New video of Ola Eliasson's Don Giovanni

August 1, 2014, 2:03 pm

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Sara Widén as Zerlina and Ola Eliasson as Don Giovanni

We recently posted about Ola Eliasson reprising his sexy and critically-acclaimed performance in the title role of Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Kungliga Operan (Royal Opera House) in Stockhölm, Sweden. There is now footage available from that production of him singing Deh, vieni alla finestra, as well as the duet La ci darem la mano with soprano Sarah Widèn. You'll notice that he accompanies himself on the mandolin, which is no surprise, as he studied guitar, percussion, French Horn and piano, as well as voice.

Eliasson has established himself as a major interpreter of Mozart, having sung Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and Papageno in Der Zauberflöte. However, he's recently become recognized for his roles in Wagner, including Alberich in Das Rheingold at Dalhalla and Amfortas in Parsifal in Stockhölm. 

Ola Eliasson sings Mozart's Deh, vieni alla finestra from Don Giovanni:

Sarah Widèn and Ola Eliasson sing La ci darem la mano:

Performances of Don Giovanni will run from October 17 through November 15. Tickets are available online.  Before his run as Don Giovanni he'll be alternating the role of the Count Almaviva with Tommi Hakala in Le nozze di Figaro at the Helsinki Opera Opera beginning on September 2nd. Tickets are available online. 

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Keith Miller in sexy production of Florencia en el Amazonas

August 1, 2014, 4:45 pm

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Traditional Trinidal Carnival costume(left)and Keith Miller(right)

Keith Miller, who is our Mr. November in the 2014 Barihunks calendar, will be showing off his amazing physique as Riolobo in a new production of Daniel Catán's Florencia en el Amazonas at the Nashville Opera.

The opera will be directed by John Hoomes, who we asked about the production. He told us:

"As opposed to some productions of the work, our production with focus more of the magic-realistic, sensual, fever-dream aspects of the piece, with extensive dreamlike immersive HD video, and a living, writhing, singing river...As Riolobo, [Keith Miller] will sing the role of the steersman of the steamship, and he will also appear as a manifestation of a mystic Amazon River god.  His river god costume will be inspired by the male costumes from Trinidad Carnival."

Hoomes suggested that we do an online search to see what the Trinidad Carnival costumes look like and were we ever pleasantly surprised. We can't imagine a singer in all of opera who would look better in a Carnival costume.

In 1996, Florencia en al Amazonas was the first Spanish-language opera to be commissioned by a major American opera house. It premiered at the Houston Grand Opera, and was subsequently performed at the Los Angeles Opera and the Seattle Opera. Daniel Catán died in 2011 at age 62, shortly after the premiere of his last opera, Il Postino, based on the popular Italian film. At the time of his death, he was at work on a new piece, Meet John Doe, inspired by Frank Capra’s classic film of the same title.

Andrew Garland sings Riolobo's invocation from Florencia en al Amazonas:

The two-act opera Florencia en al Amazonas is set on the steamboat El Dorado in 1910, where the famous opera singer Florencia is traveling down the Amazon to perform in Manaus. Florencia desires to encounter her lost love, a butterfly hunter who entered the jungle and never returned. The dramas aboard the steamboat weave love, conflict, loss, a violent storm, and ultimately a cholera epidemic that keeps the passengers quarantined and Florencia’s dream apparently dashed.

The Nashville Opera will present the opera on Friday, January 23, Sunday, January 25 and Tuesday, January 27, 2015. Single tickets are available online.

Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek featured in Bleep magazine

August 1, 2014, 5:51 pm

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Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek in Bleep magazine

Christiaan Smith Kotlarek, who is our Mr. December in the Barihunks charity calendar, is featured in the latest issue of Bleep magazine (he's on page 31). Bleep describes itself as, "The internationally-read online creative culture magazine about people who are creating the future of art."

He's currently appearing as Dancaïre in Carmen with the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. There is a performance tonight and on Sunday, August 3. In the Fall, he returns to New York to perform in his own solo cabaret night with Live Band featuring songs of John Mayer, Jason Mraz, and others. We'll have more details as the performance nears. 

Reader Submission: Italian Barihunk Ernesto Petti

August 2, 2014, 4:40 pm

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Ernesto Petti: Water Polo to Opera

Our latest reader submission came from a baritone colleague, who sang with him in Austria and Italy. Meet Salerno native Ernesto Petti, who recently switched fachs from tenor to baritone.

