Barihunk Zachary Gordin has worn many hats in his operatic career, from teacher, coach, manager and, of course, singer. His latest endeavor will be as Artistic Director of Festival Opera in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The company was founded in 1991 by Arizona Opera co-founder Dr. Theodore Weis and has had a rich and occasionally rocky history, including the West Coast premiere of Ned Rorem's Our Town and a highly acclaimed Star Wars-themed production of Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio.
Gordin's first season will include a fully staged production of Carlisle Floyd's American masterpiece Susannah. The opera will feature soprano Shana Blake Hill in the title role, tenor Alex Boyer as Sam, baritone Philip Skinner as Reverend Olin Blitch and baritone Eugene Brancoveanu as Elder McLean. Gordin has even imported German bass-baritone Malte Roesner for the role of Elder Ott. Roesner made his acclaimed 2017 American debut down the road with West Edge Opera in Vicente Martin y Soler's The Chastity Tree. This will be Roesner's debut with the company.
Malte Roesner
Gordin will kick off the season himself in a recital with his frequent collaborator Brian Nies on May 28. The duo will perform Schumann’s Dichterliebe, along with songs by Jake Heggie, Reynaldo Hahn,
and Ralph Vaughan Williams. The two released an album of Hahn songs in 2017 called “Amour sans
ailes,” which was was named Best Lieder
Recording of 2017 by Voix des Arts.
Gordin previously performed with the company as Angelotti in Puccini's Tosca, Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen, Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di
Lammermoor, Germont in Verdi's La traviata and Joseph De Rocher in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man
Walking.
Tickets for the recital and Susannah are available ONLINE.
Barihunk Zachary Gordin and accompanist Bryan Nies will perform a
recital in celebration of the release of their CD “Amour sans ailes” on the MSR Classics label. The concert is at the Piedmont Center for the Arts in California on
Saturday, August 25th at 7:30pm.
The concert is presented by Michael Morgan, Music Director of the Oakland Symphony and features a program of music by Hahn, Massenet, Fauré and Duparc.
The concert tells the story of the relatively unknown composer Reynaldo Hahn through
his music, teachers, and musical contemporaries. The recital follows his path from a child prodigy and star of La Belle Époque, his return to a changed France post-WWI, and his struggles to
find a new musical identity.
Barihunks has released its 2018 calendar, which includes nineteen of opera's hottest singers, hailing from seven countries. Baritones and basses include Alexander Elliot, Brad Baron, Marco Vassalli, Malte Roesner, Cody Quattlebaum, Gianluca Margheri, Jason Duika, Joa Helgesson, Ken Mattice, Règis Mengus, Robert Brouwer, Sam Roberts-Smith, Thomas Weinhappel, Zacharias Niedzwiecki, Zachary James and Zachary Gordin. Most of our calendar ahave included one honorary hunkentenor, but we added three this year, including Derek Chester, Daniel Lopez and John Tibbetts. The calendar is available HERE.
Zacharias Niedzwiecki
Due to requests from our readers, we've added a Barihunks Photo Book, which includes numerous additional photos not included in the calendar. The 20-page photo book is available HERE.
All proceeds will go to promote baritones and musical commissions for low voice.
Barihunk Zachary Gordin is releasing a CD of music by composer Reynaldo Hahn accompanied by his frequent collaborator Bryan Nies on the piano. The CD will be released on October 1st and is available for pre-order.
Gordin and Nies began their collaboration with a less than perfect production of Puccini’s Tosca, but recovered to join forces for numerous concerts, opera productions and recitals.
This disc marks the culmination of that artistic partnership, spanning more than ten years and many veins of repertoire.
This selection of mélodies, with a few exceptions (for musical flow and programming), is arranged chronologically and provides a window into Hahn’s development as a composer. The cycle Chansons Grises, written when he was only 12-15 years old, shows his prodigious talents and the influence of his teachers Fauré, Saint-Saëns, and Massenet from the Paris Conservatory, where Hahn was the rare exception as a particularly young student admitted into the esteemed school.
Zachary Gordin sporting his Barihunk tee shirt at the gym
Barihunk calendar model Zachary Gordin is replacing fellow barihunk Hadleigh Adams in the Festival Opera's double-bill on Leoncavallo's Pagliacci and Kurt Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins.
Gordin will sing Nedda's lover Silvio, whose affair with Canio's wife leads to the play-within-a-play's tragic turn. He'll be joined by Hope Briggs as Nedda, Alex Boyer as the jealous husband Canio and Laura Bohn as Anna, who will be led by Michael Morgan in the pit.
