Live Stream of Dead Man Walking from Indiana University

Eric Smedsrud and Angela Yoon  (left) in The Last Savage at IU; Reuben Walker (right) in Dead Man Wallking

The Indiana University Opera Theater opened Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking last night in a production directed by Jose Maria Condemi. Reuben Walker starred as the accused killer Joseph de Rocher and he will reprise his performance on Saturday, October 24. Performing tonight will be barihunk Eric Smedsrud, who will also perform the role on Friday, October 23. 

Tonight's performance will be available for viewing on Indiana University's live stream at 7:30 PM EST/4:30 PM PST by clicking HERE.

Minnesota native Eric Smedsrud is in his second year at Indiana University, where he is pursuing a Master of Music in Voice Performance and is in the studio of Carol Vaness. He was seen last year on the Indian University Opera stage as Abdul in Menotti's The Last Savage. Other opera roles include Frank Maurrant in Weill's Street Scene and Sam in Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti.

Reuben Walker is a second-year doctoral student at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He has been seen on the Indiana University Opera Theater stage in the roles of Mr. Scattergood in Menotti’s The Last Savage, Captain Corcoran in Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, Le Bailli in Massenet’s Werther, and Pandolfe in Massenet’s Cendrillon. With New Voices Opera, he premiered the role of Captain Keeney in Ezra Donner's Ile and the role of Richard Nixon in Chappell Kingsland’s Intoxication: America’s Love Affair with Oil. Walker has toured with IU’s outreach program, Reimagining Opera for Kids.

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Indiana University to perform Menotti rarity, The Last Savage

Robert Gerold in The Last Savage (left)

One of the most enjoyable opera productions that we've ever witnessed was Ned Canty's production of Menotti's The Last Savage at the Santa Fe Opera in 2011 featuring barihunk Daniel Okulitch. The comedic opera was premiered around the time of John F. Kennedy's assassination and the country was in no mood for light-hearted fare, rendering the opera to virtual obscurity.

There have been occasional revivals with big names singing the baritone lead of Abdul, including George London at the Met in 1964 and John Reardon at La Fenice later that year. Reardon reprised the role with the Hawaii Opera Theater a decade later, but the opera quickly disappeared from the repertory.

The story revolved around a young anthropology student named Kitty, who becomes quite enamored of a captured savage named Abdul and decides to keep him for herself.

The Santa Fe Opera production caused many people to reconsider its box office appeal, as it was the surprise hit of the Summer. Now Indiana University is reviving the production with two of their sexy barihunk students, who appear on stage for much of the opera in loin cloths. Robert Gerold will perform on November 14 and 21, while Eric Smedsrud takes on Abdul on November 15 and 20.

Eric Smedsrud

Eric Smedsrud is making his Indiana University opera debut as Abdul. The Minnesota native recently completed his undergraduate studies in Vocal Performance at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wis.  Recent roles include Frank Maurrant in Weill's Street Scene and Sam in Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti at Lawrence University, as well as Herr Fluth in Nicolai's Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar in Weimar, Germany. He is a first-year master’s student studying with Robert Harrison.

Robert Gerold is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance as a junior at the Jacobs School of Music. In April 2014, he premiered the dual roles of Retrograde/Asher in New Voices Opera's premiere of Eric Lindsay's Cosmic Ray and the Amazing Chris. Last summer, as part of the Oberlin in Italy Summer Program, Gerold performed the title role in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. He is a student of Andreas Poulimenos.

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A Birthday Tribute to Randal Turner

Randal Turner

We have a lot of favorite singers on Barihunks, ranging from the mega-stars like Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Mariusz Kwiecien to the upcoming singers like Matthew Morris, Hadleigh Adams and Jonathan Estabrooks. Then there is Randal Turner, who is in that middle ground with his student days behind him and stardom just a big break away.

Despite being from Indiana and attending the esteemed singing program at Indiana University, his career has been primarily in European opera houses. Perhaps it's because he's based in Zurich.

However, we still can't figure out why he's not been engaged by more American companies. We saw his sexually charged and vocally sublime Don Giovanni in Detroit, as well as his debut at New York City Opera in Rufus Wainwright's Prima Donna and were incredibly impressed. We've been selling his debut CD on the site, which was his West Coast recital debut and filled with music from America's greatest composers: Jake Heggie, Ricky Ian Gordon, Glen Roven, Clint Borzoni and his fellow Swiss-based American, Julia Schwartz.