Petti who once wanted to be a professional water polo player, shared the stage with Diana Damrau and Piotr Beczala in the controversial performance of Verdi's La traviata last year at La Scala (that prompted Beczala to exclaim that he'd never sing there again). The production was broadcast, allowing Petti to draw an unusual amount of positive attention in a small role, as he was decked out in sexy, white muscle tee shirt [see photo].

Petti began his vocal studies in Naples when he was just18 years old. In 2010,he graduatedfrom the Academy ofTorre del Lago Puccini, where he studiedwith acclaimed tenorMarco Berti.
He won firstprize at theFrancesco Albanese di Napoli competitionand won thesecondprize at the "Ravello Città della Musica" competition.
 
He made his professional debut in 2009asEagroin the JohannChristian Bach editionofGluck'sOrfeo ed Euridiceat the FestivalValle d'Itria. He followed that up with a performance in Viardot's Cendrillon. In 2011, he returned to the Festival to sing The Officer in Ernst Krenek's tragic one-act opera DerDiktator, for which he receivedcritical acclaim.

Ernesto Petti sings "Il balen del suo sorriso" from Il Trovatore: 

 
He appeared in Puccini's hometown of Torre delLago as Harry in the composer'sLa Fanciulla del West, which celebrated the centenaryof his opera about the American West. 
 
He has also sang in Bizet's Carmenat the SanCarlo in Naples, Verdi's Macbethat the TeatroCoccia inNovara, Verdi's SimonBoccanegraat the TeatroMunicipale diPiacenzaandModena.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Simon Keenlyside

August 2, 2014, 8:49 pm

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Simon Keenlyside

On August 3rd, we're celebrating the 55th birthday of the seemingly ageless Simon Keenlyside, who continues to thrill audiences 27 years after his professional debut. 

Keenlyside began his singing career as a chorister at St John’s College, Cambridge. A keen ecologist, he returned to Cambridge to read Zoology, singing on a choral scholarship, and went on to study singing with John Cameron at the Royal Northern College of Music.

His career has taken him to the world’s major opera houses, singing repertory including Oreste in Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride, Figaro in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rigoletto, Hamlet, Ford in Verdi's Falstaff) Pelléas and Billy Budd.

A lover of German Lieder, Keenlyside also performs widely in recital, including regular appearances at London’s Wigmore Hall. His discography includes CDs of opera, operetta duets and Lieder and songs by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Richard Strauss and Vaughan Williams. Many of his performances with The Royal Opera are available on DVD.

Simon Keenlyside sings Richard Strauss' Cäcilie:

He can next be seen on August 20th at the Edinburgh International Festival with accompanist Malcolm Martineau. The program includes Butterworth's A Shropshire Lad, a touching evocation of a vanishing pastoral England, and Vaughan Williams's Songs of Travel, which explore the innermost thoughts and longings for home of soldiers on the front line. The recital also includes works by Ireland, Somervell, Eisler, Gurney, Finzi, Schumann and Wolf. The concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 at 11am GMT/4am EST. 

Keenlyside lives on a farm in West Wales with his wife, Royal Ballet Principal Zenaida Yanowsky, and their children. His interests outside opera include planting trees, reading poetry and listening to a wide range of music including flamenco.

Barihunks seeking photo submissions for 2015 VIVA, ITALIA! Barihunks Charity Calendar

August 3, 2014, 10:19 am

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Xavier Edgardo in the 2014 Barihunks Calendar

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.

Günther Groissböck virile and youthful Ochs in Salzburg Rosenkavalier

August 4, 2014, 8:47 am

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Günther Groissböck and Sophie Koch (© Salzburger Festspiele / Monika Rittershaus)

The Salzburg Festival just opened Richard Strauss'Der Rosenkavalier with an all-star cast that includes barihunk Günther Groissböck as Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau. A trio of superstar women join him in the opulent production, as Krassimira Stoyanova sings the Feldmarschallin, Sophie Koch plays Octavian and Mojca Erdmann sings Sophie. For the first time in the history of the Salzburg Festival, Der Rosenkavalier will be performed without any cuts with the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst.

