Barihunk Sextet in Lakes Area Music Festival's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Barihunk sextet Eric Broker, Andrew Lovato, Sam Parkinson, John Taylor Ward, Rodolfo Nieto and Benjamin Sieverding (Clockwise from top left)

Last year we had our first barihunk sextet posting when Hamstead Garden Opera in the U.K. double cast Mozart's Don Giovanni with six barihunks. Now we have our first barihunk sextet all performing on the same night in the Lakes Area Music Festival's production of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream on August 13 and 14.

The "dream" cast includes John Taylor Ward as Bottom, Andrew Lovato as Demetrius, Rodolfo Nieto as Theseus, Benjamin Sieverding as Quince, Eric Broker as Starveling and Sam Parkinson as Snug. John Taylor Ward not only performs in the opera, but he serves as Associate Artistic Director of the company and he wrote the program notes.

John Taylor Ward sings Schumann's "Du bist wie eine Blume"

On August 11, there will be an open rehearsal at the Tornstrom Auditorium, which includes a discussion with soprano Abigail Dueppen and countertenor Daniel Moody at 1:30 PM. The will also be a pre-concert lecture 30 minutes before each performance featuring Minnesota Public Radio host John Birge, conductor Andrew Altenbach and director JJ Hudson. Tickets and additional cast information is available online.

The Lakes Area Music Festival was founded in 2009 and puts on six free concerts annually, which include chamber music, symphonic works and opera. They utilize 140 artists from ensembles and conservatories such as the Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New World Symphony, Metropolitan Opera, Minnesota Opera, Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music and the Curtis Institute.

Reader Submission: Eric Broker

Eric Broker

Our latest Reader Submission is 21-year-old bass-barihunk Eric Broker, who is a senior at St. Olaf College and a Communications and Social Media Intern with the Minnesota Opera. He performed his senior recital on April 11th, which you can watch online. He performed music by Handel, Poulenc, Mozart, Bolcom and others.

Broker recently won the Minnesota National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition and was a finalist the Schubert Club Song Competition last year. He is currently a member of the Minnesota Opera Chorus and is preparing for graduate school.

While at St. Olaf,  he sang the roles of Voltaire/Dr. Pangloss in Bernstein's Candide, Superintendent Budd in Britten's Albert Herring, Carl Olson in Weill's Street Scene, and the title role in James McKeel's Fabrizio's Comet, a world premiere opera. He has also performed Handel's Messiah with the Canon Valley Orchestra and patriotic anthems with the Northfield Band.

Broker is also a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, which is indicative of superior attainment in music, together with the personal qualifications pertaining to an outstanding exponent of the art. Membership acknowledges personal integrity, leadership, open-mindedness and intellectual stamina throughout one's time at St. Olaf College.