We're at a loss why he's not on the schedules of more American opera companies. If any of them are reading this, we're eager to hear him in some early to mid-Verdi, some non-Ring Wagner and some more American or English opera (Billy Budd!). Of course, we won't complain about another Don Giovanni either.

Happy Birthday to one of our favorite singers!

Randal Turner performs "Don Juan at 40"

American composer Julia Schwartz wrote the 10-minute scene "Don Juan at 40" for barihunk Randal Turner, who debuted the piece at his West Coast recital debut in December 2010. Until now, the piece was only viewable on the commercial DVD, but it's now available on the composer's YouTube site. The text is by Ron Butlin, the great Scottish poet, novelist, short-story writer, librettist, playwright, and journalist.

The concert also includes a set of Walt Whitman songs by Clint Borzoni, which were written for Turner, as well.

We should also mention that Randal Turner is featured in the promotional video for Lucy Liu's new TV show on CBS, "Elementary." He appears around the 3:26 mark. 

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Reader Submissions: Michael Redding & Aubrey Allicock

Michael Redding

There are few things we love more than our "Reader Submissions." We've been exposed to some of our favorite singers through our readers. We view our readers as our opera scouts who bring us the best talent from across the globe. A reader recently introduced us to two singers, Michael Redding and Aubrey Allicock.

Atlanta native Michael Redding received his Masters in Music from Indiana University after completing his undergraduate work at the North Carolina School of the Arts.  During his time at the School for the Arts he was also a  resident artist with the Piedmont Opera Outreach Program and later a member of the Young Artist Programs of the Utah Festival Opera and the Janiec Opera Company.

He has performed with the Sarasota Opera, Virginia Opera, Atlanta Opera, Opera Carolina, the Natchez Festival of Music and the New Orleans Opera. This season Redding debuts the title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni with the Piedmont Opera and he'll open the 2012-2013 season with the Berliner Philharmoniker in a concert-version of Porgy & Bess under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle.

Aubrey Allicock

Aubrey Allicock received his Masters of Music from Indiana University and holds a Bachelors of Music from Grand Canyon University. While attending Indiana Universersity, Mr. Allicock studied and coached with renowned teachers who include Andreas Poulimenos, Sherrill Milnes and Carol Vaness.

Last season, Allicock joined the Metropolitan Opera roster where he covered the roles of Astarotte in Armida and Marullo in Rigoletto. In 2011, he made his role debut as Mamoud in John Adams' The Death of Klinghoffer at the Opera Theater of St. Louis. As a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of St. Louis he also performed the roles of Zaretsky in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and covered the title role of Figaro in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. Allicock has performed with the Wexford Festival Opera, the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, the South Bohemian Chamber Philharmonic and  the bass soloist role with the Concerts-Austria in Mozart’s Coronation Mass at the Karlskirche. 

He returns to Opera Theater of St. Louis in 2012 as the Mad Hatter and Duck in Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland. In 2012-13 he becomes an Artist Diploma candidate at Juilliard and returns to the Opera Theater of St. Louis.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

David Adam Moore as Vincent van Gogh

David Adam Moore: Bearded to play Vincent van Gogh

Barihunk David Adam Moore will be performing in Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Bernard Rands' new opera "Vincent" at Indiana University.  The opera explores all of the aspects of painter Vincent van Gogh's personality that ultimately drove him to madness. We kind of like the idea of a baritone getting to go mad rather than a soprano for a change. The libretto is by the gifted writer J.D. McClatchey.

David Adam Moore rehearsing Vincent

Tonight's opening performance and tomorrow's performance will be streamed live and you can click HERE to watch them at 8 PM EST/5 PM PST.  Moore, who is alternating the lead role with Christopher Burchett, will only be seen on the broadcast of April 8. He also performs the role on April 16, but that will not be broadcast. Here is a preview video.



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David Adam Moore Backstage 

UPDATE: Yesterday we reported that Daniel Okulitch was involved in a serious car accident. Although he suffered some major injuries, we are being told that he is expected to have a full and complete recovery.

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