Dead Man Walking Closes in Tulsa, Opens in Dresden

Michael Mayes (L) & John Packard (R) as Joseph de Rocher

Michael Mayes created quite a stir when we posted pictures of him on Barihunks as Joseph de Rocher in the Tulsa Opera production of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking. We followed it up with a post about his dramatic weight loss and workout routine that got him his "prison gym" body, which also generated intense interest. Mayes received rave reviews for his intense performance and became the talk of the opera world overnight even though he was performing in a city that is hardly considered an opera capital of the world. Such is the power of the internet.

Philip Cutlip (top) and Daniel Okulitch (bottom)

Heggie's opera has quickly become a mainstay of the operatic standard repertory, something that rarely happens this soon after a work's debut. The opera premiered at the San Francisco Opera in 2000 with an all-star cast led by John Packard as Joseph de Rocher, Frederick von Stade an his mother, Susan Graham as Sister Helen Prejean and Jay Hunter Morris as Father Grenville.

Mel Ulrich (L) & Teddy Tahu Rhodes (R)

Some of the hottest barihunks in the world have taken on the role of Joseph de Rocher including Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Mel Ulrich, Daniel Okulitch, Jordan Shanahan, Marcus DeLoach and Philip Cutlip.

Here is a promo piece from the Dresden Opera in German:

Dead Man Walking - Semperoper Dresden from Theater-TV on Vimeo.

Just over 5,000 miles from Tulsa, as the curtain comes down on the final performance of Dead Man Walking, another production is running at the Semperoper in Dresden with John Packard returning as the convicted killer. Remaining performance are on March 4, 9, 18 and 23 with Antigone Papoulkas as Sister Helen Prejean. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online. 

In related casting news about barihunks who played Joseph de Rocher, read our recent post about Daniel Okulitch, who is reprising Willy Wonka in Atlanta, a role that he created. Philip Cutlip opens two weeks from today as Guglielmo in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte at New York City Opera in a cast that includes fellow barihunk Rod Gilfry. Michael Mayes heads to the Ft. Worth Opera Festival to perform in Mark Adamo's Lysistrata, Jordan Shanahan will be performing in La boheme with the Green Mountain Cultural Festival, Marcus DeLoach will be performing in Of Mice and Men with the Utah Opera and Teddy Tahu Rhodes will be taking his famous Don Giovanni to Bordeaux opposite the Leporello of fellow barihunk Kostas Smoriginas

And we leave you with Jordan Shanahan:

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Daniel Okulitch Reprises Willy Wonka in Golden Ticket

Daniel Okuitch as Willy Wonka (Photo © Tim Wilkerson)

Canadian barihunk Daniel Okulitch will reprise his huge success as Willy Wonka in The Golden Ticket opening tonight with the Atlanta Opera. The opera is based on author Roald Dahl's classic story "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which became the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." The opera was written by American composer Peter Ash and British librettist Donald Sturrock and was co-commissioned by the American Lyric Theater and Felicity Dahl. The Opera Theater of St. Louis, Wexford Opera Festival and the the American Lyric Theater co-produced the world-premiere.

Here is some rehearsal footage from the current production:

Okulitch created the role for the world-premiere of The Golden Ticket in 2010 with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. This will be his debut with the Atlanta Opera debut. From all accounts, his performance is a "must see" masterpiece of acting and singing.

Fair warning to Wonka purists, four of the roles played by children in the movie will logically be performed by adult opera singers.

Daniel Okulitch in rehearsal (Photo © Jeff Roffman)

The opera will run from March 3-11 and you can find additional information on the Atlanta Opera website. The cast also includes barihunk Jason Hardy as Grandpa George/Mr. Beauregard.

You can order Daniel Okulitch's CD at a special 10% for Barihunks readers by clicking on the logo at the bottom of the GPR Records page that looks like this:

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Michael Mayes Hits The Gym for "Dead Man Walking"

Michael Mayes: Buffing up for art

We gave a plug to Texas barihunk Michael Mayes yesterday for his entertaining Texapolitan Opera Roadshow podcast. We never miss an episode and neither should anyone who believes that opera should be fun and entertaining. The show introduces opera fans to some of the most interesting people in the business. We fell in love with tenor Chad Johnson, who had has laughing so hard that we wore out the PAUSE button catching our breath. [Barihunk Michael Rice tells a story on his episode where Johnson says he has the body of a lesbian].