The Seven Deadly Sins is a satirical ballet chanté in seven scenes. Setting out on a journey across America to aid her poverty-stricken family, Anna I - manifested as two facets of one personality, one who sings and one who dances - finds herself on a seven-year, seven-city quest where she ultimately encounters each of the seven deadly sins. Anna I will be sung by Laura Bohn, who will be joined by Gordin, Kirk Eichelberger, Jonathan Smucker and Robert Norman, with Bryan Nies conducting.
With a libretto by Bertold Brecht, The Seven Deadly Sins was an artistic triumph at its premiere in Paris, but was not performed in the United States until twenty-five years later in 1958, with Lotte Lenye singing the role of Anna I.
There will be two performances of the double-bill on Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, just a short train ride from both San Francisco and Oakland. Tickets are available online.
Thank you again to our readers, who keep this site alive and thriving. Your purchases of our calendars and tee shirts goes to supporting young artists and opera projects.
BEST NEW OPERA (tie): Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's Breaking the Waves
John Moore, Kiera Duffy and the cast of Breaking the Waves
Barihunk John Moore performed in the premiere of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's Breaking the Waves at Opera Philadelphia and then reprised his role at the PROTOTYPE Festival along
with co-star Kiera Duffy.
The
opera is based on the Oscar-nominated 1996 film by Lars von Trier and tells of the story of a woman's sexual desires and confessions after her husband becomes paralyzed. The opera was performed with a "mature audience" warning in Philadelphia, as it involved nudity from the leads. More importantly, the opera is a riveting piece of theater.
BEST NEW OPERA (tie): JFK at Forth Worth Opera
Daniel Okulitch as LBJ and Matt Worth as JFK
The Fort Worth Opera, in
collaboration with the American Lyric Theater, debuted David T. Little and Royce Vavrek's JFK in April to rave reviews. The opera, which starred barihunks Matthew Worth as JFK and Daniel Okulitch as LBJ, tells of the final twelve hours of President John F. Kennedy's life. Okulitch performed a memorable and scene stealing, comic piece stripped down to his Texas flag inspired underwear.
Fort Worth was a fitting setting for the opera, as it was the last place that the
President slept before being gunned down in Dallas. JFK left the Hotel
Texas (now the Fort Worth Hilton) on the rain-soaked morning of November
22, 1963, and spoke to thousands who had waited in the rain to hear him
speak. Those remarks were to be his final public speech.
HOTTEST NEW BARIHUNK TO THE SITE: Basque Barihunk Vincent Simonet
Basque barihunk Vincent Simonet
Our hearts starting racing when we saw these pictures of Basque barihunk Vincent Simonet by photographer and fellow barihunk JF l'Oiseleur des Longchamps. Simonet is a decendent of the famous 19th century baritone Paul Barroilhet (aka
Paolo Barroilhet), whose bust still graces the Opera Garnier in Paris.
This summer he performed Dandini in Rossini's La Cenerentola at the Centre Européen de Musique. He was asked by French composer Philippe Mazé to sing at the 100-year anniversary of the Cathedral of Monaco (Saint Nicholas Cathedral). The cathedral is home to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monaco where many of the Grimaldis are buried, including Prince Rainier III and his wife Grace Kelly.
Simonet is also one of the initiators of the charity recital "Ensemble pour les Enfants Malades" (Recital for the Sick Children) which is a benefit for the Pediatric Immuno-Hematology Department at the Hôpital Necker de Paris. We love a barihunk who does charity work!
HOTTEST PERFORMANCE: Hadleigh Adams in Powder Her Face at West Edge Opera
Hadleigh Adams as The Duke in Powder Her Face
West Edge Opera, situated across the Bay from it's big budget sister San Francisco Opera, continues to make waves with the most innovative and thrilling productions anywhere. Under the inspired leadership of Mark Streshinsky they have made the Top 10 lists of virtually every music critic on the West Coast. Their productions, which take place in old abandoned train station (where portions of the movie RENT were filmed), are so popular that they often have to add performances.
Such was the case with Thomas Adès' provocative Powder Her Face starring barihunk Hadleigh Adams, hunkentenor Jonathan Blalock and sexy soprano Emma McNairy, who previously made waves with her sizzling Lulu with the company. Adams sang the roles of the vapid Duke (for which he strips down completely!), the condescending hotel manager, and the hypocritical judge who condemns the Duchess.
The opera was brilliantly directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, which the Financial Times dubbed "buoyant" and "exhilirating."
Upcoming performance for Adams include Jonathan Dove's Flight with Opera Parallèle and Puccini's La fanciulla del West with the Michigan Opera Theater.
