Andrew Garland wins National Association of Teachers Competition

Andrew Garland has kept the barihunk winning streak alive in vocal competitions, as he won the National Association of Teachers Competition this weekend.

Garland will receive $10,000 in cash and prizes including $5000 in cash, a $2500 winner’s recital at the 2014 National Conference in Boston,  and $2500 towards personal expenses for a New York solo recital debut sponsored by the Distinguished Concerts International New York. He also receives a full tuition scholarship to AIMS in Graz, Austria and a $1,000 gift certificate for music from Hal Leonard Corporation.

Judges for the finals were Christopher Arneson, Jane Eaglen, Lynn Helding, Beverley Rinaldi, and Donald Simonson.

Garland can next be seen on July 28th at the South Shore Concert series in Hingham, Massachusetts performing music from opera and operetta.

Garland sings Mahler's "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" 

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BREAKING NEWS: McCammon Winners Announced

Andrew Garland & Norman Garrett

The winners of the 2012 McCammon Voice Competition have just been announced and two of the award winners were barihunks who have been featured on our site. Congratulations to Norman Garrett who won 3rd Prize and to Andrew Garland who won the coveted Audience Favorite Award.

Since its debut in 1985, the McCammon Voice Competition has grown into one of the world's most important operatic events. Every two years, the contest showcases the most compelling young singers of our time. After several rounds of reviews and eliminations, the McCammon finalists engage in two days of intense competition. Many of the winners are catapulted onto major opera stages.

Previous barihunk winners include Jonathan Beyer and Donovan Singletary. Both men are appearing at the upcoming Ft. Worth Opera Festival in Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro."

Donovan Singletary

Andrew Garland can next be seen as Mercutio in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at the Annapolis Opera.

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Barihunk Chart Topper; Great Gatsby in SF; Andrew Garland for Valentine's Day: Meikle Takes Marcello to Italy

David McFerrin (Top L), David Adam Moore (Bottom L) & Jesse Blumberg (R)

A little over two weeks ago we mentioned the CD release party and concert for the Five Borough Music Festival's songbook of works by twenty composers. Each song was inspired by places, themes, and poetry from every corner of New York City. We're thrilled to announce that the CD has shot up the Classical Billboard charts to #12 ahead of the Metropolitan Opera and Sir Paul McCartney. Barihunks David Adam Moore, Jesse Blumberg and David McFerrin are all featured on the CD.

Composers include Lisa Bielawa, Tom Cipullo, Mohammed Fairouz, Ricky Ian Gordon, Daron Hagen, Gabriel Kahane, Jorge Martin, Russell Platt, Matt Schickele and more. Click HERE to buy your copy today.

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone involved!

Jason Detwiler & Susannah Biller (photo by Steve DiBartolomeo)

Last February, we featured Ensemble Parallèle’s production of Philip Glass' "Orphée" with barihunks Eugene Brancoveanu and Austin Kness. The innovative young company is back with another barihunk, Jason Detwiler, in their production of John Harbison’s "The Great Gatsby." The soprano is Susannah Biller Kness who, you guessed it, is married to barihunk Austin Kness.

The Great Gatsby will run from February 10-12 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Performing Arts in San Francisco.  Jason Detwiler is performing the role of Nick Carraway.  Visit the Ensemble Parallèle website for additional cast and performance information.   

Andrew Garland: Our Favorite Valentine

Back in July we mentioned the New York Festival Of Song's upcoming season and we've been following each concert throughout the season. We're particularly excited  about the February 14th concert for Valentine's Day entitled "A MODERN PERSON’S GUIDE TO HOOKING UP AND BREAKING UP." The concert will examine the full range of modern love with affection and humor through songs of Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, The Bobs, Noël Coward, Jason Robert Brown, Ed Kleban, and others. Subjects range from voyeurism, S&M, and ménages à trois, to good old-fashioned heart-to-heart love. The concert also repeats on February 16 at 8:00PM at Merkin Concert Hall.

Most importantly, the concert includes our favorite Valentine's Day barihunk, Andrew Garland.  Click HERE to spent your Valentine's Day with the hottest redhead in opera.

Laurence Meikle

Laurence Meikle debuts as Marcello in Puccini’s "La Boheme" tonight at the Teatro Guiditta Pasta in Saronno, Italy. There will be an additional performance at the Teatro dell’Opera di Milano in Varese on February 4th.

Regular readers might remember Meikle from our "Hottest Aussie Barihunks" or our feature on his performance of Marcello at a Soho restaurant in London.

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Andrew Garland, Alex Esposito & Ryan Kuster Updates; Schrott Out in Dresden

Ryan Kuster (L), Andrew Garland (C) and Alex Esposito

Today is a miscellaneous Friday for us, which we're going to use to update you on four of our favorite barihunks. They also happen to be three of the most talented singers to be making their mark in the opera world today.

Our favorite redhead, Andrew Garland, recently finished recording "American Portraits" for GPR records, which is due out in 2012. He can next be heard in Handel's "Messiah" with the Boston Baroque on December 9 and 10.  Here he is singing "A Reverie" from the song cycle 'Battle Pieces' by Paul Phillips, which is based on poems by Herman Melville. The world premiere was on October 16, 2011 with the Pioneer Valley Symphony in Greenfield, Massachusetts.



