australia and was the only voice student in my entire year group. Classical singing wasn’t the ‘coolest’ subject to take at that age but luckily I was also a School Prefect, Swim Captain and Water-polo Captain, which definitely helped me avoid any unwanted attention. Three weeks after lessons began I came second in the school music competition singing Non piu andrai from Le Nozze di Figaro. I was so nervous but after finishing felt a huge sense of achievement. This was a way of connecting and communicating with an audience like I had never experienced before. It took me completely by surprise and made me consider the possibilities of what it would be like singing and performing as a job. The more I researched the great singers and learned about the incredible world of Opera the more I wanted to be involved. Being an Opera singer was never part of my original plan but I think opera chose me. It has been a wonderful journey so far and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2. What's with the baritone to tenor to baritone switches? Do you prefer one over the other?

I began my voice studies at the WA Academy of Performing Arts as a baritone and have always been a baritone. The difficulty came when I was able to develop the top of my range quite easily and initially had a tenorial quality to the upper notes of my register. After graduating and finishing my post-graduate studies I moved to Sydney and became a member of the Opera Australia ensemble, as a baritone. During my first OA year I was singing smaller roles such as Morales in Carmen and Yamadori in Madama Butterfly. A meeting was arranged with the Artistic Director, who had come to observe many of my performances. He had been impressed, especially with the top of my voice and offered me a position in the OA Young Artist Program as a tenor! I had always wanted to be in the program but was unsure about switching voice types. I accepted on the condition that it was a trial, and if I were not comfortable by the end of the contract I would return to the baritone repertoire. Retrospectively I think the Artistic Director was excited at the prospect of having a tall tenor in the company rather than the longevity of my voice. I performed roles such as Don Ottavio, Tamino, and Remendado (not an easy feat after singing Verdi baritone roles up to that point) but felt I was only just managing. Going through a voice transition unassisted and in public was one of the hardest things I have experienced.  In September 2014 I left OA. While I had the ability and notes to sing the majority of tenor repertoire I still, after two years did not feel comfortable maintaining the tessitura or seem to have the mentality that many tenors do. I think I am lucky having the ability to sing both and have done so professionally, but it has been confusing for people. My voice definitely sits towards the baritone repertoire, however it seems to fall between the two. I have now settled on calling myself a Bari-tenor. I will be touring with The TEN Tenors across Australia, New Zealand and America this year but will also be singing the role of Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles, with baritone recitals in WA and the Sydney Opera House.

Sam Roberts-Smith

3.  Tell us about your participation in The Ten Tenors.

Soon after leaving OA, I travelled to Paris for the finals of the Paris International Opera Awards, as a baritone. While there, I was in contact with The Ten Tenors who were looking to replace an exiting member for the remainder of their Ten Tenors On Broadway tour. I try to make the most of every possible opportunity presented to me and was available during that time. I sent a few audition video clips in (Nessun dorma being one!) and was successful in being offered the position. I decided to give it a go and learn as much as possible from Australia’s premier classical-crossover group. Because there are ten of us, I usually sing the lower harmonies and all of the heavier operatic numbers. Having a Bari-tenor voice has been very useful in the group, especially when we perform everything from Queen and David Bowie to Puccini and Rossini. Brand wise it’s not ideal for me being a Baritone in the TEN Tenors, but they couldn’t really change the name to The NINE Tenors and Sam! Being in the group is completely different from the main stage baritone operatic work I do, but I feel extremely lucky having the opportunity to do both.

4.  What are your thoughts about singers taking care of their bodies as well as their voices? Do you have a routine to stay in shape?

I think it is essential having a healthy mind and body in life generally. As a singer, we should take even greater care of our health. Personally I try to get to the gym or do something physical every day. Not only does it make you physically stronger but helps with stress management. The result is you feel better and look better which is becoming more and more important to casting agents. That being said, I don’t lift weights on performance or coaching days. Resistance training can tighten your muscles, limiting your ability to breath deeply and relax the muscles around the head and neck. It is a difficult balance between maintaining a fit and healthy body while keeping the muscles flexible and relaxed for singing. There are some periods were I have been required to sing every day while on tour and can’t exercise. Performing a highly physical show every night can be enough activity but I still watch what I eat and always get back to the gym when I can. My advice would be it’s never too late to start. It’s going to be difficult but the hardest part is starting. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

5. Anthony Roth Costanzo went the full monty at ENO...Any limits on what you'd do at a stage director’s request?

I guess it depends on the story itself. If it were necessary to help communicate a part of the plot or was a choice my character had to make then I would have to. I don’t think the performing arts are for the shy or faint-hearted. However, I also don’t believe in artists being asked to perform naked for the ‘shock’ factor, or simply to sell tickets. If the nudity has a meaning behind it and is actually part of the story then I would be open to it. While we all want to have an impact on the audience, I think it’s a fine line between making an audience think, and making an audience uncomfortable and upset. It obviously depends on the content and type of show but these ideas need to be thought through and discussed properly by all involved in a production or performance.