The production, which is set in pre-1914 Vienna, was staged by the formidable team of director Harry Kupfer and his designers, Hans Schavernoch and Yan Tax.

Groissböck was singled out in early reviews for portraying a virile and more energetic Ochs than is traditionally seen. The character is often portrayed as a happy and somewhat buffoonish oaf. He's certainly the sexiest Baron Ochs that we've ever seen.

Günther Groissböck, Sophie Koch & Krassimira Stoyanova (© Salzburger Festspiele / Monika Rittershaus)

Performances of Der Rosenkavalier continue from August 5th through the 23rd.

If you can't make it to Salzburg, the opera will be recorded by ORF in cooperation with UNITEL, NHK and Bayerischen Rundfunk and broadcast on August 18th at 10:20 PM on ORF2 and on Bayerischen Rundfunk on August 21st at 10:45 PM.

Four baritones in today's 1st round of Mirjam Helin Competition

August 4, 2014, 12:56 pm

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There are four baritones performing in the preliminary round of the Mirjam Helin International singing competition, including one of our favorites, American John Brancy. He'll be joined by
Hansung Yoo of Korea, Shi Zong of China and Björn Bürger of Germany.

Brancy, who was joined by Ilmari Räikkönen at the piano sang J.S. Bach's Mache dich mein Herze rein from the St. Matthew Passion, Schubert's Nachtstück, Rachmaninov's V moltšani notši tainoi and Thomas'Ô vin, dissipe la tristesse from Hamlet.You can watch his performance HERE.

Korean Hansung Yoo, who was joined by Imari Räikkönen at the piano sang Duparc's Chanson triste, J.S. Bach's Großer Herr und starker König from the Christmas Oratorio, Schumann's Schöne Wiege meiner Leiden and Gounod's Oh sainte médaille... Avant de quitter ces lieux from Faust. You can watch his performance HERE.

Björn Bürger, of Germany was joined by Ilmo Ranta at the piano, and performed Mozart's Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen from the Magic Flute, Schubert's Auf der Bruck, Händel's Why do the nations from the Messiah and Schumann's Ich grolle nicht. You can watch his performance HERE.

Chinese bass Shi Zong was accompanied by Ilmari Räikkönen at the piano and sang J.S. Bach's Quia fecit mihi magna from the Magnificat, Verdi's Di due figli vivea padre beato from Il trovatore, Schubert's Erstarrung and Saint-Saëns'Danse macabre. You can watch his performance HERE.

The preliminary round continues through August 7th with 46 singers competing to get into the semi-finals on August 9-10. The finals will be held on August 13 with the prizewinners performing on August 15th. Tickets for all rounds are available online or at the Lippupiste ticket shop. 

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Jonathan McGovern goes from Avatar Jake to King Ulysses

August 5, 2014, 4:55 pm

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We somehow lost track of Jonathan McGovern after his critically-acclaimed performances as the avatar Jake in Nico Muhly's Two Boys at the English National Opera in 2011. At the time, he had just taken 2nd Prize at the 2011 Kathleen Ferrier Awards and was joining the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme.

He recently caught our attention again as Ulysses at the Iford Opera Festival production of Monteverdi's The Return of Ulysses. Rian Evan said his "burnished baritone embraces both the heroism of Ulysses and the emotional torture of this culminating episode of his odyssey." It's amazing to think that this is the same guy who played the baby faced boy n Two Boys. He next takes on Sid in Puccini's La fanciulla del West at ENO in October and then sings the role of the captain in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin at Grand Théâtre de Genève with fellow barihunk Michael Nagy as Onegin.

Behind the scenes with Jonathan McGovern and Louise Alder:

Other engagements this season have included Polynices in Julian Anderson’s world premiere The Thebans at ENO, the role of Adam in a staged version of Haydn’s The Creation for Vocal Futures at the Ambika P3 in London, the St John Passion with Winchester Music Club, and a recording of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Le Reniement de Saint Pierre where he sang the role of Jesus.

Four more baritones compete in Mirjam Helin Competition

August 5, 2014, 7:27 pm

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Four more baritones performed on the second day of the Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition. Once again, all of the performances are available online.

Ukrainian baritone Dmytro Kalmuchyn sang with Tuula Hällström at the piano. He performed J.S. Bach's Geschwinde, ihr wirbelnden Winde, Schumann's Der Soldat, Rachmaninov's Notš petšalna and Mozart's Fin ch'han dal vino from Don Giovanni. You can watch his entire performance HERE.