Mayes has been busy this past year singing Valentin in Faust with Opera Birmingham, Marcello in La bohème with the Eugene Opera and the Des Moines Metro Opera, Silvio in Pagliacci with Kentucky Opera, the title role in Don Giovanni with Shreveport Opera, and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte with Michigan Opera Theater.  But this season, he turns to a few edgier roles as he takes on Joseph De Rocher in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking with the Tulsa Opera and Kinesias in Mark Adamo's Lysistrata with the Fort Worth Opera.

Three barihunk De Rochers: Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Jordan Shanahan & Daniel Okulitch

He opens in Dead Man Walking on February 25th and Tulsa Opera has put together a series of events to coincide with the performances, including exhibits, screenings of the movie and a lecture by Sister Helen Prejean who wrote the original book. Check out the Tulsa Opera website for details.

Michael Mayes as seen in the 2012 Barihunks calendar

We love Mayes' commitment to the role by hitting the weights at the gym and looking like the ultimate Joseph De Rocher. We've seen him perform and have no doubt that Mayes will be considered one of the great proponents of this role. He has an amazing way of embodying any role he takes on from the goofy Papageno to the swaggering Escamillo.

Lysistrata will be performed at the Ft. Worth Opera Festival on May 26th and June 3rd. The Festival will feature another Jake Heggie opera, "Three Decembers," as well as Puccini's "Tosca" and Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro." Visit the Ft. Worth Opera website for additional information.

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BARIHUNKS BEST OF 2011

HOTTEST BARIHUNK PHOTO OF 2011 - CHRISTOPHER JOHNSTONE

Christopher Johnstone: Model singer

We couldn't believe it when we saw Christopher Johnstone's new website this year. The Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music graduate defines himself as a "Singer, Actor, Model" and it's tough to argue with it. The lyric baritone has sung with the Glimmerglass Opera, Lyric Opera San Diego, Opera Pacific, Cincinnati Pops, Boston Pops and performing Poulenc’s Le bal masqué for Baritone and Chamber Orchestra with Maestro James Levine of the Metropolitan Opera.

HOTTEST BARIHUNK PHOTO OF 2011 (RUNNER UP) - NICHOLAS NELSON

Nicholas Nelson: Singer or Abercombie & Fitch model?

When we first saw these pictures, we thought they were from an Abercombie & Fitch catalogue. If there is any question left in anyone's mind that singers are taking better care of their bodies these days, these pictures should dispel those thoughts. Nelson is currently with the Portland Opera Studio, one of the beneficiaries of funds from our 2012 Barihunks charity calendar.

BEST STUDIO RECORDING - HENK NEVEN

Henk Neven: Best baritone studio CD of the year

Henk Neven was nominated for a presitigious Gramophone Award in the category of "Solo Vocal." Neven was nomintated for his recording of Carl Loewe's "Ballades" and Robert Schumann's Liederkreis with Hans Eijsackers on piano. It's an amazing recording that should belong in everyone's playlist.

BEST TREND - LIVING AMERICAN COMPOSERS

Daniel Okulitch, Randal Turner & David Adam Moore

The music of living American Composers was all the rage this year. Barihunks Randal Turner and Daniel Okulitch both released brilliant CDs based on the theme. The Five Burroughs Music Festival run by barihunk Jesse Blumberg featured music by living American composers, including performances from fellow barihunk David Adam Moore. The New York Festival of Song, under one of our favorites, Steven Blier, also continued to deliver some of the best new American music on the scene.



BEST NEWCOMERS - PHILIPPE SLY and DOMINIK KöNINGER

PHILIPPE SLY and DOMINIK KöNINGER

We had a great post this year which asked the question: Can barihunks sing? If there was any question about it, two newcomers to the site Philippe Sly and Dominik Köninger quickly dispelled the myth. Sly blew away audiences during his brief tenure at the Merola Opera Program and went on to win the Metropolitan Opera Auditions.  He was identified early on as a favorite to win the competition and his version of Schubert's haunting Der Erlkönig drew comparisons to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and other great baritones.


In a year where baritones won almost every vocal competition, German barihunk Dominik Köninger took the top prize at the 2011 Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation International Song Competition. His seamless phrasing and beauty of tone instantly became the talk of European impresarios and critics.