Ryan McKinny as Amfortas
We have to give a close runner-up mention to Ryan McKinny as Amfortas in Bayreuth's Parsifal. If you can look this sexy in a "man diaper" then you deserve some credit.
BEST BARIHUNK CHARITY WORK: Michael Hewitt/Cancer Research
Michael Hewitt (from our calendar and buffing up for charity work!)
Barihunk Michael Hewitt took to crowd sourcing to raise $3000 for The Decath10n, which raised money for pediatric cancer research at the University of Texas MD Anderson
Cancer Center in Houston. (Full disclosure: Barihunks contributed to the effort).
Michael is also featured in July in our 2017 "Barihunks in Bed" calendar. He will make his company debut with the Glimmerglass Opera in 2017 in the role of Jud Fry in Oklahoma!
Hewitt also has a fitness website and he says that consistency is the key to staying in shape and that you can't outwork a poor diet.
BEST NEW SOLO WORK FOR BARITONE: Clint Borzoni's Two German Songs for Baritone and String Quartet, sung by Marco Vassalli
Composer Clint Borzoni and barihunk Marco Vassalli worked on this commission over Skype after the German singer chose Hermann Hesse's Stufen and Hilde Domin's Margere Kost for his text. Musica Marin presented the works, which were inspired by adding something other than Samuel Barber's Dover Beach to the repertory for baritone and string quartet. Vassalli performed all three pieces at two sold out concerts in the former home of Ansel Adams in San Francisco.
Borzoni, one of the most talented young composers on the scene is now Musica Marin's "Composer-in-Residence." Barihunk Edward Nelson will perform the composer's new arrangement of his aria "Two Nooses" from his opera When Adonis Calls, arranged for baritone, viola, cello and piano. Borzoni's opera The Copper Queen won the Arizona Opera's award for best new opera.
BEST PERFORMANCE IN AN OPERETTA: Dominik Köninger in Oscar Straus' The Pearls of Cleopatra
Dominik Köninger
What would a Barihunk "Best of..." list be without German barihunk Dominik Köninger? He made our list again by giving the funniest performance of the year as the Roman Officer in Oscar Straus' The Pearls of Cleopatra(Die Perlen der Cleopatra) at the Komische Oper in Berlin.
The operetta has been on the shelves for more than eighty
years and was written before the composer fled the Nazi Anschluss in 1939. As the Roman Officer, Köninger is shown in some pretty sexy situations and there also plenty of scantily clad,
energetic performers on stage, adding to the lively Cabaret feel of the
pre-Nazi Weimar Republic.
The operetta is viewable on the OperaPlatform. We sure hope that someone else produces this work using this Barrie Kosky production, which is perfect in every way.
BEST "OVERNIGHT SENSATION": Björn Bürger
Björn Bürger as Don Giovanni and the Barber
We've been keeping our eye on German barihunk Björn Bürger since 2014, when he caught our eyes and ears at the Mirjam Helin Competition. We continued to be impressed by him as an ensemble member at the Frankfurt Oper, where he performed Pelléas, Schaunard, Plunkett in Martha, Curio in Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Frank and Fritz in Die Tote Stadt. Count Almaviva, Masetto and Owen Wingrave. But we really began to take note with his sexy portrayal in the title role of Mozart's Don Giovanni at Den Norske Opera.
There is no such thing as an overnight sensation, as years of coaching, training and performing goes into any singer's career, but Bürger may have had just such a moment this year. His performance in the title role of Rossini's Barber of Seville at the Glyndebourne Festival was the talk of the town, where his cast mates included Taylor Stayton as Almaviva and Danielle de Niese as Rosina.
The Guardian said that Bürger "dominates with singing of great bravado and warmth," while The Express wrote that he sang "beautifully...and acted with impressive energy.' Mark
Valencia in What's on Stage wrote, "The handsome young baritone exudes
elegant bonhomie and fourth-wall-breaking razzle-dazzle, and he delivers
Rossini's tongue-twisters with an eloquence it would be hard to
better."
BEST APPEARANCE IN AN ADULT MAGAZINE: Edward Miskie in Britain's Mascular Magazine
Edward Miskie (right) in Mascular Magazine
Edward Miskie, who has appeared in our Barihunks Calendar for the last two years, was asked to pose for the UK's erotic art magazine Mascular Magazine. The
magazine is geared toward those who love bears (and we have a ton of readers who fit that category!)
However, Miskie shows more skin in our new calendar than he did in his photoshoot with Brooklyn-based photographer Ron Amato for the magazine's feature entitled "Pride." Whether in a suit or staring out shirtless from his bed, this is one sexy man who holds his own with any of the models in Mascular Magazine. Check it out for yourself.