Korean baritone Insu Hwang performed with Eunmyung Baek at the piano.  He sang Händel's Arm, arm ye brave from Judas Maccabaeus, Schumann's Ballade des Harfners, Saint-Saëns'Danse macabre and E sogno? o realtà from Verdi's Falstaff. You can watch his entire performance HERE.

British baritone Thomas Humphreys sang with Raya Kostova at the piano. He performed Händel's The trumpet shall sound from the Messiah, Schubert's Der Zwerg, Gounod's Avant de quitter ces lieux from Faust, and Rachmaninov's Ne poi, krasavitsa, pri mne. You can watch his entire performance HERE.

Russian baritone Kirill Goriunov sang with Ilmari Räikkönen at the piano. He performed Händel's Dignare, o Domine from the Dettingen Te Deum, Schubert's Frühlingsglaube, Rachmaninov's Ja opjat odinok and Verdi's O Carlo, ascolta from Don Carlo. You can watch his entire performance HERE.

The preliminary round continues through August 7th with 46 singers competing to get into the semi-finals on August 9-10. The finals will be held on August 13 with the prizewinners performing on August 15th. Tickets for all rounds are available online or at the Lippupiste ticket shop. 

Tobias Greenhalgh latest Tirésias barihunk

August 5, 2014, 8:53 pm

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Tobias Greenhalgh in Les mamelles de Tirésias (right)

Few operas seem to attract barihunk casting more than Poulenc's Les mamelles de Tirésias and the latest production at the Wolf Trap Opera doesn't disappoint. They've cast barihunk and part-time super hero Tobias Greenhalgh in the role of Le mari, the husband of the title character.

Les Mamelles de Tirésias was Poulenc’s first opera and was composed during World War II. It is based on a surrealist play of the same name by Guillaume Apollinaire. The musical world of this opera is irresistible, referencing as it does not only music hall but also the composers of the time such as Chabrier and Satie.

Wolf Trap is performing the opera in a double-bill with Milhaud's Le pauvre matelot (The poor sailor). Although the lead role is sung by a tenor, two singers who have appeared on this site appear in the opera. Norman Garrett plays the sailor's friend and Ryan Speedo Greene plays his father-in-law.

The double-bill will be conducted by Timothy Myers with performances on August 8, 10 and 16. Tickets are available online.

Edward Laurenson says farewell to New Zealand with two concerts

August 5, 2014, 10:39 pm

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Edward Laurenson

New Zealand barihunk Edward Laurenson, who we just introduced to readers last month, is featured in two concerts on August 12 and 13 at the Auckland Grammar's Centennial Theatre. The concerts are both a fundraiser and his farewell as he travels to England to commence his Masters in Music studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. The money from the concerts will help him cover his living expenses while living in London.

This concerts will include performances by James Doy and the National Youth Theatre Company, Rebekkah Schoonbeek-Berridge and the Fusion Dance Studio, soprano Emma Sloman and his accompanist Rosemary Barnes.

In August 2013, Laurenson was the only New Zealand finalist in the prestigious IFAC Australian Singing Competition in Sydney. Among the prizes he won for gaining second place was a scholarship for a year of study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, which begins in September.

Edward Laurenson

In March 2013 he received rave reviews for his role in sold-out performances of The Factory at Auckland’s Q Theatre as part of the Auckland Festival. At the end of 2013 Edward sang to over 200,000 people in the Auckland Domain at the Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park. This year Edward won the Becroft Grand Opera Aria at the North Shore Competitions and was named the recipient of the Circle 100 Scholarship and was a finalist in the 2014 Lexus Song Quest.

Tickets for both concerts are available online.

Final five baritones perform at Finnish vocal competition

August 7, 2014, 10:29 am

≫ Next: Christopher Maltman takes on Don Giovanni and Wotan

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Ilya Silchukov and Waltteri Torikka

Today marks the final day of the preliminary round of the Mirjam Helin International singing competition and five more baritones have performed. After today's singers wrap up, they will announce 16-20 singers who are moving on to the semi-finals on August 9-10. In the semi-finals each singer must perform a song by a Finnish composer, a group of solo songs lasting 15-20 minutes, and an opera or concert aria.