BEST NUDE SCENE - CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN IN "JUAN"

Christopher Maltman in Juan

Ever since we posted that Christopher Maltman appeared nude in Kasper Holten's abbreviated and updated film version of Mozart's "Don Giovanni," our inbox was filled with queries asking us where they could see the film. Unfortunately, the film had VERY limited release in the U.S. and wasn't made available on DVD to North Americans. Fortunately, a fan of our site directed us to this LINK where the film can be viewed online for free. We suspect that they're getting a sudden uptick in traffic.

BEST AND WORST OPERAS OF THE YEAR
BEST - HYDROGEN JUKEBOX IN FT. WORTH
WORST - GRISELDA IN SANTA FE

Dan Kempson & Justin Hopkins

The Ft. Worth Opera Festival continues to establish itself as a mandatory summer stop for any serious opera fan. This year's production of Phillip Glass' "Hydrogen Jukebox" was the surprise hit of the year. Directed by the Lawrence Edelson and featuring barihunks Dan Kempson and Justin Hopkins (who often appeared only in boxers), the production made an excellent case for this opera entering the standard repertory.

Gronk working on the Griselda sets

If you were looking for a short night at the opera, then you should have been at the Santa Fe Opera's production of Vivaldi's "Griselda." Director Peter Sellars and artist Gronk created an incoherent updating of a baroque masterpiece that had people scrambling for the exits. After Act 1 Santa Fe was filled with opera goers at local bars asking, "What the hell was that?"

BEST AND WORST DIRECTORS
BEST: JOHN DE LOS SANTOS
WORST: MICHAEL GRANDAGE

John de los Santos and Michael Grandage

We return to Ft. Worth for our best young director, John de los Santos, who brought such vibrancy to Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Mikado" that it seemed like a brand new hit show. We've been featuring a video of his work in our sidebar, as we think that his work should be more widely known to opera fans. He will be working on his first Wagner opera this year, when he joins the creative team at the Dallas Opera for their "Tristan und Isolde."

We've always had great respect for Michael Grandage as an actor and for much of his theatrical work. However, he needs to stay away from the opera house. He is the antithesis of everything that this site stands for, which is making opera accessible and interesting to modern audiences, as well as making it sexy when appropriate. He took all of the sexual tension out of Britten's "Billy Budd" at Glyndebourne and then mounted what the Guardian called a "disastrously dull" Don Giovanni at the Met. Two operas that thrive on sexual tension were basically emasculated by Grandage.

BEST BARIHUNK FEAST - MINNESOTA OPERA'S "SILENT NIGHT"

Mike Nyby

Kevin Puts' opera "Silent Night" contains more sexy men than a World Cup soccer championship. There were four barihunks in the premiere at the Minnesota Opera who had appeared on this site before, including Mike Nyby, Gabriel Preisser, Ben Wager and Liam Bonner, as well as Andrew Wilkowske. The opera is based on the screenplay for Joyeux Noël by Christian Carion and recounts a miraculous moment of peace during one of the bloodiest wars in human history.

BEST BARIHUNK WEDDING - ZACH ALTMAN & DAN KEMPSON

Zach Altman & Dan Kempson

This isn't you're grandmother's world of opera anymore. Baritones aren't the villains anymore, they're getting married to each other. Two of the most popular barihunks on this site tied the knot this year, Zach Altman and Dan Kempson. We wish them well!

YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD AWARD - NATHAN GUNN

Nathan Gunn as Tarquinius in Vienna

We're going to leave you with Nathan Gunn, whose popularity with Barihunks fans is off the charts. The 41-year-old singer still looks hotter than guys twenty years his junior. He returned to the role of Tarquinius in Vienna this year and still looked as sexy as when he sung the role in Philadelphia years ago. He's also about to return to the role of Billy Budd, which is often performed by guys 10-20 years younger. Gunn also promotes his fitness routine, which we think is good for opera and good for the singers.

HAVE A GREAT 2012!!!