BEST JOKE THAT WE PLAYED ON READERS: Nathan Gunn and Anna Netrebko appearing in Wagner's Ring at the MET
Nathan Gunn would make one sexy Wotan. Check out that spear.
Barihunk Zachary Luchetti penned an April Fool's Day joke for us claiming that Nathan Gunn and Anna Netrebko would be appearing the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Wagner's Ring as Brünnhilde and Wotan. Luchetti is one of the most entertaining and original personalities in the industry and we loved running with this gag. It was worth it just for the emails from people outraged that this duo would take on role "obviously ill-suited to their voices," as one reader wrote. This is why one should read every post to the end (especially on April 1st).
BEST INTERVIEW: Malte Roesner discussing fitness routineand his fach change
Malte Roesner
When we first met Malte Roesner in France last year, he was singing as a
baritone and wrapping up a decade long run at the Staatstheater
Braunschweig (State Theater of Brunswick). Since that time, he has gone
through a fach change to bass and recently came to California for a series of auditions. We will have an exciting update about his upcoming U.S. debut(s) in a future post. (Yes, debut may be plural).
He is featured prominently in both our 2016 calendar and our "2017 Barihunks in Bed" calendar.Roesner, who is one of the most intelligent singers on the scene, also translates operas, having translated both Jake Heggie's For a Look or a Touch and Jonathan Dove's Mansfield Park from English to German.
In our interview with him, the always fascinating singer discussed his recent fach change from baritone to bass, his workout routine, his month-long audition tour in the US and why it's “all about the bass.” You can read the entire interview HERE.
BEST WEIGHT LOSS: Lucas Meachem
Lucas Meachem
When we posted an interview with barihunk Lucas Meachem about his recent weight loss it went viral and jumped to one of our ten most viewed posts ever (and the top post that didn't reveal any "skin")!!!
Prompted by being forced to deal with high cholesterol and the new age of HD opera broadcasts, Meachem took his wife's advice and switched to a plant-based diet, which led to an amazing physical transformation.
When he took the stage as Doctor Malatesta in Donizetti's Don Pasquale at the San Francisco Opera, Meachem had slimmed down a remarkable 45 pounds (20.4 kilos). He also sounded as luxurious and resonant as ever.
He told us, "I used to rail against the system for it's
unfairness that weight is even an issue when it came to my voice. For me
vocal prowess should be the main determining factor of an opera singer
but I realized that I couldn't play by those rules anymore. The fact is
it's easier to change yourself than the system. So instead of resisting,
I decided to change myself."
On an unrelated note, Meachem won the San Francisco Opera's inaugural "Emerging Star of the Year" competition, whose goal is to engage the community in
the thrill of experiencing artists on the cusp of greatness, and to
build awareness among the broader opera-going public of San Francisco
Opera's leadership in nurturing and showcasing new talent.
BEST GATHERING OF A BARIHUNK SEXTET IN ONE PLACE (tie): A Midsummer Night's Dream atTeatro Amilcare Ponchielli Cremona and Lakes Area Music Festival
Prior to 2016, the most barihunks that we had ever featured on one stage at the same time was four. It seemed like this year at least two companies decided to blow that number out of the water, as both the Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli Cremona and the Lakes Area Music Festival decided to present operas with SIX barihunks performing together.
Zachary Altman and Nicholas Masters (top); Dario Shikhmiri, Rocco Cavalluzzi, Federico Benetti and Paolo Ingrasciotta (bottom l-r)
The cast list for Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream
at the Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli Cremona, included Zachary Altman as Bottom, Nicholas Masters
as Quince, Dario Shikhmiri as Starveling, Rocco Cavalluzzi as Snug,
Federico Benetti as Theseus and Paolo Ingrasciotta as Demetrius.
Eric Broker, Andrew Lovato, Sam Parkinson, John Taylor Ward, Rodolfo Nieto and Benjamin Sieverding
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe the Lakes Area Music Festival's production of the same opera included 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 performed in the opera, but he serves as Associate Artistic Director
of the company and wrote the program notes.
All we have to say for 2017, is bring us more performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
BEST SHIRTLESS APPEARANCE: Alessio Arduini in Così fan tutte
Alessio Arduini in Così fan tutte
We don't know how this site could survive without streaming video from opera houses around the world, as it continues to be an endless source of content and visual and audio excitement.