Sam Roberts-Smith

6.  Are there any roles in particular that you really hope to get to perform someday?

Now that I am getting older and my voice is changing yet again, I am really enjoying singing some of the heavier baritone repertoire. Because I have had the opportunity to experiment with the extremes of my range, and have focused years on developing my upper register, I am fortunate that some of the more difficult phrases in Verdi, Leoncavallo and Puccini come more easily to me than most. The tenor and Bari-tenor training has not gone to waste! Luckily my voice has darkened naturally without losing the facility for the top. I am currently happy singing the young baritone roles such as Silvio, Guglielmo and Billy Budd while I still can but have the secret desire to sing Rigoletto and Macbeth eventually. Two of my all time favorites! I am aware that they are both vocally huge and challenging parts but I am excited by the prospect of performing them one day.

7.  Do you prefer singing standard operatic repertory or newer pieces?

I am a fan of both the standard repertory and new works. I think for me, it is more about how an opera is written for the voice and if the music touches me in some way. There are very famous works that when performed badly can be extremely boring and unrewarding, however a brand new piece which has been written and cast well can be extraordinary. The standard repertoire has survived for many reasons and is loved by audiences around the world. Opera Australia for example performs La Boheme every year without fail. I have found that some of the newer pieces propagandized as ‘opera’ do not fit within the style and tend to be a mix of genres. This poses the question whether they are even operas at all. The world is constantly changing, as is opera. I am happy singing any work as long as it’s an enriching experience for the audience.

8.  What other passions do you have aside from music?

Aside from music, over the last few years I have become increasingly interested in politics. Politics affects everything. There is no escaping it. I have been looking at ways to make a difference when I’m not travelling around the world and have slowly been getting involved when I can. I have been so extremely lucky to travel and deal with many different cultures and situations. This has given me a unique insight into how the world works and what decisions can be made to help improve people’s lives. It has also been fascinating watching the field of US candidates running for the United States presidential election recently. A quote from Pericles “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics wont take an interest in you”. I’m not sure when or if my interest in politics will lead anywhere, but it has become a passion of mine.

9.  What do you listen to other than opera?

I listen to most music actually. The only genres I’m not a huge fan of are heavy metal rock and rap. I think that’s more because I don’t understand them more than it being bad. In New Orleans last year I went to Preservation Hall and listened to old school, no-frills jazz. It was one of the best performances I’ve seen. The musicians had obviously been playing their entire lives and seemed to of mastered their craft. It was a night I will not forget. I like to train at the gym to dance and up beat pop music. It gives me that extra energy to work harder and is part of the escapism from opera each day for an hour or so.

10. Do you plan on taking your career outside of Australia? 

Australia really is far away from the rest of the world. However, in the last few years I have had the opportunity to perform extensively throughout Australia and internationally including performances in France, The Netherlands, South Korea, China, England, Scotland, and North America. China was very interesting last year. I performed Il Conte in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Australian International Opera Company around the whole country for a month. From Wuhan to Guangzhou to Xining and many other places in between. It was a completely different culture but fascinating none the less. I have been extremely fortunate to work consistently in Australasia and abroad since graduating but would still love to expand that more into Europe eventually.

Dame Joan Sutherland and Sam Roberts-Smith

10. What was it like meeting Joan Sutherland?

I was 20 years old at the time and didn’t realize the gravitas of the situation until a few years later. I obviously knew who she was but did not truly appreciate the moment. I had won the Joan Sutherland Vocal Scholarship earlier that year and was subsequently invited to perform at her birthday celebration for her. Dame Joan Sutherland reached the pinnacle of operatic success in Australia and around the world. Not only was she an amazing artist but an inspiring ambassador for her country. Luckily a few years later I had the opportunity to meet and be conducted by Maestro Richard Bonynge in La Sonnambula at the Sydney Opera House.

