Mark Diamond Brings Rock Star Hair to Woodstock

Mark Diamond

If you were gonna perform an afternoon of opera at Woodstock, home of the 3-day rock 'n' roll concert in 1969, you might as well hire a singer with rock star hair. Pentangle Arts is bringing in barihunk Mark Diamond for their "Opera Showcase" this weekend. Diamond in his young career has become as well known for his incredible hair, as his luscious baritone.

He'll be joining soprano Lauren Snouffer on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 4 p.m. for a concert at Woodstock's North Universalist Chapel. The two singers were both part of the Houston Grand Opera Studio Artists program. Two Houston Opera donors who live in the area are sponsoring the concert.

In Houston, Diamond performed Marcello in Puccini's La bohème, the Steersman in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, and covered Don Giovanni, Taddeo in Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri and Gaylord Ravenal in the musical Showboat. He also performed Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at the Aspen Music Festival.

Mark Diamond sings The Impossible Dream:

A native of Augusta, Georgia, Mark Diamond received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Georgia Southern University and pursued studies for a Master's degree in vocal performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. In 2011, he was a member of the prestigious Merola Opera Program in San Francisco, where he sang the title role of Figaro in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia. He previously performed in New York in 2010, when he sang the role of Top in Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land at the Glimmerglass Festival.

For more info about the Opera Showcase concert visit their website or call 802-457-3981.

Andrew Garland Plays Woodstock

It's not often that we can say a barihunk is going to perform at Woodstock. After all, the bucolic setting is best know for hosting a little music jam in 1969 with Santana, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and Sly & The Family Stone.

But long before the rock 'n' rollers arrived, a classical music tradition had been established at the Maverick Concert series in Woodstock. Pierre Henrotte, a violinist and concert-master of Metropolitan Open House organized concerts from 1916-1926. Musicians have performed in the barn over the years and one of the most infamous moments in music history was premiered there in 1952, John Cage's revolutionary piano piece 4’33” (Four Minutes and Thirty-Three Seconds).

Much of this program this year is dedicated to the centenary of Samuel Barber's birth. Andrew Garland will perform Barber's glorious Dover Beach, Opus 3 on a program that also includes his String Quartet in B Minor, Opus 11 and Dvorák's String Quartet No. 14 in A Flat Major, Opus 105 with the Amernet String Quartet. Even though Garland's piece is about "Dover Beach," we doubt that he's going to appear shirtless as he does in our favorite picture of him (above right). However, this gifted artist will undoubtedly sing this piece beautifully. For a sense of his amazing artistry, check out his rendition of "Last Letter Home from Iraq," which we posted on this site and was extremely popular with readers.

The performance is Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 4:00 PM at the Maverick Concert Hall in Woodstock. For tickets, visit www.maverickconcerts.org.

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