Imagine our reaction when we watched the BBC Radio 3 broadcast of the Royal Opera House production of Mozart's Così fan tutte with a shirtless Alessio Arduni asGuglielmo. German director Jan Philipp Gloger made his house debut with the new production using librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte’s alternative title for the opera: "The School for Lovers." The ROH cast a vocally and visually impressive cast to live up to the title, which included Corinne Winters as Fiordiligi, Angela Brower as Dorabella, Daniele Behle as Ferrando, Johannes Martin Kränzle as Don Alfonso and Sabina Puértolas as Despina.
Arduini is currently performing Marcello at the Metropolitan Opera on Januray 6,11 and 14.
SEXIEST SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT: Zachary Gordin on Instagram
Zachary Gordin on Instagram
If you're not one of Zachary Gordin's 1,450 followers on Instagram (zgordin) then you're missing out on some of the best barihunk shots on the internet. Gordin's site alternates personal posts with images from performances and his brutal gym workouts.
The fitness buff also serves on the voice faculty of Sonoma State University and operates a private vocal studio in the San Francisco Bay Area. Upcoming performances include "Mozart at the Opera" with the Youth Orchestra of San Antonio on January 22 and a recital with accompanist Brian Nies at the Green Music Center in Sonoma.
We particularly love him because he includes us in his bio, "Gordin is also widely recognized as the face of the website Barihunks, which celebrates physically fit and vocally-talented operatic baritones from around the globe."
THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL OF OUR READERS, AS 2017 WILL MARK OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY. WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO PROMOTING SINGERS IN THE BARITONE TO BASS RANGE AND ENCOURAGING AND FUNDING NEW REPERTORY FOR THOSE VOICES.
Our feature on barihunk Zachary Gordin has not only proven to be one of our most popular posts in our seven year history, but it was just featured in INSTINCT Magazine's online site. Check it out HERE.
On April 23, Zachary Gordin reprised his successful performance of convicted killer Joseph De Rocher at the Shreveport Opera, which he performed the previous year at the Dayton Opera. We caught him to ask him about performing the role and got him to agree to share some amazingly hot pictures of him getting tattoed for the performance. He's not only got a killer body and amazing voice, but he proves himself to be smart, insightful and thoughful, as well.
Upcoming performances for Zachary Gordin include Orff's Carmina Burana on May 28th with Chora Nova in Berkeley and a recital of Schumann's Dichterliebe at St. Joseph's Basillica in Alameda, California.
Other upcoming performances of Dead Man Walking include David Adam Moore at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Daniel Okulitch at the Vancouver Opera.
1. What does it mean for this to be performed in the state where the alleged crime actually happened?
ZG:
Louisiana, and specifically Caddo Parish (where Shreveport is) has been
notorious for the death penalty, and executions. While there hasn’t
been an execution carried out in Louisiana since 2010 (and before that,
2002), there is definitely a strong history for capital punishment
there. What’s exciting as an opera singer, is that it’s almost
impossible for us to be part of telling a story with local, living
roots. There were people on both sides of this production being mounted
in Shreveport: lots of excitement to support it, as well as the flip
side… I heard a few remarks from local residents that there were people
boycotting the production because they took personal issue with Sister
Helen, and her political stance. It hadn’t crossed my mind, being from
the San Francisco Bay Area, that there would be some strong opposition.
You never encounter these personal, sometimes heated, stories when
you’re doing operas composed by Verdi, or Mozart, wether or not the
story/characters have a historical basis. That really increases the
weight and stakes of the production, and ultimately adds to the work’s
depth and power.
Zachary Gordin in Dead Man Walking (Photos by Clint McCommon)
2. What does this role mean to you and how has it changed for you with subsequent performances?
ZG:
It started out as a daunting journey, January of 2015, when I got the
eleventh-hour call from Dayton Opera to learn and perform it. Before
that I never considered it, partly because of the darkness of the
character, and partly because it’s incredibly intense for the voice.
There’s a lot of shouting/screaming, having to do push-ups and go right
into an aria, and so on… I read the story, looked over the score, and I
was hooked! I knew it would be a good fit, and wanted the challenge of a
character who had done some truly monstrous things. I had a month
before staging rehearsals began in Dayton to learn the opera, and had
the great opportunity to work with Jake Heggie to prepare it. A lot of
energy in the first production I did was spent on getting
it “right” - making sure I was faithful to the score (the music isn’t
easy! Huge thanks to Maestro Jerome Shannon for getting me through it),
and being as honest as I could about telling Joe’s story (with the help
of Gary Briggle, our stage Director). Even that whirlwind first time
left me with the sense that I was participating in something that was so
much bigger than me. That was deeply meaningful, and made the weight of
taking on that character a little lighter.