Finnish baritone Waltteri Torikka, baritoni sang with Marko Hilpo at the piano. He performed J.S. Bach's Ich habe genug from Cantata #82, Schumann's Ich wandelte unter den Bäumen, Mozart's Così dunque tradisci and Tchaikovsky's Don Juan Serenade. You can watch his performance HERE.

Bulgarian baritone Ilya Silchukov performed with Kiril Kozlovsky at the piano. He sang Graun's So steht ein Berg Gottes, Rimsky-Korsakov's Drobitsia i pleštšet, Schumann's Du bist wie eine Blume, and Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo from Mozart's Così fan tutte. You can watch his performance HEREhttp://areena.yle.fi/tv/2351004.

Ukrainian baritone Oleksandr Pushniak sang with Kristian Attila at the piano. He performed Spohr's Judas Gott hat geredet, Schubert's Die Forelle,  Tchaikovsky's Otšego? and Lysenko's Khto vbyv joho? Tse vy? Oh tatu, tatu..." from Taras Bulba. You can watch his performance HERE.

Latvian baritone Rihards Millers performed with Ērika Apeine at the piano. He performed Händel's Why do the nations from the Messiah, Schubert's Der Wanderer,  Tchaikovsky's Don Juan Serenade and Tutto e disposto from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. You can watch his performance HERE.

Croatian baritone Matija Meić sang with Tuula Hällström at the piano. He sang  Händel's Revenge, revenge from Alexander's Feast, Tchaikovsky's Notši bezumnie, Schubert's Auf dem Flusse and Avant de quitter ces lieux from Gounod's Faust. You can watch his performance HERE.

The finals will be held on August 13 with eight prizewinners performing on August 15th. Singers will perform two works with orchestral accompaniment. Each singer will have a maximum of 20 minutes.

There will be 4 female and 4 male prizes, beginning at €30000 for 1st prize, €20000 for 2nd prize, €10000 for 3rd prize and €5000 for 4th prize. Tickets for all rounds are available online or at the Lippupiste ticket shop. 

Christopher Maltman takes on Don Giovanni and Wotan

August 7, 2014, 10:00 pm

≫ Next: Introducing Ukrainian barihunk Dmytro Kalmuchyn

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Christopher Maltman

Barihunk Christopher Maltman will be making his Ravinia operatic debut in the title role of Mozart's Don Giovanni. The performance will be at the Martin Theatre with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of James Conlon. Performances will be on Thursday, August 14 and Saturday, August 16.

The cast includes Tamara Wilson as Donna Anna, David Bižic as Leporello, Kristinn Sigmundsson as the Commendatore, Saimir Pirgu as Don Ottavio, Aga Mikolaj as Donna Elvira, Ailyn Pérez as Zerlina and Yohan Yi as Masetto.

Visit the Ravinia website for more information or to purchase tickets.

Next up for Maltman will be a somewhat surprising foray into the music of Richard Wagner, as he takes on Wotan in Das Rheingold in Seoul, Korea. The performance will be the kickoff of conductor Myung-Whun Chung and the Seoul Philharmonic's concert version of the Ring of the Nibelungen. The performance is on September 26 and includes fellow barihunk Alexander Tsymbalyuk as Fafner, as well as Michelle DeYoung as Fricka, Catherine Wyn-Rogers as Erda,  Malin Christensson as Woglinde & Freia, and Yuri Vorobiev as Fasolt.

Introducing Ukrainian barihunk Dmytro Kalmuchyn

August 9, 2014, 11:11 am

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Dmytro Kalmuchyn

We were blown away by Ukrainian barihunk Dmytro Kalmuchyn's performances in the first two rounds of the Mirjam Helim International Singing Competition in Helsinki, Finland. We were even more amazed to learn that he just recently turned twenty-one. His set of Richard Strauss songs would be a fantastic performance for a singer twice his age.

Kalmuchyn hails from Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine in the historic region of Podolia, where he began singing with the Children's Music School.  He eventually became the lead singer of the "Podilski Solovyi” (Podillya Nightingales) children's chorus.

In May 2010, at the age of 17, he made his solo recital debut with the Khmelnytskyi Regional Philharmonic Society. That same year, he became a first-year student of voice at the Lviv National Musical Academy. He won the Theodore Teren-Yuskiw Young Singers Competition and the Grand Prix of the competition "Art of the XXI century."