NY Times Review of Met's Don Giovanni: "Reckless in Seduction, if Not Onstage"

Peter Mattei (L) & Luca Pisaroni (R)

Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera

New York Times critic Anthony Tommasi has written a review of the new Metropolitan Opera production of "Don Giovanni." Readers are well aware that this production was plagued by the last-minute injury of Mariusz Kwiecien, who New Yorkers had eagerly anticipated performing the role for the first time on the Met stage. Tommasini's review focuses a lot on Michael Grandage's production, which appears to suffer from many of the criticisms that beset his "Billy Budd" at Glyndebourne, which is an overly conservative and cautious portrayal of the opera. Much of the criticism's of Grandage's "Billy Budd" was that he stripped the sexual tension from the opera. We'll be curious if this Giovanni is different when Kwiecien, who along with Randal Turner is known as one of the most sexually charged Giovanni's, returns to the cast. [FYI: The Barihunks crew is attending the October 25 performance when Kwiecien returns].

Joélle Harvey as Zerlina and Kelly Markgraf as Masetto; Jason Hardy as Leporello and Daniel Okulitch as Don Giovanni NYCO's Sexy and Vivid Don Giovanni (Photo by © Carol Rosegg)

Tommasini points out that this production paled in comparison to the "vivid" and "sexy" Christopher Alden production that the New York City Opera produced in 2009. We were unabashedly enthusiastic about the City Opera's "Giovanni," which we thought was one of the best ever produced. With City Opera slowly rising from the ashes, it will be nice to see some renewed competition in the Big Apple.

However, he did single out and praise the performances of the singers. Here is what he wrote about the barihunks.

[Mattei] was superb, singing alternately with suave, seductive phrasing and menacing intensity. At 6-foot-4, he was lordly, cagey, heady with desire and glibly reckless.

The bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni was a dynamic Leporello, singing with a muscular voice, rich colorings and agility. Handsome and full of bluster, this youthful Leporello exuded resentment while bowing to his master’s commands. But for the accident of birth, Mr. Pisaroni’s Leporello would be the nobleman and lady-killer. And there was some intriguing sexual tension in Giovanni’s roughhousing with his servant. 

You can read Tommasini's entire review at the New York Times online site.

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Video: Daniel Okulitch's Nude Scene from "The Fly"

Daniel Okulitch goes "The Full Okulitch" (Screenshot from Arte)

According to our Google Analytics, two of our most popular posts of all-time continue to be those of Gabriel Bermudez appearing nude in Poulenc's  "Les mamelles de Tirésias" and Daniel Okultich appearing nude in Howard Shore's "The Fly." Until now, we've only had pictures and no video. But thanks to a European broadcast of the opera, we now have some video to share of the scene that prompted fellow barihunks Michael Mayes and Michael Todd Simpson on the Texapolitan Opera podcast to coin the phrase "The Full Okulitch" to describe a full-frontal nude scene in opera.



The Canadian barihunk can next be heard in recital at the Glenn Gould Studio on December 4th in Toronto. You can check out his profile on the CBC website where you can also listen to him discuss his status as a barihunk.

We also highly recommend that you add Okulitch's wonderful recital "The New American Art Song" to your CD collection. You can purchase it at the GPR Records website. 

For the record, the only other barihunk to appear on this site other than Bermudez and Okulitch performing "The Full Okulitch" is Troy Cook. We should use this opportunity to point out that we only publish nudity if it was performed on stage. We have pictures of Leigh Melrose from "Riders to the Sea" and Laurent Alvaro from the French production of "The Fly," but felt the quality wasn't good enough to post. We also hear that there are photos of Eugene Brancoveanu from "Little Caesar," but we've never found them. 

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Nathan Gunn Announced for Santa Fe Premiere

Nathan Gunn: Spotted in Santa Fe

Barihunks spotted Nathan Gunn at a performance of Griselda in Santa Fe and we were wondering what brought him to town since he wasn't in any of the operas. We have since learned that he'll be singing with the company in 2015 in the world premiere of Cold Mountain, which is based on the best-selling novel about a Civil War deserter by Charles Frazier. The opera features music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon and a libretto by Gene Scheer.

Santa Fe will also features two other world premieres in upcoming seasons, Oscar by Theodore Morrison, based on the life of Oscar Wilde in 2013 and Miss Fortune by Judith Weir in 2014. 

Daniel Okulitch & Markus Beam

There is no shortage of barihunks in Santa Fe for those who can't wait for Cold Mountain. Daniel Okulitch continues to receive raves as Abdul in Menotti's The Last Savage. Markus Beam was a pleasant last minute replacement as Schaunard for fellow barihunk Keith Phares in Puccini's La Boheme. For a complete cast list, visit the Santa Fe Opera website.