The
second time around, with the Shreveport Opera production, I knew the
music inside-out and didn’t have to think pitches/counting as much. The
amount of freedom THAT gives a singer is incredible. I knew “my Joe”
already, and was prepared for what that head space would feel like.
Everyone else in that cast was in the opera for the first time, so it
felt great to be able to encourage and support my cast mates having been
through it all and come out the other side changed for the better. It’s
always a deeply emotional, and spiritually penetrating experience to
work on this opera - no matter what role you’re in. Showing up for each
other, and being present in the stories of these characters really bonds
a cast. I’ve made some very dear friends through this process.
Gillian Lynn Cotter and Zachary Gordin in Dead Man Walking (Photos by Clint McCommon)
3. What is the core message of this opera for you.
ZG:
Love! There are so many aspects of love, and what love can make
manifest in people: the young love of the two victims, the love of their
parents who are experiencing such a tragic loss, the love of Joe’s
mother for a son who did some horrific things and will die, the love Joe
was seeking and not getting which drove him to the drugs/alcohol that
influenced him in his heinous act, the love of Sister Helen for Joe and
his soul, and God’s love for us all… There are big themes of
forgiveness, redemption, and the value of human life.
Zachary Gordin in Dead Man Walking (Photos by Clint McCommon)
4. Did you have a chance to meet the real Sister Prejean? How do you play off of that character when performing?
ZG:
Yes, several times. She’s one of those special people who raises the
temperature of whatever room she walks into. To talk with her, and hear
her stories first-hand is such a gift. A real, living, and down-to-earth
example of someone who is living their purpose. Knowing how her first
few meetings went with Patrick Sonnier gives a lot of info to use in the
body language, inflection, and feel of the scenes we do in the opera.
Again, in opera we almost NEVER get to talk to the source material. It
takes the mystery away, but it also raises the stakes of your
responsibility as an artist. I always want to be faithful to the story.
Zachary Gordin in Dead Man Walking (Photos by Clint McCommon)
5. What aspects of your own personality come out in your portrayal of Joseph de Rocher?
ZG:
The similarities in the story of Joe’s childhood and my own are a good
starting point. It was a rough start for both of us, and I can see how
with a series of different choices my path could look very similar to
his. There’s a lot of sympathy for him in that realization. Joe had to
cultivate a tough exterior in life, and in prison. For me, it was
growing up in the ghetto of Oakland that toughened me up. Joe loved
music, tried to stay groomed and presentable, what people thought of him
must have mattered… I can relate. The white supremacist element of this
character is probably the one thing I struggled with and gave up on.
I couldn’t really let that in - so I left it in the hands of my makeup
team to add that element. Keep in mind, Joseph De Rocher is based on a
combination of people, so there’s wiggle room for interpretation. Every
Joe I play will be slightly different based on the production. While
I’ve never raped or murdered anyone offstage, we’ve all done things we
wish we hadn’t… As an actor, or storyteller, we have to dig into the
pain and discomfort of the situations we’re presented with, and be
totally transparent about it. It’s a difficult edge to ride the wave of
emotion while having to function vocally/physically. Taking it over the
edge in rehearsals helps identify how far I can go as an actor without
making the singing suffer.
Zachary Gordin getting tattoed for Dead Man Walking
6. Do you like sporting tattoos? Do you find them sexy on others?
ZG:
I don’t have any of my own, but these experiences with Joe have made me
curious… It was fun being covered in “ink” (apart from their meaning)
and getting reactions to it, but then being able to remove it with a
team of two people and a pile of alcohol swabs (that was cold!). I think
tattoos are hot on the right people… I wouldn’t say it’s a fetish, but
they definitely catch my eye and draw me in. If I do go ahead and get
some, I’ll be sure to have BARIHUNKS post the pics! ;-)
Zachary Gordin appears to have found a gym in San Antonio, TX
Barihunk Zachary Gordin is performing Carl Orff's Carmina Burana with the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio. The performance will be available online on May 17th at 7 PM CST.
The performance will be conducted by Music Director Troy Peters and also features the San Antonio Choral Society, the Children’s Chorus
of San Antonio, and several other local choirs. Gordin will be joined by soprano Jamie-Rose Guarrine and tenor Ryland Angel.
If you can attend in person, tickets are available online.
The Dayton Opera has announced that über-barihunk Zachary Gordin is replacing John Arnold in their production of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking. The role of the accused killer Joseph de Rocher should be a natural fit for the gym toned singer, who is required to sing an aria while doing pushups. This is Gordin's role debut and first appearance with the Dayton Opera. Singing the critical role of Sister Helen Prejean will be mezzo-soprano Catherine Martin.