You can watch his semi-final performance at the Mirjam Helim International Singing Competition HERE. He sings Sibelius' Svarta rosor, a Richard Strauss set (Zueignung, Nichts, Die Nacht, Die Georgine, Geduld, Die Verschwiegenen, Die Zeitlose and Allerseelen), as well as Bellini's Or dove fuggo io mai...Ah, per sempre io ti perdei from I Puritani.

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Rossini Festival a veritable Barihunk Festival

August 9, 2014, 6:13 pm

≫ Next: Introducing Croatian Barihunk Leon Košavić

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Alex Esposito

The internationally-acclaimed Rossini Opera Festival is kicking off on Sunday, August 10th with the vocally challenging Armida. The piece is best known in opera circles for requiring six tenors and two basses, with a trio for three tenors in Act 3. In between booking tenors, they managed to bring in a quartet of barihunks to perform in the Festival.

Alex Esposito sings Rossini's "Cade dal ciglio" from Mosè in Egitto:

On August 11, the Festival features Il barbiere di Siviglia with bass-barihunk Alex Esposito as Basilio, giving fans the chance to hear him showcase the aria La Calunnia about the spreading of vicious gossip. Although we think of Esposito for his definitive portrayals of Mozart's leading men, he has actually sung far more Rossini. He has 13 Rossini roles in 12 operas to his credit, including Alidoro in La cenerentola, Mustafà in L'italiana in Algeri, Selim in Il turco in Italia, Mahomet II in Le siège de Corinthe, Fernando Villabella in La gazza ladra, Moses and the Pharaoh in both versions of Mosè in Egitto, Assur in Semiramide, Orbazzano in Tancredi, Lord Sidney and Don Profondo in Il viaggio a Reims and Polidoro in Zelmira.

Andrea Vincenzo Bonsignore

The opera also features Andrea Vincenzo Bonsignore as Fiorello, who is new to this site. The 30-year-old singer studied at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan where he made his debut as Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro in 2010. He was first invited to the Rossini Festival in 2011 when he sang in Il Viaggio a Reims under Alberto Zedda.

Performances of Il barbiere di Siviglia are on August 11, 14, 17 and 20.

Marko Mimica

On August 13 and 16 the Festival will present Il Viaggio a Reims, with Marko Mimica as Lord Sidney. Opera aficionados will recall that he made waves earlier this year as one of the top five finalists in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. He is currently a principle artist at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he is singing the High Priest of Baal in Verdi's Nabucco, Pistola in Verdi's Falstaff, and Mr. Bosun in David Alden's production of Britten's Billy Budd.

The Festival will also be performing Aureliano in Palmira on August 12, 15, 18 and 22. Tickets for all performances are available online. 

Mirco Palazzi

 Mirco Palazzi sings "All'invito generoso" from Rossini's Maometto II:

Another of our favorite singers will be featured in Petite Messe solennelle on August 21, when Mirco Palazzi sings the bass part of the vocal quartet under the baton of Alberto Zedda. He will continue singing Rossini after the Festival, as he heads to Edinburgh on August 26 to sing Gualtiero in William Tell. He'll be joined by soprano Angela Meade as Matilde and John Osborn as Arnold. Tickets are available online.

Introducing Croatian Barihunk Leon Košavić

August 10, 2014, 7:30 am

≫ Next: Introducing Croatian Barihunk Matija Meić

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Leon Košavić

Leon Košavić performed his semi-final set today at the Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition. He performed Sibelius' Fågellek, a set of the Schubert Heine Lieder (Der Atlas, Ihr Bild, Das Fischermädchen, Die Stadt, Am Meer, and Der Doppelgänger, and Donizetti's Bella siccome un angelo from Don Pasquale. You can watch the entire performance HERE.

Leon Košavić began his vocal education at the age of twelve at the Academy of Music in Zagreb with Giorgio Surian. In 2011, he was awarded first prize at a Croatian national competition for students.

He made his stage debut as Moralés in Bizet's Carmen at the The Academy of Music and subsequently performed there as the Emperor in Stravinsky´s The Nightingale. He made his professional debut at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb as Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, where he subsequently performed Mr. McC in Introductions and Goodbyes by Lukas Foss and Masetto in Mozart's Don Giovanni.