We have deservedly dubbed Alex Esposito the greatest Leporello in the world today and it continues to be a major role on his schedule. His work as a Mozart specialist in general has been recognized by the most prestigious opera companies in the world, who keep engaging him for the master's leading roles. He's keeping a busy schedule singing his signature role as Don Giovanni's sidekick with a recent run at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and now taking it to the Vienna Staatsoper, which opens on December 11. He then switches Mozart roles, singing Papageno at La Scala in February and Guglielmo in Toulouse in May 2012. For a change of pace, here he is singing the aria "Accusata di furto" from  Gioachino Rossini's "La gazza ladra," which is best known for its overture. The performance is from a gala at the Deutsche Oper Berlinon November 5, 2011.



Fans of Ryan Kuster in San Francisco were treated to this amazing singer at the San Francisco Opera's "The Future is Now: Adler Fellows Gala Concert." The first-year Adler Fellow continues to generate a genuine buzz among opera cognoscenti and he didn't disappoint last night with a rousing and vocally eloquent performance of "Aprite un po' quegli' occhi" from Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro." He was then given the unenviable task of singing opposite Leah Crocetto, who many believe will be the next reigning Verdi soprano. The duo sang "Il padre tuo...Tu piniscimi" and literally brought down the house.

And speaking of duos...

If you think the Germans are upset at having to carry the load of the European debt crisis, you should have seen the reaction when the Semperoper Dresden announced that Anna Netrebko and barihunk hubby Erwin Schrott would not be performing in two New Year's Eve Concerts. Opera's most famoust couple were replaced by sopranos Angela Denoke and Ana Maria Labin.  The two concerts were sold out, but the ticket office is being besieged with refund requests. The change was made with little fanfare, as Netrebko and Schrott's names mysteriously disappeared from the website overnight.

We're going to announce our first two recipients for a charitable donation from our our 2012 Barihunks calendar in the next few days. We appreciate everyone's enthusiastic support for the calendar, but encourage those who haven't purchased one to do so now, so we can support additional programs. Also, it's not to late to write us at Barihunks@gmail.com and tell us why your young artist program is deserving of a donation from the calendar.

Miscellaenous Barihunk News

Usually when we're covering anything in Ft. Worth it involves our beloved Ft. Worth Opera. But tonight the Ft. Worth Symphony Orchestra is opening their season with American barihunk Jonathan Beyer singing selections from Aaron Copland's "Old American Songs." If you're in the area, you won't want to miss Beyer, who is establishing a reputation as a leading interpreter of American music. Click HERE for concert and ticket information.

Andrew Garland & Liam Moran

The Annapolis Opera will be featuring two barihunks in their first-ever production of Gounod's "Romeo & Juliet." Andrew Garland will sing his first ever Mercutio and Liam Moran will be featured as Friar Lawrence. In the tenor role of Romeo is the equally adorable and talented Eric Margiore. There will be two performance on May 18 and 20 of next year. Click HERE for tickets and additional cast information.

Nathan Gunn

On August 31, barihunk Nathan Gunn will be teaming up with Broadway legend Mandy Patinkin at the Ravinia Festival for an evening of music from Broadway, opera, Americana, Yiddish and rock selections. Rumor has it that one of them will even appear in a bathtub. Click HERE for tickets.

Lastly, here is British barihunk Christopher Maltman talking about his recent live recording sessions of Schubert at Wigmore Hall and a clip of him at the 1997 "Cardiff Singer of the World" competition performing Schubert's "Ständchen." We think he's gotten sexier since his standout performance 14  years ago.





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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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Andrew Garland

Andrew Garland

Andrew Garland has provided us with some of our favorite posts on this site, from his sexy shower scene to his amazing performance of Lee Hoiby's "Last Letter Home From Iraq."

He is featured on Thomas Hampson's wonderful website "Song of America," which celebrates 250 years of American song writing. The four Lori Laitman songs that he performs on the site are featured below. His lieder singing has received great critical acclaim, which is one of the reasons that we wanted to feature him again. However, he is also building a successful career on the stage performing music ranging from Monteverdi to living American composers.

He is currently performing Starveling in Benjamin Britten's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with the Boston Lyric Opera. There is one performance remaining on May 10th. He will next be featured on May 22nd at the Dayton Opera's 50th Anniversary Gala, where has previously appeared in three different productions. Later this summer he will appear as Guglielmo in Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" at Opera Saratoga. 
 

Andrew Garland Singing in the Shower

"Refrigerator, 1957":



"Men With Small Heads":



"Snake Lake":



"A Small Tin Parrot Pin":



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Remembering Lee Hoiby (1926-2011)

R.I.P. - Lee Hoiby

The great composer Lee Hoiby has 

left the stage. 

You can read the NY Times obituary HERE.

We can't think of a better way to pay tribute to the great Lee Hoiby than with his "The Last Letter Home from Iraq," which we previously posted with Andrew Garland. Here is Garland's wonderful version followed by the United States Army musicians performing the same piece.

If you have a favorite Lee Hoiby story, please leave it in the comments section.