Markus Beam sings Guglielmo's aria, "Non siate ritrosi", from Mozart's Così fan tutte:



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10% Discount for Barihunks readers on Okulitch CD

GPR Records is offerings a 10% discount to Barihunks readers who order Daniel Okulitch's new CD of American composers. If you have a PayPal account, you can click HERE to directly to the discounted site.

Okulitch sings music by Ricky Ian Gordon, Jake Heggie, Lowell Lieberman, and Glen Roven on this recording of twenty-nine songs. As we've reported, Okulitch is currently in Santa Fe performing music by one of the masters of the mid-20th century, Gian Carlo Menotti. Tickets for Menotti's "The Last Savage" are available HERE.

Copies of fellow barihunk Randal Turner's recording of Living American Composers are still available, but are almost completely sold out. You can click HERE or on the button to the right to order. We encourage readers to order both CDs, as they are some of the best recordings of this music ever recorded. Both projects had the direct involvement of many of the composers.

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Menotti's "The Last Savage" at Santa Fe Opera

Daniel Okulitch as the Last Savage

Daniel Okulitch seems to be shirtless more than Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Nathan Gunn combined. It appears that the bass-baritone has recovered from the serious car accident that he was involved in earlier this year. We're thrilled that he's back on stage. He is part of the revival of Gian Carlo Menotti's virtually forgotten comic masterpiece "The Last Savage."

Here is the review from the Santa Fe New Mexican:

From the moment Santa Fe Opera announced its 2011 lineup more than a year ago, one wondered if The Last Savage, a featherweight comic opera by Gian Carlo Menotti, just might be the sleeper hit of the season — and, by golly, it turned out to be precisely that. [Read the entire review HERE].

Tickets are still available at the Santa Fe Opera box office. You can also find video and audio clips at the site.

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Opera Jocks

Former Colorado Buffalo Keith Miller

We've covered the story about former University of Colorado running back Keith Miller and his transition to singing on the major stages of the world. It's an amazing story for a guy who was inspired to sing opera in college after seeing the musical "Phantom of the Opera."

You can click HERE to watch Keith Miller on ESPN talking about his transition from sports to opera.

Elliot Madore: Trading pads for opera

Now we've learned that he isn't the only opera jock around. The St. Louis American has a feature on Canadian barihunk Elliot Madore, who once played hockey and dreamed of Ice Rinks, not Ice Princesses. You can read the entire article HERE.

Madore, who recently replaced fellow Canadian barihunk Daniel Okulitch as Don Giovanni in St. Louis, now heads off to the haloed Salzburg Festival. He will be performing as part of the Young Singers Project.

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Erwin Schrott Interview & the Baritone Renaissance

Erwin Schrott talking about his life and opera

Erwin Schrott has become one of the most popular singers in opera along with his wife soprano Anna Netrebko. He is currently singing Figaro at the Opera National de Paris' production of "Le Nozze di Figaro" where he took time out to talk about his new CD Rojotango, future roles (many devilish), his vocal chords, burning out on Don Giovanni (for awhile) and juggling a career and a relationship. In July, Schrott and Netrebko will be back on stage together for a concert with the Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra.

We continue to delight in the "Golden Age of Baritones" which Schrott is a major part of with his sold out performances, benefit concerts and best selling CDs. He joins a long list of baritones who are releasing critically acclaimed recordings, including Daniel Okulitch's performance of American composers, Rene Pape's upcoming release of Wagner, Peter Mattei's performance of the greatest baritone arias, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Sandra Radvanovsky's thrilling Verdi duets recording,  and Randal Turner's concert of American composers, which includes two baritone world premieres.

Publicity shot for Rojotango

Schrott has become almost the unofficial leader of the baritone renaissance, with his savvy public relations skills, high profile benefits, movie star good looks and scintillating stage performances. It has probably been 50 years since baritones have dominated the world stage as they do today, when Ezio Pinza, Ettore Bastianini, Tito Gobbi, Robert Merrill and Cesare Siepi were considered major audience draws and were prominently marketed by opera companies. Schrott has excelled in the territory that was previously left for sopranos, using sex appeal as a marketing tool. It appears that even the "3 Tenors" phenomenon is giving way to baritones, as recordings like Paulo Szot's "South Pacific" seem to be dominating the "crossover" charts. 