11. Tell us something about yourself that has nothing to do with opera.

I am totally addicted to Coke Zero, getting through about 10 cans a day. I know most people think this is bad but at least it doesn’t have any sugar in it. My guilty food of choice would have to be Ferrero Rocher. I can’t have them around me or in the house because I find them irresistibly delicious. Not so great for someone who likes staying in shape. If you do want to get me some as an opening night gift, I wont be upset.

Keith Phares' sexy Zurga in Seattle

Keith Phares in Seattle Opera’s Pearl Fishers (Photos © Elise Bakketun)

Barihunk Keith Phares is alternating the role of Zurga with Brett Polegato in the Seattle Opera's current production of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers. Phares, who turns 41 on October 26, appears to be in the best shape of his career, as witnessed in these photos from the opera. Phares has one performance left on October 30, which is opposite the stunning Léïla of Elizabeth Zharoff and the Nadir of Anthony Kalil, who joins him in the famous duet "Au fond du temple saint.”

There are additional performance with Polegato, Maureen McKay and John Tessieron October 21, 24, 28 and 31.  Tickets and additional production information is available online.

Upcoming performances for Phares include the Alzheimer's Stories with the Montclair State University Chorale on December 6th and a return to his acclaimed performance of Charlie in Jake Heggie's Three Decembers with the Florentine Opera from March 11-20.

MAKE SURE TO ORDER YOUR 2016 BARIHUNKS CALENDAR BEFORE THE HOLIDAY RUSH; 18 OF THE WORLD'S HOTTEST SINGER FROM 9 COUNTRIES.

Craig Irvin's shirtless Zurga at Utah Opera

Craig Irvin and soprano Andrea Carroll

Pictures have finally shown up of barihunk Craig Irvin, who has been singing shirtless in the Utah Opera production of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers, which has its final performance today. Now we hope that some audio shows up, so that we can hear his thrilling voice sing Zurga's "L'orage s'est calmé." 

If you missed him Utah, you can catch him from February 21-March 1 with the Lyric Opera Kansas City where he reprises his portrayal of Lieutenant Hortsmayer in Kevin Puts' Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night. Irvin practically own the role, having sung it at the Cincinnati Opera, Fort Worth Opera Festival and at the world premiere with the Minnesota Opera. In Kansas City, he'll be reunited with fellow barihunk Liam Bonner, who reprises his performance of Lieutenant Audebert from the initial production.

Craig Irvin and soprano Andrea Carroll

On March 14, Utah Opera will stage their next complete opera with another barihunk, when David Adam Moore takes on Guglielmo on Mozart's Così fan tutte. Performances will run from March 14-22.

In March, Craig Irvin moves into lighter fare, as he sings the Pirate King in the Pensacola Opera production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance. Tickets are available online.

Wes Mason inspires a barihunk headline

We've been huge fans of Wes Mason since his breakout performance in Jorge Martín's Before Night Falls in 2010 at the Fort Worth Opera Festival.

He's currently appearing with the Syracuse Opera in their production of the Peter Brooks/Georges Bizet arrangement of The Tragedy of Carmen portraying Escamillo. We've known Wes Mason for three years now and we've learned that he can dominate both a room and a performance. So it was no surprise to us that both the local paper and the artistic director of the Syracuse Opera focused on this rising star. The headline screamed, "Bullfighters, Barihunks, and Bravado."

“There’s this thing in the opera world,” artistic director Douglas Kinney Frost told the Syracuse New Times. “Now, it’s more like a movement, but there’s this blog where they choose ‘barihunks.’ The idea is that he’s a sexy hunk of a guy and he’s a baritone. I’m very proud to have Escamillo as a barihunk. [Wes Mason] loves it. He’s very flattered. And he’s one of the originals.”

Performances run from October 11-20 and tickets are available online. 

If you can't catch Wes Mason in Syracuse, you'll have two chances to catch him in one of the sexiest roles in opera, Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers). First up will be at the Baltimore Concert Opera from February 28 to March 2, and then from March 7-9 at the Delaware Opera.

(L-R) Christopher Temporelli, Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek and Wes Mason.

You can enjoy Wes Mason in your own copy of the 2014 Barihunks Charity Calendar. He's joined in December by Christopher Temporelli and Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek in our special three singer spread to warm up your holiday season. Click HERE to order your own copy or as a special gift to the opera lover in your life (or hunky guy lover).

Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of The Pearl Fishers

Philip Cutlip as Zurga at Minnesota Opera

On this date 150 years ago, Georges Bizet' s Les pêcheurs de perles  (The Pearl Fishers) premiered at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris. Along with Carmen, it's one of his nine operas that has managed to maintain a place in the standard repertoire of opera companies around the world. Occasional performance of La jolie fille de Perth and Ivan IV can still be seen, but they are relatively rare.