Performances are on February 27 and March 1st. Their season continues with another barihunk, Matthew Worth, in the oft-shirtless role of Zurga in Bizet's Pearl Fishers. There will be two performances on April 17 and 19. Additional information and tickets for both operas are available online.
Dead Man Walking at the Mälmo Opera with Samuel Jarrick (left) and Rasmus Mononen (far right)
Dead Man Walking, has quickly entered the standard repertory since its
San Francisco premiere in 2000. Amazingly, this was Heggie's first opera
and it has become a star vehicle for baritones and especially
barihunks. The role of Joseph De Rocher has been sung by numerous barihunks, including Michael Mayes, Philip Cutlip, Etienne Dupuis,
Jordan Shanahan, Samuel Jarrick, Daniel Okulitch, Mel Ulrich. Thomas Gunther, John Arnold, David Adam Moore, Marcus DeLoach.
Zachary Gordin: Mr January in the 2015 Barihunk Calendar
Barihunks calendar model Zachary Gordin is making his San Francisco Symphony debut with SoundBox, the orchestra’s new experimental performance venue and late-night live music series taking place backstage at Davies Symphony Hall on Saturday, December 13. The program, spans over ten centuries of music from around the world, will be led by Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas. SoundBox is a new initiative aimed at attracting culturally-adventurous listeners to evenings of eclectic musical exploration and discovery, all in a nightclub-like setting.
"I’m thrilled to be one of the guest soloists for the inaugural performance of Soundbox. It’s an exciting new venture, bringing world class musicians from the San Francisco Symphony and Symphony Chorus together in an unconventional performance space, while creating a totally immersive experience for the senses," Gordin told Barihunks. "The acoustical environment will be altered for each piece of music by the wizards at Meyer Sound Laboratories, so the audience will be able to hear each piece in the acoustical environment it was meant for. There will be changing lights and projected art on huge screen panels, as well as an interesting menu of bites and cocktails, in a rehearsal hall that’s been transformed into a swanky night club. I’m most excited that this is my first time singing with Michael Tilson Thomas, and working with SF Symphony. He’s such a generous and collaborative Maestro, and an immensely gifted artist. I’m honored to be part of this project, and have loved watching it take shape."
Zachary Gordin (left) and Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek and Ramon Balderas
At the December 13 opening, Tilson Thomas will take listeners through a “musical tasting menu” that showcases the venue’s sound system which can alter the space’s acoustics to mimic a variety of different environments. Visual components of this opening show include Steina’s 1986 video Voice Windows, featuring the voice of Joan La Barbara. Voice Windows
is co-presented at SoundBox by the SF Symphony and SFMOMA. Prior to the
show’s start, guests will experience a soundscape installation derived
from John Cage’s Branches (music for amplified plants), accompanied by plant-based imagery from video designer Adam Larsen.
The program includes “Stella splendens in monte” from the Llibre Vermell de Montserrat by Anonymous(arranged by Mason Bates), Plainchant and Kyrie from Missa Pange lingua by Josquin des Prez, Te Deum from Play of Daniel by Anonymous, Panda Chant II by Meredith Monk, Music for Pieces of Wood by Steve Reich, Introduction and Allegro by Maurice Ravel, Voice Windows, Integrales by Varèse and Magnificat from Vespro della Beata Vergine by Monteverdi.
The concert is SOLD OUT. Click HERE for information and tickets on upcoming Soundbox events.
You can enjoy Zachary Gordin and 18 other of opera's sexiest men in our 2015 Barihunks Charity Calendar by clicking on the LULU button below. Only 3 weeks left to order.
This year much of the money raised from our Barihunks Charity Calendar is going directly to the singers who participated. Our first prize is for the Sexiest Photo. We had an expert panel of five people from the music industry pick the top five for you to vote for.
The nominees are #1 Craig Verm in his Italian countryside pose, #2 Christian Smith-Kotlarek in his Rome themed photo, #3 Ernesto Petti swimming off the coast of Italy, #4 Zachary Gordin in his Tribute to Verdi and #5 Kasey Yeargain in his Tribute to Michelangelo.
You can vote to the left of this post. The winner will receive $100. Upcoming prizes will be for Best Photo ($500) and Best Italian Theme ($250).
Barihunks calendar model Zachary Gordin will join pianist Lara Downes and the amazing Del Sol String Quartet for a concert of works inspired by ancient Arabic texts set to music by composer Mohammed Fairouz. The concert will feature the West Coast premieres of several of Fairouz’s
solo and chamber works inspired by literary and historical influences
reaching back to ancient cultures of the Arabian Peninsula.