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Madore to Replace Injured Okulitch

Elliot Madore with his Don Giovanni score

We continue to monitor the progress of barihunk Daniel Okulitch, who suffered three cracked vertebrae and is confined to a harness after a horrific car accident in Los Angeles that also injured soprano Carin Gilfry. We contacted Okulitch directly who assured us that he expects to make a full recovery. We certainly join the chorus of his growing fans in wishing him a speedy return to the stage.

Okulitch will obviously not recover in time for his run as Don Giovanni at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis which opens next month, so the company has announced that Elliot Madore will replace him in the cast. Okulitch is a fan favorite in St. Louis, where he created the role of Willy Wonka in the world premiere of "The Golden Ticket" last year.

Performances of Don Giovanni will run from May 21 through June 25. Click HERE for additional cast and performance information. 

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Okulitch-Gilfry Update From Family

Daniel Okulitch

Baritone Rod Gilfry has sent out an email updating everyone on the status of his mezzo soprano daughter Carin Gilfy and baritone Daniel Okulitch after their serious car accident. We thought that many of our readers who know these two gifted young singers might want an update. Here it is:

Our daughter Carin did have a car accident on Tuesday, April 5, but, thankfully, she is OK!

Word of her accident has been spreading like wildfire, so I am sending this huge, mass e-mailing to everyone to allay any fears and exaggerations.

On Tuesday night, she was driving her Plymouth Neon in Los Angeles, with bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch in the passenger's seat.

An elderly man driving a Chevrolet Malibu ran a red light and collided with the passenger side at about a 45 degree angle.

Airbags deployed in both cars.  Yes, they were wearing their seat belts. Carin suffered a hairline fracture of the right wrist, a dislocated right shoulder and a bruised right ankle.  Her shoulder popped back in on its own and her wrist is in a cast.  Daniel suffered a fractured cervical vertebrae, and is in a neck brace for a while.  Both were discharged from the hospital within 24 hours.  The car appears to be totaled. The man driving the other car did not appear to be injured.

So, we are grateful it was not more serious!  It could have been so much worse!

Thank you for your prayers and worries and warm thoughts!

Carin & Rod Gilfry

GET WELL, Daniel Okulitch & Carin Gilfry

Daniel Okulitch (Photo by Anne Cusack - Los Angeles Times)

We learned tonight that Daniel Okulitch was involved in a very serious car accident in Los Angeles. It was serious enough that he had to be removed from the vehicle by a jaws of life. In the vehicle with him was mezzo soprano Carin Gilfry, daughter of barihunk Rod Gilfry. We wish them both a speedy recovery.

We took this news particularly hard, as Okulitch has played a major role in the success of this site. His performance in "The Fly" and willingness to own his sexiness and to celebrate it onstage has helped make opera attractive to a whole new generation. He is a gifted singer and performer and every day that he is off of the stage is a loss to opera.

Please keep him and Carin in your thoughts and pull for a full recovery for these two wonderful young artists.

Daniel Okulitch at Carnegie Hall

Daniel Okulitch's new CD of American Art Song

Don't miss Daniel Okulitch's upcoming recital at Carnegie Hall on Monday, March 28, where he will be performing music from his new CD of American Art Song. Composers on the program include Ricky Ian Gordon, Jake Heggie, Lowell Liebermann, and Glen Roven. We've heard the CD and can promise and amazing night of music making. Click HERE to buy tickets while good seats still remain.

Okulitch in the Ft. Worth Opera performance of Heggie's "Dead Man Walking"

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Randal Turner & Daniel Okulitch CDs Spotlight Living American Composers

New CDs by Daniel Okulitch & Randal Turner due for March 2011 release

Readers of this site who appreciate our great American composers are in luck. Two new CDs are due for release this month that showcase new American music. Barihunks Randal Turner and Daniel Okulitch are both releasing CDs this month that feature songs by Glen Roven, Ricky Ian Gordon and Jake Heggie. Okulich will also feature songs by Lowell Liebermann, while Turner will feature music by the wunderkind composer Clint Borzoni.

Daniel Okulitch and Randal Turner during their recordings

One other difference will be that Okulitch recorded his CD in the studio in anticipation of a series of live concerts. Turner's CD was recorded live in San Francisco and even features a special encore tribute to the "City by the Bay." Turner's concert will also be available in a high-definition DVD video format.

Both CDs will be available for pre-release purchase through this site. Stay tuned for more details.

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