The Pearl Fishers tells the story of how two men's vow of eternal friendship is threatened by their love for the same woman, whose own dilemma is the conflict between secular love and her sacred oath as a priestess.

Despite a good reception by the public, press reactions to The Pearl Fishers were generally hostile and dismissive, although other composers, notably Hector Berlioz, found considerable merit in the music. The opera was not revived in Bizet's lifetime, but from 1886 onwards it was performed with some regularity in Europe and America.

William Burden and (the original barihunk) Nathan Gunn in Pearl Fishers:

After its opening run, The Pearl Fishers was not performed again until eleven years after Bizet's death when it was presented in Italian at La Scala on March 20, 1886. After this it received regular stagings in European cities, often with the Italian version of the libretto. These revivals, which possibly reflected the growing success of Carmen, were followed by the publication of several versions of the music that incorporated significant differences from Bizet's original.

The opera is also somewhat responsible for the term "barihunks," as opera lore has it that director Francesca Zambella coined the phrase to describe a shirtless Nathan Gunn, who was singing the role of Zurga in her Philadelphia production in 2004.

The role of Zurga has certainly kept us busy at Barihunks, as it is often staged either shirtless or with a liberal amount of skin exposed. Barihunks on the site as Zurga include Lee Poulis, Philip Cutlip, Nmon Ford, Troy Cook, Craig Verm, Liam Bonner, David Adam Moore and, of course, Nathan Gunn.

Upcoming performances of the opera, include performances the Fort Worth Opera Festival from April 19 to May 2, 2014 starring Lee Poulis as Zurga and Sean Panikkar (of Forte fame) as Nadir. As an added bonus, barihunk Justin Hopkins has been cast as Nourabad. The production will be directed by the exciting and talented John de los Santos. 

A concert performance in Nantes, France will feature two barihunks familiar to readers of the site, Etienne Dupuis as Zurga and Nicolas Courjal as Nourabad.

Interview with Lee Poulis

Lee Poulis as Zurga in Sarasota Opera's 2013 production of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers

Lee Poulis is performing Zurga in Bizet's Pearl Fishers at the Sarasota Opera through March 22nd. Below is an interview that appeared on the Sarasota Opera blog. The link to the entire interview is at the end of this post. Tickets are available online. 


Q.  What drew you to become a singer?  Was there a specific “Aha!” moment of clarity?

A.  I actually began in music as a trumpet player in the 4th grade.  Pretty soon I realized I enjoyed hearing the trumpet being played in an orchestra rather than in the band, which was where I played.  I began listening to the classical station and heard some opera in the mix.  I was immediately drawn to it and wanted to hear and know more about it.  I began renting opera videos from Blockbuster at the age of 12 and saw my first opera at the Metropolitan Opera in that same year.  As years passed and I buried myself in recordings and videos from the public library, I could sing along with many of the operas while reading the libretto.  I also did my first Pavarotti impression pretty early on, handkerchief and all.  When I was 15 after some long-term nudging from my parents, who knew nothing about opera but apparently had an ear, I sang for my high school chorus teacher.  The rest is history.

Q.  What are you looking forward to most about performing this particular role?

A.  I like that I’m playing the leader of everyone else in the opera.  Sounds like a lot of power.  So far it’s one fishing village, but I hope to expand my sphere of influence as soon and as widely as possible and take over all of Sri Lanka, where this opera takes place.

Q.  Is there something unique about your process when preparing a role for performance?

A.  I don’t know if it’s unique, but it’s how I do it!  It’s a process of singing through, translating, feeling, putting myself in the character’s shoes, singing it through with a pianist, working on it with my voice teacher, and raising the stakes dramatically and vocally wherever it’s called for in the story and the music.  Almost all of these facets of preparation are occurring all the time and in no particular order from day one of my role preparation until the last performance is over and sometimes beyond that too!

Read the entire interview at the Sarasota Opera blog. 

Liam Bonner Steals the Show in New Orleans

Liam Bonner in Pearl Fishers

We recently reported on Liam Bonner taking on the role of Zurga in The Pearl Fishers at the New Orleans Opera. We've followed this young singer from success to success, so it was no surprise to us when we read that he stole the show in the exotic Bizet opera.

We did love a comment on our last post that Bonner was clad in "winter clothing" in a role that usually tantalizes with a little skin. I guess folks in the Big Easy will need to head over to Mardi Gras to see some skin.