In 2013, he was awarded the Audience Choice Award at a competition for young artists in Croatia.

Introducing Croatian Barihunk Matija Meić

August 10, 2014, 9:09 am

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Matija Meić

28-year-old Croatian barihunk Matija Meić began his studies at the Music Academy in Zagreb before continuing on to the University of Performing Arts Vienna. He performed Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen while at the Music Academy.

At today's Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition he performed Pylkkänen's Pastorale, a set of Finzi songs (Come away, come away, death; Who is Silvia?; Fear no more the heat o' the sun; O mistress mine; It was a lover and his lass), and Donizetti's Cruda, funesta smania from Lucia di Lammermoor. You can listen to his entire performance HERE.

In the 2010/2011 season, Matija Meić made his debut at the Zagreb National Theatre as Levi in Zajc's Nikola Šubić Zrinjski, subsequently performing Schaunard in Puccini's La Boheme. The following season he performed Belcore in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore with the company.

Matija Meić sings Largo al factotum from the Barber of Seville:

In June 2013, Meić sang the role of Guglielmo in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. The following season he sang Belcore and Figaro at the Zagreb Opera House. This season, he was enlisted to sing the title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Vienna Performing Arts University production at the Schlosstheater Scönbrunn.

Meić has take top prizes at a number of vocal competitions, including at the 2010 International Singing Competition in Montenegro in 2010, the Iuventus Canti Competition in Slovakia in 2013, as well as being named the “Young Singer of the Year ” at the Molto Cantabile Competition in Zagreb in 2013.

Andrea Mastroni in Verona's glorious Aida

August 10, 2014, 9:40 am

≫ Next: Waltteri Torikka's semi-finals performance at the Mirjam Helin Competition

≪ Previous: Introducing Croatian Barihunk Matija Meić

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Andrea Mastroni(top)and Verona's Aida(bottom)

Italian bass-barihunk Andrea Mastroni opens on August 10th as Ramfis and the King in the popular production of Verdi's Aida at the Arena di Verona in Italy. Last season at the Arena, Mastroni's sinister and dark Sparafucile in Verdi's Rigoletto was a big hit singing opposite Leo Nucci and Aleksandra Kurzak. Performances run through September 7th with rotating casts (unfortunately, it's difficult to find cast dates on the Arena di Verona website).

Andrea Mastroni sings "Quel vecchio maledivami" from Rigoletto;

Andrea Mastroni was born in Milan and originally studied the clarinet.  He then began studying voice with the great Italian soprano Lello Cuberli and Rita Antoniazzi. He graduated with honors from the Istituto Claudio Monteverdi in Cremona, while also obtaining a degree in Aesthetic Philosophy. In 2005, he won the Mario Basiola Prize and in 2007 took home both the Giuseppe Di Stefano Competition and the Bibiena Prize.

The current Verona season also includes Bizet's Carmen, Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Gounod's Romeo et Juliette. 

On January 10, 21 and 23 next year, Mastroni will be appearing as Walter in Verdi's Luisa Miller at the Aalto-Musiktheater in Essen, Germany.

Waltteri Torikka's semi-finals performance at the Mirjam Helin Competition

August 10, 2014, 10:24 am

≫ Next: Colin Ramsey in Aztec "Magic Flute"; Introducing Zane Ransom Hill

≪ Previous: Andrea Mastroni in Verona's glorious Aida

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Waltteri Torikka singing Look! Through the port

There is an amazing group of baritones competing in the semi-final round of the Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition and Waltteri Torikka is among the best.

His set included Benjamin Britten's Look! Through the port from Billy Budd, Kuula's Sinipiika, a Sibelius lieder set (Serenade; Jägargossen; Den första kyssen; Im Feld ein Mädchen singt) and Adam Norden's Jag är ett träd. You can watch his entire performance HERE.

The finals will be held on August 13 with eight prizewinners performing on August 15th. Singers will perform two works with orchestral accompaniment. Each singer will have a maximum of 20 minutes.

There will be 4 female and 4 male prizes, beginning at €30000 for 1st prize, €20000 for 2nd prize, €10000 for 3rd prize and €5000 for 4th prize. Tickets for all rounds are available online or at the Lippupiste ticket shop.