Michael Kelly & SONGFUSION present a Two-Night Celebration of LGBT Composers

Michael Kelly

The New York-based ensemble SONGFUSION, which is dedicated to presenting a wide range of art song repertoire in innovative ways, is presenting a two-night celebration of LGBT composers.

On Friday, MAY 3rd at 7:30 pm, they will present GAY WORDS/GAY MUSIC, a concert that explores issues of gay life. Composers include Eve Beglarian, David Del Tredici, Paula Kimper, David Leisner, Ben Moore, Ned Rorem, Glen Roven, and David Sisco. Topics include sex,
exploration, love and loss. The evening also includes Ben Moore's "Love Remained," which was  commissioned by SongFusion for baritone Michael Kelly.

Randal Turner performs Glen Roven's "A Crazed Girl":

On May 5th, Michael Kell will join the Voxare String Quartet for a benefit performance of Ricky Ian Gordon's Green Sneakers, held at New York’s LGBT Community Center. Green Sneakers, which recently received its West Coast premiere, is a heart wrenching account of the loss of the composer's partner Jeffrey Grossi to AIDS. All proceeds from this event will be donated to the Bailey Holt House, an AIDS facility in Greenwich Village, which suffered damage during Hurricane Sandy.​

For additional information and tickets visit SONGFUSION online.

NY Festival of Song's "Manning the Canon" in New York City and Maryland

Tim McDevitt

If you missed Steven Blier's insightful and entertaining "Manning the Canon: Songs of Gay Life" last year, you're in luck because they are reprising the show in Maryland and New York City. The first performance will be at the Joseph & Alma Gildenhorn Recital Hall at the University of Maryland in College Park on November 15th. On November 17, the show returns to Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. The show includes two barihunks who have appeared regularly on this site, Tim McDevitt and fan favorite Jesse Blumberg (whose posts often shows up in our top ten site visits). Not only are these guys eye candy, but they are amazing singers and worth hearing. They will be joined by Scott Murphree and Matt Boehler.

Jesse Blumberg

The program includes a number of songs that might be familiar to you, as well as some that you'll want to experience. They include Marc Blitzstein’s “Purest Kind of a Guy," Christopher Berg’s "Is It Dirty?," Lutvak and Campbell's "Exit Right," Schubert's quartet for four male voices “Auflösung," Tchaikovsky’s “At the Ball," Poulenc’s “Montparnasse," Griffes’s “Evening Song,” John Wallowich’s  “Bruce.” Bolcom’s “Piano Walk” and “I’ll Be By,” Camille Saint Saëns’s “Si vous n’avez rien à me dire,”  Benjamin Britten’s “Night covers up the rigid land,” Manuel de Falla’s “Polo," Cy Coleman's "Tennis Duet,"  Chris DeBlasio’s “Walt Whitman in 1989,”Bernstein's “To What You Said,” and Cole Porter's "You're the Top."



Don't be fooled by the title, as this show isn't just for gay audiences. Like all of Steven Blier's shows they are an entertaining and thoughtful exploration of a canon of work. Anthony Tommasini wrote in The New York Times: "Such programs can easily fall into the trap of social politics and turn maudin, agenda driven and campy. This one was insightful and imaginative, touching and funny."

For tickets to either show, please visit the New York Festival of Song website.

Jesse Blumberg and Martin Katz working on Schubert last year:



We also want to remind fans of Jesse Blumberg on the West Coast that he will be performing Handel's "Messiah" with the American Bach Soloists on December 15, 16 and 18.

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com

Don't forget to order your 2012 Barihunks calendar. Click HERE to order. All proceeds go to support young artists and young artist programs. It's a great gift and an easy way to support our next generation of baritones. You can read more about our calendar at this previous post.

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New York Festival of Song's Barihunk-filled New Season

Steven Blier's always entertaining and interesting New York Festival of Song has announced its 2011-12 five-program series at Merkin Concert Hall. As always, the Festival of Song will be programmed with some of the best young talent in opera and once again there will be plenty of barihunks to enjoy.

Andrew Garland

The season opens on Oct. 25 and 27 with In the Memory Palace: Games of Love featuring barihunk Andrew Garland, who will be joined by Michelle Areyzaga, Rebecca Jo Loeb and Paul Appleby. The program centers around the premiere of Gabriel Kahane’s song cycle, The Memory Palace, which evokes scenes of East Coast solitude with his haunting music and mordant lyrics.

Jesse Blumberg & Timothy McDevitt

On Novemeber 17th, the festival will reprise Manning the Canon: Songs of Gay Life with barihunks Jesse Blumberg and Timothy McDevitt, joined by Scott Murphee and Matt Boehler.  The program is a "touching celebration of the lives and art of gay men in works that reflect the heritage of gay composers in art song, as well as contemporary songs about the gay experience."

Joahua Jeremiah & John Brancy

On November 29 and December 1 the Festival will feature barihunks John Brancy and Joshua Jeremiah joined by Lauren Worsham, Mary Testa, Josh Breitzer for  A Goyishe Christmas to You! Yuletide Classics by Jewish Songwriters.

Jesse Blumberg

On February 14 and 16th, Jesse Blumberg returns for A Modern Person's Guide to Hooking Up and Breaking Up along with Anne-Carolyn Bird, Liza Forrester, Alex Mansoori and Jesse Blumberg.  The show is described as a “quirky survey of the awkwardness, pain, lust and perversity of contemporary relationships."

The season concludes on March 11th with New York to Paris, Paris to Paradise featuring members of Caramoor’s 2012 Vocal Rising Stars program.

You can click HERE for tickets and additional program information.

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