Here is what the New Orleans Times-Picayune had to say:

The most impressive voice of the night belonged to Zurga, the leader of the tribe, played with flair and majesty by baritone Liam Bonner. This was a classic performance filled with power and lyrical beauty.

You can read the entire review HERE and view more pictures.

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Liam Bonner

Liam Bonner (photo courtesy of Opera News)

The New Orleans Opera production of The Pearl Fishers opens tonight at 8 PM with an additional performance on Sunday, January 30th at 2:30 PM. Barihunk Liam Bonner will sing the role of Zurga opposite hunkentenor William Burden. Visit their website for additional performance information.


Burden's portrayal of Nadir opposite barihunk Nathan Gunn was one of the early success stories on this site. The YouTube video below has over 55,000 hits, which is extraordinary for an opera clip. Our post still generates lots of traffic three years later. 

William Burden & Nathan Gunn

We're not sure if the New Orleans production will have the same amount of skin as the famed Philadelphia performance, but we'll be keeping an eye out for photos. 

Pearl Fishers Contest

Few operas have provided this site with more material than George Bizet's "Pearl Fishers." Some of our hottest barihunks have appeared in shirtless photos from this French gem, including Nathan Gunn, David Adam Moore and Lucas Meacham.

We know that these guys look good as Zurga, but we want to know who you like best vocally. We've given you six clips with famous barihunks as Zurga to choose from. Use the poll in the right column to vote.


Simon Keenlyside & Matthew Polenzani

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Dmitri Hvorostovsky & Paul Groves

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Thomas Hampson & Marcelo Alvarez

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Ludovic Tézier & Ramon Vargas

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Nathan Gunn & William Burden

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Mariusz Kwiecien & Matthew Polenzani

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Bay Watch Barihunk?

PHILIP CUTLIP PUTTING ON SOME MOO-VES

DAVID HASSELHOFF IN HIS BAY WATCH DAYS



We've seen some strange things in opera reviews, but Jay Gabler may have taken the prize with his description of barihunk Philip Cutlip. The Twin Cities Daily Planet critic compared the blond-haired, straight-haired All American Barihunk to the wavy-haired, Bay Watch boozer David Hasselhoff.

Cutlip, who has excelled in everything from Handel to Philip Glass, is starring as the sexy Zurga in "Les Pêcheurs de perles" with Minnesota Opera. Although this production has some retro touches, Cutlip hardly evokes the Bay Watch boy babe. One thing we know for certain is that he's keeping the tradition of casting Zurga with a barihunk alive and well.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, on the other hand, stayed away from odd comparisons and had this straight forward assessment:

"[Cutlip] went far towards making sense of the mercurial Zurga, who toggles between jealous rage and magnanimity; in "O Nadir, tendre ami," perhaps the opera's most emotionally complex number, Cutlip registered his character's shifting, conflicting feelings with keen sensitivity."

For more information visit the Minnesota Opera website.

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A Midsummer Night's "Dreamy" Cast at La Scala

[Top photo Okulitch in The Fly; center photo, Okulitch in Dead man Walking; Bottom photo by David Gribbin of David Adam Moore]

If you don't have summer travel plans yet, you might want to consider booking a flight to Milan between June 6-17. The Teatro alla Scala will be performing Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream with two barihunks, David Adam Moore and Daniel Okulitch. The rest of the cast is pretty impressive as well, with countertenor David Daniels, sopranos Rosemary Joshua and Erin Wall, and Andrew Davis in the pit.

You can visit the La Scala website at www.teatroallascala.org.

For those of you who missed it the first time, I'm reposting the picture of Daniel Okultich from The Fly. It was the most viewed picture on this site over the Christmas holidays, so most of you were being naughty, not nice.

Okulitch can next be seen in Vancouver singing Escamillo in Carmen. For more information, click here: http://www.vancouveropera.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=184&Itemid=15. David Adam Moore is next performing Zurga in The Pearl Fishers at the Seattle Opera. For more information, click here: http://www.seattleopera.org/tickets/2008-2009/fishers/artists.aspx.

You can contact this site at barihunks@gmail.com

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Gunn in Michigan

Thanks to "Mike in Michigan" for sending along this photo of Nathan Gunn from the Michigan Opera in 2004. Mike thinks that Nathan has put on some weight for the Chicago Lyric performance, but "he's still hot."

I'm more interesting in figuring out why the Michigan Opera Theater decided to dress Top Gunn in Salome's seven veils and not the diaper that the supernumeraries had to wear.