Video of Zachary Gordin's master class

Zachary Gordin teaching at the College of the Sequoias (left) and as he appears in our calendar

We recently awarded Center Stage Opera in the Los Angeles area and barihunk Zachary Gordin our first grant from our 2014 Barihunks Charity Calendar. Gordin is currently performing Count Almaviva in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro with the Visalia Opera Company. Performances are running from November 8-10 and tickets are only $25 for adults and $15 for students. They can be purchased online.


Our grant was to pay for Gordin to work with young singers in master classes with Center Stage Opera. He's also getting a chance to work with young singers at the College of the Sequoias and we have some video to share with you. You can see why he's the perfect candidate for our first grant, which helps both his career and a bunch of aspiring young singers.

Gordin, who started his career as a countertenor, performed his first baritone role with Center Stage Opera in 2005 - Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.  He has maintained an artistic association with them ever since. The company will use the Barihunks grant to bring Gordin back for his third master class with young artists.

We hope to have some additional video for you then.

You can buy your 2014 Barihunks Charity Calendar by clicking HERE.

Zachary Gordin and Center Stage Opera win first 2014 Barihunks Charity Calendar grant

Zachary Gordin as he appears in the 2014 Barihunks Charity Calendar

We are proud to announce our first grantee from the proceeds raised to date from the 2014 Barihunks Charity Calendar. The winner is Zachary Gordin and Center Stage Opera. They fit our mission perfectly, as the money will benefit both a young artist and a company promoting the careers of young artists.

Zachary Gordin was considered for the grant after tweeting the following to us using  #Barihunks2014:

Center Stage Opera is a company being built by a talented and motivated team of people, dedicated to producing high quality fully-staged opera productions, and giving a venue to gifted young artists to hone their craft in a professional situation.

Gordin, who started his career as a countertenor, performed his first baritone role with Center Stage Opera in 2005 - Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.  He has maintained an artistic association with them ever since. The company will use the Barihunks grant to bring Gordin back for his third master class with young artists.

"After I heard the funds from the calendar would be awarded based on suggestions from Twitter," said Gordin,  "I thought this Master Class would serve the original purpose of the calendar - providing further training to young artists, both performing and in the audience - and would make a great impact on a modest budget."
 
You can learn more about Center Stage Opera by clicking HERE.

Gordin moved to the top of our list for consideration after adeptly following our suggestion to post nominations on our Facebook timeline or on a Twitter feed using #Barihunks2014. He also went out of his way to promote sales of the calendar, which is important, as the more money we raise, the more we have to give away.

We are just a little short of fully funding his master class, so buy your calendar today by clicking HERE.