The performance will take place at San Francisco's Asian Art Museum on November 1st and tickets are available online.
Über-barihunk, who once again is featured prominently in our Barihunks Calendar, will be performing Carl Orff's Carmina Burana on Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25. It should be a thrilling performance, as Maestra Marika Kuzma is leading both the University of California Chorus and Chamber Chorus along with soprano Candace Johnson and hunkentenor Thomas Glenn.
Also on the program are Bach's B Minor Mass Sketches, Sanctus, BWV 238, Cantata BWV 12 and Cantata BWV 2.
Performances are at Hertz Concert Hall in Berkeley, California. Click HERE for tickets and additional information.
Click on the button below to order you Barihunks Charity Calendar and enjoy Zachary Gordin all year!
It's time to start recruiting singers for our 2015 Barihunks Charity Calendar. This year we have a theme - VIVA, ITALIA! - so we're looking for singers with and Italian pedigree or photos with an Italian theme (i.e. - drinking some Chianti while studying Verdi, enjoying a pizza while shirtless, you name it!!! Use your imagination).
Anthony Reed from the 2014 Barihunks Calendar
Zachary Gordin from the 2014 Barihunks Calendar
As always, every penny of our calendar sales will go to support young artists. Last year, our two largest grants went to pay for students to participate in master classes at Center Stage Opera in the Los Angeles area with barihunk Zachary Gordin, and an innovative concert featuring bass-barihunk Aaron Sørensen and hunkentenor Jonathan Blalock at a jazz club. We also bought music for singers, paid for some voice lessons and bought a tuxedo for an impoverished singer making his U.S. concert debut.
As important it is for people to buy the calendars, we have nothing to sell if singers don't participate. Submissions should be sent to Barihunks@gmail.com.
Fresh from his return appearance at the Olympic Music Festival, the ever popular Zachary Gordin returns to San Francisco for a song recital with accompanist Bryan Nies. The two will perform as part of the Old First Concerts series in the City by the Bay on Friday, August 15th.
The duo will perform songs of Reynaldo Hahn’s Chansons Grises, as well as his À Chloris, Dans la nuit, Trois jours de vendage, Néère, and more. They will then switch to British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams’ song cycle The House of Life.
Zachary Gordin as seen in the 2014 Barihunks Calendar
After a successful debut with the
Olympic Music Festival last year, barihunk Zachary Gordin was invited back to perform this year in "Arias & Arguments: from Love to Loss in Four Acts." The four acts are Courtship, Honeymoon, Conflict and Parting.
He will be joined on July 5 and 6 by soprano Shana Blake Hill and accompanist Paul Hersh in a program of arias and duets. The duo will perform music from Mozart's Don Giovanni, Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci, Puccini's La boheme, Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea, Massenet's Manon, as well as numerous songs.
The festival was founded on Washington's beautiful Olympic Peninsula in 1984 by Alan Iglitzin, a long-time member of the Philadelphia String Quartet. Since its opening season, the Festival has grown from three weekends
to eleven and is attended by more than 10,000 people.
Festival performances are broadcast on Seattle's KING-FM. The season runs through September 7th and you can find the entire program online.
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.
Zachary Gordin as he appears in the 2014 Barihunks Charity Calendar
Visalia, California may be the least likely place to find great opera, and perhaps an even more unikely place to find one of the hottest barihunks in the business today. The city of 125,000 people sits in the heart of California's agricultural region and is known as the Gateway to the Sequoias, as it sits just 36 miles west of Sequoia National Park.
We've always maintained that some of the most interesting opera happens off of the beaten path, where smaller, more agile companies are willing to take risks that often pay great rewards. The nascent Visalia Opera Company is just such a company. They've brought in Zachary Gordin to portray Count Almaviva in their upcoming production of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, which runs from November 8-10. They've even taken to Twitter (@VisaliaOpera) to promote his appearance on Barihunks. Apparently farm country ain't what it used to be.
Gordin, who is also a well-respected vocal coach in the San Francisco Bay Area, will also conduct a master class in voice on Tuesday, November 5th from 3:10-4:20pm. Gordin will work with selected students from the music program and coach them on their specific arias. This workshop is free and the public is welcome to attend.
Tickets for Le Nozze di Figaro are only $25 for adults and $15 for students. They can be purchased online.
You can enjoy Zachary Gordin all year around in our new 2014 Barihunks Charity
Calendar. It's also a great way to support young artists. This year,
we're letting readers tell us who should get the money. Post your
suggestions on our Facebook timeline or tweet us using #Barihunks2014. Click HERE to purchase yours today.
